June 1997
JavaScript standardized
In June 1997, Ecma adopted the first official standard for JavaScript — giving NetscapeA commercial web browser company — Navigator defined the early consumer web. JavaScript and MicrosoftThe software giant behind Windows, Office, Azure, and Xbox — founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. JScript one shared rulebook.
What it was for
ECMAScriptThe standardized specification for JavaScript — ES3, ES6, and later editions define the language. is the official name for the language inside every browser. This first standard meant web developers could write scripts expecting the same syntax in NetscapeA commercial web browser company — Navigator defined the early consumer web. and Internet ExplorerMicrosoft's long-running web browser — bundled with Windows for decades before Edge replaced it. — the foundation for every modern web app, from form validation to single-page applications.
Companies
- Netscape
Why it's here
Standardization turned a browser-company invention into a written contract that any browser maker could implement.
Why it mattered
It let JavaScript survive beyond NetscapeA commercial web browser company — Navigator defined the early consumer web. and become the open web's programming language.
What it solved
Without a standard, each browser vendor could change the language and break websites — the open web needed a stable definition.
Media
- ImageECMAScript
Andrejus Ševcovas, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Related
- JavaScript name announced by Netscape and SunDecember 4, 1995
- JavaScript ES3 standardizedDecember 1999