Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?

#11

Post by spraak » Thu, Jun 01, 2017, 4:17 PM UTC

sharmi wrote: post #2

You don't know JS is a good book to start with and explains ES6 too. It is available for free on github so you can evaluate before buying. https://github.com/getify/You-Dont-Know-JS

I think this is more for someone already familiar with the foundation level than for a beginner

Re: Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?

#12

Post by wehere1 » Thu, Jun 01, 2017, 4:19 PM UTC

tbirrell wrote: post #10

The problem with this question is by the time I finish typing my answer, the JS world will have moved on to the next big thing

yawn try again sweetie by the time you finish typing your answer some other boring knucklehead will have typed the same answer thinking they're clever

Re: Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?

#13

Post by avaer » Thu, Jun 01, 2017, 4:19 PM UTC

tbirrell wrote: post #10

The problem with this question is by the time I finish typing my answer, the JS world will have moved on to the next big thing

Even if so, if you "learned Javascript" as opposed to "learned last big thing", then it will look the same to you.

Re: Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?

#14

Post by spraak » Thu, Jun 01, 2017, 4:19 PM UTC

peterchon wrote: post #3

Eloquent javascript is also fantastic. http://eloquentjavascript.net/

I think this is the best beginners book for sure. In case anyone is wondering, it doesn't teach ES6, but it does teach veey grounded Javascript ideas and it won't be difficult to catch up with the latest changes to JS after learning from this book. It's also free!

Re: Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?

#15

Post by fL1Pm0d3 » Thu, Jun 01, 2017, 4:24 PM UTC

ice109 wrote: post #8

fL1Pm0d3 wrote: post #6

https://github.com/MostlyAdequate/mostly-adequate-guide

nice book. do you know if this person plans on finishing part 3?

I think there is. The original author was consulting at the time it was written and he released the book right at ES6 took headwind. Another contributor has a fork and they are currently working to get the book up to date with ES6. Once that is done I am sure they will move on to part 5.

https://github.com/MostlyAdequate/mostly-adequate-guide/pull...

Re: Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?

#16

Post by johnfn » Thu, Jun 01, 2017, 4:24 PM UTC

spraak wrote: post #11

sharmi wrote: post #2

You don't know JS is a good book to start with and explains ES6 too. It is available for free on github so you can evaluate before buying. https://github.com/getify/You-Dont-Know-JS

I think this is more for someone already familiar with the foundation level than for a beginner

The irony of a book called "You Don't Know JS" not in fact intended for people who don't know JS. :)

Re: Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?

#17

Post by marvel_boy » Thu, Jun 01, 2017, 4:26 PM UTC

What about http://exploringjs.com books? Somebody can comment about?

Re: Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?

#18

Post by wh4this » Thu, Jun 01, 2017, 4:26 PM UTC

https://github.com/airbnb/javascript

Re: Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?

#19

Post by thinkxl » Thu, Jun 01, 2017, 4:27 PM UTC

These:

- Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja by John Resig (my favorite)

- Eloquent JavaScript by Marijn Haverbeke

Re: Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?

#20

Post by ThrustVectoring » Thu, Jun 01, 2017, 4:28 PM UTC

This is a bit unorthodox, but I personally got a lot out of taking the LISP code in Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, and mentally translating the examples and solving the exercises in Javascript. There's apparently versions of the text around with the exercises pre-translated, though translating it myself was valuable to me.

Obviously, this will more teach you how to write good code that happens to be in Javascript, rather than taking an already-solid programmer and showing them the nitpicky details, idiosyncrasies, and browser APIs of Javascript.