[LRUG] [Off Topic] Learning Javascript

[Dan Webb]

On Mon, Jun 30, 2008 at 10:52 AM, Matthew Rudy Jacobs
<matthewrudyjacobs at gmail.com> wrote:
> If you see Prototype doing something cool...
> then you wonder how it does it.
>
> Then you see how it does it...
> and you have contextual understanding of the underlying JS.

I'd say this is very true.  That's of course, if you care whats
actually going on under the hood. I think a lot of the time people get
in a mess with JavaScript libraries because they don't care about it
and just want to get back to Ruby.  If, however, you want to do
something well working with libraries and then delving in to the
workings is a very good idea.  With raw javascript you need to know a
hell of a lot before you can do anything remotely useful.  For
instance, even adding event handlers across browsers is a minefield.
If you want to learn from a library I'd probably avoid looking at
jQuery's source though - it'll freak you out.  However, if you want to
*use* a library then I'd fully recommend jQuery.

On the subject of books, I'd really recommend The JavaScript
Anthology.   It's full of really practical browser based techniques
rather than pure language stuff:

http://www.sitepoint.com/books/jsant1/?SID=f21fca48a337384ec6c4f070f852f7c3

They also do a Simply JavaScript book but as a programmer its probably
too low level.

Also, I partly disagree with reading/listening to Douglas Crockford's
stuff when starting off JavaScript.  He's *very* opinionated and
although he's got a lot of extremely insightful stuff to say, it's
best if starting out you don't get too much of a coloured view of JS.
JSLint is a testament to this.  It's guaranteed to get most
experienced JS programmers screaming and headbutting the screen.


-- 
Dan Webb
http://www.danwebb.net

aim: danwrong123
skype: danwrong