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Effective JavaScript: 68 Specific Ways to Harness the Power of JavaScript
(Effective Software Development)
by
"It's uncommon to have a programming language wonk who can speak in such comfortable and friendly language as David does. His walk through the syntax and semantics of JavaScript is both charming and hugely insightful; reminders of gotchas complement realistic use cases, paced at a comfortable curve. You'll find when you finish the book that you've gained a strong and compr
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Paperback, 240 pages
Published
November 26th 2012
by Addison-Wesley Professional
(first published November 12th 2012)
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Showing 1-30
Start your review of Effective JavaScript: 68 Specific Ways to Harness the Power of JavaScript
Dec 22, 2012
Rachel Nabors
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
aspiring-web-developers,
web-development
I'm a designer turned front-end developer. I came to this book from Cody Lindley's "JavaScript Enlightenment." These two books in that order should be required reading for all designers picking up JavaScript. Skip "The Good Parts" and "Eloquent" and go straight for these meaty, easy to understand volumes.
This is like the big brother of JavaScript Enlightenment. It introduces intermediate to advanced concepts. It’s a concise volume with small code examples you can easily follow. Some of the conce ...more
This is like the big brother of JavaScript Enlightenment. It introduces intermediate to advanced concepts. It’s a concise volume with small code examples you can easily follow. Some of the conce ...more
Feb 18, 2013
Mike
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
javascript programmers, those who create queues, the enqueued
Shelves:
development
There is something about javascript that thwarts transcendence. Flawed and promiscuous, it is the R. Kelly of programming languages. But how to ride this dark horse? Effective JavaScript: 68 Specific Ways to Harness the Power of JavaScript can help. Without undue prescription it presents 68 best practices with regards to fundamental javascript, essential combinations that will be important to execute correctly in any context.
Though it may not have your respect it probably has your attention. Why ...more
Though it may not have your respect it probably has your attention. Why ...more
There is a wall standing between me and the full understanding of JavaScript. This book was not a door to that wall for me. It was neither too hard or too easy - I knew most of the 68 chapters, and there were chapters I didn't grok.
I understand how JS apps work, but I think I'm searching different kind of answers, like for example 'why'. I'm tempted to try learning another language, which represents the same ideas in a cleaner way. Perhaps I'll get my answers there. ...more
I understand how JS apps work, but I think I'm searching different kind of answers, like for example 'why'. I'm tempted to try learning another language, which represents the same ideas in a cleaner way. Perhaps I'll get my answers there. ...more
Worth it for the final chapter alone.
The rest is good too.
The rest is good too.
Awesome book with full of useful information. This helped demystify a lot of Javascript's quirks in simple language. I'd highly recommend this book once you got the basic syntax down.
...more
This book considered to be a supplement for the «JavaScript: the good parts». It’s said in the book’s introduction that these two books shouldn’t be considered as rivals though many of theirs topics are the same. Advent of JavaScript, node.js and many cool frameworks made the prior book a bit outdated. This book promises to give you patterns how to write js code in modern and concise way .
It’s not a hipster’s book. Hipsters don’t read books, instead they teach themselves Google and treat softwar ...more
It’s not a hipster’s book. Hipsters don’t read books, instead they teach themselves Google and treat softwar ...more
Fantastic book! I have been doing JavaScript since 1996, and SPAs when AJAX was still mainly a soccer club or a detergent. (Tip: you loaded the data into a Frame.) What I particularly liked about this book was the way the author is able structure a bunch of useful and not obvious information into a coherent hole without being preachy. Not an easy feat when considering the richness and flexibility of JavaScript.
Very enlightening. Gave me a greater understanding of how javascript works, and went through some extremely powerful design patterns borne of javascript's flexibility and run-timey-ness.
Yes, that's a word. ...more
Yes, that's a word. ...more
This shouldn't be your first JavaScript book, but it should be your second.
...more
Easy to read technical book on tips and tricks how to use js5 in a proper way.
Effective JavaScript is a bit dated considering its main focus is on ES3 with only some cursory glances towards ES5, but still has relevance if you are actually using the language. Mr. Herman presents an ecliectic collection of 68 items which can be devided into roughly three subgroups. The first two I found useful - JavaScript certainly has a lot going for it. The third category however I deem problematic. The categories are:
1. General programming advice (prefer statelessness when possible, cre ...more
1. General programming advice (prefer statelessness when possible, cre ...more
Had mixed feelings about this book while reading it.
I think this book is great for those who have been coding in JavaScript actively for a good period of time. A person who has just learned the language may not have had the required experience for many of these suggestions to really have meaning.
If you've experimented with various ways of getting things done in JavaScript then this book will help you improve your coding style.
IF you are new to JS, the book contains many key concepts and provid ...more
I think this book is great for those who have been coding in JavaScript actively for a good period of time. A person who has just learned the language may not have had the required experience for many of these suggestions to really have meaning.
If you've experimented with various ways of getting things done in JavaScript then this book will help you improve your coding style.
IF you are new to JS, the book contains many key concepts and provid ...more
JavaScript is misunderstood. The fact that we all learnt about Object Oriented languages in programming classes, makes a prototype-based language "weird".
But if you take the time to learn JavaScript, you will be rewarded.
I dislike the fact that the code examples aren't self contained... you have to guess how a certain object is implemented... or how a certain Widget is implemented, but the code is self explanatory.
The demonstration of STATE-FULL vs STATELESS APIs is the best I've ever seen. ...more
But if you take the time to learn JavaScript, you will be rewarded.
I dislike the fact that the code examples aren't self contained... you have to guess how a certain object is implemented... or how a certain Widget is implemented, but the code is self explanatory.
The demonstration of STATE-FULL vs STATELESS APIs is the best I've ever seen. ...more
The book was comprehensive!
The most important part of reading this book for me was that I found a few new keywords that I am going to investigate them. It introduced me a lot of techniques that I believe it can change how I am coding in JavaScript.
However the main cons of this book is that it is outdated a bit. There is nothing much about ES6 and all principles are covered in the previous versions of JavaScript that leads to an extra overload in order to map them into ES6 in your mind.
The most important part of reading this book for me was that I found a few new keywords that I am going to investigate them. It introduced me a lot of techniques that I believe it can change how I am coding in JavaScript.
However the main cons of this book is that it is outdated a bit. There is nothing much about ES6 and all principles are covered in the previous versions of JavaScript that leads to an extra overload in order to map them into ES6 in your mind.
Nice and easy read, I loved this book. If you're beginning with JavaScript, you'll find the concepts will really help you master the language, but even if you're experienced, there are most likely stuff here you didn't know before, and in some parts you'll find yourself saying: "I knew that worked like that, but didn't know why!". This book is a must read for every JS developer out there.
...more
Awesome last chapter.
It contains a lot of wrong information about how javascript works!
Bog standard. Nearly indistinguishable from any other competently written JavaScript text.
It was super helpful in understanding how JavaScript works. It took me from a JavaScript hacker to a JavaScript developer.
Not for beginners.
Good Javascript reference book.
Good Javascript reference book.
Jan 11, 2019
Natasha Holme
rated it
liked it
Recommends it for:
Advanced JavaScript programmers
Shelves:
web
The parts I did understand were often quite fascinating. But there was so much here that was way over my head.
This is book for advanced JavaScript developers, I as intermediate JavaScript developer found myself rereading some chapters for two or three times. First there was some JavaScript syntax that I was not familiar with or there were concepts that I was not aware of. But with rereading the chapter you will get the authors point.
For me it was good reference because it explained me the difference between object oriented languages (in which I have more experience) and JavaScript. There are tips and tr ...more
For me it was good reference because it explained me the difference between object oriented languages (in which I have more experience) and JavaScript. There are tips and tr ...more
This was a really great dive through specific use cases of JavaScript, and a lot of the "gotcha" type non-intuitive things that can happen.
Definitely worth a read, and probably multiple reads. ...more
Definitely worth a read, and probably multiple reads. ...more
Concise tips on JavaScript internals
I really liked the structure with the 68 tips. Don’t expect any framework discussions; this is all about the JavaScript language itself, its quirks and advantages.
I really liked the structure with the 68 tips. Don’t expect any framework discussions; this is all about the JavaScript language itself, its quirks and advantages.
As is always the case with this kind of book, there's a lot you already know, and it can be tempting to just read the interesting Items based on their titles. Or alternatively you can do the equivalent of lazy loading and treat it as a reference (which I did with the Git Book).
These are perfectly reasonable things to do, but I'd actually recommend reading through the whole thing. For one, it's a short book, and it doesn't hurt that the writing style is spare and clear. For another, I found that ...more
These are perfectly reasonable things to do, but I'd actually recommend reading through the whole thing. For one, it's a short book, and it doesn't hurt that the writing style is spare and clear. For another, I found that ...more
I think JavaScript is one of the most awful programming language.
The most hazardous feature of it may be working on so many browsers with different specifications.
However, this book does not mention about it, but about how to use native JavaScript.
So, this book is recommeneded for people who just want to know the good practices of native one.
Otherwise, I do not do.
The folllowing things are the typical good points of this book:
1. The good way to use built-in functions.
Variadic functions, the rece ...more
The most hazardous feature of it may be working on so many browsers with different specifications.
However, this book does not mention about it, but about how to use native JavaScript.
So, this book is recommeneded for people who just want to know the good practices of native one.
Otherwise, I do not do.
The folllowing things are the typical good points of this book:
1. The good way to use built-in functions.
Variadic functions, the rece ...more
Javascript is a very funky language, so having some recommended practice helps to quickly optimize your code.
Really nice book. As I've been going through some of the finer points of JS, Effective JS broke things down for me in both a granular and logical fashion. I especially enjoyed chapters 3 and 4, which delved into functions and objects respectively. These are the two points in this language that drastically differ from other, more familiar languages, so having code samples broken down the way that they were was incredibly useful.
Overall, I loved this book as far as programming books go, and would ...more
Overall, I loved this book as far as programming books go, and would ...more
A wonderful collection of advice for writing better JavaScript. Building up from basic topics like variable scoping and functions, it progresses through objects, prototypes, and arrays before finishing with design considerations and concurrency. The short topic format works well for the majority of the book. The latter subjects end up cross referencing each other so much I would have rather had fewer topics so I didn't need to jump around so much to fully understand the focus. Overall a great re
...more
This should be the new "Javascript the good parts". It's longer, but it's much better written and organized, and is far more thorough.
As someone who has been programming in Javascript for a few years and has been trying to be follow all the language's pitfalls, there was enough material I was not aware of to make the reading worth it. I've got to apply some tips already, and am keeping it handy for reference when I can't remember some of the finer points of the language.
If you work or are going ...more
As someone who has been programming in Javascript for a few years and has been trying to be follow all the language's pitfalls, there was enough material I was not aware of to make the reading worth it. I've got to apply some tips already, and am keeping it handy for reference when I can't remember some of the finer points of the language.
If you work or are going ...more
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“The properties of an object are automatically exposed, whereas the variables in a closure are automatically hidden.”
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“JavaScript’s global namespace is also exposed as a global object, which is accessible at the top of a program as the initial value of the this keyword. In web browsers, the global object is also bound to the global window variable. Adding or modifying global variables automatically updates the global object: this.foo; // undefined foo = "global foo"; this.foo; // "global foo”
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