JavaScript is a High-Level, Object-Oriented, Multi-Paradigm, Interpreted programming language.
Programming language - Using which we can instruct the computer to do things.
High-Level - We do not have to worry about complex stuff like memory management.
Object-Oriented - It is based on objects for storing most kinds of data.
Multi-Paradigm - We can use different styles of programming like procedural, object-oriented, functional, or imperative manner.
Interpreted - JavaScript code executed directly without first converting to machine code.
How JS was developed and named?
Quickly after the internet was invented, and first two web browsers were developed. Developers wanted to start making websites more interactive. In other words, they needed a programming language for the browser. So, in 1995, the Netscape Navigator, which by the time was the dominant browser hired a guy name Brendan Eich to create the very first version of JavaScript in just 10 days, it was called “Mocha”. So not JavaScript yet, but it already had many of the fundamental features that modern JavaScript has today. Then in 1996, Mocha was renamed to LiveScript, which was then again, renamed to JavaScript when Netscape and Sun did a license agreement. Java and JavaScript are completely different languages.
What is ECMA? What is ES6?
ECMA stands for European Computer Manufacturers Association.
In 1997, To make JavaScript standardized, It was submitted to an independent standard organization called ECMA, which then released ECMAScript one or ES1. This was the very first official standard for JavaScript language. And with this, every browser started implementing the same standard of "JavaScript." And In the real world, we usually use the term ECMAScript to refer to the standard, while JavaScript is used when we talk about the language in practice, as it is implemented in browsers.
After the ES1 ie ECMA script version one, various versions of javascript were released. Now fast forward to 2009, after a lot of complications and disagreements about where the language should be headed, ES5 was released with a lot of great new features. And then finally, another six years later, the much-awaited new version of ES6 was launched in June 2015. And this was the single biggest update to the language ever. Now you will also see ES6 being called ES2015, which has actually the official name, but most people just call it ES6. And actually, the reason for ES6 being called ES2015 officially is that in 2015, ECMAScript changed to an annual release cycle. So right now, there's gonna be a new release every single year. The reason for that is that they prefer to just add a small number of new features per year, instead of shipping a huge new version every couple of years, as it happened with ES6.
ES5 - ECMAScript5 (2009)
ES6 - ECMAScript 2015