I spent entirely too much time on writing this guide to basic JavaScript

PseudoMon

Okay, maybe not too long. And I did enjoy the process. And I did go in with the expectation that nothing good will come out of it But hey, I’d really like it if people will read it, yeah? And I’d like it more if people find it useful, and that they’ll help me find ways to make it more useful if they have difficulties with it.

I call it The No-Nonsense Basic JavaScript Guide for the Novice Web Developer. It is exactly what it says on the tin. It teaches just enough JavaScript to start building responsive websites, and not an ounce more.

I made it for two reasons: 1) I’m sitting on pile of web development a knowledge I have no idea how to utilize. I don’t have a job building websites (yet), and I don’t really have a pet project  since finishing Lightning Cards. Might as well make something useful out of this; 2) I learned front-end web development by diving head-first into places a beginner clearly shouldn’t go into yet. It was difficult, and it made the entire learning process agonizing. So I wrote this with the hope that other novices won’t have to go into the same hellscape I went through.

Okay, another reason. 3) Quite a lot of websites are bloated with excessive script and functionalities, even when just sticking with the basic will result in exactly what they need. I’m just guessing, but I think this is partly caused by the same hellscape I encountered as a novice. Not a lot of people even understand the basic enough to know that it’s all they need.

So that’s why I wrote that guide.

I’ve attempted making coding/programming tutorials/guide for a while now. First it was a Python tutorial, then a HTML/CSS tutorial. I always kind of stopped halfway. Sometimes because I forgot the point of what I was trying to teach. Sometimes I get bogged down by my own explanations, spiralling into, frankly, a whole load of nonsense. So when I wrote this JS guide, I strived to do it as quickly as possible, with an explanation that’s simple, but without having to spend a million years explaining the particulars of the terminology.

I spent a while writing the guide and then I spent a while polishing it. I think it’s pretty good, but honestly, I won’t know until I actually have someone actually reading it and telling me what they think.

If you’re trying to get into web development, maybe give it a look, eh? Or maybe if you’re already in web development, give it a skim and see if my explanations are bonkers or not? And maybe pop into its guestbook when you do.

Here’s the link again.

3 thoughts on “I spent entirely too much time on writing this guide to basic JavaScript”

  1. Pingback: Summer’s End Checkpoint | PseudoMonious Chatters

  2. Trying to put together a guide like this is tremendously difficult. This guide hits most of the marks. It’s to the point and quickly gets the basics of JavaScript across. About the only small suggestion I would have is reducing the “unnecessary” content (things like the Shenanigans or Stockholm Syndrome). For someone looking for a true guide on JavaScript, I think these may get in the way. Although that may also be part of the charm of the guide. Just my two cents. All in all, I think this is a very well thought out guide. I’m actually pretty surprised you DON’T work as a developer (if that is still the case).

    Cheers!

    Reply

    1. Oh, wow, thanks! That really means a lot coming from a professional developer. Yeah, I realise there’s irony in calling it “no-nonsense” and then having it full of my personal flairs and frustrations. I’ll see if I can trim them down when I next work on the guide.

      I’m still in college and I study political science, actually, not IT. Web dev is really just a side hobby, but I am thinking of maybe finding a proper job in the field after graduating.

      Thanks again!

      Reply

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