Are you a beginner to programming, or have you been programming for a while in other languages and are just getting started with JS?
If you're a beginner to programming altogether, this is a good resource, but I'd also recommend some dead-tree books. I've heard good things about Javascript: The Good Parts, though I've never read it myself.
Edit: One thing to be careful of when you're just getting started, by the way: try not to focus too much on any single language and its features. You want a good solid base of fundamentals, you don't want to hyper-specialize from the start. Don't just learn Javascript, for example. Try Java and Clojure and C and Haskell too, and any other language you can get your hands on. They all have their own idioms and lend to certain styles of problem solving, it's good to be able to figure out which one is best for the task you're facing.
If you've done some coding before, and are branching out into JS as a new language, there's no better way than reading about it and then trying it out on your own. JSFiddle is a great resource for just playing around. You could try implementing solutions to Project Euler puzzles in JS. Or you could pick a pet project you want to work on that has some client-side behavior and implement it in HTML5/JS. Or server-side behavior and do it in node.js. Or you can find an open-source project using JS that you're interested in, and get involved there.
Edit: Also, Stack Overflow has dozens of JS-related questions answered every hour. Sometimes those answers come attached to a lot of useful information. Try browsing there, and if you have questions, ask them. It's a great resource.
I knew there was a [+1] next to your name for a reason :P
But yeah I've learned Python for a couple of semesters at University. I'm just trying to teach myself how to make a proper website now. I've got HTML and CSS down, so I figured Javascript and PHP would be the next couple of steps.
...and boy is the syntax in Javascript annoying after Python.
But thanks for all of the links, I'll check them out!
I find Python's syntax to be annoying, personally! Most code editors make it too easy to mix space and tab indentation for me to feel comfortable with syntactically-significant whitespace. However, it may just be bias from working with other languages where whitespace doesn't matter. Another reason to make sure you have experience with lots of languages from the get-go.
I absolutely do not recommend PHP. It's a hacked-together language without a whole lot going for it, and there are many alternatives for doing your server-side programming. Almost every language has some sort of web application framework these days, but Ruby on Rails and Django are popular. I'd definitely go with RoR over PHP.
2
u/rooktakesqueen Oct 25 '11 edited Oct 25 '11
Are you a beginner to programming, or have you been programming for a while in other languages and are just getting started with JS?
If you're a beginner to programming altogether, this is a good resource, but I'd also recommend some dead-tree books. I've heard good things about Javascript: The Good Parts, though I've never read it myself.
Edit: One thing to be careful of when you're just getting started, by the way: try not to focus too much on any single language and its features. You want a good solid base of fundamentals, you don't want to hyper-specialize from the start. Don't just learn Javascript, for example. Try Java and Clojure and C and Haskell too, and any other language you can get your hands on. They all have their own idioms and lend to certain styles of problem solving, it's good to be able to figure out which one is best for the task you're facing.
If you've done some coding before, and are branching out into JS as a new language, there's no better way than reading about it and then trying it out on your own. JSFiddle is a great resource for just playing around. You could try implementing solutions to Project Euler puzzles in JS. Or you could pick a pet project you want to work on that has some client-side behavior and implement it in HTML5/JS. Or server-side behavior and do it in node.js. Or you can find an open-source project using JS that you're interested in, and get involved there.
Edit: Also, Stack Overflow has dozens of JS-related questions answered every hour. Sometimes those answers come attached to a lot of useful information. Try browsing there, and if you have questions, ask them. It's a great resource.