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JavaScript Naming History

Comments discuss the origins and controversies surrounding the name 'JavaScript', its lack of relation to Java despite the name, and comparisons to ECMAScript as the formal standard.

➡️ Stable 0.8x Programming Languages
3,138
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#9883
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2007
10
2008
33
2009
65
2010
105
2011
149
2012
141
2013
219
2014
221
2015
190
2016
181
2017
193
2018
178
2019
159
2020
211
2021
189
2022
195
2023
208
2024
170
2025
319
2026
2

Top Contributors

BrendanEich (34) pjmlp (16) krapp (12) DonHopkins (11) WorldMaker (11)

Keywords

JS ES SyFy logic.js EcmaScript JavaScript IANAL github.com LiveScript TCL javascript js scripting java language scheme cloud netscape scripting language 1995

Sample Comments

samstokes • Oct 10, 2011 • View on HN

That didn't stop them calling JavaScript JavaScript...

soperj • Jun 6, 2023 • View on HN

People laugh at this, but isn't this exactly how we got Javascript?

kube-system • Nov 17, 2023 • View on HN

I can't tell if I'm being Poe's Law'd. JS engines are a moving target and have been ever since it was called LiveScript.

nerflad • Apr 17, 2017 • View on HN

Agree with you, and let's not forget that JavaScript has similar origins.

dehrmann • Apr 15, 2021 • View on HN

True; it's a better description of Javascript.

nailer • Dec 5, 2024 • View on HN

Just call it JS it’s more popular than ECMAscript

StreamBright • Feb 4, 2021 • View on HN

Not sure if JavaScript has anything that any other language or development tool should copy.

linhns • Sep 16, 2024 • View on HN

People will keep calling it JavaScript as it’s easier to say

h4b4n3r0 • Aug 25, 2018 • View on HN

JS was also designed for scripting

geon • Nov 8, 2023 • View on HN

They called it javascript, but it was not. Not even very similar.