
Ask YC Hackers: What's the best text for learning Javascript? - pius
For a long time I've treated Javascript as a "second class citizen" and eschewed it in favor of Scheme, Java, Ruby, and (lately) Erlang.  Now that I'm managing and coding with not just server-side hackers, but hardcore UX hackers as well, I'm realizing that I would like to become a solid Javascript developer as well.  <p>What's the best Javascript text for an experienced developer?
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nickb
I've asked THE JS MAN himself, Doug Crockford of Yahoo!, what the best book on
JS is and he says its: JavaScript: The Definitive Guide (5th Edition) by David
Flanagan (edition is important... 4th one is not that good). Doug says a bit
more about the lack of any good JS books:

"Bad Books

Nearly all of the books about JavaScript are quite awful. They contain errors,
poor examples, and promote bad practices. Important features of the language
are often explained poorly, or left out entirely. I have reviewed dozens of
JavaScript books, and I can only recommend one: JavaScript: The Definitive
Guide (5th Edition) by David Flanagan."

<http://javascript.crockford.com/javascript.html>

Also, make sure you watch his tutorial videos. They're awesome! There is a
series of four intro videos and three advanced videos:

<http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=111593>
<http://101out.com/js_advanced.php>

~~~
dfranke
I own the 4th edition and so far I've been happy with it. What has improved?

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asb
Straight from the author, what's new in the 5th edition:
<http://www.davidflanagan.com/blog/2006_08.html#000110>

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brett
There's a lot of good stuff to read on Douglas Crockford's site
(<http://javascript.crockford.com/>) including a good survey
(<http://javascript.crockford.com/survey.html>).

I would also recommend his series of videos on js (I think they are from
internal yahoo presentations). There are 3:

"The JavaScript Programming Language"
[http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=111593&fr=](http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=111593&fr=)

"Advanced JavaScript" <http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=111585>

"Theory of the DOM" <http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=111582>

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kirubakaran
"I know a friend" who googled for _inurl:javascript.the.definitive.guide
filetype:pdf_

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seren6ipity
Convey my thanks to "your friend"

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fauigerzigerk
I always found Mozilla's JavaScript site very helpful:
<http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/JavaScript>

+1 on Flanagan

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waleedka
I recommend "JavaScript: The Definitive Guide". I read a couple of pages in
B&N to see if it was any good, and it paid for itself right there.

edit: Get the 5th Edition. See nickb's comment.

~~~
marrone
agreed.

Also check out 'Pro Javacsript Techniques' by John Resig.

Read this article on closures which is the best description I have read of
such a crucial crucial aspect of the language:
<http://jibbering.com/faq/faq_notes/closures.html>

Also read Crockford: <http://javascript.crockford.com/>

~~~
altay
John Resig's book is great. (He's the dude behind the jQuery library, and also
a YC alum, FYI.)

I'd recommend that, and of course the Definitive Guide. Look for the Rhino.

~~~
marrone
wow, I didnt know Resig was a YC guy.

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pius
Interestingly, I just came upon a nice blog entry with several good web-based
resources:
[http://www.juixe.com/techknow/index.php/2007/09/09/learning-...](http://www.juixe.com/techknow/index.php/2007/09/09/learning-
javascript/)

~~~
tokipin
great page, thanks

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nickmerwin
Coming from a Ruby background, Prototype will feel like a logical extension
(enumerables and array helpers abound):

<http://prototypejs.org/api>

Knowing how to wield a library like Prototype or JQuery will increase your
javascript speed and efficiency 10 fold!

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edw519
Rhino book

[http://www.amazon.com/JavaScript-Definitive-Guide-David-
Flan...](http://www.amazon.com/JavaScript-Definitive-Guide-David-
Flanagan/dp/0596101996/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-0699020-3763211?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191174604&sr=8-1)

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nick_a
<http://eloquentjavascript.net/>

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bdr
PPK

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niels
No doubt: JavaScript: The Definitive Guide.

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PStamatiou
the rhino book by far.

