0

There's a similar question ' What's the difference between JavaScript and JScript? ' though it only covers up to IE8. Strangely, in IE 9 onward, the term 'JavaScript' is referenced. It seems that the term 'JavaScript' will be used onward.

Moreover, MS differentiates the two languages in terms of compliance to specific ECMAScript version.

  • JScript

is the Microsoft implementation of the ECMA 262 language specification (ECMAScript Edition 3) (link)

  • Javascript

is compliant with the ECMAScript Language Specification 5th Edition (link)

So, what will happen to the term JScript? Will it be restricted to non browsers?

Foad S. Farimani
  • 12,396
  • 15
  • 78
  • 193
OnesimusUnbound
  • 2,886
  • 3
  • 30
  • 40

1 Answers1

3

EDIT: I thought this question was about the status of the implementation of Javascript in IE8. Note that "JScript" (ignore "JScript.NET") was historically the name given to Microsoft's "Active Scripting" implementation of ECMAScript, which I have described below:

JScript, as found in Internet Explorer versions 3 through version 8, is implemented using the Active Scripting engine, which is shared with the Windows Script Host for the execution of shell *.vbs and *.js files, and also shared by the server-side Classic ASP environment.

In the long-term Active Scripting looks to be deprecated: on the server-side Classic ASP is considered dead (last update was version 3.0 with Windows 2000 back in 1999), in the browser it has been replaced with the JIT "Chakra" engine in Internet Explorer 9, and in the shell it has been replaced with PowerShell.

However Microsoft will support Active Scripting for a while: Windows 8 provides full support for the system and Windows 8's support lifecycle shouldn't end until 2022 (assuming MS sticks to the 10-year lifecycle support policy).

Dai
  • 141,631
  • 28
  • 261
  • 374
  • Now I see how the IE's new JS engine, Chakra fits into the picture. I've just realized the Active Scripting is shared among browser and ASP Classic. – OnesimusUnbound Oct 02 '12 at 07:21
  • Yeah. Active Scripting is actually a very nice system - it's very fast, loads almost instantaneously, and supports many language features - it just has sucky throughput performance, hence Chakra. I wish MS would open-source it. – Dai Oct 02 '12 at 07:29