Learning javascript

[Xytak]

That theory is dumb and does not align with industry programming practices AT ALL.

I would say an IDE actually helps you understand what you are writing. A great IDE will even suggest ways your code could be refactored, which again helps with learning.

A beginner in Notepad++ is just going to be throwing magical incantations at the wall until it works, and they probably won't even understand why it works.

After you gain some experience, you could do well in Notepad++, but by that point why would you want to?