JavaScript / ECMAScript

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  • Martin Rinehart

    JavaScript / ECMAScript

    Within this group many use ECMAScript as the name of the language,
    JavaScript as the name of Mozilla's implementation. I see zero support
    for this usage outside this group (where JavaScript is the name of
    the language and ECMAScript is the title of the standards document).
    Can someone clue me in?

    And why don't we follow standards and write EcmaScript?
  • Martin Honnen

    #2
    Re: JavaScript / ECMAScript

    Martin Rinehart wrote:
    Within this group many use ECMAScript as the name of the language,
    JavaScript as the name of Mozilla's implementation. I see zero support
    for this usage outside this group (where JavaScript is the name of
    the language and ECMAScript is the title of the standards document).
    Can someone clue me in?
    Use what you like, be prepared to be forced to explain the context. As
    for usage outside of the group, what about http://www.ecmascript.org/?
    That is an outlet for Mozilla and others to drive the development of the
    language and its standard.


    --

    Martin Honnen

    Comment

    • Lasse Reichstein Nielsen

      #3
      Re: JavaScript / ECMAScript

      Martin Rinehart <MartinRinehart @gmail.comwrite s:
      Within this group many use ECMAScript as the name of the language,
      JavaScript as the name of Mozilla's implementation. I see zero support
      for this usage outside this group (where JavaScript is the name of
      the language and ECMAScript is the title of the standards document).
      Can someone clue me in?
      The language was called JavaScript when it was first introduced in
      Netscape 2. The language and type attributes on script elements have
      always contained the name "javascript ". The name is, de facto,
      javascript whenever people talk about it, standard or no standard.

      The standard was probably called ECMAScript:
      1. to avoid favoring either Mozilla or Microsoft by using JavaScript or
      JScript, and
      2. to avoid trademark problems with Sun (who owns the trademark on
      "JavaScript ").

      In this group, it's some times necessary to distinguish between the
      language specified by the ECMAScript standard and the language
      implemented by a particular ECMAScript compliant language
      implementation.
      Although not quite as often as some people like to make the point.
      And why don't we follow standards and write EcmaScript?
      Because that's not it's name? ECMA named it, so they got to pick the
      capitalization. They probably have guidelines saying that ECMA should
      only be written in all-caps.

      And what standards?

      /L
      --
      Lasse Reichstein Holst Nielsen
      DHTML Death Colors: <URL:http://www.infimum.dk/HTML/rasterTriangleD OM.html>
      'Faith without judgement merely degrades the spirit divine.'

      Comment

      • Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn

        #4
        Re: JavaScript / ECMAScript

        Lasse Reichstein Nielsen wrote:
        Martin Rinehart <MartinRinehart @gmail.comwrite s:
        >Within this group many use ECMAScript as the name of the language,
        >JavaScript as the name of Mozilla's implementation. I see zero support
        >for this usage outside this group (where JavaScript is the name of
        >the language and ECMAScript is the title of the standards document).
        >Can someone clue me in?
        >
        In this group, it's some times necessary to distinguish between the
        language specified by the ECMAScript standard and the language
        implemented by a particular ECMAScript compliant language
        implementation.
        ACK
        Although not quite as often as some people like to make the point.
        It remains to be seen to what extent existing implementations differ from
        one another and from the standard. The published version of the ECMAScript
        Support Matrix currently only covers JavaScript and JScript, and that
        incomplete (more is still under construction).

        <http://PointedEars.de/es-matrix>
        >And why don't we follow standards and write EcmaScript?
        >
        Because that's not it's name? ECMA named it, so they got to pick the
        capitalization. They probably have guidelines saying that ECMA should
        only be written in all-caps.
        It's vice-versa. It was the ECMA (European Computer Manufacturers
        Association) when at least the first edition of the standard was written,
        and changed to Ecma International afterwards. The change in name was
        because of different membership; the change in case was to emphasize the
        "Internatio nal" as compared "European". And, indeed, Ecma International has
        a number of internationally operating companies (that are not all computer
        manufacturers), as its members.

        <http://www.ecma-international.o rg/>


        PointedEars
        --
        Prototype.js was written by people who don't know javascript for people
        who don't know javascript. People who don't know javascript are not
        the best source of advice on designing systems that use javascript.
        -- Richard Cornford, cljs, <f806at$ail$1$8 300dec7@news.de mon.co.uk>

        Comment

        • John G Harris

          #5
          Re: JavaScript / ECMAScript

          On Wed, 12 Nov 2008 at 23:30:27, in comp.lang.javas cript, Thomas
          'PointedEars' Lahn wrote:
          >Lasse Reichstein Nielsen wrote:
          >Martin Rinehart <MartinRinehart @gmail.comwrite s:
          <snip>
          >>And why don't we follow standards and write EcmaScript?
          >>
          >Because that's not it's name? ECMA named it, so they got to pick the
          >capitalization . They probably have guidelines saying that ECMA should
          >only be written in all-caps.
          >
          >It's vice-versa. It was the ECMA (European Computer Manufacturers
          >Association) when at least the first edition of the standard was written,
          >and changed to Ecma International afterwards. The change in name was
          >because of different membership; the change in case was to emphasize the
          >"International " as compared "European". And, indeed, Ecma International has
          >a number of internationally operating companies (that are not all computer
          >manufacturers) , as its members.
          >
          ><http://www.ecma-international.o rg/>
          The ISO standard writes it as ECMAScript, everywhere. So do ECMA 262 v2
          and v3. That's good enough for me.

          John
          --
          John Harris

          Comment

          • RobG

            #6
            Re: JavaScript / ECMAScript

            On Nov 14, 5:27 am, John G Harris <j...@nospam.de mon.co.ukwrote:
            On Wed, 12 Nov 2008 at 23:30:27, in comp.lang.javas cript, Thomas
            >
            'PointedEars' Lahn wrote:
            Lasse Reichstein Nielsen wrote:
            Martin Rinehart <MartinRineh... @gmail.comwrite s:
            >
              <snip>
            >
            >And why don't we follow standards and write EcmaScript?
            >
            Because that's not it's name? ECMA named it, so they got to pick the
            capitalization. They probably have guidelines saying that ECMA should
            only be written in all-caps.
            >
            It's vice-versa.  It was the ECMA (European Computer Manufacturers
            Association) when at least the first edition of the standard was written,
            and changed to Ecma International afterwards.  The change in name was
            because of different membership; the change in case was to emphasize the
            "Internatio nal" as compared "European".  And, indeed, Ecma International has
            a number of internationally operating companies (that are not all computer
            manufacturers), as its members.
            >
            <http://www.ecma-international.o rg/>
            >
            The ISO standard writes it as ECMAScript, everywhere. So do ECMA 262 v2
            and v3. That's good enough for me.
            Yes, and Ecma International continue to use "ECMA" for their published
            standards.

            <URL: http://www.ecma-international.org/pu...s/Standard.htm
            >

            --
            Rob

            Comment

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