
Ask HN: What is the best way to learn JavaScript for a beginner? - joshcox
So I just completed HTML &amp; CSS and now I want to learn Javascript, what are some of the good online resources that only focus on Javascript stack? Books or screencasts are okay for me.
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santiagobasulto
Don't go after "learn javascript". Try to "learn to program" first. The only
way to learn anything is BY DOING. You have to sit and code. Are you going to
play great basketball just watching the NBA? NO! You have to go outside and
play. In the world of coding that translates to: sit and code.

Online resources, there are many. Too many sometimes. Grab anything from
codecadeamy, codeschool, or Tree House. But remember that's not the only thing
you need to know.

If you check my profile, we do remote programming courses where people work
together with a real teacher for 6 weeks. We offer scholarships (100% free).

Remember: * Focus on learning programming. What's the scope of a variable?
what's immutability? etc. * Practice a lot. Code as much as you can. * Look up
for a group to work together.

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maxblackwood
Eloquent Javascript. It's one of the best introductions to programming I've
ever read. [http://eloquentjavascript.net/](http://eloquentjavascript.net/)

~~~
codegeek
yes, I second this. Reading this book has always clarified core javascript to
me. I go back to it all the time for reference.

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sebastianxx
Practice as much as you can. Write lots of code. Try to solve problems. Don't
be afraid to reach out to people and ask questions. The best way to learn
Javascript and programming is by doing it. JUST DO IT! As for books I'd
recommend "Head First JavaScript". They're great for beginners. If you're
comfortable with screencast try Learn Javascript in 14 days course on
iLoveCoding and then move on to the lessons
[https://ilovecoding.org/lessons](https://ilovecoding.org/lessons).

If you get stuck, ask questions on Stack Overflow or Reddit. Good luck

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random_coder
I find Mozilla's javascript guide[1] to be quite good for learning JS, if you
have some programming experience.

1\. [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-
US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Guid...](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-
US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Guide)

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chatwinra
I'd recommend a 3 pronged approach:

1\. Read specific Javascript stuff (I'd also recommend Eloquent Javascript as
others have). Code school free courses can help with the basics too.

2\. Try and find someone who you can speak to from time to time about
Javascript stuff. They can introduce you more advanced stuff (like
Grunt/Gulp), which even if you can't understand it all, helps expand your
horizons and show you what to look at when you're comfortable with the simple
stuff.

3\. Read about programming in general, because the principles apply to any
programming language. I'd recommend Code Complete by Steve McConnell. It's a
bit daunting but full of great stuff to make you think about your approach to
programming.

good luck!

~~~
peternicky
Great ideas!

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brudgers
There is a lot of good advice elsewhere. I'd recommend Norvig's essay:

[http://norvig.com/21-days.html](http://norvig.com/21-days.html)

The complexity of programming ramps up really fast from "Hello World" toward
professional tools and techniques due to a massive permutation space and in
the case of JavaScript comprehensive instability in best practice.

Good luck

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lollipop25
"just do it"

JavaScript (or any programming language for that matter) cannot be learned by
just reading. One must actually write with the language to get used to the
language, as well as gain muscle memory for the syntax. Do something, even
something very simple, like a console-based game (which is essentially just a
state machine), or create your own pub-sub library (which deals alot with
object and array manipulation), or recreate some data structure (binary tree,
linked lists, rings, etc.). These simple exercises can go a long way.

These books help as well.

\- JavaScript: The Definitive Guide

\- High Performance JavaScript

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davismwfl
In the past, I bought some team members access to codeschool.com. The price is
really fair and they have screencasts, course syllabus and tasks that help you
learn whatever you are taking from them. I was pretty impressed, it worked
well for Javascript and HTML/css and I'd have no problem subscribing again if
there was a need. IIRC, it was a monthly price but was fairly inexpensive and
we only had it like 6 months and then cancelled because they had gone through
the courses they wanted.

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novicei
I recommend [https://ilovecoding.org/](https://ilovecoding.org/) There are
lots of awesome answers there, do read books and watch Javascript tutorials
but don't just read or watch them. GO AND WRITE CODE. Don't procrastinate,
just do it. You learn by doing it.

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k__
If you programmed in other languages before, I would recommend "JavaScript the
Good Parts" and "Pro JavaScript Techniques". Both were about the language
itself and how to avoid a few ugly edge cases.

Disclaimer: I already knew C, Java, PHP and VisualBasic before I started with
JavaScript .

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daniel27
You can find a lot here [https://www.quora.com/Where-can-a-beginner-learn-
JavaScript](https://www.quora.com/Where-can-a-beginner-learn-JavaScript)

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theGREENsuit
[http://asmarterwaytolearn.com/js/](http://asmarterwaytolearn.com/js/)

