anonymous « global « Javascript Data Type Q&A

1. Why are functions in JavaScript set to global variables instead of plain functions?    stackoverflow.com

I am wondering if anyone knows why some people define global variables that are set to functions vs just defining a global function name. For example:

var foo = function() { alert('hello!'); ...

2. JavaScript global variables & self-invoking anonymous functions    stackoverflow.com

So I've been reading through Javascript - The Good Parts and one thing that Crockford points out is the use weakness of global variables in Javascript, in such a ...

3. Anonymous JavaScript function for global abatement    stackoverflow.com

I've run across some strangeness in JavaScript syntax that I don't understand. I was trying to use a single anonymous global function for global abatement, like this:

<script type="text/javascript">
  function() {
  ...

4. variable assigned to anonymous function is not defined    stackoverflow.com

I am using anonymous function assigned to a variable to minimize use of global variables. Within this function there are nested functions: one to preload and resize images, and two other ...