Ecma International

Ecma International (Template:IPAc-en) is a nonprofit standards organization for information and communication systems.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It acquired its current name in 1994, when the European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA) changed its name to reflect the organization's global reach and activities. As a consequence, the name is no longer considered an acronym and no longer uses full capitalization.

The organization was founded in 1961 to standardize computer systems in Europe. Membership is open to large and small companies worldwide that produce, market, or develop computer or communication systems, and have interest and experience in the areas addressed by the group's technical bodies. It is located in Geneva.

Aims

Ecma aims to develop standards and technical reports to facilitate and standardize the use of information communication technology and consumer electronics; encourage the correct use of standards by influencing the environment in which they are applied; and publish these standards and reports in electronic and printed form. Ecma publications, including standards, can be freely copied by all interested parties without copyright restrictions. The development of standards and technical reports is done in co-operation with the appropriate national, European, and international organizations.

Unlike national standardization bodies, Ecma is a membership-based organization. It takes pride in the resulting "business-like" approach to standards, claimed to lead to better standards in less time, thanks to a less bureaucratic process focused on achieving results by consensus.Template:Citation needed

Ecma has actively contributed to worldwide standardization in information technology and telecommunications. More than 400 Ecma Standards<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and 100 Technical Reports<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> have been published, more than Template:Frac of which have also been adopted as international standards and/or technical reports.

The member list of Ecma International is available on its website.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its members include IT companies, IT trade associations, universities, foundations and public institutions.

Standards

Template:Main Ecma International is responsible for several standards, including:

• ECMA-6 – 7-bit Coded Character Set (based on ASCII), also approved as ISO/IEC 646<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• ECMA-35 – Character Code Structure and Extension Techniques, also approved as ISO/IEC 2022<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• ECMA-48 – Control Functions for Coded Character Sets, also approved as ISO/IEC 6429<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• ECMA-107 – FAT12/FAT16 file system
• ECMA-119 – CD-ROM volume and file structure (later known as ISO 9660)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• ECMA-130 – CD-ROM "Yellow Book" format
• ECMA-262 – ECMAScript Language Specification (based on JavaScript)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• ECMA-334 – C# Language Specification<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• ECMA-335 – Common Language Infrastructure (CLI)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• ECMA-341 – Environmental design considerations for electronic products<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• ECMA-363 – Universal 3D File Format<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• ECMA-367 – Eiffel: Analysis, design and programming Language (See Eiffel programming language)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• ECMA-372 – C++/CLI Language Specification<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• ECMA-376 – Office Open XML (later known as ISO/IEC 29500)
• ECMA-377 – Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD) Recordable Cartridges<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• ECMA-378 – Read-Only Memory Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD-ROM)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• ECMA-388 – Open XML Paper Specification<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• ECMA-402 – ECMAScript Internationalization API Specification<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• ECMA-404 – JSON<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• ECMA-408 – Dart language specification<ref>Dart Programming Language Specification</ref>

Java programming language

Although Sun Microsystems submitted its Java programming language to Ecma, Sun subsequently withdrew the submission. Thus, Ecma is not responsible for the standardization of Java.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Office Open XML formats

Ecma is involved in the standardization of the Office Open XML format based on the XML office document formats by Microsoft. The Ecma Office Open XML maintenance process is performed by technical committee 45 (TC45).<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

Technical committees

The Ecma standards are governed through technical committees assigned to particular areas or topics,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> such as:

• TC39 – responsible for ECMAScript.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• TC45 – responsible for Office Open XML.<ref name=":0" />
• TC53 – responsible for ECMAScript Modules for Embedded Systems.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Eco declaration

In Ecma International Standard 370,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ecma joined with the Scandinavian IT Eco Declaration organisation to put forward a guideline for informing consumers about the environmental practices of the manufacturers of ICT and consumer electronics products.

The IT Eco Declaration includes information on the environmental practices of the manufacturer as well as product features, such as environmentally conscious design, batteries, acoustic noise, electrical safety, energy consumption, chemical emissions, substances and materials included, and packaging. This makes it easy to compare different suppliers and their products, as they all present the environmental features of their products in the same way, through a common industry standard reporting form.

See also

• List of Ecma standards
• European Committee for Standardization
• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

External links

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