JavaScript: The Definitive Guide
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| JavaScript: The Definitive Guide | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This Fifth Edition is completely revised and expanded to cover JavaScript as it is used in today's Web 2.0 applications. This book is both an example-driven programmer's guide and a keep-on-your-desk reference, with new chapters that explain everything you need to know to get the most out of JavaScript, including:
Part I explains the core JavaScript language in detail. If you are new to JavaScript, it will teach you the language. If you are already a JavaScript programmer, Part I will sharpen your skills and deepen your understanding of the language. Part II explains the scripting environment provided by web browsers, with a focus on DOM scripting with unobtrusive JavaScript. The broad and deep coverage of client-side JavaScript is illustrated with many sophisticated examples that demonstrate how to:
Part III is a complete reference for core JavaScript. It documents every class, object, constructor, method, function, property, and constant defined by JavaScript 1.5 and ECMAScript Version 3. Part IV is a reference for client-side JavaScript, covering legacy web browser APIs, the standard Level 2 DOM API, and emerging standards such as the XMLHttpRequest object and the canvas tag. More than 300,000 JavaScript programmers around the world have made this their indispensable reference book for building JavaScript applications. "A must-have reference for expert JavaScript programmers...well-organized and detailed." |
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Since the earliest days of Internet scripting, Web developers have considered JavaScript: The Definitive Guide an essential resource. David Flanagan's approach, which combines tutorials and examples with easy-to-use syntax guides and object references, suits the typical programmer's requirements nicely. The brand-new fourth edition of Flanagan's "Rhino Book" includes coverage of JavaScript 1.5, JScript 5.5, ECMAScript 3, and the Document Object Model (DOM) Level 2 standard from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Interestingly, the author has shifted away from specifying--as he did in earlier editions--what browsers support each bit of the language. Rather than say Netscape 3.0 supports the Image object while Internet Explorer 3.0 does not, he specifies that JavaScript 1.1 and JScript 3.0 support Image. More usefully, he specifies the contents of independent standards like ECMAScript, which encourages scripters to write applications for these standards and browser vendors to support them. As Flanagan says, JavaScript and its related subjects are very complex in their pure forms. It's impossible to keep track of the differences among half a dozen vendors' generally similar implementations. Nonetheless, a lot of examples make reference to specific browsers' capabilities.
Though he does not cover server-side APIs, Flanagan has chosen to separate coverage of core JavaScript (all the keywords, general syntax, and utility objects like Array) from coverage of client-side JavaScript (which includes objects, like History and Event, that have to do with Web browsers and users' interactions with them. This approach makes this book useful to people using JavaScript for applications other than Web pages. By the way, the other classic JavaScript text--Danny Goodman's JavaScript Bible--isn't as current as this book, but it's still a fantastic (and perhaps somewhat more novice-friendly) guide to the JavaScript language and its capabilities. --David Wall Topics covered: The JavaScript language (version 1.0 through version 1.5) and its relatives, JScript and ECMAScript, as well as the W3C DOM standards they're often used to manipulate. Tutorial sections show how to program in JavaScript, while reference sections summarize syntax and options while providing copious code examples. |
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| 10-24-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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This is I believe the best book about basic Javascript on the market right now.
Pros: Technically complete, solid writing style, understandable examples, no better intro books on the market. Cons: Authors repeatedly show that they prefer class-based object systems, which Javascript is not. Authors do not effectively teach advanced Javascript prototype-based object usage and in fact seem to view it as a nuisance to be avoided. Authors don't regularly use closures except in section on closures. I would recommend following this book up with "Javascript: The Good Parts" and making sure you fully grok how to use closures to avoid namespace pollution. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-12-04 06:51:38 EST)
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| 10-20-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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I've learned a lot of tech in my time, and this book does the best job explaining the fundamentals of a language that I've ever come across. Flanagan basically builds the whole language piece by piece, explaining the fundamentals of every aspect.
There are some more esoteric techniques he doesn't cover, but I hardly consider that a shortcoming; aside from those, he basically covers the entire breadth of JavaScript, both in its core design and in practical browser-based applications. This really is the definitive book on JavaScript, even if it is two years old (which is ages in Internet time). (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-10-24 09:07:35 EST)
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| 09-28-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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This book is downright comprehensive and thoroughly deserves its "definitive guide" title.
But, the example scripts the author gives are long and deadly boring, which is why I won't give it five stars. To "get" JavaScript, you need shorter scripts which are easier to learn from. My recommendation is to use this book in conjunction with the w3schools website. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-10-20 07:21:02 EST)
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| 09-27-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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This is the book all the JS rockstars out there tend to recommend to people. I don't think it's for everybody personally. It's very thorough and explains JS and its various incarnations at a high level of intricacy that I wouldn't recommend to beginners who are easily distracted (i.e. more heavily creative-brained designers). I'm fairly evenly brained myself and I occasionally found myself zombie-reading as exciting as some of the specifics are too me.
On the other hand, if you want to know just about everything there is to possibly know about JS, this is the book. And that's worth five stars to me. A good place to get a start with JS if you've never programmed is a decent class or self-teaching the basics online. Then I recommend Jeremy Keith's DOM scripting. Then the Complete Reference. Then this bruiser when you really want get in deep. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-10-20 07:21:02 EST)
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| 09-23-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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Great book, easy read, well formated and very instrutive. You will find everything that you need about JavaScript (covering standard ECMAScript v3). From the basics to the most advance about the language.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-29 07:20:01 EST)
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| 08-15-08 | 2 | 0\2 |
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I just read first few chapters of this book. Good news is that the material is expressed in an accessible manner. However if you have an interest in programming languages and trying to read this book as JavaScript language tutorial or reference things like "lambda functions" (should be "lambda expressions"), or discussions about how (in authors view) JS interreter "inserts semicolums" (it does not. whitespace is used as token separator while parsing) make it look pretty bad.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-24 07:41:43 EST)
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| 08-09-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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As a nuts and bolts kind of guy, I appreciate the layout and information available in the newest revision of this Book on JavaScript. If you're looking for a tutorial, this isn't it, but if you're looking for a reference manual, this is for you. Very cool book.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-15 07:46:35 EST)
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| 07-06-08 | 5 | 0\1 |
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This book could easily serve as an introductory text to JavaScript. It offers enough depth for beginning JavaScript. Unfortunately, it does not delve enough into things like closure, which I believe is a very important language features. Furthermore, after the first or second reading, this book can handily serve as a reference book since part 3 and 4 of this book is reference to the classes, methods, and functions that are available in most JavaScript implementation.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-09 07:00:30 EST)
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| 06-24-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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This book not only assists first-time JavaScript programmers, but is an excellent reference for the more experienced developers. The examples are first-rate, and the reference sections are more comprehensive than any I've seen for this language. A MUST if you are a serious JavaScript professional.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-07-07 04:49:42 EST)
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| 06-16-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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I feel that this book is really a work of art. Besides agreeing with the last reviewer that it is not fair to consider this as a book for beginners and then judge it against that standard, I'd say that even though it is not for beginners, it does not make unnecessary arcane references, etc. It is very readable, at least for someone who's had a little experience working with JavaScript. I'd say it is not even a requirement to know object oriented principles (except for those sections perhaps). The author has not only made intelligible so many of the quirks of JavaScript, but provides code which is easy to follow yet extremely useful.
As far as examples, while for JavaScript fans, it might have been nice that the book expanded into 2000 pages instead of almost 1000 that it is now, the author does, I feel, what is necessary to both explain and demonstrate the concepts, and most often, does so by creating VERY useful utility functions and "classes". Just for the utility functions alone, the book would be worth it, really. There are only a very few places where the author suggests to look elsewhere, and besides my not minding doing so given how the book already saved me so much time, the cited references would have taken up unnecessary space if the author were to include them (and they definitely weren't essential). The book is not outdated! Unlike other books, most of the book is rarely tied down to code that can become outdated as browsers change (like the changeable but helpful quirksmode.org ). Of course, as a big fan of this book, I hope the author will be persuaded to keep making new editions (and make a hardcover!). If you really want to learn the language, this is THE book. This book was no doubt an immense labor of love--you can feel the author is human, actually teaching, and is not trying to show off with terminology while he still does explain a whole lot of necessary terms, etc., comments the code well, etc. As with art (not the strange modern variety either), I am flabbergasted some people cannot appreciate its beauty. In a complex JavaScript application, I am building, I am using no less than 7 of the utility classes he provided in the book. For those studying JavaScript in depth / reading this book, I'd recommend one supplement to the book: the informative articles at http://javascript.crockford.com/ (and no doubt that author's book too). The articles on private members and classical vs. prototypal inheritance are one area I felt for which additional examples and use of terminology was helpful, and allowed me to appreciate and understand the chapter in the book on classes more fully (and utilize the approaches in its utility classes as well). (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-23 01:15:13 EST)
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| 06-16-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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I bought this book after the helpful reviews found on amazon. This book is must have for reference, I've been using this for the past one month and its been great reference for me, a beginner.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-23 01:15:13 EST)
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| 06-14-08 | 3 | (NA) |
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This work is great as reference once one has acquired some skill, however it is not a good introduction for starters.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-16 07:17:33 EST)
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| 05-29-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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This book is perfect for anyone working on Web sites and uses JavaScript. From learning JavaScript to finding "recipes" on doing work, this book has it all. I cut a project from 10 hours to 1 hour with this book's help.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-15 07:22:39 EST)
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| 05-22-08 | 3 | (NA) |
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Its pretty lengthy and Javascript has developed some since this came out so I don't know how usefull it still is.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-05-30 07:18:39 EST)
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| 05-07-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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If you want to master Javascript and read just one book, then this must be the book you want to buy. Covers A-Z, detailed. If you are beginning on AJAX then this book is must read if you are Javascript beginner. 5 Stars.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-05-22 07:18:24 EST)
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| 05-04-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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When I first started programming javascript that lasted only a week or so (this was around 2000), the trouble I had with it was with the loose typing and the generality of the language. After reading the core portion of this book, I got to see the advantages and power of what I had problems with. It only took me 12 hours to go from literally clueless to semi-proficient. It also helped that I went through a whole semester of software design in C++. Another subtle part of the book that you do not need to have a semester of software design to learn the language, the author does well to explain the material well. If you are new to javascript, I'd probably get another book to go along with this.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-05-21 00:31:12 EST)
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| 04-10-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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Authoritative, very well written, very well structured, complete, a pleasure to read.
The intricacies of Javascirpt are very well explained, it might not be an easy read for the average script kiddie but if you want a book that thoroughly describes the language and its browser integration, events, dom, css handling ... look no further. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-05-21 00:31:12 EST)
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| 04-05-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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Excellent reference book -- well organized, especially the DOM reference section, and easy to understand. Clear explanation in the introductory chapters.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-04-11 07:21:29 EST)
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| 03-24-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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This book will take you from zero to hero! I read it cover-to-cover twice after having a year or so of javascript experience, and each time I learned a great deal. The reference section is indispensable too.
If you want to learn the language inside and out and start playing with the big boys, get this book. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-04-06 07:14:28 EST)
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| 02-29-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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I rarely review technical books since they typically live short lives - their usefulness spans about one project, after that they're another monitor stand (old news). However, this book is a gem, a fantastic reference. It is truly the definitive guide to JavaScript as we know it today, it covers JavaScript from A-Z, and is permeated with good advice and best practices - for good reasons too, it's in its 5th Edition, has been recognized as one of the best books in JavaScript and has been reviewed and edited by some of the JavaScript greats: Peter-Paul Koch (Author of ppk on JavaScript and QuirksMode.org), and Douglas Crockford (Yahoo!) to name a few. I highly recommend this book, it's an excellent book with great advice that you can really count on.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-03-25 07:15:31 EST)
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| 02-01-08 | 5 | 2\2 |
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We are in 2008 and this is the Rhino book 5th ed. Try to google the terms "javascript variable names", you'll have a bunch of articles and tutorials giving you the javascript naming rules. Count how many articles you hit before one of them mentions that the ($) dollar sign is a perfectly valid character in identifiers (it's been so since javascript 1.1). This Rhino book already mentioned this back in 1998 when in its 3rd edition and possibly in previous editions. It is not to say that this is a life changing information, it's simply to illustrate a point. By knowing what is or isn't possible with the language you can put it to better use. You should own this book, even if you want to buy other JS books or even if you've read tutorials around the web and you think you know what you're doing. This book clearly details the language and its intricacies. If you're a programmer, you'll appreciate that you actually understand how javascript works. The bugs will seem a lot less obscure and some esoteric constructs found in various scripts and frameworks will look less like voodoo. You will certainly need other Javascript books that deal more with advanced practice, architecture and development techniques, but you need a solid foundation to build all that knowledge on.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-03-02 07:31:25 EST)
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| 01-31-08 | 2 | 0\4 |
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I couldn't understand what the author wanted me to understand! I've learned PHP CSS XHTML and I wanted to learn the basics of javascript and this book didn't quite deliver.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-03-02 07:31:25 EST)
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| 01-19-08 | 3 | (NA) |
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Good information. Lowering from 4 stars to 3 because of its bad index. When I try to look something up, I'm usually taken to a page that mentions the term in passing - it takes a few tries before I find *the* page describing the term. Plus, it doesn't include the page number of the term in the API-reference appendix.
Obviously a computer-generated index - get a professional indexer next time! A good index would make this book more useful. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-02-15 09:03:23 EST)
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| 01-18-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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This book is a great reference book for JavaScript. I refer to it a lot for functions and the chapter on XML. As an AJAX developer, I highly recommend the Prototype / Scriptaculous "bungee" book from Pragmatic Programmers to complement this book.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-02-15 09:03:23 EST)
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| 12-30-07 | 4 | (NA) |
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I'm still getting into this book, but so far it has done a good job of explaining what is a new technology to me. I have some web development experience and this book hits me at the right level.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-02-15 09:03:23 EST)
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| 12-25-07 | 4 | (NA) |
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This refers to the 5th edition.
Ten years ago, JavaScript support was so different among various web browsers, I gave up trying to do any logical processing in JavaScript, and went into server-side programming. Today, you still have to do a select few things two or three times in JavaScript to get them to work in all web browsers. But with much better standardization across browsers -- including broad support for Ajax, or remote scripting -- it's become worthwhile again to spend time on JavaScript development. So, I took an online JavaScript class at the local community college. I bought this book as my reading text. This "bible" of JavaScript skimps at times on simple examples, but provides several lengthy general-purpose code samples that show how to abstract out the client-specific or case-specific handling from an underlying set of routines. Only the first part of this book is instructional. Then, there is the wonderful second half of the book, which is all reference. Divided into the core language reference and the client-side JavaScript reference, it's an essential quick lookup tool. If you are new to JavaScript or (like me) brushing up on it after a long time away, choose this book as your in-depth background information and your ongoing reference text. Choose something like Dori Smith's JavaScript and Ajax for the Web, Sixth Edition (Visual QuickStart Guide) for your smaller, quick-start examples to play with. Unfortunately, as long as browsers don't all support all the same JavaScript and CSS, there is still too much tedious hacking needed to provide a useful interface on the client side. Neither this book nor any other will get you past that little problem. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-02-15 09:03:23 EST)
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| 11-30-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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Well written and concise language description. Especially good for programmers who want to learn the language.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-12-25 07:45:27 EST)
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| 11-25-07 | 5 | 2\2 |
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I knew next to nothing about javascript when I bought this book. I am not a professional programmer.
After twice reading the theoretical section (the first half of the book) attentively, I was able to program some pretty interesting things with javascript. The book provided sufficient grounding for me to fly solo and use my imagination. The reference section has been valuable for this. I have read some of the negative reviews, and while I can understand reviews that say this book could be more direct, practical and concise, I disagree with these accounts as I found the author provided a very comprehensive narrative description of javascript including its nuances. The author is in command of the topic, he provides solid targeted examples, and alerts you the salient points in those examples. He is teacher. I have several other javascript books, but I return to this one regularly. Finding that the others are too cookbook oriented and do not give a sufficient grounding to solve complex problems. The only thing that worries me is the quality of the cover and binding... while holding up.. my book is already looking tatty after just a couple of months. It is an accessible javascript friend. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-11-30 10:48:38 EST)
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| 11-25-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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I knew next to nothing about javascript when I bought this book.
The book is divided into two sections, a theoretical discussion and a reference section. I read the theoretical section thoroughly twice and haven't looked back, and I am now generally able to achieve whatever I wish in javascript. I have read some of the negative reviews, and while I can understand reviews that say the book may not be as practical as it could be or that the author is not sufficiently direct, I disagree in that the author is providing a very comprehensive description including the nuances of Javascript. The author is in command of the topic, provides solid examples, and alerts you the salient points. I have several other books on javascript, but it is to this one that I return time and time again. The only thing that I am likely to criticize is the quality of the cover and binding... while it is still holding up.. my book is already looking tatty after a couple of months. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-11-26 01:23:44 EST)
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| 10-31-07 | 5 | 4\4 |
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I ordinarily like to say that JavaScript is the worst programming language known to man, but I just read "Programming in Lua" and don't think I can continue in this practice. Nevertheless, it's pretty bad. From its lack of anything remotely resembling an "include" statement to its closures-over-classes OOP implementation, there is nothing pleasant about working in JavaScript, and that's why we need this book--to explain all the bizarre, counterintuitive nuances of scope resolution, interpreter variations and whatever all else the Netscape crackheads who forced this travesty on the world came up with.
Some people seem to think that any book that has the word "JavaScript" in its title should be packed full of code they can simply copy and paste until they have a bangin' new social networking startup site that's going to revolutionize the way we think about horrible photography, and those people are the ones who are disappointed with what they got. While AJAX and DOM scripting are discussed at considerable length here, this is not a book about making flashy, annoying websites. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-11-25 07:37:45 EST)
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| 10-04-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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I've had this book for a few years now and I think I've about worn it out and need to get another copy. I took it to work and my whole department borrows it on a weekly basis. It's very handy and covers almost everything you would need to know (from a professional level) about javascript. It's the "definitive guide" though, so you probably don't want to read this one cover to cover unless you're a robot. For anyone looking for a technical reference this is great.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-11-01 07:32:42 EST)
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| 09-28-07 | 4 | (NA) |
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O'Reilly books are always of high quality. At over 900 pages this book is a very complete reference. It has the functional organization characteristic of reference books. The answers are here but it's not the place to go to learn Javascript from scratch. I find tutorials that are project oriented much more approachable for the beginner. Once you've used Javascript to solve some basic needs this reference will become a great tool.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-10-04 10:24:46 EST)
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| 09-25-07 | 4 | (NA) |
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If you already program in C/C++, Java or Python, this is the right reference for making the transition to JavaScrript. It is thorough and is one of the few non-dreadful books on JS out there. Beware of an abundance of crappy junk in this area.....
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-09-29 15:38:55 EST)
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| 08-30-07 | 5 | 1\1 |
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This is the best explanation I have seen about javascript that doesnt read like a document.
Remember that other reviewers who have complaints are complaining about the 4th edition of the book. 5th edition doesnt have the lackings of the previous edition. My only suggestion is that the concepts could have been explained using many more diagrams especially with regard to execution context. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-09-25 07:41:54 EST)
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| 08-27-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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I Bought 5 books for Java script but ....
This book realy it's definitive way to learn Java script . IT'S COVERS : Scripted HTTP and Ajax XML processing Client-side graphics using the canvas tag Namespaces in JavaScript--essential when writing complex programs Classes, closures, persistence, Flash, and JavaScript embedded in Java applications Generate a table of contents for an HTML document Display DHTML animations Automate form validation Draw dynamic pie charts Make HTML elements draggable Define keyboard shortcuts for web applications Create Ajax-enabled tool tips Use XPath and XSLT on XML documents loaded with Ajax And much more (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-08-31 07:58:06 EST)
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| 08-09-07 | 5 | 1\1 |
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I used to think that JavaScript was kind of a toy scripting language -- only good for doing minor web page tasks. But after reading this book -- my 3rd JavaScript book -- I found out that JavaScript can do as much as most programming languages, except for low-level system calls, etc. I'm starting to use JavaScript as my main programming language at home. It's a lot more fun than C++, and it doesn't require a compiler, etc.
David Flanagan knows JavaScript inside and out; he explains everything very clearly; and he covers every detail of the language. If you are a JavaScript programmer, this is THE book to buy. You won't need any other ones. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-08-28 15:31:00 EST)
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| 08-07-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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This book is not an guide for beginners, and it's not a cookbook -- though it's full of examples. But if you've done scripting for a while and want to effectively use JavaScript, you need this book.
It is well-named, as it is truly definitive -- with everything you need for JavaScript coding. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-08-09 07:36:51 EST)
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| 07-03-07 | 5 | 1\2 |
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This is actually my second copy of this book. I previously owned a copy of the 3rd edition that was lost due to excessive water damage. I still pitch this as one of my favorite programming books. Very helpful and very well written.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-08-08 07:38:00 EST)
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| 06-26-07 | 5 | 1\1 |
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This book is truly the definitive guide. It cover each and every aspect of the language, corrects misconceptions, and includes all the latest developments. All this, and an extensive overview of the major browser DOMs. A must have for anyone seriously working with JavaScript.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-12 06:52:00 EST)
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| 05-25-07 | 5 | 2\2 |
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This book is an absolutely excellent reference for what Douglas Crockford rightfully calls "the world's most misunderstood language". It contains useful examples with plenty of source, in-depth and accessible explanations, and great coverage of Javascript's core features.
Unless you are developing a javascript framework like ExtJS, YUI, JQuery, or something equally complex, it seems most likely that you will be using this book as a reference. There is no better reference that I've seen, so you can't go wrong there. If you are in fact writing a framework like one of the ones mentioned above, this book is an indispensable resource. It contains excellent examples of how to write an extensible object-oriented framework that is not only powerful, but easily extended and maintained. If you are just looking for a quick introduction to the javascript language, this may not be the book for you. If your current job position requires an in-depth knowledge of javascript, you cannot go wrong buying this book. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-12 06:52:00 EST)
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| 05-18-07 | 4 | 1\2 |
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The information in the book is absolutely solid, but WOW is the information mundanefully unappealing. There was ZERO thought into keeping the reader interested with content layout, bordering, graphic design, illustration, examples, etc. It is a good resource to have handy. I hate to be the superficial simpleton in the bunch but I'm rather BIG on ascetically appealing text... (it helps with my acute A.D.D. ... j/k ;) this is not that. It's like reading the paper version (vs. online version) of the wall street journal... dampened by the rain and chewed up by the neighbors chihuahua. For those like me try, 1. "JavaScript in easy steps" 2."JavaScript for the world wide web" and 3."Pro JavaScript Techniques"... in that order.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-10 05:19:58 EST)
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| 04-11-07 | 5 | 2\3 |
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Comprehensive reference, not overly technical yet not wanting for detail. I've checked out numerous books from numerous local libraries and even bought some only to sell or give them away after a few weeks. After studying this book i can say this is a resource i will wear out.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-10 05:19:58 EST)
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| 04-10-07 | 4 | 1\3 |
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A good overview of JavaScript and an in depth coverage of libraries, 'native functions' etc. Some descriptions are not as formal as I expected, the exact semantics of the language is left to interpretation. For the compiler writers out there, go to the ECMA specification directly!
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-10 05:19:58 EST)
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| 04-10-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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Comprehensive reference, not overly technical yet not wanting for detail. I've checked out numerous books from numerous local libraries and even bought some only to sell or give them away after a few weeks. After studying this book i can say this is a resource i will wear out.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-04-12 08:37:10 EST)
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| 04-09-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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Worthy of its title, this book is very well organized and covers everything you need to know about JavaScript and it does so concisely.
This fifth edition is up-to-date enough to stand very useful for quite some time to come - a wealth of interrelated information all in one place. This book is a must-have reference for any web developer interested in adding interactivity to their web content. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-04-12 01:59:21 EST)
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| 04-08-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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Worthy of its title, this book is very well organized and covers everything you need to know about JavaScript and it does so concisely.
This fifth edition is up-to-date enough to stand very useful for quite some time to come - a wealth of interrelated information all in one place. This book is a must-have reference for any web developer interested in adding interactivity to their web content. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-04-10 08:43:52 EST)
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| 04-02-07 | 5 | 2\3 |
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This book is divided into four parts - Part 1 covers core JavaScript and it has an incredible amount of detail and examples illustrating fundamentals and intricate details of the language. As the author points out amply by giving specific code examples, even experienced programmers will be surprised by unexpected behavior if they are not careful! Part 2 covers Client-Side JavaScript which is of most interest to web developers - this book simply does an outstanding job of presenting various topics in this part with amazing clarity. Part 3 has Core JavaScript Reference and some of the examples and explanations from Part 1 refer to this part. Part 4 has Client JavaScript Reference and there are references to this part from some chapters of Part 2 as you may expect. Essentially, parts 3 and 4 have the comprehensive API reference.
I read parts 1, 2 in full and I tested the code examples. For the most part, the examples run fine without any problem. The only exception was the chapter 23 that explains scripting flash and I was getting some exception when I tried to run it in both IE and Firefox. Where there are significant differences between IE and Firefox, this book does point out which is really helpful since these two are the most widely used browsers. While this book is not a light read, it is very comprehensive and therefore the only book you ever need on JavaScript. With this book (and possibly few searches on google searches), any one will have all info needed to implement specific functionality using JavaScript. Highly recommended to both novice users and highly experienced JavaScript programmers/developers. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-06-26 19:04:35 EST)
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| 03-26-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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A must be on your IT library. The author explains you not only what to do, but how the javascript itself works so you can understand the whole picture. After reading this book my javascript code dramatically improved
The only weakness of the book is the DOM section, which is basically a review. If you are looking for unobtrusive javascript i recommend you: DOM Scripting: Web Design with JavaScript and the Document Object Model (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-04-02 08:46:49 EST)
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| 03-23-07 | 5 | 1\1 |
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I own a bunch of other javascript books and I won't be using them any more. This book always seems to have some detailed info that helps solve whatever problem I'm dealing with. The new edition has full ajax converage. Also the css chapter is very useful and the chapters about object oriented javascript are also exceptional.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-03-27 08:30:52 EST)
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| 03-23-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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Although you can always find snippets of Javascript online, sometimes you need to sit down with a paper book and read up on the whole schlemiel. This is THE essential reference for everything Javascript, which makes it important if exploring Ajax. It can be overwhelming for beginners, but it has a great index, and it won't be long before you're jumping here and there to get the real scoop on Javascript.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-03-27 08:30:52 EST)
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