ECMAScript is the scripting language standardized by Ecma International in the ECMA-262 specification and ISO/IEC 16262. The language is widely used for client-side scripting on the web, in the form of several well-known dialects such as JavaScript, JScript, and ActionScript.

JavaScript was originally developed by Brendan Eich of Netscape under the name Mocha, later LiveScript, and finally renamed to JavaScript. In December 1995, Sun Microsystems and Netscape announced JavaScript in a press release. In March 1996, Netscape Navigator 2.0 was released, featuring support for JavaScript.

Due to the widespread success of JavaScript as a client-side scripting language for web pages, Microsoft developed a compatible dialect of the language, naming it JScript to avoid trademark issues. JScript added new date methods to fix the non-Y2K-friendly methods in JavaScript, which were based on the Java Date class. JScript was included in Internet Explorer 3.0, released in August 1996.

Netscape delivered JavaScript to Ecma International for standardization and the work on the specification, ECMA-262, began in November 1996. The first edition of ECMA-262 was adopted by the Ecma General Assembly of June 1997. Several editions of the language standard have been published since then.

David Herman (born February 20, 1967) is an American actor, comedian and voice actor best known as an original cast member of MADtv and for his role as Michael Bolton in Office Space. He is also known for his voice roles on television programs such as Futurama, King of the Hill, and Beavis and Butt-head.

David Herman was born in New York City and raised in Washington Heights. He graduated from the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in 1987, then attended the acting program at SUNY Purchase. Herman appeared in the films Born on the Fourth of July, Lost Angels and Let It Be Me, but he is probably best known for his role as Michael Bolton in Mike Judge's Office Space. Earlier, Herman had joined the cast of John Leguizamo's House of Buggin' in 1994; however, that show was short-lived. When Fox decided to mount a sketch comedy show to replace House of Buggin', Herman was kept on as an original MADtv cast member.

Herman was one of nine original cast members of MADtv when the series debuted in 1995. Unlike the other original repertory and featured players, he was one of the few cast members who came to the show with an established acting career. Herman's MADtv characters included Mike Lawson (Incredible Findings), Generation X anchorman Marsh (X News), and concerned father Joel Linder. Former cast-mate Artie Lange referred to Herman as "a brilliant, talented actor" and called him "one of my best friends in show business."