JavaScript

One of the best books on Javascript for beginners - starts out with easy steps - builds up to more complicated tasks in a very smooth process. It covers all the standard requirements (syntax, functions, objects, document object model, etc.. all with expertise not normally found in a book - but rather like the author is your personal tutor (he's clearly expert in his knowledge and style of exposition). Once you start reading you wont want to put the book down - it's that good. It is full of clear, challenging examples worked out for you - you can't help but learn from this book. After finishing this book - reader is ready to incorporate their skills by upgrading to using PHP/MySql for processing forms via a database. Javascript is a must for web page interactivity - otherwise your site is stuck in static-land. His newer, larger book would be a valuable asset to your library.

You will learn basic information like creating HTML tags and where to place your JavaScript code . . . how to create variables, conditional statements, math expressional operators and alert prompting. They even include a little Server side JavaScript called Jscript at the end of the book, which is obsolete and I highly recommend you learn ASP.NET in C# or VB.NET for server side programming ASP.NET 3.5 Unleashed . In the programming field you have to keep moving forward meanwhile JavaScript just seems to stand still with little changes, because it runs in multiple WebBrowsers. . . it must show limited to no difference cross browsers, so you as a developer don't crazy compensating the differences. Now that you know not to worry about older JavaScript books here are the books I recommend for learning JavaScript: Javascript Unleashed JavaScript Application Cookbook

I used this book for a web development class on JavaScript. I felt that it was a good book and overall I have little ill to say about it. The examples are well written and do a good job of reinforcing what you read in the chapter. You read a little then do an example, then read some more, then add to the example and so on. You don't need any Programming experience to use this book just a decent understanding of HTML. The only criticism I could offer is that the editor should have used arrows when content is being continued on a new line for reasons of page space so that readers will know and understand (beginners can have trouble with this). It's a good book for learning the whole language from the ground up and for this reason it's worth the money. It's not an overnight crash course (if that is what you are looking for).

This isn't your typical 'cut and paste' JavaScript book. Time is spent explaining the concepts of what you are doing and why you are doing it. The book goes far beyond simple JavaSvript and covers some server-side scripting (ASP and server-side JavaScript) as well as database connectivity. It even contains a section on Java Applets. The student resource site has exercise downloads as well as powerpoint slides that cover each tutorial. I didn't find mistakes in the book. I wonder if what people perceive as mistakes are simply browser compatability issues? The one negative I have found is that I feel that the book introduces the concept of prototypes too early. But since most JavaScript books don't even cover prototypes at all, I can't say that is much of a negative. If you find prototypes difficult you can simply browse the section over the first time through with no loss in continuity overall. This book covers beginner to intermediate material.

I worked on databases and programming languages like C and PL/SQL. I bought the much acclaimed Javascript Definitive guide as well as Javascript Bible. If you try to learn Javascript from above books - "THE BURDEN IS ON YOU TO LEARN THE JAVASCRIPT " i.e., the authors don't really give good examples or decent explanations to explain the concepts clearly. But "Javascript comprehensive" book has very good examples and will walk you through every line and bottom line is " AUTHORS HAVE GONE TO GREAT LENGHTS AND DID TERRIFIC JOB IN MAKING OUR LEARNING PROCESS MUCH EASIER". I am really looking forward for books on XML from the same publishers. Keep it up !