<script> tag vs <script type = 'text/javascript'> tag

In HTML 4, the type attribute is required. In my experience, all browsers will default to text/javascript if it is absent, but that behaviour is not defined anywhere. While you can in theory leave it out and assume it will be interpreted as JavaScript, it's invalid HTML, so why not add it.

In HTML 5, the type attribute is optional and defaults to text/javascript

Use <script type="text/javascript"> or simply <script> (if omitted, the type is the same). Do not use <script language="JavaScript">; the language attribute is deprecated

Ref :
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/vstudio/en-US/65aaf5f3-09db-4f7e-a32d-d53e9720ad4c/script-languagejavascript-or-script-typetextjavascript-?forum=netfxjscript
and
Difference between <script> tag with type and <script> without type?

Do you need type attribute at all?

I am using HTML5- No

I am not using HTML5 - Yes

<script> is HTML 5.

<script type='text/javascript'> is HTML 4.x (and XHTML 1.x).

<script language="javascript"> is HTML 3.2.

Is it different for different webservers?

No.

when I did an offline javascript test, i realised that i need the <script type = 'text/javascript'> tag.

That isn't the case. Something else must have been wrong with your test case.

Douglas Crockford says:

type="text/javascript"

This attribute is optional. Since Netscape 2, the default programming language in all browsers has been JavaScript. In XHTML, this attribute is required and unnecessary. In HTML, it is better to leave it out. The browser knows what to do.

In HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1(.1), the type attribute for <script> elements is required.

<!-- HTML4 and (x)HTML -->
<script type="text/javascript"></script>


<!-- HTML5 -->
<script></script>

type attribute identifies the scripting language of code embedded within a script element or referenced via the element’s src attribute. This is specified as a MIME type; examples of supported MIME types include text/javascript, text/ecmascript, application/javascript, and application/ecmascript. If this attribute is absent, the script is treated as JavaScript.

Ref: https://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Web/HTML/Element/script