My Review of JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 6th Edition

Nov 8, 2011 in REVIEWS
javascript reviews
2 min read
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  <a href="http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596805531.do" style="display: none;" class="url fn"><span class="fn">JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 6th Edition</span></a></div> 
  
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    <strong class="summary">A tome of knowledge</strong>
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    By <strong>Jim</strong> from <strong>Herndon, VA</strong> on <strong><abbr title="2011118T1200-0800" class="dtreviewed" style="border: none; text-decoration: none;">11/8/2011</abbr></strong>
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    <span class="rating">4</span>out of 5
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    <strong>Pros: </strong>Well-written, Accurate, Concise, Easy to understand
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    <strong>Cons: </strong>Huge
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    <strong>Best Uses: </strong>Student, Expert, Novice, Intermediate
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    <strong>Describe Yourself: </strong>Developer
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    This is an unbelievably thorough JavaScript book. It&#8217;s definitely more of a reference book than a front-to-back read.<br xmlns:pr="xalan://com.pufferfish.core.beans.xmlbuilders.xsl.Functions" /><br />The first 12 chapters are an excellent introduction into the history of JavaScript and the core functionality of the language. There is a lot of information in these chapters that really shouldn&#8217;t be overlooked&#8211; especially Chapter 8: &#8220;Functions&#8221;.
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    I especially appreciate the structure and the approach of the client-side section of the book. Flanagan makes it a point to avoid pushing JavaScript frameworks by explaining the features of the language first, followed by an explanation of the cross-browser simplification of using jQuery.
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    Later chapters cover additions to more recent browsers like client storage and HTML5 features. Those chapters unfortunately go by really fast. They&#8217;re definitely not as in-depth as the JavaScript history part of the book.
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    The last two parts of the book are purely reference. This is pretty helpful, but it makes the book a lot thicker than most &#8220;guide&#8221; references.
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    I do agree with others that this book could use a few more examples, especially near the end when discussing JavaScript usage with new HTML5 APIs. If you&#8217;re looking for an in-depth understanding of the core functionality of JavaScript, this is the book. It has helped me in numerous job interviews!
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