6 ms·

What to Read to Get Up to Speed in JavaScript

164 points by stsmytherie 16y ago

gte910h 16y ago
Eh, in my opinion, unless you're doing server side javascript, the thing you need to learn most about when doing javascript is dhtml. The actual javascript language isn't the hard or strange part of the experince. Most of his links seem to point to actual language esoterica. Only 1 seems to really point at DOM interactions.
- afshin 16y ago
  I think people coming from most other languages that have objects get very confused about prototypal inheritance. The significance of first-class functions is also not obvious to people who don't come from a functional programming background. I think you're right insofar as it's easy to "get going" with JS and see things happen in a web page. But if you're looking to actually learn how to build non-trivial apps, a solid grounding in the language is pretty key.
  - gte910h 16y ago
    9 books worth of grounding? I think one beginner and one advanced book maybe. True, I did come from a different background than most (having learned both those features in other languages before ever doing javascript), but do you really need 7 more books to tell you about it? I think the post is bordering on book affiliate spam.
    - afshin 16y ago
      I don't disagree with you on that point. Two books should be plenty. I'm only pointing out that there's a lot of utility in learning about JS as a programming language, completely divorced from DOM stuff.
- po 16y ago
  That's because DOM interactions are one of the least interesting aspects of Javascript and not where the current innovation is happening. JQuery has pretty much taken care of that. Buy a JQuery book for that. The newer javascript frameworks - the ones that are driving interest in Javascript as a language - are flexing the language features to the point where having good books help. The javascript language is pretty hard and strange when you really start getting in there.
  - gte910h 16y ago
    No where on the page does it discount the normal case (using Javascript as page display and animation language) and point out these are mostly for the server side/complicated framework people.
kls 16y ago
What if I had to Choose Just 3 Books You selection is good but I can't believe that in the "if I could only get three" section, Crockford's the good parts is not #1. I mean it is the seminal work for JavaScript, it should be the first or second book anyone considering doing serious JavaScript should read.
- simonsarris 16y ago
  I must echo this sentiment and also mention a few non-books that were instrumental for me. For my new job (first out of college) I have read ~5 javascript books cover to cover and flipped through a few more. Crockford's book was by far the most enlightening and made the most immediate impact on my understanding and methods of coding. Second, for me, was John Resig's blog (http://ejohn.org/blog http://ejohn.org/blog) And third I suppose might be looking through the way people have written things on github: https://github.com/nzakas https://github.com/nzakas https://github.com/jquery/jquery https://github.com/jquery/jquery
  - mitjak 16y ago
    I will echo your echo, along with a JavaScript tutorial by Resig which I rate at least as highly as The Good Parts: http://ejohn.org/apps/learn/ http://ejohn.org/apps/learn/
- reybango 16y ago
  @kls: Thanks. Crockford's book is certainly good which is why it was part of the bigger list. For me personally, I much preferred the 3 books I listed because I've found more value to them. Appreciate the feedback though and thank you for reading the post.
- pjscott 16y ago
  The thing about Crockford's book is that it's short and direct, and gives you the straight dope on how you program in JavaScript. It would be a terrible book for someone first learning to program, but if you know a few programming languages already -- especially something that supports lexically-scoped anonymous functions -- then JS:tGP is something you can read through in an hour or two, and then just start writing JavaScript.
vladd 16y ago
Try to separate the JavaScript language from the additional bindings that the platform gives to you. If you learn client-side JavaScript for use inside the browsers, differentiate what's a language feature and what's part of the DOM. If you learn server-side JavaScript, start by looking over the CommonJS standards as they tend to be the common denominator across the server-side JS implementations. And... experiment. Write a .html on your desktop which references a sample.js and use your browser to check it out and modify the code. Don't rely on technical knowledge for more than a couple of hours without trying out the things in practice. Or, for server-side JavaScript, you can get a free hosting account and browser-based editor at http://erbix.com http://erbix.com (+), using just OpenId (i.e. your Google account) to sign up. (+) Disclaimer: I'm affiliated with Erbix.
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
- dstein 16y ago
  When studying a language, one does not typically start with an abstraction library.
  - deleted 16y ago
    [deleted]
petercooper 16y ago
Not a book and not a blog, but if you want to keep up with the latest JavaScript stuff on a weekly basis through e-mail: http://javascriptweekly.com/ http://javascriptweekly.com/ Yes, it's mine but it's had kudos from folks like Steve Souders and Amy Hoy and almost at 3000 subscribers so I don't feel too bad pimping it. Latest issue is at http://javascriptweekly.com/archive/5.html http://javascriptweekly.com/archive/5.html if you want a preview.
tlrobinson 16y ago
My recommendations: Videos: * YUI Theater talks by Douglas Crockford: http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/theater/ http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/theater/ especially: * The JavaScript Programming Language * Advanced JavaScript Websites: * "A Re-introduction to JavaScript": https://developer.mozilla.org/en/a_re-introduction_to_javascript https://developer.mozilla.org/en/a_re-introduction_to_javasc... * Advanced tutorial from John Resig: http://ejohn.org/apps/learn/ http://ejohn.org/apps/learn/ * MDC Reference: https://developer.mozilla.org/en/javascript https://developer.mozilla.org/en/javascript Books (you can borrow my copies of these if you want): * "JavaScript: The Good Parts" * "JavaScript: The Definitive Guide" is a good reference for both the language and browser/DOM APIs
- InclinedPlane 16y ago
  I find The Definitive Guide is completely unnecessary with access to the internet.
  - tlrobinson 16y ago
    It's not just a reference, the first portion of the book is good overview of the language and browser APIs.
    - scorpioxy 16y ago
      I agree. Plus, the book was available before we had all the different resources on the web. I read a few years and rarely refer to it anymore but I especially liked the parts on browser inconsistencies.(my edition is dated now, but served its purpose at the time i bought it)
  - code_duck 16y ago
    The version I bought in 2008/9 was already bit outdated (the 5th edition?), and I agree - I haven't really used it very much. I've learned a lot more from the other resources tlrobinson suggests. I find the Flanagan book rather reminiscent of the JS state of the art, circa 2004. I don't think it places enough of an emphasis on understanding techniques like using closures and other methods of working with scope.
sedachv 16y ago
That list is way too long. JavaScript isn't that big or complicated, even if you include DOM and cross-browser issues (which by virtue of continuous browser changes, you will never learn about from a book). My top 3: 1. Eloquent JavaScript 2. JavaScript the Good Parts 3. High Performance JavaScript (see my review: http://carcaddar.blogspot.com/2010/07/book-review-nicholas-c-zakas-high.html http://carcaddar.blogspot.com/2010/07/book-review-nicholas-c...) Also, I wouldn't recommend either of Resig's books, despite not reading them. Look at Peter Michaux and David Mark's posts on comp.lang.javascript for criticisms (actually, comp.lang.javascript would be the fourth thing on my list if it was a book).
- ktf 16y ago
  Eloquent JavaScript has a print version coming out as well: http://nostarch.com/ejs.htm http://nostarch.com/ejs.htm
  - aaronblohowiak 16y ago
    For completeness, here is the interactive version: http://eloquentjavascript.net/contents.html http://eloquentjavascript.net/contents.html
- jmulho 16y ago
  I can't find the criticisms of Resig's you mention. Can you provide a link? I did find an encyclopedia's worth of ranting. Conclusion: don't read Resig's books because two guys who spend a lot of time hating jQuery have criticised the books harshly somewhere on a gigantic website about javascript. I don't buy that argument. Links please.
  - pronik 16y ago
    http://michaux.ca/ http://michaux.ca/ http://www.cinsoft.net/mylib.html http://www.cinsoft.net/mylib.html Both are experts on JavaScript and while David Mark is controversial, Peter Michaux is not. If he is hating jQuery (and he is not the only one, about 75% of that JSMentors list considers jQuery bad), that must be for a reason. Google for "browser sniffing" vs. "feature detection" to make your own opinion.
DanielBMarkham 16y ago
Shorter list from hn-books: http://www.hn-books.com#B0=41&B1=14&B2=89&B3=119&B4=10&B5=97&B6=96&B7=30&BC=8&E0=1&EC=1&FC=0&QC=0&Name=Daniel http://www.hn-books.com#B0=41&B1=14&B2=89&B3=119... Note that I included a JQuery book in there. Any more, it's not enough to know just Javascript, you should also know JQuery (and just as importantly you should know when to use it and when not to use it) These are ordered, so the top 3 are the best (in my opinion). The others are really good, but with a topic like this it can easily spin out of control, with hundreds of books getting recommended. Stick to 2-4.
Tichy 16y ago
What about server side JavaScript? I guess there are no books yet?
- code_duck 16y ago
  I can't locate any. But as far as the language basics, they're the same, of course so Crockford's various works should go a long way.
- reybango 16y ago
  None that I know of but the books I listed will teach you the JavaScript language itself which would carry over to SSJS.
p0nce 16y ago
"Javascript : The Good Parts" + visit http://ejohn.org/apps/learn http://ejohn.org/apps/learn
AgentConundrum 16y ago
I wish there were more posts like this, explaining which books are suitable for each "knowledge level." My biggest issue has always been that most books assume you know nothing about programming, and so become boring and repetitive, and I learn nothing new.

164 points by stsmytherie 16y ago

Eh, in my opinion, unless you're doing server side javascript, the thing you need to learn most about when doing javascript is dhtml. The actual javascript language isn't the hard or strange part of the experince. Most of his links seem to point to actual language esoterica. Only 1 seems to really point at DOM interactions.

afshin 16y ago
I think people coming from most other languages that have objects get very confused about prototypal inheritance. The significance of first-class functions is also not obvious to people who don't come from a functional programming background. I think you're right insofar as it's easy to "get going" with JS and see things happen in a web page. But if you're looking to actually learn how to build non-trivial apps, a solid grounding in the language is pretty key.
- gte910h 16y ago
  9 books worth of grounding? I think one beginner and one advanced book maybe. True, I did come from a different background than most (having learned both those features in other languages before ever doing javascript), but do you really need 7 more books to tell you about it? I think the post is bordering on book affiliate spam.
  - afshin 16y ago
    I don't disagree with you on that point. Two books should be plenty. I'm only pointing out that there's a lot of utility in learning about JS as a programming language, completely divorced from DOM stuff.
po 16y ago
That's because DOM interactions are one of the least interesting aspects of Javascript and not where the current innovation is happening. JQuery has pretty much taken care of that. Buy a JQuery book for that. The newer javascript frameworks - the ones that are driving interest in Javascript as a language - are flexing the language features to the point where having good books help. The javascript language is pretty hard and strange when you really start getting in there.
- gte910h 16y ago
  No where on the page does it discount the normal case (using Javascript as page display and animation language) and point out these are mostly for the server side/complicated framework people.

kls 16y ago

What if I had to Choose Just 3 Books You selection is good but I can't believe that in the "if I could only get three" section, Crockford's the good parts is not #1. I mean it is the seminal work for JavaScript, it should be the first or second book anyone considering doing serious JavaScript should read.

simonsarris 16y ago
I must echo this sentiment and also mention a few non-books that were instrumental for me. For my new job (first out of college) I have read ~5 javascript books cover to cover and flipped through a few more. Crockford's book was by far the most enlightening and made the most immediate impact on my understanding and methods of coding. Second, for me, was John Resig's blog (http://ejohn.org/blog http://ejohn.org/blog) And third I suppose might be looking through the way people have written things on github: https://github.com/nzakas https://github.com/nzakas https://github.com/jquery/jquery https://github.com/jquery/jquery
- mitjak 16y ago
  I will echo your echo, along with a JavaScript tutorial by Resig which I rate at least as highly as The Good Parts: http://ejohn.org/apps/learn/ http://ejohn.org/apps/learn/
reybango 16y ago
@kls: Thanks. Crockford's book is certainly good which is why it was part of the bigger list. For me personally, I much preferred the 3 books I listed because I've found more value to them. Appreciate the feedback though and thank you for reading the post.
pjscott 16y ago
The thing about Crockford's book is that it's short and direct, and gives you the straight dope on how you program in JavaScript. It would be a terrible book for someone first learning to program, but if you know a few programming languages already -- especially something that supports lexically-scoped anonymous functions -- then JS:tGP is something you can read through in an hour or two, and then just start writing JavaScript.

vladd 16y ago

Try to separate the JavaScript language from the additional bindings that the platform gives to you. If you learn client-side JavaScript for use inside the browsers, differentiate what's a language feature and what's part of the DOM. If you learn server-side JavaScript, start by looking over the CommonJS standards as they tend to be the common denominator across the server-side JS implementations. And... experiment. Write a .html on your desktop which references a sample.js and use your browser to check it out and modify the code. Don't rely on technical knowledge for more than a couple of hours without trying out the things in practice. Or, for server-side JavaScript, you can get a free hosting account and browser-based editor at http://erbix.com http://erbix.com (+), using just OpenId (i.e. your Google account) to sign up. (+) Disclaimer: I'm affiliated with Erbix.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

dstein 16y ago
When studying a language, one does not typically start with an abstraction library.
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]

petercooper 16y ago

Not a book and not a blog, but if you want to keep up with the latest JavaScript stuff on a weekly basis through e-mail: http://javascriptweekly.com/ http://javascriptweekly.com/ Yes, it's mine but it's had kudos from folks like Steve Souders and Amy Hoy and almost at 3000 subscribers so I don't feel too bad pimping it. Latest issue is at http://javascriptweekly.com/archive/5.html http://javascriptweekly.com/archive/5.html if you want a preview.

tlrobinson 16y ago

My recommendations: Videos: * YUI Theater talks by Douglas Crockford: http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/theater/ http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/theater/ especially: * The JavaScript Programming Language * Advanced JavaScript Websites: * "A Re-introduction to JavaScript": https://developer.mozilla.org/en/a_re-introduction_to_javascript https://developer.mozilla.org/en/a_re-introduction_to_javasc... * Advanced tutorial from John Resig: http://ejohn.org/apps/learn/ http://ejohn.org/apps/learn/ * MDC Reference: https://developer.mozilla.org/en/javascript https://developer.mozilla.org/en/javascript Books (you can borrow my copies of these if you want): * "JavaScript: The Good Parts" * "JavaScript: The Definitive Guide" is a good reference for both the language and browser/DOM APIs

InclinedPlane 16y ago
I find The Definitive Guide is completely unnecessary with access to the internet.
- tlrobinson 16y ago
  It's not just a reference, the first portion of the book is good overview of the language and browser APIs.
  - scorpioxy 16y ago
    I agree. Plus, the book was available before we had all the different resources on the web. I read a few years and rarely refer to it anymore but I especially liked the parts on browser inconsistencies.(my edition is dated now, but served its purpose at the time i bought it)
- code_duck 16y ago
  The version I bought in 2008/9 was already bit outdated (the 5th edition?), and I agree - I haven't really used it very much. I've learned a lot more from the other resources tlrobinson suggests. I find the Flanagan book rather reminiscent of the JS state of the art, circa 2004. I don't think it places enough of an emphasis on understanding techniques like using closures and other methods of working with scope.

sedachv 16y ago

That list is way too long. JavaScript isn't that big or complicated, even if you include DOM and cross-browser issues (which by virtue of continuous browser changes, you will never learn about from a book). My top 3: 1. Eloquent JavaScript 2. JavaScript the Good Parts 3. High Performance JavaScript (see my review: http://carcaddar.blogspot.com/2010/07/book-review-nicholas-c-zakas-high.html http://carcaddar.blogspot.com/2010/07/book-review-nicholas-c...) Also, I wouldn't recommend either of Resig's books, despite not reading them. Look at Peter Michaux and David Mark's posts on comp.lang.javascript for criticisms (actually, comp.lang.javascript would be the fourth thing on my list if it was a book).

ktf 16y ago
Eloquent JavaScript has a print version coming out as well: http://nostarch.com/ejs.htm http://nostarch.com/ejs.htm
- aaronblohowiak 16y ago
  For completeness, here is the interactive version: http://eloquentjavascript.net/contents.html http://eloquentjavascript.net/contents.html
jmulho 16y ago
I can't find the criticisms of Resig's you mention. Can you provide a link? I did find an encyclopedia's worth of ranting. Conclusion: don't read Resig's books because two guys who spend a lot of time hating jQuery have criticised the books harshly somewhere on a gigantic website about javascript. I don't buy that argument. Links please.
- pronik 16y ago
  http://michaux.ca/ http://michaux.ca/ http://www.cinsoft.net/mylib.html http://www.cinsoft.net/mylib.html Both are experts on JavaScript and while David Mark is controversial, Peter Michaux is not. If he is hating jQuery (and he is not the only one, about 75% of that JSMentors list considers jQuery bad), that must be for a reason. Google for "browser sniffing" vs. "feature detection" to make your own opinion.

DanielBMarkham 16y ago

Shorter list from hn-books: http://www.hn-books.com#B0=41&B1=14&B2=89&B3=119&B4=10&B5=97&B6=96&B7=30&BC=8&E0=1&EC=1&FC=0&QC=0&Name=Daniel http://www.hn-books.com#B0=41&B1=14&B2=89&B3=119... Note that I included a JQuery book in there. Any more, it's not enough to know just Javascript, you should also know JQuery (and just as importantly you should know when to use it and when not to use it) These are ordered, so the top 3 are the best (in my opinion). The others are really good, but with a topic like this it can easily spin out of control, with hundreds of books getting recommended. Stick to 2-4.

Tichy 16y ago

What about server side JavaScript? I guess there are no books yet?

code_duck 16y ago
I can't locate any. But as far as the language basics, they're the same, of course so Crockford's various works should go a long way.
reybango 16y ago
None that I know of but the books I listed will teach you the JavaScript language itself which would carry over to SSJS.

p0nce 16y ago

"Javascript : The Good Parts" + visit http://ejohn.org/apps/learn http://ejohn.org/apps/learn

AgentConundrum 16y ago

I wish there were more posts like this, explaining which books are suitable for each "knowledge level." My biggest issue has always been that most books assume you know nothing about programming, and so become boring and repetitive, and I learn nothing new.