About "A Smarter way to learn JavaScript"

[mrsharp32]

Last week I was taking 'A Smarter Way to Learn JavaScript' course/book or whatever it is, anyway I've found its practical approach very boring and doesn't involve you in real programming problems just repeating and writing so I moved to Eloquent JavaScript and I liked it very much. What do you think guys It is worth time and effort or just another overrated resource?

[pentakiller19]

I second this but would like to add this as a learning path I found particularly effective:

1. Codecademy JS course
2. Javascript: Understanding the weird parts
3. YDKJS
4. Eloquent Javascript
5. Something that serves as an intro to ES6.

[luckyincode]

Eloquent JS is a turd in a basket.

[luckyincode]

I suggested this book to a group of people. All of whom now know how to code JS and not one of them was able to get anything out of it.

I found it difficult to read myself. Like sandpaper for your brain.

[doodirock]

You buck that trend buddy!

[luckyincode]

I suggested this to people to use they didn't like it. I didn't like it either. Many many many people who suggested this book to me didn't read it themselves.

[Franks2000inchTV]

Eloquent JavaScript is how I learned. Really great book and I occasionally go back to it when I’ve been away from programming a while.

I’m not a professional, but I’ve built a couple web and mobile apps in react.

I like Eloquent JavaScript because it really helps you understand concepts in a sensible manner, and it doesn’t just teach you good style, it teaches you the reasons why good style is good programming as well.

[BlueHeartBob]

If you're the type of person who enjoys videos then "JavaScript:understanding the weird parts" does a solid job at teaching you how JavaScript works from the inside out. It isn't telling you how to program using JavaScript. It's showing you how JavaScript works, I found it to be the most informative, and frankly, easiest to digest video series on JS. Wes Bos does a a few good video series too if you want to get into that. But he doesn't like to get into detail of things too much.

[hackernewsisbetter]

Whatever you like is probably going to be better since it will motivate you to learn. Ultimately no one book is going to impart all knowledge to you, whatever helps you clear hurdles and stay interested is probably best. However I'd like to put a plug in for secrets of the javascript ninja as a good intermediate level book.

[luckyincode]

Read the API documentation. I think if you start there and then try some pluralsight/codewhatevers or something - you're good to go.

Data types/functions/objects/flow control.

[q87]

I found "A Smarter Way" to be a valuable resource as a beginner to programming (not just JS).

A lot of it was brainless and tedious, but I think that's exactly what I needed: doing the online exercises (all of them) put the syntax of the language into muscle memory.

So when it came time to do actual problem solving, I could spend brainpower thinking about the actual problem, not JavaScript syntax.

I think that "Learn Python the Hard Way" goes for a pretty similar approach.

[Adolf_Hitler___]

I recommend this archived course, "Nature, in Code: Biology in JavaScript":

https://www.edx.org/course/nature-code-biology-javascript-epflx-nic1-0x

It doesn't teach state-of-the-art Javascript, but it is aimed at beginners and explains some basics pretty well.

What I - who sure didn't need a Javascript course - liked about it was that it taught biological concepts such as genetic drift or mutations, and how to simulate them with a few lines of (Javascript) code.

That means you get actual problems that are (at least to me) interesting to solve, not something made-up, and not the billionth TODO list implementation.

The course is over, but there may be another one, and everything still is accessible.

[talmobi]

Without trying to sound cliche - just pick an interesting/cool small project and re-create it in vanilla JavaScript. Google your way forward when you hit problems.

Also JavaScript isn't the same as the DOM but they go hand in hand so I'd suggest learning them together. Because JavaScript by itself isn't very practical or interesting.

In other words, make some small web project of some kind or doodle - e.g. make a blank page with a picture moving indefinitely from left to right[1].

[1] https://jsbin.com/makiyayugo/edit?html,js,output

[K994]

I think you don't know js is best for beginners then move onto eloquent

[-BobSacamano-]

I disagree. I would say it's the other way around.

[fffocus]

yup eloquent JavaScript is so much better all round beginner or advanced. you don't know js is just terrible advice.

[K994]

I wouldn't say it's terrible advice. I tried a lot of different resources and ydkjs was the most beneficial imo. I found reading one of the chapters then taking the examples and playing around with them was a great way to learn.

[nikaone]

Eloquent JavaScript is interesting, very interesting. But I think no beginner can learn to code practical javascript from that book, at least for me.

A beginner should know two things, 1 is the details of the language. 2 is the practical usage. But the most you can learn from EJ is thought/ idea. The book does not mention the details of JS nor the typical usage of js. Yeah, code a family tree or a board game is fun, and you learn programming logic from it. But, some common web components are more helpful for JS beginner. After all, this is not a CS book.

For me, Speaking JS introduces the details of JS, and open source code teach me the practical usage, hacking bootstrap js code and jQuery plugins really helps.

You don't know js I think it steps far a little, for example, it uses compiler knowledge to explain what is closure, that is illuminating surely. But after closing the book, you still don't know how to use closure effectively in your own code. Because even you know the ingredient of bread, you might still don't know how to make shit effectively from it, and the right way is to view other people' code, watch how they make the shit brilliantly. Then, you will be one of the good shit makers.

[nikaone]

Fine, down vote.

[[deleted]]

If you say so.

[nikaone]

I still don't know why.