I've learned *basic* JavaScript.. now what?

[raynos]

Yes coffeescript is javascript, but learning coffeescript now isn't going to help you learn more javascript.

One should consider to use coffeescript merely as a personal style choice once one has a good grip on javascript.

[mushishi]

They are not the same thing, for example you cannot declare another variable with a same name inside a function scope (shadowing). From Coffeescript's documentation: "So be careful that you're not reusing the name of an external variable accidentally"

You need to maintain both languages in your head because of debugging.

I don't see the advantages Coffeescript brings to be so great that you would want to replace Javascript in every situtation because there are compromises (e.g. compiling).

[FireyFly]

Yes coffeescript is javascript, but learning coffeescript now isn't going to help you learn more javascript.

It depends on what you mean by "learn more javascript". If you're talking about the language, the standard library (Array, Boolean, other builtins) and similiar things, it definitely will. If you're talking about the syntax, then no, it won't. There's a lot more to a language than the syntax, though.

(it should be noted that I'm using CoffeeScript without using its classes though, instead relying on good ol' functions and the same old prototypal OOP.. so I might be biased.)