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Here are a couple book recommendations for those of you looking to improve your JavaScript: "JavaScript: The Good Parts" by Douglas Crockford "JavaScript Patte
by pgambling 14y ago
Here are a couple book recommendations for those of you looking to improve your JavaScript:
"JavaScript: The Good Parts" by Douglas Crockford
"JavaScript Patterns" by Stoyan Stefanov
- thealphanerd 14y agoI've been working on following the good parts for my latest project. I've started to cringe any time people talk about the prototype or using "this"
- jashkenas 14y agoThat's unfortunate. Properly using prototypes and "this" is the only way to do high-performance JavaScript with objects. Get cozy with them -- they're useful.
- TazeTSchnitzel 14y agoIt isn't the only way, it's just that browser JS engines tend to be optimised for them.
- andybak 14y agoI believe your statement is therefore equivalent to the preceding one.
- stephenr 14y agoI cringe when people claim to be writing more than the most basic JS and aren't using prototypes.
- ahoge 14y agoIt's a style choice. You don't have to use classes and/or do anything with the prototype chain.
- stephenr 14y ago> It's a style choice No. max line lengths is a style choice. indenting with spaces vs tabs is a style choice brace position is a style choice Using prototypes and instances in JS is about using the right tool for the job.
- stuff4ben 14y agoThe Crockford book is 4 years old now, is it still considered to be a good book to pickup? I've done JS off and on for a while, but mostly haphazardly (with an emphasis on the hazard). I'm looking to start doing some backbone.js and jquery and a book to help start off with it.
- phillmv 14y agoDespite being a small book you can ignore a good third of it, and I think his constructor pattern is out of date? but - it does do a good job of explaining the actually idiosyncratic thing about js - the whole prototype chain thing, and the scoping.
- pgambling 14y agoEven though I recommended the book, I completely agree with you.
- mhd 14y agoIf four years would be enough to change a lot about the core JavaScript language, there wouldn't be a need for the book in the first place. It's still quite modern enough, and will be until a major EcmaScript overhaul is propagated and accepted by all common browsers… It's not about modern web techniques, which is why it aged that well. For those, I'd personally recommend pulling apart some modern webapps or libraries, or reading modern tutorials. Usually you're somewhat outdated once your book reached its publisher… (Having said that, JavaScript Patterns is also pretty neat)
- TazeTSchnitzel 14y agoAnd if you want more of Crockford's advice, he's done a talk about ES5 changes (which you should really watch, they are great)