Discovering JavaScript [2011]

JavaScript was one of the first programming languages I learned—largely without even realizing it. Around the time I started using the internet in the late '90s, JavaScript was a part of all major browsers. I was fascinated by JavaScript's control of behavior within Web pages and learned it alongside HTML and CSS. Numerous resources were available at the time to learn this quirky language, and cope with all the browser-specific implementations. One of my favorite discoveries was a set of 30 examples of how to use JavaScript. Many of those examples I would laugh at today as gaudy animations and tacky color effects.

Still, I never realized the full power of JavaScript until I followed its rebirth while working on TuftsLife in college. The advent of AJAX and abstraction layers like jQuery helped make JavaScript an integral part of any Web experience. I was starting to see the language used in ways I couldn't have previously imagined nearly 10 years previously.

There are a few reasons why JavaScript is such a fun and important language to learn:

  1. It Powers all Modern Web UI. JavaScript is the driver behind all modern Web experiences. This makes it a fun language to play with because of visual results. Alternative front-end technologies like Flash exist only to fill in gaps of the functionality of the trio of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. With the expansion of popularity of Web applications, JavaScript is poised to play an even more important role in the future.
  2. You Can Learn It Everywhere. I learned so much JavaScript from finding a Web site that was doing something interesting and clicking View Source. JavaScript must be delivered to the browser in plaintext. This means you can learn the techniques of JavaScript gurus used on any Web site—however, this may require wading through obfuscated code. The search can be rewarding. I usually find a new idiom to keep in my back pocket whenever I'm investigating JavaScript on a popular site.
  3. All You Need is a Web Browser and a Text Editor. No SDKs or compilers required to develop JavaScript. You don't even need the text editor. You can enter and execute JavaScript through the address bar of your Web browser. (It's still a good idea to run your JavaScript through static code analysis.)
  4. It's Object-Oriented and Functional. JavaScript blends the best of object-oriented and functional programming paradigms.

The power and accessibility of JavaScript should make it grow into areas beyond the Web browser in coming years. There are many ways to get started with JavaScript development today. I would recommend you to go out and discover this unassuming and rich language for yourself.

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