The End of an Era: Microsoft Phases Out VBScript for JavaScript and PowerShell

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Microsoft on Wednesday outlined its plans to deprecate Visual Basic Script (VBScript) in the second half of 2024 in favor of more advanced alternatives such as JavaScript and PowerShell.

"Technology has advanced over the years, giving rise to more powerful and versatile scripting languages such as JavaScript and PowerShell," Microsoft Program Manager Naveen Shankar said. "These languages offer broader capabilities and are better suited for modern web development and automation tasks."

The tech giant originally announced its plans to gradually sunset VBScript in October 2023.

The scripting language, also called Visual Basic Scripting Edition, was first introduced by Microsoft in 1996 as a Windows system component, offering users the ability to automate tasks and develop interactive web pages using Internet Explorer and Edge (in Internet Explorer mode).

The announced deprecation plan consists of three phases, with the first phase kicking off in the second half of 2024, at which point VBScript will be available as an on-demand feature in Windows 11 24H2.

The second phase, which is expected to commence around 2027, will still have the feature on-demand, but will no longer be enabled by default. VBScript is expected to be fully retired and eliminated from the Windows operating system at some undetermined date in the future.