If you're just getting started with Javascript, I'd say learn Javascript and jQuery. Here are two good books: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0596517742 http:

If you're just getting started with Javascript, I'd say learn Javascript and jQuery. Here are two good books: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0596517742 http://www.amazon.com/jQuery-Action-Second-Bear-Bibeault/dp/1935182323 If you want to use Javascript/Ajax in a Rails application, this is a good introduction to how Rails' "remote" forms/links work in a jQuery context: http://www.alfajango.com/blog/rails-3-remote-links-and-forms/ http://www.alfajango.com/blog/rails-3-remote-links-and-forms-data-type-with-jquery/ I would get to the point where you understand all that before tackling Angular, Ember, or Node.