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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-05-12T00:37:39+00:00

I learnt HTML/CSS a good few years back, then PHP a little later. I’ve

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I learnt HTML/CSS a good few years back, then PHP a little later. I’ve recently become interesting in web development again, just started playing with frameworks like Django and RoR. I’m curious as to how much time/effort I should spend learning straight JS before looking at frameworks. I’ve been reading through a let of articles called Mastering AJAX by Brett McLaughlin which seems quite good, but I’m seeing a lot of stuff (such as cross browser compatibility – even for things like XMLHttpRequest) coming up which look like they would be non-issues if using a framework.

So, should I keep reading through these articles and try to build stuff using basic JS, or should I just start looking into jQuery and the like?

Also, I’ve been watching a few videos regarding GWT from Google I/O. I’ve been learning Java over the last year, built a few medium sized apps in it. I’m wondering if GWT is something that’s worth going straight to, along with gQuery?

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  1. Editorial Team

    Starting with the basics of JavaScript is a good idea, IMHO.

    Read JavaScript: The Good Parts, by Douglas Crockford. Very, very good book.

    Cover for JavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford

    You should also check out Douglas Crockford’s web site.

    I also had to come back here and mention this in an update:

    Douglas Crockford presented an illuminating talk about JavaScript – past, present, future – at the Microsoft MIX10 conference earlier this year. You’ll find the full video for Crockford’s talk at Microsoft MIX10 – The Tale of JavaScript. I Mean ECMAScript.

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