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Eloquent JavaScript - online guide to javascript for beginners

101 points by nfriedly 17y ago

nfriedly 17y ago
I wish this book had existed when I began programing JavaScript. I also like the firebug-style console at the bottom of each chapter.
petercooper 17y ago
This is very clever and deserves a lot of points. It doesn't look very interesting on the landing page but once you get into it, it's well written and there are some clever strategies (including a small JavaScript console at the bottom you can use to test bits of code while learning). I haven't got the time now, but I'm going to work my way right through this one day - what I looked through seemed very solid. The only downside? The font chosen for the code examples looks pretty gross on OS X, but since you can download the book as a ZIP file, it can be changed in the stylesheet! (I'm hoping..)
- CalmQuiet 17y ago
  Or - in Safari - you can put such a style sheet in your user/library/safari folder for viewing it according to your preferred font (selecting it in Safari Preferences/Advances).
morbidkk 17y ago
you guys should also read http://www.hunlock.com/blogs http://www.hunlock.com/blogs Very thorough articles on JavaScript
- mrduncan 17y ago
  I'm not sure if it's your site or not but auto-play music is one way to ensure that I close the tab immediately and never return.
  - morbidkk 17y ago
    ohh I use firefox with adblock plus so never got to know. Its not my site though
andreyf 17y ago
Original source here: http://eloquentjavascript.net/book.txt http://eloquentjavascript.net/book.txt Neat stuff :)
tung 17y ago
This has always been my favourite JavaScript resource. It has a good breadth of topics, the writing is to-the-point, and it has an interactive JavaScript area with a history-backed prompt and a code area with syntax highlighting and automatic indentation. The examples and exercises are both hands-on, e.g. the object-oriented programming chapter has you build a little terrarium simulation. Highly recommended.
- ericbb 17y ago
  Me too. This was my primary resource while learning the language and I highly recommend it.
mahmud 17y ago
The author is a very competent Lisper; author of Postmodern: http://common-lisp.net/project/postmodern/ http://common-lisp.net/project/postmodern/ :-) Edit: Holly crap, he wrote a few other things as well: http://marijn.haverbeke.nl/ http://marijn.haverbeke.nl/
- lastkarrde 17y ago
  Also a very accomplished JS programmer. He wrote the Code Mirror Editor. http://marijn.haverbeke.nl/codemirror/ http://marijn.haverbeke.nl/codemirror/
alanthonyc 17y ago
I've been reading this site all day since I found it on here. Awesome.

101 points by nfriedly 17y ago

I wish this book had existed when I began programing JavaScript. I also like the firebug-style console at the bottom of each chapter.

petercooper 17y ago

This is very clever and deserves a lot of points. It doesn't look very interesting on the landing page but once you get into it, it's well written and there are some clever strategies (including a small JavaScript console at the bottom you can use to test bits of code while learning). I haven't got the time now, but I'm going to work my way right through this one day - what I looked through seemed very solid. The only downside? The font chosen for the code examples looks pretty gross on OS X, but since you can download the book as a ZIP file, it can be changed in the stylesheet! (I'm hoping..)

CalmQuiet 17y ago
Or - in Safari - you can put such a style sheet in your user/library/safari folder for viewing it according to your preferred font (selecting it in Safari Preferences/Advances).

morbidkk 17y ago

you guys should also read http://www.hunlock.com/blogs http://www.hunlock.com/blogs Very thorough articles on JavaScript

mrduncan 17y ago
I'm not sure if it's your site or not but auto-play music is one way to ensure that I close the tab immediately and never return.
- morbidkk 17y ago
  ohh I use firefox with adblock plus so never got to know. Its not my site though

andreyf 17y ago

Original source here: http://eloquentjavascript.net/book.txt http://eloquentjavascript.net/book.txt Neat stuff :)

tung 17y ago

This has always been my favourite JavaScript resource. It has a good breadth of topics, the writing is to-the-point, and it has an interactive JavaScript area with a history-backed prompt and a code area with syntax highlighting and automatic indentation. The examples and exercises are both hands-on, e.g. the object-oriented programming chapter has you build a little terrarium simulation. Highly recommended.

ericbb 17y ago
Me too. This was my primary resource while learning the language and I highly recommend it.

mahmud 17y ago

The author is a very competent Lisper; author of Postmodern: http://common-lisp.net/project/postmodern/ http://common-lisp.net/project/postmodern/ :-) Edit: Holly crap, he wrote a few other things as well: http://marijn.haverbeke.nl/ http://marijn.haverbeke.nl/

lastkarrde 17y ago
Also a very accomplished JS programmer. He wrote the Code Mirror Editor. http://marijn.haverbeke.nl/codemirror/ http://marijn.haverbeke.nl/codemirror/

alanthonyc 17y ago

I've been reading this site all day since I found it on here. Awesome.