Re: javascript 2.0 release???

RobG wrote:
> That's ridiculous. The latest version of JavaScript is 1.6, which is
> compliant with ECMAScript Edition 3 plus E4X (ECMAScript
> for XML or ECMA 357). That doesn't in any way reduce the
> importance of ECMAScript Language Ed3.
>
> I think you are getting DOM and proprietary/platform-dependent
> interfaces and confused with the underlying script language specification.

No, I'm trying to resolve a confusion between "ECMAScript language" and
"ECMAScript-compliant" while *some people* are tending to place an
equal mark between them.

There were no browsers so far implementing ECMAScript language: means
everything written in ECMA 262 and nothing less and *nothing more*. And
now it is too late I guess to expect that such implemetation will ever
appear (unless someone decides to make a really retarded browser). So
ECMA 262 will stay forever as an abstract model description.

At the same time web solutions are targeted not to some imaginary
browser, but to the very real ones. And if you need to make a
functional and effective modern solution you have to deal with the
actual language implementation and *description*. This is the only way
if you do the job for money and not for some credo statement.

The only weak excuse to stay withing ECMA exclusively would be to
support (for sport or for some personal credo) all ever existed
browsers with JavaScript/JScript support. *But* it would be such exuse
if and only if ECMA 262 features would be guaranteed on each and every
browser produced at least since December 1999. But it is not true:
until now we have some ugly mutants appearing (sometimes under loud
brands) which barely care JavaScript 1.0

So yes again: if you wondering what string format you should expect
from JavaScript, you read ECMA. But if you need to build AJAX interface
or file management system - you have to read producers' documentation.

Do not take me wrong: ECMA 262 is still should be known, as an
electrician should know the Ohm's law. But besides that the electrician
should know how to handle wires and contacts?
Received on Sat Dec 3 04:33:25 2005