3 ms·

JQuery Fundamentals

114 points by nym 16y ago

csmeder 16y ago
I cant find any reviews http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=review+%22JQuery+Fundamentals%22&aq=f&aqi=&aql=f&oq=&gs_rfai= http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=review+%22JQuery+Fu... Has any one read this book, have a review?
- spicyj 16y ago
  I don't think it exists in print and I'm guessing that it's fairly new. Since it's free, is there a reason you can't just take a look through the chapters and decide for yourself whether or not to use it?
- mgkimsal 16y ago
  It's meant to be used in conjunction with her instructor-led classes, so it won't necessarily be the same as something that was written explicitly to be a 'book'. That said, Rebecca's very sharp, knows her stuff, and how to communicate and explain things well in person. I haven't read this yet, but assume much of that will translate to the written word.
  - csmeder 16y ago
    Thank you. I have been thinking about buying a JQuery book, but I might try this one instead. It sounds promising.
knuckle_cake 16y ago
There is a lot of info here, but it's attempting to focus on too-wide of an audience. The Javascript 101 section would be better left on the cutting room floor (or put into a separate article,) for example. What is here looks really solid, though there are nitpicks for the pedants to find and gripe about. I am especially interested to see what shows up eventually in Part III. Big, big kudos to the author for putting everything onto a single page.
- pavel_lishin 16y ago
  I agree, it's sort of like starting a calculus course with a review of basic arithmetic.
- rmurphey3 16y ago
  FWIW, the reason there's a JavaScript chapter is that I find many, many people come to jQuery via HTML/CSS, and neglect to learn JavaScript on the way. To dive straight into jQuery without explaining the larger JavaScript scene seems counterproductive to what I'm trying to accomplish when I teach these classes. That said, you're more than welcome to skip that part :)
istjohn 16y ago
This actually adds little value to the very good standard jQuery docs. All this information's there, and it's just as easy to follow w/ the benefit of more example code. By the way, I've found the .chm format docs much, much easier to browse. There isn't an official .chm release but you can find a current version here: http://charupload.wordpress.com/2007/12/07/jquery-documentation-chm/ http://charupload.wordpress.com/2007/12/07/jquery-documentat...
- petercooper 16y ago
  The jQuery docs are great and make for an excellent reference, but as a mostly reference work, they lack the narrative structure of a "book" like this. A non-fiction is not just a collection of words - it's a journey where you're guided, hopefully, by an expert. Once one has read this book, the jQuery docs would be an invaluable reference from there on out.
  - istjohn 16y ago
    I just don't see jQuery as a grand interconnected topic deserving of "book treatment." It shouldn't be seen as something that requires one to read a book before you can start using it. Just find the function that does what you want to do in the docs, read the description and example code, and use it. Before long, you'll intuitively get the jQuery aesthetic. There is no reason to try to master the theory before attempting to actually use jQuery. There is no theory. It's all very simple. Now, on the other hand, if you don't yet know Javascript and you're trying to use jQuery, I would suggest learning the syntax and semantics of the language first. But if you know Javascript, then jQuery is trivial. In that respect, I think maybe the biggest value in this book is the Javascript overview at the beginning. Too many people try to use jQuery without grasping its foundation.
    - telemachos 16y ago
      I think the book market says your instinct is wrong: http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?WRD=jquery http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?... 23 books - about 18 of which look to be entirely about jQuery, many of them very recent (this year or new editions this year), and at all levels.
petercooper 16y ago
Oh the misery of some of the other comments here. This is a fine piece of work. I've been working with JavaScript on and off for years (though am far from an expert), but something like this is still a great primer for me, even the introductory stuff. It never hurts to retread the basics quickly and from the perspective of someone you know is a seriously expert developer right NOW (and not when I picked up most of my JS.. 7-8 years ago!) Forgetting that, what I've read of it so far is well written and not padded to fill a certain page count like many books. It's open, it's free, and even if it's not going to win any prizes, it's certainly way above average in the gamut of programming books, free or not.
- telemachos 16y ago
  I'll add two cents: as someone very new to JavaScript, I like the idea of a rapid introduction to the language and then straight into jQuery (which I would expect to use more than "raw" JS for the near future anyhow). Also, putting the book on GitHub was genius. There are already 13 forks, and the author has been very quick to respond to issues posted there. (Full disclosure - one of the forks is mine. I can't contribute to the jQuery part, but I tried to help out with the installer script when the author mentioned it was a bit wonky.) Releasing a book in this way allows people to add value (if they can), and it's great to see an innovative use of GitHub. (There may be lots of other books available there, but it's new to me if so.)

114 points by nym 16y ago

I cant find any reviews http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=review+%22JQuery+Fundamentals%22&aq=f&aqi=&aql=f&oq=&gs_rfai= http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=review+%22JQuery+Fu... Has any one read this book, have a review?

spicyj 16y ago
I don't think it exists in print and I'm guessing that it's fairly new. Since it's free, is there a reason you can't just take a look through the chapters and decide for yourself whether or not to use it?
mgkimsal 16y ago
It's meant to be used in conjunction with her instructor-led classes, so it won't necessarily be the same as something that was written explicitly to be a 'book'. That said, Rebecca's very sharp, knows her stuff, and how to communicate and explain things well in person. I haven't read this yet, but assume much of that will translate to the written word.
- csmeder 16y ago
  Thank you. I have been thinking about buying a JQuery book, but I might try this one instead. It sounds promising.

knuckle_cake 16y ago

There is a lot of info here, but it's attempting to focus on too-wide of an audience. The Javascript 101 section would be better left on the cutting room floor (or put into a separate article,) for example. What is here looks really solid, though there are nitpicks for the pedants to find and gripe about. I am especially interested to see what shows up eventually in Part III. Big, big kudos to the author for putting everything onto a single page.

pavel_lishin 16y ago
I agree, it's sort of like starting a calculus course with a review of basic arithmetic.
rmurphey3 16y ago
FWIW, the reason there's a JavaScript chapter is that I find many, many people come to jQuery via HTML/CSS, and neglect to learn JavaScript on the way. To dive straight into jQuery without explaining the larger JavaScript scene seems counterproductive to what I'm trying to accomplish when I teach these classes. That said, you're more than welcome to skip that part :)

istjohn 16y ago

This actually adds little value to the very good standard jQuery docs. All this information's there, and it's just as easy to follow w/ the benefit of more example code. By the way, I've found the .chm format docs much, much easier to browse. There isn't an official .chm release but you can find a current version here: http://charupload.wordpress.com/2007/12/07/jquery-documentation-chm/ http://charupload.wordpress.com/2007/12/07/jquery-documentat...

petercooper 16y ago
The jQuery docs are great and make for an excellent reference, but as a mostly reference work, they lack the narrative structure of a "book" like this. A non-fiction is not just a collection of words - it's a journey where you're guided, hopefully, by an expert. Once one has read this book, the jQuery docs would be an invaluable reference from there on out.
- istjohn 16y ago
  I just don't see jQuery as a grand interconnected topic deserving of "book treatment." It shouldn't be seen as something that requires one to read a book before you can start using it. Just find the function that does what you want to do in the docs, read the description and example code, and use it. Before long, you'll intuitively get the jQuery aesthetic. There is no reason to try to master the theory before attempting to actually use jQuery. There is no theory. It's all very simple. Now, on the other hand, if you don't yet know Javascript and you're trying to use jQuery, I would suggest learning the syntax and semantics of the language first. But if you know Javascript, then jQuery is trivial. In that respect, I think maybe the biggest value in this book is the Javascript overview at the beginning. Too many people try to use jQuery without grasping its foundation.
  - telemachos 16y ago
    I think the book market says your instinct is wrong: http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?WRD=jquery http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?... 23 books - about 18 of which look to be entirely about jQuery, many of them very recent (this year or new editions this year), and at all levels.

petercooper 16y ago

Oh the misery of some of the other comments here. This is a fine piece of work. I've been working with JavaScript on and off for years (though am far from an expert), but something like this is still a great primer for me, even the introductory stuff. It never hurts to retread the basics quickly and from the perspective of someone you know is a seriously expert developer right NOW (and not when I picked up most of my JS.. 7-8 years ago!) Forgetting that, what I've read of it so far is well written and not padded to fill a certain page count like many books. It's open, it's free, and even if it's not going to win any prizes, it's certainly way above average in the gamut of programming books, free or not.

telemachos 16y ago
I'll add two cents: as someone very new to JavaScript, I like the idea of a rapid introduction to the language and then straight into jQuery (which I would expect to use more than "raw" JS for the near future anyhow). Also, putting the book on GitHub was genius. There are already 13 forks, and the author has been very quick to respond to issues posted there. (Full disclosure - one of the forks is mine. I can't contribute to the jQuery part, but I tried to help out with the installer script when the author mentioned it was a bit wonky.) Releasing a book in this way allows people to add value (if they can), and it's great to see an innovative use of GitHub. (There may be lots of other books available there, but it's new to me if so.)