ECMA and ECMAScript: What You Need to Know

Many people, whether new to the development field or with experience, have doubts and confusion around ECMA and ECMAScript.😵‍💫 In this article, we'll get it straight once and for all.😯

Standardization in the Computer Industry:

Standardization plays a significant role in the computer industry, helping to consume data prepared by other parties with minimum alteration. In 1960, computer manufacturers around Europe formed an association to draw up laws and rules. This association became the European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA) in 1961 and was later renamed to Ecma International – European Association for standardizing information and communication systems.

ECMA Standards:

Ecma International has developed more than 400 standards to facilitate and encourage the correct use of information and communication systems. Here is a snippet from Wiki that shows some ECMA international standards.

ECMA-262 and ECMAScript:

Today we will talk about ECMA-262, which is the specification for ECMAScript, a scripting language used for client-side scripting and in server-side applications and services using different runtimes. The purpose of ECMAScript is to provide standardization for scripting languages like JavaScript to facilitate interoperability of webpages across the internet and different browsers.

Multiple Editions of ECMAScript:

Multiple editions of ECMAScript have been published, and each edition has brought tremendous additions to the standards. In a future article, we'll delve into ECMAScript 2015 (ES6) onwards.

Conclusion:

Now that you understand what ECMA stands for and what ECMAScript is, you'll be better equipped to navigate the development field. Thanks for your time! 😬