Microsoft's ECMA-262 3.0 Dynamic Computing Scripting Platform
The Managed JScript scripting platform is Microsoft’s new implementation of the ECMA-262 (Edition 3.0) programming language running on the Dynamic Language Runtime of the .NET framework. JScript, JavaScript and ECMAScript are very similar languages. The Managed JScript Platform Plug-In for Inference enables Inference Word to host the Managed JScript engine and compile the embedded JScript code into assemblies, which are executed from memory. Managed JScript is tightly integrated with the entire .NET framework and makes all .NET and Managed JScript libraries easily accessible to JScript programmers, while maintaining full compatibility with the standards of the ECMA-262 (Edition 3.0) Language. Unlike the “Iron” series of Microsoft dynamic scripting languages, Managed JScript is not an open source project.
If you are a .NET developer, you can retain your favorite development tools. Microsoft provides Managed JScript support in Visual Studio 2008. You can use Visual Studio 2008 with JScript Intellisense and JScript Syntax Checking to construct scripts and libraries, with full access to the Visual Studio designer and debugger, and embed them into Inference.
Managed JScript is different from JScript.NET, which is based on the yet-unfinished Edition 4.0. It does
not support JScript.NET classes, typed variables and generation of assemblies. Managed JScript is built on top of Microsoft’s the Dynamic Language Runtime (DLR). The DLR adds key services to the .NET Common Language Runtime (CLR) to make the CLR an optimized environment for hosting dynamic scripting languages. Using Managed JScript on top of the DLR enables the following:
- Sharing of Managed JScript code with other dynamic languages (e.g., IronPython, dynamic VB, IronRuby) as well as with powerful static languages such as VB.NET, C# and F#.
- Native access to .NET types and the framework classes from Managed JScript, making Managed JScript a great platform for experimenting, writing applications, or structuring workflow solutions using Inference in conjunction with .NET.
- Use of all the open source and commercial 3rd party .NET libraries. This includes 3rd party libraries for sophisticated GUI components (e.g.,. building custom Inference editors and data grids), statistical libraries, and computational libraries.