The Future Looks Like JavaScript
Last year I had the pleasure of attending the first WordCamp U.S. from December 4th through 6th in Philadelphia, PA. There was much to be learned about writing code, making sites secure, and functional design, but perhaps the most anticipated event of the weekend was the 10th annual State of the Word Address given by WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg. During his address Mullenweg gave all the conference attendees a homework assignment that reflected a central theme that seemed to be present throughout many of the conference sessions:
“Learn JavaScript, deeply.”
This is not a homework assignment to ignore. Mullenweg stated, “I believe quite strongly that JavaScript and API-driven interfaces are the future of, not just WordPress, but the web.” The release of Calypso, the new WordPress interface written purely in JavaScript, is concrete proof of this direction. With WordPress currently powering 25% of all websites, the message is clear–if you do not know JavaScript, now is the time to learn, and if you are new to JavaScript, keep learning.
With the end of January already upon us, there’s no better time to not only evaluate our new year’s resolutions, and perhaps add one more. Take Mr. Mullenweg up on his suggestion and “learn JavaScript deeply.” Not sure where to start? Here are a few print and online resources for you to expand your knowledge and become more familiar with a language that will only benefit you in the future:
JavaScript: The Good Parts
Written by Douglas Crockford, an expert in the development community, this book is short, dense, and useful. Geared more towards those at an intermediate level, this resource will help you make sense out of a programing language that is often very confusing.
JavaScript and JQuery: Interactive Front-End Web Development
Jon Duckett offers this illustrated book, ideal for visual learners and/or beginners. Whereas JavaScript: The Good Parts gives you cold hard text, Duckett’s book is filled with beautiful pictures, charts, and graphs to help you easily understand JavaScript.
Digital
nodeschool.io
Head on over to NodeSchool and visit the tutorials page. There’s a little something for all levels, from JavaScript basics to understanding JavaScript Prototypes. The great thing about NodeSchool is that you’ll dip into installing Node.js on your computer and run through the tutorials using your text editor of choice.
CodeAcademy
CodeAcademy offers free online interactive tutorials not just for JavaScript, but also HTML, CSS, PHP, RUBY, and more.
Code School
Similar to CodeAcademy, Code School offers courses for a number of languages but with a bit more instruction. Video lessons and access to slides will help you work your way through their interactive tutorials. You can access a number of tutorials for free, but a paid subscription of $29 a month will give you unlimited access to all of their courses, podcasts, and more.
If you’re interested in learning more or want to see examples of some of our favorite JavaScript and API-driven interfaces, drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you. Happy coding!