Do you struggle when creating objects in Javascript?
Do you find the syntax to be non-intuitive and frustrating?
Do you know the difference between using a function as an object vs using an object literal?
Do you know how using object literals can simplify your code and create something similar to namespaces?
Do you know how to augment the type system -- for example, if wanted all strings to have a trim() method?
Do you know why the "new" statement is so dangerous? Do you know an alternative that eliminates the use of "new" entirely?
These are some of the topics that the book touches upon.
This book is aimed at someone with intermediate programming experience that wants to know the best way to create and use objects, arrays, types, etc. Crockford takes his experience with Javascript to show you best practices coding techniques and styles to use with Javascript. In addition, the book provides insights into what makes Javascript so confusing and what can be done about it.
You might ask "Isn't this stuff already covered in other books that I have?" The answer is no. For one, most other books use a psuedo-classical coding style (see below) to explain objects that is a source of confusion.
Javascript can be very confusing, especially for programmers who have extensive experience in other C-based languages (like myself). Writing good Javascript that uses objects, methods, etc. is hard. In Javascript, if you want to create objects, use inheritance and create methods, you have several different ways to write your code and it's difficult to know what the strengths and weaknesses of each are.
Crockford explains the problem plainly. Other C-based languages use class inheritance (Crockford calls this classical inheritance). Javascript, on the other hand, is the only popular language that uses prototype inheritance, which does not have classes. However, the syntax which Javascript uses to create object is Java-like (Crockford calls this pseudo-classical syntax). It's confusing, because it keeps you in a class-based frame of mind while working in a language that has no concept of classes.
Clarifying what's going on with the object model is the best part of this book. Crockford also explains other parts of Javascript that can be problematic and the techniques that he prefers for handling them. I don't necessarily agree with all of them, but the important thing is that he explains his reasoning.
To effectively learn Javascript, I recommend that you buy 1) a book that covers the details of the language and can be used as a reference (e.g. Javascript, the Definitive Guide) and 2) Crockford's book. Advanced programmers might also enjoy Pro Javascript Design Patterns, which shows a number of ways to combine Javascript with some of the GoF patterns. I would avoid any cookbook style books on Javascript, because you're better off using YUI, JQuery or one of the other Javascript libraries than writing your own drag-and-drops, calendars, etc.
There are a series of Yahoo! videos by Crockford that mirror the material in this book and can be found as podcasts under YUI Theater. They contain nearly all of the material in the book and probably a little more. Those videos are:
- Douglas Crockford/An Inconvenient API: The Theory of the DOM (3 parts)
- Douglas Crockford/The JavaScript Programming Language (4 parts)
- Douglas Crockford/Advanced JavaScript (3 parts)
- Douglas Crockford/Javascript The Good Parts
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From the Publisher
From the Preface
This is a book about the JavaScript programming language. It is intended for programmers who, by happenstance or curiosity, are venturing into JavaScript for the first time. It is also intended for programmers who have been working with JavaScript at a novice level and are now ready for a more sophisticated relationship with the language. JavaScript is a surprisingly powerful language. Its presents some challenges, but being a small language, it is easily mastered.
My goal here is to help you to learn to think in JavaScript. I will show you the components of the language and start you on the process of discovering the ways those components can be put together. This is not a reference book. It is not exhaustive about the language and its quirks. It doesn't contain everything you'll ever need to know. That stuff you can easily find online. Instead, this book just contains the things that are really important.
This is not a book for beginners. Someday I hope to write a JavaScript: The First Parts book, but this is not that book. This is not a book about Ajax or web programming. The focus is exclusively on JavaScript, which is just one of the languages the web developer must master.
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Customers say
Customers find this JavaScript book informative and well-written, providing a good overview of the language's key concepts and sound advice on coding to its strengths. Moreover, the book receives positive feedback for its readability, being considered essential reading for web developers, and one customer notes it helps overcome JavaScript's oddities. However, the explanations receive mixed reviews, with some customers finding them very palatable while others say there's almost no explanation provided.
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125 customers mention information quality, 109 positive, 16 negative
...Douglass Crockford's book now I find to be very informative and to the point. He shows a few coding patterns that I will be sure to use in the future.Read more
...It is concise, informative, and a very quick read. I can't recommend it enough for developers looking for a JavaScript primer.Read more
Excellent book. Written for programmers. Straight to the point, no fluff. Every computer topic should have a book like this.Read more
...some of the key points are repeated through the book it's dense with information....Read more
104 customers mention javascript content, 79 positive, 25 negative
...is merely a treatise on what the book's title states: The Good Parts of JavaScript....Read more
Serious JavaScript programming requires strong discipline to avoid many pitfalls that are somewhat encouraged by the language itself....Read more
This is one of the standard books for JavaScript but it is not for the inexperienced....Read more
Javascript sucks....Read more
77 customers mention writing quality, 65 positive, 12 negative
This is a very good book about an important language. It is clear and concise, and is a good one for programmers who just want to know some JS, but...Read more
Handles things that have given me trouble in the past. Well written, mostly, with good diagrams that make it a good reference work.Read more
Good book. This is a well-written book with lots of good explanations. I would recommend it to others. Just my two cents.Read more
...While succinct, that chapter is the best I've read.Read more
73 customers mention readability, 67 positive, 6 negative
...It really is a must read, even for seasoned/advanced JavaScript programmers. It is not a beginner book on programming or the JavaScript language....Read more
A must read for any JS developer. Even though the code is a bit outdated with the recent EcmaScript updates, the information within is still relevant.Read more
At 145 pages, "JavaScript: The Good Parts" is a quick read packed with lots of information....Read more
...Very nice book.Read more
63 customers mention language knowledge, 53 positive, 10 negative
...another in the series of books lately reclaiming Javascript as a powerful language that hasn't gotten it's due...Read more
...sliders, this book will deepen your appreciation of JS as the beautiful language that it is.Read more
...Still great. It is chocked full of concise and clear language which explains how to use JavaScript in your own apps and most importantly which parts...Read more
...that under the festering pile of chaos there is a beautiful and elegant language: the good parts....Read more
45 customers mention ease of read, 32 positive, 13 negative
...Straightforward, clear, and to the point. Seems to assume that you've written some other code before, and the use of railroad charts is kinda weird....Read more
Concise, highly informative, easy to read. A really good book that goes into the entrails of JS. Highly recommended.Read more
Not the easiest read but a really informative book on JavaScript. Would highly recommendRead more
...examples of how powerful and flexible code can be written so as to be simple and elegant, using "good" JavaScript....Read more
40 customers mention scholastic content, 36 positive, 4 negative
This is a book for programmers who like to think about programming , rather than just doing it. It's NOT a cookbook or a how to write web code book....Read more
Good stuff for JS Programmers!Read more
It is a good book for tech java fundamentals and best practices....Read more
...Still, this was an interesting primer and at times good mental exercise. (That Tower of Hanoi... oy vey.)Read more
39 customers mention explanations, 27 positive, 12 negative
...This book will help. It is prescriptive, but also instructive....Read more
...The examples are simple and concrete, they are carefully explained which is very nice....Read more
...Hands down, this is the worst one. It explains nothing. Maybe if you are an advanced programmer, you could benefit from reading it.Read more
...opinionated, his advice is sound, his writing is clear, and his examples are concise....Read more
Cannot learn JavaScript from this book
Perhaps if you are a highly intelligent person, you may learn JavaScript from this book. But otherwise it is a bewildering and frustrating book to read. One gets the feeling this was an academic paper written for his colleagues and he added a little 'introduction' material so he could sell the book to the rest of us. There is almost no explanation. This is unlike any other programming language book I have read. What a waste of money. I wish he had actually tried to teach JavaScript through a set of tutorials. At the beginning he starts off very witty and entertaining and one feels this book is a gem. But then as you go on your realize you're not learning JavaScript at all, and then and realize this book is either shallow or it's meant for people who already learned JavaScript. This is a really bad book.
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FranzReviewed in Germany on February 12, 2010
Ezzes vom Javascript-Guru
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase - A ReaderReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2009
JavaScript the language, presented for professional programmers
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Jared Jonathan Ortega PonceReviewed in Mexico on August 21, 2023
Super interesante.
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Matteo AmbrosiReviewed in Italy on June 30, 2016
Ottimo per principianti ed esperti
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
