ECMAScript 4 - The Future of JavaScript

The evolution of JavaScript is truly remarkable when you consider language development. Before Ajax, JavaScript was just another language that exemplifies Object Oriented Programming. JavaScript also boosted the patronization of client side development.

Browser based applications have been possible because of JavaScript. When Ajax started to gain interest, interest in JavaScript increased and people started to learn more about the language. As the interest in JavaScript grew, developers uncovered so many flaws about the language notably on security. An upgrade was imminent to get JavaScript as secured with other web languages.

JavaScript actually releases updates which have proven to be useful in terms of additional functions. As of this writing, the latest version of JavaScript is at 1.9 and the world of developers is waiting for the release of JavaScript 2.0.

Developers are expecting so many things about JavaScript. The complexity of the application is expected to be there but its integration to Ajax especially in security should be a sweet addition if implemented with the update.

The history of JavaScript is closely related to ECMAScript. The development of JavaScript was also developed along with ECMAScript as this scripting language has taken the functions of JavaScript and developed into something better. By better, we mean ECMAScript was actually developed to be a language that could be integrated with JScript, the scripting language with the same client-side capacity developed by Microsoft. Although JavaScript has reached newer and better level because of Ajax, JScript unfortunately, stayed as a secondary option for Ajax based development. That is why ECMAScript has become the byword solely for JavaScript development.

ECMAScript, along with JavaScript is aiming to release something new. To understand this completely, let us go back to ECMAScript a little bit. ECMAScript is now on its third version and was build using C++ and Java. This version is fully compatible with JavaScript but cannot easily go with Ajax. The demand for ECMAScript to be fully compatible with Ajax increased so creators of ECMAScript decided to work on the next version of the language.

Because of the close relation of ECMAScript to JavaScript, the indication that a new version of JavaScript should be rolling out is when ECMAScript releases a new version. As history would tell us, ECMAScript is almost a loose version of JavaScript and their version is often regarded as the preview of what’s next in JavaScript.

As of this writing, ECMAScript 4 is still under development. Leaders in the organization however have been excited with the fact that ECMAScript 4 could now handle smaller applications. With regards to Ajax, ECMAScript 4 is still working on the web technique but expects that ECMAScript willl be Ajax friendly once it will be released October 2008.

Does this mean the next version of JavaScript is just lurking to be released? We will never know for now. But if ECMAScript 4 is successfully released October 2008, it will be a big step for the next version of JavaScript.