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Does anybody have a link to some good JavaScript exercises? One answer is "why don't you just try building something" but I personally learn better from progressing through exercises versus doing the "just build anything" or watching videos.
Best way to learn javascript is to type CTRL+SHIFT+I(in chrome I think its f12 in others) and look at the code. Chrome will even de-obfuscate it for you automatically. Step through the code, maybe write some script in the console, go through some resig tutorials. I really liked looking at the underscore.js literate source but thats a little more theoretical than practical. Also if you are just learning javascript you…
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Read Eloquent Javascript. Has exercises built into the webpages.
Definitely a great book. Telling someone to just "build something" seems a bit much. Exploratory learning is good and all, but newbies need structure before they can try walking.
That said, I'm currently reading Learning Python the Hard Way, which pushes you through a lot of information, step-by-step but not patronizing, and teaches you not only code, but how to be organized and on top of your code.
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Definitely a great book. Telling someone to just "build something" seems a bit much. Exploratory learning is good and all, but newbies need structure before they can try walking.
I'm currently learning Python and I can't agree more. There's a lot of macho-IRC-dweller attitude on the internet when it comes to learning a new language. People take the "If you teach a man to fish" argument to the extreme and end up confusing/discouraging people in search of some guide, some map to show them the way. No, documentation doesn't count when you can't read a lick of code. That said, I'm currently readi…
I'd recommend learning the language first, then the basics of the DOM and subscribing to the main browser's blogs to keep up with their changes.
If you just want a site to learn JavaScript, I'd highly recommend https://developer.mozilla.org/en/JavaScript (as other people have too). Mozilla's docs are top-notch. They're a wiki so sign up and help make them even better.
Best way to learn javascript is to type CTRL+SHIFT+I(in chrome I think its f12 in others) and look at the code. Chrome will even de-obfuscate it for you automatically. Step through the code, maybe write some script in the console, go through some resig tutorials. I really liked looking at the underscore.js literate source but thats a little more theoretical than practical. Also if you are just learning javascript you…
Does anybody have a link to some good JavaScript exercises? One answer is "why don't you just try building something" but I personally learn better from progressing through exercises versus doing the "just build anything" or watching videos.
I just put up an interactive javascript tutorial. It starts simple then builds up to passing around functions, closures, continuations. Give it a try and let me know what you think. http://nathansjslessons.appspot.com/
Sign up for Lynda.com watch the JavaScript videos a couple of times and then get started.
I found that when something gets turned into a video a lot of the un-necessary and verbose ness get taken out. Plus you get the advantage of the tutor putting the right emphasis on the right words.
I have learned quite a few things that way.
1-write lots of jQuery code. It has a dead simple api; hides most of the ugliness of the language; it slowly introduces you to closures (as opposed to Crockford, who loves them) 2-once you have that, then read Crockford
I appreciate that your suggestion is to learn jQuery and then go through a language reference, not to stop once you've done the jQuery bit, but trust me, that's just what most people will do.
jQuery is a very opinionated library, which is fine in and of itself, but that makes it a terrible introduction to JavaScript, precisely because it "hides most of the ugliness of the language", as you put it.
To understand why this is a problem, consider the following points.
1) jQuery is not the only DOM library out there. Prototype, MooTools, Dojo and YUI are just some of them. To be a good front-end developer one should know at least a couple, and be able to learn any of them. The easiest way to learn them is to know the language and just learn a library, rather than learning a bunch of different DSLs with perhaps a few unifying themes.
2) JavaScript is now used on the server as well, and to write server-side JavaScript one really does need to know the language.
3) If one ever wants to write anything beyond hacky little scripts—a real web application, for example—then one cannot get away with just knowing jQuery. Large applications must be structured. The rats' nest of callbacks that many jQuery programmers seem to think is sufficient and even appropriate application design will not scale to large codebases. The key skill here is knowing what sort of structure needs to be introduced and being able to use both use libraries which provide the necessary abstraction and write one's own where necessary.