Do Not Fear JavaScript, Embrace It

JavaScript is everywhere. And I nearly missed the boat.

I think it started for real with libraries like prototype and script.aculo.us, and then just accellerated from there on into Dojo, MooTools and jQuery. And last, Google published the AJAX Libraries API, to ease loading of JavaScript libraries into your application.

All the cool web applications on the net seems to use javascript heavily. Mashups depend on javascript heavily. Browsers are getting good at javascript.

And it is spreading. Through Rhino, JavaScript became one of the supported scripting languages that can be called from Java using the Java6 script engine. And there is ActionScript3, which I like writing UI logic in when doing the flex dance.

Up until lately, I had a grudge against JavaScript. Mostly because my initial experiments with JavaScript was in browsers to manipulate the DOM, validate html input etc. All done in now old and gone browsers, with lousy JavaScript support. After fighting with it back then on several occations, I built up that grudge. But I cannot go on like that.

I need to embrace JavaScript. I have started work on it with ActionScript3, but I need to do more than that. Or I will miss the boat.

August 28, 2008  Tags:   Posted in: Programming

5 Responses

  1. Thomas Hansen - August 29, 2008

    If you want some arguments for why JavaScript is awesome you might want to read chapter two in my book (link; http://ra-ajax.org/how-to-create-an-ajax-library-part-2-the-basic-javascript-oo-concerns.blog)
    There I am creating constructs which makes it possible to do “OO” and even Multiple Inheritance :)
    I am very much in love with JavaScript

  2. Caligula - August 31, 2008

    Your blog becomes essentially unreadable when increasing the font size. It might make more sense to either use a fluid layout or have the nav columns decrease in size rather than the *content*.

  3. Hmmm - September 1, 2008

    I see no problems when increasing font size. But, then, I’m using a very good browser (Safari) on a very good machine (Mac). :-)

  4. Mark - September 10, 2008

    This site is nearly unreadable on my eeePC 701. It’s little screen is on 800*480 and most of it is taken up by the damn margins!

  5. polesen - September 10, 2008

    I am sorry to hear that. For once because I would like it to be readable, even on a eeePC. But also because I have thought about buying a eeePC myself, just for blogging and blog-reading on the couch. Maybe not then.

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