If you are expecting the same detailed, coherent, basics-to-details approach that has been so successful in other Head First publications, forget it. It's as if this book's authorship was outsourced to someone who is unaware of what has made Head First one of the premier names in technical education. Poor overview of basic concepts, rambling examples, confusing diagrams, etc. I own at least five other Head First publications and this one it not even close to them. Spend you money elsewhere.

This is a good "first book" on JavaScript. It's not nearly as good as the HF Java books, which clearly are the forte of the whole series. I have moved on to a more advanced JS book, but I felt this one really was a useful introduction that definitely made me feel better about wading in deeper. If you are looking for a decent kickboard and doggy paddle type of book that will keep you interested (and the rhino book can induce a coma), it's a good one. You'll get some DOM manipulation examples, basic form validation, and a handy introduction to object oriented JavaScript. I'm only giving it three stars because it's not one stop shopping, you will want to follow up with a more advanced book immediately after.

For the JavaScript beginner this was an easy to follow book with good exercises and explanations relating to things us non-computer geeks will recognize. The book also arrived on time and in excellent condition.

Having seen the Head First series in stores before and being superficially attracted to all of the promotional blurb about this style of learning being more suited to how the brain "really works", I have to say I really wanted this book to be good. However, after reading through the first few chapters of HFJS I'm inclined to believe that the style is not a good way to learn at all, to the extent that I've decided not to buy any more books in the series (I was planning on getting the C# and Ajax books if all went well with this one).

The whole affair brings to mind the state of education in general today, if I may digress. "Progressive" teaching methods are based on the idea that the formal, "stuffy" way of learning is inferior and that kids learn better sat around octagonal tables partaking collectively in interactive lessons that are crammed with bright colors, jokes and cartoons. Well, for all of the so-called "theory" that says this way of learning is better for kids, what are the results? I'm sorry, but the proof is in the pudding - kids are leaving school without the most basic intellectual skills, with a fuzzy idea of everything, with little structure or discipline, with the idea that accuracy and "getting it right" are not that important. In short, kids are getting dumber. So much for the hailed "progressive" method of learning.

And to be quite frank, this is the way I feel about this book. I'm not a complete beginner, being well versed in HTML, CSS and Python and with a basic understanding of C and LISP - so I was prepared to be a little "patronized" by the softly-softly approach. As it happens, throughout the book I was given to wondering just how on Earth a beginner was going to get a solid foundation in the basic concepts without being confused to the point where they would be inspired to give up altogether.

There are many examples I could give - a good one comes on page 79 when they introduce the "parseDonuts" function. They could have done a lot more to set down the basic structure and purpose of functions - for instance explaining the difference between formal and actual parameters - but they don't. The parseDonuts function is the first in the book to introduce the concept of returning a value, yet they make no reference to this at all here and just presume that the reader will work it out on their own. Of course to anyone who's familiar with another language, "return numDonuts;" will make perfect sense, but I'm not sure that this would not confuse a complete beginner to whom the basic concepts of coding have not yet solidified. A more formal text would also have outlined the concept of substitution to this end.

I turned over the page expecting a mention of the "return" statement at least in brief, but alas there were just more goofy pictures, a crossword, and then on to the next chapter.

Having read my fair share of programming manuals I feel that the most important qualities are accuracy, clarity, unambiguity, structure and readability. Sadly, this book falls short in those areas on a number of occasions. There is nothing worse when learning a programming language, in my opinion, than being confused in the early stages to the point where you're never confident about the foundations you're piling new material onto as you progress. Unfortunately in this book there are many opportunities for confusion, especially for the observant student who notices inconsistency and ambiguity in the text.

For example, on page 93 the author introduces the timer syntax. There are slanted code snippets to illustrate, one of which gives "refresh();" with a pointer indicating that it's purpose is to "refresh the web page". Yet on page 97 in the Q&A section, they reveal that the function to refresh a page is actually "reload()". Not only that, in using "refresh" as an example of an argument of "setTimeout()", not only do they not use parenthesis, as in "refresh()", but they also fail to pass the code in quotes, so what the reader sees is "setTimeout(refresh, 120000);". On the next page, they mention that the code must be passed as text in quotes. OK, so maybe they used "refresh" in the spirit of pseudocode, but the beginner is not going to know this and is liable to feel very unsure of what they're learning if they're observant enough to notice this stuff.

Another hugely important element of learning to program from a book is the act of following, and typing, examples on your own computer. You simply cannot expect to absorb the syntax, style and structure of programming without feeling it "under your own fingers" so to speak. This seems like a no-brainer. The problem with this book is, you're never actually sure when you're supposed to be entering code yourself, and the author gives you no clear indication of a hands-on "plot" to follow. In the chapter on the iRock for example, you're reminded on a number of occasions where to download the iRock graphic from the publishers website - but not within a solid context of actually typing the examples in yourself. This is hard to explain in a review but is something you'll see for yourself if you try the book. I contrasted this fuzzy approach with my experience with the excellent "Missing Manual" guide to CSS for example, in which half of every chapter is a "follow along at your computer" exercise which really does make you absorb and understand what's going on. Also, a vital part of learning is to complete practical exercises yourself. The best example I have come across is John Zelle's "Learning Python - and Introduction to Computer Science", a fantastic example of a book which teaches solid concepts formally while managing to be friendly and interesting. HFJS unfortunately limits itself to crosswords and "fill in the blanks" quizzes which fall far short of the kind of exercises needed to make a student confident about what they're learning.

While I understand the series' basic premise that the brain remembers material that is presented in an interesting way, I think they really do go too far in trying to be wacky and exciting. They've crossed the line from "interesting" into a murky territory in which structure and direction are sacrificed in favor of style. Sure, a picture of a tiger next to some code may help you remember that particular page - but is this really what we look back on when we try to recall later? When I think back to programming concepts I've learned, I picture them in the abstract state in which they exist in my head, and not on the page I originally learned them from. For this reason, I think the purpose of the book should be to make sure the information enters the brain in a structured, logical, accurate fashion - not to serve as a visual "reference" from which to recall things later. It's quite possible to be colorful and humorous and interesting without mixing things up all over the page, in my opinion.

Maybe I'm just too old for this style of learning at 35. Maybe the Head First series is really geared toward high school and college students with low attention spans, I don't know. But what I do know is that to me, programming is not a subject you can learn thoroughly by skimming through a fuzzy maze of vague, hinted at, non-concretes. I gave up on this book half way through because I felt it would actually do more harm than good to my understanding of JavaScript in the long run. I understand that not everyone is the same and that other people think these books are the bees knees, but they are not for me.

Web development is not my primary job so I was looking for something to give me a better understanding of JavaScript without too great an investment of time and money. This book is it! Amazing detail but incredibly easy to follow. The book is simple to scan for overviews of each chapter, which lets users with some background skip what they are already familiar with and jump into sections they want. If you are new to HeadFirst, you are in for a treat. The books build knowledge concept by concept with lots of illustrations and practice to develop increasing skill and then become favored reference sources. My only complaint is that the middle pages come loose from the binding with a lot of use. All in all, I think new and novice users will be thrilled with this book. I can't wait for the HeadFirst book on PHP and MySQL:)

This book tried too hard to be funny. I wanted more in depth how to and less humor. I am a beginner so I thought this book would do the job but I could only do the examples they gave. I didn't have enough information to improvise after doing an example.

I think a better book is JavaScript Goodies...

After contemplating which Javascript book to get, I decided on HFJS. I read the Head First HTML book and it was great therefore I thought HFJS would be the same. I was wrong. Unlike the HTML book where things are explained from beginning to end, the HFJS is the opposite. Granted I am a real beginner to Javascript and the first few pages were fine. But after reading into it more, things are not explained thoroughly until the end of the book. After 250 pages I just gave up because I wasnt understanding it. It is a good book but not for beginners like me. Hopefully the next edition, they will explain things in the beginning more throughly.

I liked the Headfirst HTML/XHTML/CSS book, but I found this one poorly organized and discouraging. The exercises frequently required knowledge of concepts that had not yet been introduced. And I found the extended examples used in the book (such as an unrealistic and complicated movie theatre "seat finding" dealeo) unnecessarily confusing.

After starting it several times and struggling through 300 or so pages I broke down and bought The Book of Javascript (2nd ed) by David Thau. I'm much happier: good clear explanations from the getgo, and a focus on javascript as actually used in the world.

I can't put it better than another reviewer: "This book falls short of the excellent and easy to follow examples that Head First HTML book introduces." Perhaps it's the nature of the subject matter, but the Head First approach (dive right into the subject with minimal discussion beforehand) worked for me in the HTML/XHTML/CSS text but not in this one.

I also agree with the prior reviewer that "[t]he first forty pages use several operators and code without a clear explanation of how [they] work." I found the rest of the book takes a similar approach to other concepts. Perhaps most frustrating were the "exercises that assume . . . knowledge of concepts beyond what has been explained." No positive reinforcement there, and some cryptic explanations in the recommended answers.

I'll need a clearer explanation of the fundamentals of Javascript--not as a reference book, mind you, but to work though so I understand the basics. Sort of defeats the purpose of this book.

Short version: Very disappointed by Head First JavaScript ("HFJS"). Loved Head First HTML/XHTML/CSS ("HFHTML"), felt like I retained everything from it immediately, but couldn't figure out why the info in HFJS wasn't sinking in. Turned to web tutorials (better), and finally changed to Simply JavaScript(Sitepoint), a much more clearly written and explained book.

Long version: Less than a month ago, I knew very little about web design, much less any sort of programming. I'd tried to teach myself HTML from a rather dry text perhaps ten years ago, but nothing stuck. But I had a desire to give it another go, and set about finding another HTML book. I settled on HFHTML -- while it took many more pages to explain concepts which other books treated succinctly, the writing was much better in the Head First volume and I guessed I'd retain more from it.

It turned out to be a fantastic purchase, I devoured the book and within a week or so became proficient enough at HTML and CSS to code some complex site layouts. Since my latest site required dynamic behavior, JavaScript seemed like the logical next step. Given my positive experience (almost miraculous) with the HFHTML book, my first choice for a JavaScript book was HFJS. The many positive reviews on Amazon reinforced my decision.

When it arrived, I eagerly began from the beginning, skipping nothing (just as I'd done w/HFHTML). Did the quizzes, the crosswords, but from the beginning, things were a little off. In HFHTML, the authors show you where and how to introduce new code in your example pages, but in HFJS, it wasn't even clear whether you were supposed to be coding along, or merely just reading the book's examples. And while HFHTML proceeded very logically from basic to more advanced concepts, HFJS appeared to be veering all over the place. I persisted for 250 pages, but had to admit to myself that none of it was sinking in.

I turned to some web tutorials (better), and finally, purchased Simply Javascript (Sitepoint). While it is not a perfect book, either, I think it explains JavaScript more clearly than HFJS, and is better about starting the beginner off with good coding habits, such as keeping JavaScript code in separate files, rather than in the header of the HTML document (something which HFJS doesn't do). It also cuts to the chase of what most aspiring web designers want to use JavaScript for, which is dynamically modifying the content of pages via the Document Object Model ("DOM").

To be fair to the HFJS author, JavaScript is a SIGNIFICANTLY harder language to learn than HTML or CSS. And HFJS does a good job introducing and explaining the types of JavaScript data (e.g., text, boolean, number). But HFJS overall was a disappointment, and doesn't live up to the high standards set with HFHTML.

I'm really sorry I bought this book. I expected a creative, clever (hell, maybe even fun) way to learn Javascript. What I got was a dumbed down collage of random retro photos with unfunny captions, rife with asinine exercises. I appreciate the whole "alternate learning" angle, but this really is not the way to do it. A technical manual with some dry humor is way more preferable to people who actually want to learn a language instead of doing idiotic "fill-in-the-blank" exercises and crossword puzzles.

As in traditional 'Head First' style, this book delivers content in an easy to understand conversational presentation. I am an experienced programmer, but up until I read this book, had trouble understanding how JavaScript and the DOM work. I've read countless resources on JavaScript, and this is the first time I've ever felt like I got it.

The first several chapters are very basic, so even someone who had never programmed a day in their life would be able to pick up this book and start writing JavaScript. Those chapters introduce JavaScript, where and why it's useful, basic programming constructs including decision making and looping, and code reuse with functions. Next, there is a chapter on using JavaScript in forms for validation, which also explores some of the built-in JavaScript objects, using regular expressions, and how events work. The next chapter explains how the DOM works and how to navigate it using JavaScript. There are two chapters on objects, the first talks about how to create an object in JavaScript as well as some of the commonly used build in JavaScript objects (like Date and strings), and the second describes how to create actions for the objects and increase efficiency. The book wraps up with a chapter on debugging JavaScript and a chapter on AJAX.

The best feature of this book is how they present only the right way to use JavaScript, omitting unnecessary and often confusing details. The book did a stellar job of presenting the DOM (Chapter 8) as well as AJAX (Chapter 12).

If you want to learn JavaScript the easy way, get this book. Don't waste your time on any other book. If you want a JavaScript reference book, however, this isn't the book for that purpose. I actually hoped to see a listing of the methods available for Date, Math, String, etc., but they aren't included here. Many of the popular ones are discussed, but there's no page to bookmark that has them all listed.

You should think of this as a tutorial book, not a long-term reference volume. While you're going to be reviewing certain sections repeatedly as you gain experience with the code and techniques, you won't find an exhaustive list of parameters for each type of JavaScript object. There are plenty of other VERY large books that will give you all that information. But as a tutorial guide that gives people of all skill levels a chance at success, this book is excellent.

hey, with Head First Series book, you will never go wrong. With this Book, you WILL learn Javascript, no matter what is your Javascript skill level. A Good book that I will definitely recommend. 5 Stars.

I have read about 1/2 through now and it's exactly what I am looking for.

This book is a great addition to the other Javascript book by O'Reilly. Sometimes these books can be a bit dry. With the visual examples and heady approach to learning - the Head First book helps me understand the concepts on top of the other javascript book.

I would recommend this highly to even an experienced programmer - it's always beneficial to learn different approaches to a language.

Like most of the other reviews, I found this book to be extremely informative and entertaining. I've read many technical books in the past, found this book while shopping and thought I'd give it a chance. It allowed me to get up to speed on JAVA in no time, and have fun while doing it. If the other books in this series are as good as this book, I'd recommend them as well! A technical book that can make you smile... what a cool concept!

This book is for learning Javascript, what it is good for, what it is not, etc. This is not a reference book. I've read through this book, but then I'm accustomed to self-teaching through reading, and I also had a pretty good understanding of Javascript. I was just looking to brush up, plus I like the layout of the Head First series of books. The test of this book is how it engaged my husband. He wouldn't read any technical book cover to cover unless you could somehow incorporate NFL football into the text. Well, he's been pounding away at Javascript using this book in his spare time for the past three weeks and he's come away learning quite a bit so far. It has done two things that any successful textbook must do - hold the interest of a reluctant student and teach them something as well. It does this by explaining each subject clearly and in several ways without coming across as repetitive.

As other readers have said already, it is not entirely self-contained. I would suggest O'Reilly's old standard JavaScript: The Definitive Guide as a reference and also to fill in information that is missing in this book. Although, one thing I really like about most of the Head First series of books is that they include a section labeled "What is Missing".

The Head First line of books is one of the most unique book publishers in the technical marketplace. Head First books throw the standard teaching books into the shredder and make learning FUN. They key word here is F-U-N. If you have never cracked open a Head First book before you owe it to yourself to do so asap. HF books are hard to explain as there is nothing else like it. Innovative design, funky pictures, and a writing style that is truly unique, these books aren't meant just for reading and reference but entertainment.

If you want to learn Javascript or brush up on it, this book has everything. From the basics of creating functions to form validation to custom objects to DOM access to AJAX, this book is a tome of information.

The only negative about this book is it feeling so hip and exciting, it's a shame that there is no color used in the finished product. This doesn't kill the book at all but if it did have color I would be giving this a rare highest possible recommendation. I feel that with the dynamic, exciting nature of web programming that this need at least some color to separate it from an old school C++ book on the shelf. The absence of color just makes a book that could have been perfect simply great but it is worth noting.

Incredible job by the Head First people and the author. This is probably the best book in the line due to it's subject matter and execution.

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

This book falls short of the excellent and easy to follow examples that Head First HTML book introduces.

The first forty pages uses several operators and code without a clear explaination of how it works. There are also excercises that assume some knowledge of concepts beyond what has been explained. This may help help you to ask the right questions but it doesn't help you solve problems.

More diagrams following the values passed through functions would have been helpful as well. Although the author points to code and tells you what it does, it would be much more helpful to actually see the values and actions each step of the way.

I recommend other books for the complete beginner such as JavaScript Demystified. It's a manageable length with consistantly great reviews.

After reading the Head First HTML with CSS & xHTML as one of my required classwork books (and loving it), I decided to pick up the Head First JavaScript book. Again, great book! I am the type of person who needs to see everything when learning new stuff, especially web coding, and this book is great at presenting it visually and step by step. Highly recommend if you are new to JavaScript. Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML & Head First JavaScript (Head First)

I like the comments made my the author(s) on the codes.
This approach makes the explanation on the codes very
interesting.

This is a great book for helping people learn JavaScript. It had a cool teaching style and helpful scenarios. I definitely recommend it.

Hard to give this book a bad review, the author being a skate dude and all, but this book provides no foundation or true understanding for the information presented. I feel ripped off! Headfirst did a great job with the "Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML" book and I pre-ordered this one hoping it would be just as logical and complete. What a nightmare. Many, many, many things presented without understanding, a context or reference point. Do yourself a favor and get "Simply JavaScript", or "JavaScript Demystified" or just tune into the W3 schools and do the tutorial. This is my first real review, but I was so pissed that Headfirst sent out this pile I had to say something. God I cant believe how much of a suck this book is.

It used to be that when you were a Notes developer, you could pretty much ignore web stuff if you wanted to. Not anymore. At the very least, you need to have a solid basic understanding of HTML and JavaScript. To help out with the JavaScript end of things, I'd like to recommend Head First JavaScript, by Michael Morrison. If you've ever read a Head First title, you'll know what I mean when I say this is one of the most entertaining and easy ways to acquire a new skill set.

Table of Contents:

Intro

1. The Interactive Web: Reacting to the Virtual World
2. Storing Data: Everything Has Its Place
3. Exploring The Client: Browser Spelunking
4. Decision Making: If There's a Fork in the Road, Take It
5. Looping: At the Risk of Repeating Myself
6. Functions: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
7. Forms and Validation: Getting the User to Tell All
8. Wrangling the Page: Slicing and Dicing HTML with the DOM
9. Creating Custom Objects: Objects as Frankendata
10. Kill Bugs Dead: Good Scripts Gone Wrong
11. Dynamic Data: Touchy-Feely Web Applications

Index

For starters, you should think of this as a tutorial book, not a long-term reference volume. While you're going to be reviewing certain sections repeatedly as you gain experience with the code and techniques, you won't find an exhaustive list of parameters for each type of JavaScript object. There are plenty of other VERY large books that will give you all that information. But as a tutorial guide that gives people of all skill levels a chance at success, this book is excellent.

Chapters 1 through 6 give you a solid foundation as to the syntax and usage of the basic language features and constructs. You'll cover looping, operators, variables, and all the other core information you need to know to write a JavaScript program. But unlike other guides and tutorials that can be rather dry, the Head First method has you involving all your senses as you work with the material... puzzles, questions, off-beat diagrams, you name it. You could almost read it as a non-fiction book for entertainment, and learn the material in spite of yourself.

For me, chapters 7 through the end were the most valuable. I have the core JavaScript syntax down, but I often don't intuitively sense what I can do or how I can manipulate a document with it. Chapter 7 shows you how you can validate a form using JavaScript. Think of this as your JavaScript replacement for QuerySave LotusScript or Field Validation @command logic. Chapter 8 is probably where you'll finally figure out how to make those web pages do things that shouldn't be possible. You'll learn how to parse the Document Object Model (DOM - not to be confused with the Domino Object Model) and make decisions on what should or shouldn't be changed on a page based on what's actually on the screen. Add to that a chapter that shows some good techniques for debugging, and you have a book that should be useful to the vast majority of Domino developers who came from the client world and still have to work at the web stuff.

It's true that you'll have to "adapt" some of this information to the Domino Designer client. For instance, you'll be able to put functions in numerous places (pass-thru HTML on the page, the JavaScript events, etc.), and it might take you awhile to figure out the best place to locate your code. But ultimately, it's still all JavaScript code, and the key is being able to know what it can do for you and how to write it.

So, if you're chomping at the bit to start working with Ajax in your Domino applications but the JavaScript part is slowing you down, grab this book. Or even if you're just looking to build a web-only Domino application that doesn't rely on using Notes constructs for logic, this book will give you the knowledge you need to make that happen. Either way, getting a copy of Head First JavaScript will open up your programming world to a number of new possibilities...

I finished the HTML book from Head First and was immediately able to jump right into designing web pages. I assumed that Head First JavaScript would do the same for interactive web pages. Although this book may be the best book on Javascript? dont know? it has so far been a little disappointing after the very high standard that was set and the concepts are not getting into my head the same way. Not enough time is spent on some concepts and it is not laid out nearly as clear. Also the website code is all on one line so it can't be easily viewed and the different versions of each project are not indexed in the book. I understand that this subject is much more difficult but perhaps this could have been done better

The authors are all very well versed in the topics and content at hand. However, they are concerned with HOW you learn, first, and then WHAT you learn. The material is presented in an array of learning styles. There are positive, simple, hands on examples and all the support you could ask for via the publishers site from code to forums for questions. This book is NOT for someone looking for a quick refrence guide. But, if you really want to learn the topic in realistic terms then it's wonderful. As someone with a degree in Education I would say that this book is written with learning in mind... you will learn it if you committ to it.

Let me begin by saying that Head First Javascript is a good book, at least compared to any other JS books I've seen. It isn't, however, a particularly good "Head First" book.

What I mean by this is that the other Head First books I've used (XHTML & CSS, SQL, and C#) have been highly interactive, easy to use, and really got the concepts into my head. I was amazed that, after just a few days with these books, I could actually build professional-looking web pages that were rigorously standards compliant; or create complex applications in C# quickly and easily; or navigate the intricacies of building and using SQL databases. The Head First method certainly seemed to work.

So when I heard the HF people were producing a JS book, I was overjoyed. Sadly, it's been a bit of a letdown. The book smacks strongly of rushed production, lacking many of the features that makes the HF series special. For example, in the C# book, the authors take the reader through application construction in a step-by-step manner, carefully explaining everything as they go. The effect is of a very knowledgeable teacher standing over your shoulder and guiding you while you code. The reader is actively involved in every exercise, building their code from scratch. There are copies of every piece of code available for download at Head First's website, but these are merely tools for checking the reader's work.

In the Javascript book, however, much of the interactivity is missing. The book reads like a walkthrough of the code samples, with most of the user participation taking the form of pencil and paper exercises. The reader could actually complete the book without switching on her PC. Even the code solutions on the HF website seem to be just tossed up there, with the page numbers each example refers to contained in a Read Me file (the book itself just contains a general instruction to grab the code from the website, without any indication of which code).

This all sounds pretty negative, and I must confess to being somewhat disappointed with the book. That said, it's still far superior to any other JS book I've tried. By the end of Head First Javascript, I did feel that the general scope of Javascript had sunk into my brain. I had a feeling for its overall structure and the ways in which it could be applied. I know that I can now tackle a more advanced JS book and absorb the concepts much more easily.

What I don't feel is ready to sit down and write Javascript. The whole experience with this book was just too fragmentary and too lopsidedly didactic. The experience was insufficiently hands-on to enable me to become comfortable with the nitty gritty of JS scripting. When I finished HF's C#, XHTML, and SQL books, I could sit down and churn out code, with only a few O'Reilly Pocket Guides beside me to refresh my memory on syntax and structure. That's not been the case with Javascript.

Head First Javascript just seems to lack the "stickiness" of the other titles in the series.

Let me begin by saying that Head First Javascript is a good book, at least compared to any other JS books I've seen. It isn't, however, a particularly good "Head First" book.

What I mean by this is that the other Head First books I've used (XHTML & CSS, SQL, and C#) have been highly interactive, easy to use, and really got the concepts into my head. I was amazed that, after just a few days with these books, I could actually build professional-looking web pages that were rigorously standards compliant; or create complex applications in C# quickly and easily; or navigate the intricacies of building and using SQL databases. The Head First method certainly seemed to work.

So when I heard the HF people were producing a JS book, I was overjoyed. Sadly, it's been a bit of a letdown. The book smacks strongly of rushed production, lacking many of the features that makes the HF series special. For example, in the C# book, the authors take the reader through application construction in a step-by-step manner, carefully explaining everything as they go. The effect is of a very knowledgeable teacher standing over your shoulder and guiding you while you code. The reader is actively involved in every exercise, building their code from scratch. There are copies of every piece of code available for download at Head First's website, but these are merely tools for checking the reader's work.

In the Javascript book, however, much of the interactivity is missing. The book reads like a walkthrough of the code samples, with most of the user participation taking the form of pencil and paper exercises. The reader could actually complete the book without switching on her PC. Even the code solutions on the HF website seem to be just tossed up there, with the page numbers each example refers to contained in a Read Me file (the book itself just contains a general instruction to grab the code from the website, without any indication of which code).

This all sounds pretty negative, and I must confess to being somewhat disappointed with the book. That said, it's still far superior to any other JS book I've tried. by the end of Head First Javascript, I did feel that the general scope of Javascript had sunk into my brain. I had a feeling for its overall structure and the ways in which it could be applied. I know that I can now tackle a more advanced JS book and absorb the concepts much more easily.

What I don't feel is ready to sit down and write Javascript. The whole experience with this book was just to fragmentary and too lopsidedly didactic. The experience was insufficiently hands-on to enable me to become comfortable with the nitty gritty of JS scripting. When I finished HF's C#, XHTML, and SQL books, I could sit down and churn out code, with only a few O'Reilly Pocket Guides beside me to refresh my memory on syntax and keywords.

Head First Javascript just seems to lack the "stickiness" of the other titles in the series.

I just received my copy if Head First JavaScript 20 minutes ago and I'm already a little disappointed because it's all on black and white and the paper quality is not as good as other Head First Books.

Don't get me wrong, I believe that Head First Series are the best way to learn anything because of the great examples and clever use of images, it's just that those images in Black and white aren't what I was expecting.

I am a self-taught web developer, and owned several books on HTML and JavaScript. I taught myself HTML easily as it is an easy coding material, and I used Head First series and Missing Manual, and both are fine.

However, I got no way for JS, even though I browsed several books, and always spent time in the library. With those books, I always got stuck after reading several chapters, or I was bored by the contents and won't find interest to go on.

But for HF JS, the approach is different, and I find the content more enjoyable with diagrams and teaching materials. Also, the teaching methods and style are totally different from other books, that a beginner should have interest to wade on. As well, the contents are related with web, unlike other books that chiefly aim to teach you programming language. I wish other computer books should be good for reading, rather than providing you with loath and heaps uninteresting materials, and try to stick into your mind.

A good place to start with, and a good buying. And I look forward to expect Head First PHP, that I found other books not come to my needs as a beginner.

The first headfirst book I read was the HTML one and I have been hooked ever since. I took a class in javascript last semester and was hoping this book would come out before finals but alas that didn't happen. Anyways, I got this book when it first came out and I have been going through it since. Here are my observations

Pros: 1)The pacing is well-balanced. For those with no experience in programming they slowly but surely introduce you to if statements, variables, loops, functions, and arrays. Ch 7 and 8 hit the sweet spot in terms of usefulness and ease of learning. The book gets more challenging at the end but by that time I was ready for the topics they introduced.
2) Chapter 7 is definitely my favorite chapter of the book. It introduced me to a much more efficient way of data editing/validation. I had always used indexof but this chapter introduced me to regular expressions and they ROCKED my world! A very practical and useful chapter.
3) The code examples- The examples they use in the book are very relevant to what you might actually use on your own website. Each chapter introduced the code layer by layer so as to not overwhelm me with its complexity
4) Attention to detail- As I read the book, I often had unanswered questions and then a couple of pages later the author would answer it. If there was function or object I wasn't familiar with, it would be explained with the pencil writing.
5) The FUN Factor! The code examples they use like the choose your own adventure in ch.8 are very creative and interesting. Some might consider the humor sophomoric but a young college student like myself appreciated it.

Cons: 1) This is not a reference book. That's a double edged sword depending on what you are looking for though. This book is a great starting off point for beginners and by the end I felt I had become very proficient in javascript. Even though this book will be my main guide for Javascript, I know there is still more for me to learn and I'll probably buy that Oreilly book with the rhino on the cover.

Bottom line: If you are taking a class in javascript or want to know how to make your web pages more interactive, this is a great introduction to javascript. Even though I still got an A, I know I could really have used this book last semester in my javascript class.

The first headfirst book I read was the HTML one and I have been hooked ever since. I took a class in javascript last semester and was hoping this book would come out before finals but alas that didn't happen. Anyways, I got this book when it first came out and I have been going through it since. Here are my observations

Pros: 1)The pacing is well-balanced. For those with no experience in programming they slowly but surely introduce you to if statements, variables, loops, functions, and arrays. Ch 7 and 8 hit the sweet spot in terms of usefulness and ease of learning. The book gets more challenging at the end but by that time I was ready for the topics they introduced.
2) Chapter 7 is definitely my favorite chapter of the book. It introduced me to a much more efficient way of data editing/validation. I had always used indexof but this chapter introduced me to regular expressions and they ROCKED my world! A very practical and useful chapter.
3) The code examples- The examples they use in the book are very relevant to what you might actually use on your own website. Each chapter introduced the code layer by layer so as to not overwhelm me with its complexity
4) Attention to detail- As I read the book, I often had unanswered questions and then a couple of pages later the author would answer it. If there was function or object I wasn't familiar with, it would be explained with the pencil writing.
5) The FUN Factor! The code examples they use like the choose your own adventure in ch.8 are very creative and interesting. Some might consider the humor sophomoric but a young college student like myself appreciated it.

Cons: 1) This is not a reference book. That's a double edged sword depending on what you are looking for though. This book is a great starting off point for beginners and by the end I felt I had become very proficient in javascript. Even though this book will be my main guide for Javascript, I know there is still more for me to learn and I'll probably buy that Oreilly book with the rhino on the cover.

Bottom line: If you are taking a class in javascript or want to know how to make your web pages more interactive, this is a great introduction to javascript. Even though I still got an A, I know I could really have used this book last semester in my javascript class.

I have looked all over for a JavaScript book that I can understand and will fit my needs as a web developer. When I saw they were coming out with this book, I pre-ordered it and I was very happy that my money was not a waste and it was worth the wait. Trust me, you won't be disappointed (this is coming from a beginner's experience). I plan to use this book and the Head First HTML book at my job. Between the Head First Series and the Missing Manual Series, you can't go wrong with either one.

I pre-ordered this book on the strong reputation this line of books has. I like the Head First Java, 2nd Edition book, and still believe their Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML book is the best book there is for learning "smart" XHTML and CSS at the same time--whereas many books have NOT handled that balance well.

I sponsor a high school computer programming club and my students had me pre-order this book for them, as they loved the Head First HTML book and felt this would be their best bet at really understanding JavaScript.

JavaScript is a strange language to teach. Although you want to teach the basics of programming, you also want to have early exciting examples that show its possibilities when embedded in a web page. This book does about as well as can be done in one book, with sections on loops, decision making, de-bugging, functions and objects for those new to programming. Then there are also chapters on the most common uses of JavaScript, including, of course, forms and validation.

If you're familiar with the Head First approach, you will find this book to fit in perfectly with their other titles. This is the kind of book you buy, highlight, and write in. Active learning. This is not a reference book.