Web Design in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition

Scripting

Netscape introduced its web scripting language, JavaScript, with its Navigator 2.0 browser. It was originally called “Livescript” but was later co-branded by Sun, and “Java” was added to the moniker. Microsoft countered with its own JScript while supporting some level of JavaScript in its Version 3.0 browser. The need for a cross-browser standard was clear.

JavaScript 1.5/ECMAScript 262

The W3C is developing a standardized version of JavaScript in coordination with the Ecma International, an international industry association dedicated to the standardization of information and communication systems. According to the Mozilla site, Netscape’s JavaScript is a superset of the ECMAScript standard scripting language, with only mild differences from the published standard. In general practice, most developers simply refer to “JavaScript,” and the standard implementation is implied.

The full specification can be found at http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/Ecma-262.htm.