This Book Has Been Soiled By Scott Weaver: JavaScript By Example
Written: Aug 01 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A very easy to palate introduction to JavaScript.
Cons: Not for experienced programmers, offers nothing new.
The Bottom Line: The most primitive introduction to JavaScript. For the completely clueless. Teaches only the fundamentals. Worthless for anyone who has even the most remote knowledge of computer programming.
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| avepythagoras's Full Review: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes and Kathie Kingsley-Hughes ... |
The Computer Class From Hell: Why I Hate Scott Weaver
I had to use this book for a computer programming class in College. It was a prescribed requirement for all math majors. Computer Programming I. JavaScript 1.5: By Example. The goal of the course was to teach a brief introduction to Object-Oriented Programming. The class was taught by Scott Weaver, using this text was his idea. It was the worst class I have ever had. And while my opinions of this book are, in part, influenced by this experience, I was able to put this book into prospective, I worked through it a few times, from cover to cover and probably have portions of it still memorized somewhere in my cerebral cortex. So in short, Mr. Scott Weaver has soiled my opinions of this book. Though I still think I can provide a relatively useful criticism.
This Isn't A Textbook, Mr. Weaver.
This is a sufficient book to start learning JavaScript, if you've never had any experience programming before. In fact, I have enjoyed using it. It teaches the basics well, but in the end, just sticks to the most primitive topics and really doesn't provide any insight into scripting and/or programming at large. It really doesn't teach you how to think like a programmer. Yes, you learn about functions and statements, events and handlers, objects and methods, but in the end, you wonder, what does it all mean? How can I apply this knowledge? And after working through this book I asked myself: did I really learn anything that will radically change how I work with computers? I figure I didn't. And that is what makes this book both weak and rudimentary, not for anyone serious about learning JavaScript.
The instruction is concise and the examples are easy. You don't have to think much beyond the text. Each chapter contains a few questions, but these questions require no new thought, and usually just ask the reader to retype the previous examples. So I guess you learn by example. This is rather infuriating for one. Computer programming requires creative thinking, and this book gives little insight into the creative process of actually working in code. This book doesn't provide a challenge to the reader. And thus stifles the development of the creative process. This book is definitely for those people who don't want to think. Those who will page through this text, happily typing out each example as if it were some new and mysterious instance of digital magic. Very easy, no thinking required.
Now remember, the class I took was an introduction to Object-Oriented Programming, or O.O.P. JavaScript is an Object-Oriented Scripting Language. This book really doesn't address Object-Oriented programming. And I wonder, why, exactly, did we use this text? I took a liking to O.O.P once I learned what it was and had a chance to compare it to other languages that weren't O.O.P's. But this book won't help you understand the differences. It discusses briefly what objects are, and how they relate to JavaScript. But that¡¦s really on one or two paragraphs worth of material.
Scott, this was the wrong book for the class. This isn't a textbook. And most surely not a good introduction to O.O.P.
What Would Make it A Better Book...
Working with JavaScript effectively requires a familiarity with HTML. The authors don't assume you know HTML. But they don't really cover much of it either. It would have been nice if they added an extra chapter about HTML and the various ways to control tag attributes. That way, when event are introduced, the reader will have a stronger understanding of the methodologies involved in working with them.
Further, I would have liked much more information on O.O.P. This would have made my life so much easier. Adding an extra chapter isn't too much to ask, it would make this book a little more useful. JavaScript is an O.O.P language. And a few paragraphs are not ample enough to even begin to introduce this topic.
Better questions. I want a programming book that is going to make me think, even if it is only intended for a beginner audience. I want to learn new things, and struggle enough to make the experience memorable. This book is too easy, even for a beginner. It does all the thinking for you. The questions are worthless. Make them complicated, we won't hate you for it. I want to be taught, not led by the wrist. Show the reader how to apply the fresh information in a real world context. How do we host web sites? Where do we go to get our scripts on the net?
In the End...
As an introduction to web programming this book is probably one of the easiest and most concise you are going to find. If you don't have foggy clue what web programming is, this is the book for you. But I warn you; it will not take you too far. In fact, your money is probably better spent on some other book. Or learning some other web programming language. It covers the bare essentials, and will give you enough experience with the basics of programming that you'll want to learn more. The text does have some redeeming qualities. It is not a textbook for a college level class in programming. It just doesn't offer the information needed to really learn the subject, much less introduce O.O.P. Only an idiot would want to use this book as the basis for a class on O.O.P. But in the end, it did serve a purpose for me. It turned me on to computer programming. And for that I am thankful. But of course, it was the book that did this...and not the class.
Recommended:
No
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avepythagoras
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Location: Gainesville, FL
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