Many names of JavaScript / ECMA

Question

I was looking up newer functions of JavaScript and found ECMAScript/ECMA 5.

Because I had never heard of it I looked in to it more and found that it comes in the form of different names such as:

JavaScript, JScript (Microsofts Variation), ECMAScript, ECMA 5, E4X (JavaScript for Xml)and many others

From what I have read it seems that whilst a newer implementation of JavaScript is being drafted it is called ECMA-262 edition {edition_number} or {name}.

I know that each one is a dialect if an implementation of ECMAScript, so it would work in the same if not a slightly different way.

Are JavaScript and ECMAScript different in any way or is it just the name?

Answer 1

Well, it's mostly just the name.

Javascript was first implemented, then the ECMAScript standard was drafted to describe it.

Answer 2

Same. ECMAScript is the language, Javascript is the name of the implementation in web browsers.

Answer 3

ECMAScript is a standard. Javascript, JScript are implementations of that standard.

And yes they are almost the same. Most of the differences in web programming come from the diversity of DOM implementations (Document Object Model).

Answer 4

HOWEVER if you stick to JavaScript when you code for browsers, you will be the most compatible.