Programming languages are not just technical tools; they are cultural artifacts shaped by the people, companies, and standards bodies that create and evolve them.
Understanding this history is crucial for developers, as it provides deep insight into a language’s design quirks, its foundational philosophy, and the reasons behind its current ecosystem. For a language as ubiquitous as JavaScript, which powers the interactive web and has expanded into servers, mobile apps, and beyond, knowing its origins and evolution is key to mastering its present and anticipating its future.
About the book
This book presents a detailed historical account of the JavaScript programming language from its creation in 1995 through to 2015. Co-authored by Allen Wirfs-Brock, the editor of the ECMAScript 6 specification, and Brendan Eich, the creator of JavaScript, it offers a definitive insider’s perspective. The narrative is structured into four major parts that chronicle the language’s origins, its path to standardization, periods of stalled development, and its eventual modernization.
It is intended for students of programming language history, software developers curious about the foundations of their primary tool, and anyone interested in the complex interplay between technology, business, and standards organizations. While prior familiarity with JavaScript is helpful for technical context, the book is accessible to readers with a general background in computing.
What you will learn
Readers will gain a comprehensive understanding of the forces that shaped JavaScript. You will learn about its initial design as a scripting language for the web at Netscape, the challenges and politics of its early standardization as ECMAScript, and the decade-long struggles within the standards committee to modernize the language.
The book provides insight into the technical trade-offs, corporate competitions (particularly between Netscape and Microsoft), and the collaborative processes that ultimately led to the successful ECMAScript 2015 (ES6) update and the established yearly release cycle.
Table of contents
Abstract Contents
- Introduction
Part 1: The Origins of JavaScript
- Prehistory
- JavaScript 1.0 and 1.1
- Microsoft JScript
- From Mocha to SpiderMonkey
- Interlude: Critics
Part 2: Creating a Standard
- Finding a Venue
- The First TC39 Meeting
- Crafting the Specification
- Naming the Standard
- ISO Fast-track
- Defining ECMAScript 3
- Interlude: JavaScript Doesn’t Need Java
Part 3: Failed Reformations
- Dissatisfaction with Success
- ES4, Take 1
- Other Dead-Ends
- Flash and ActionScript
- ES4, Take 2
- Interlude: Taking JavaScript Seriously
Part 4: Modernizing JavaScript
- Developing ES3.1/ES5
- From Harmony to ECMAScript 2015
- Conclusion
Book details
- Title: JavaScript: The First 20 Years
- Author(s): Allen Wirfs-Brock, Brendan Eich
- Main category: Programming
- Subcategory: JavaScript
- Language: English
- License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
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