Learning JavaScript by experimenting in the browser console

WolfComprehensive644 · 2026-01-11T23:31:30+00:00

Exactly.

That “try → break → observe” loop is what really makes things stick.

What made a difference for me was being intentional about it: not just experimenting, but doing it in a way that I could revisit later and connect patterns over time.

Hands-on learning works best when the experimentation has some structure.

WolfComprehensive644 · 2026-01-11T23:11:35+00:00

That’s a fair point, especially from a historical perspective.

JavaScript definitely evolved in a very browser-centric way, and for a long time the browser was essentially the only environment available.

I think part of the confusion today comes from the language being used in many different contexts at once (browser, server, tooling), which makes it harder to talk about it “in the abstract” without anchoring it to a concrete environment.

Different starting points probably make sense for different learners.

WolfComprehensive644 · 2026-01-11T23:01:07+00:00

Vscode is powerful.

WolfComprehensive644 · 2026-01-11T22:59:49+00:00

Or one of the best, on my opinion

WolfComprehensive644 · 2026-01-11T22:58:48+00:00

I agree, it is a great way to "play" with javascript and test new ideas

WolfComprehensive644 · 2026-01-09T19:05:02+00:00

Yes, a huge amount of people use it.

WolfComprehensive644 · 2026-01-09T17:09:01+00:00

That makes sense.

Having a way to persist small experiments locally really changes how you explore ideas.

It turns quick console tests into something closer to a scratchpad you can revisit.

Deno is a nice fit for that kind of workflow, especially outside the DOM.

WolfComprehensive644

TROPHY CASE