Questions about Javascript - Developers

Hey guys, I was thinking about a couple of things I'd like to clarify before I start learning Javascript. Any answers are helpful! Q1. Is it a requirement to know HTML for Javascript? Q2. Are mobile apps for Android/iOS coded or able to be coded with Javascript while having low resource requirements? Q3. A Good way to learn Javascript thoroughly?, I originally looked at Codecademy but by the looks of it, it won't give me a through understanding of Javascript.

1) No, but from the looks of it you want to make a browser based app, so the answer is a yes. Go learn how HTML is written and what the DOM is. 2) No idea, they aren't as fast as native clients, but I am certain you can do great things if you don't expect to have complex 60fps animations. 3) What does 'thoroughly' even mean? That you know the spec by heart? Obviously Codecademy won't hold your hand to make your own projects, however it sets a nice precedent that you can build of off. Use it, and once you know the basics you can ask around for specifics.

[QUOTE=RhodesRoids;44594598]Hey guys, I was thinking about a couple of things I'd like to clarify before I start learning Javascript. Any answers are helpful! Q1. Is it a requirement to know HTML for Javascript? Q2. Are mobile apps for Android/iOS coded or able to be coded with Javascript while having low resource requirements? Q3. A Good way to learn Javascript thoroughly?, I originally looked at Codecademy but by the looks of it, it won't give me a through understanding of Javascript.[/QUOTE] 1. No, but it's damn useful for giving your website the optional edge. (I say optional because you should always make your website work without JS running with it.) 2. Yep, take a look at Apache Cordova and PhoneGap. These convert your HTML/CSS/JS into native phone applications. Or you could write Windows apps in JS, or even write Firefox OS apps (lol). As always apps can just be actual web pages from the phone web browser, so you have a few options there. 3. Keep experimenting, find it fun. I think that you learn the most when you are creative and try to make things on a regular basis. Finding complex tasks to solve keeps you on your feet and makes it fun to learn. It also helps to have a job in the field :v:

[QUOTE=Kwaq;44595032]you should always make your website work without JS running with it.)[/QUOTE] 99% of all the devices support Javascript, hardly anyone turns it off as it doesn't gain you anything. You don't really have to make your website work for that tiny tiny tiny minority. Has anyone tried Facebook without Javascript? I haven't, but I guess itll break.

[QUOTE=Cyberuben;44596008]99% of all the devices support Javascript, hardly anyone turns it off as it doesn't gain you anything. You don't really have to make your website work for that tiny tiny tiny minority. Has anyone tried Facebook without Javascript? I haven't, but I guess itll break.[/QUOTE] Mobile facebook works 100% without javascript, to my knowledge. Normal facebook, I don't know.

[QUOTE=AndrewPH;44599234]Mobile facebook works 100% without javascript, to my knowledge. Normal facebook, I don't know.[/QUOTE] Yeah, expected mobile to work, but I don't think the desktop one works. Though, Facebook has the money to even deliver to that 0.1% that doesn't have Javascript, so they might have support for it.

Guess it doesn't really apply for making websites, it's just a standard I have at work :-)

[QUOTE=Cyberuben;44599486]Yeah, expected mobile to work, but I don't think the desktop one works. Though, Facebook has the money to even deliver to that 0.1% that doesn't have Javascript, so they might have support for it.[/QUOTE] Desktop Facebook almost completely breaks without JS, and the mobile versions is really cut down.

[QUOTE=Alternative Account;44600306]Desktop Facebook almost completely breaks without JS, and the mobile versions is really cut down.[/QUOTE] Thanks for clearing that up :v: confirmed my assumptions.

Do I need to know Javascript in order to learn jQuery?

[QUOTE=RhodesRoids;44611952]Do I need to know Javascript in order to learn jQuery?[/QUOTE] Well, isn't jQuery a library for Javascript?

If you're looking for a book, I'd recommend [URL="http://www.amazon.com/JavaScript-Good-Parts-Douglas-Crockford/dp/0596517742"]JavaScript: The Good Parts[/URL]. It's relatively short, but sufficiently thorough for an intermediate understanding of JavaScript.

There are probably tutorials that will teach you Javascript alongside jQuery. Those tutorials should be avoided. As a programmer, you shouldn't use libraries or frameworks without having at least an idea of how they work. (Of course, you don't need to be able to rewrite jQuery from scratch, but slavishly sticking to what tutorials tell you about how to use it isn't going to make you very good at programming in the long run.)

[QUOTE=DrTaxi;44615579]There are probably tutorials that will teach you Javascript alongside jQuery. Those tutorials should be avoided. As a programmer, you shouldn't use libraries or frameworks without having at least an idea of how they work. (Of course, you don't need to be able to rewrite jQuery from scratch, but slavishly sticking to what tutorials tell you about how to use it isn't going to make you very good at programming in the long run.)[/QUOTE] On the other side of the coin, learning something like jQuery that you will probably end up using eventually, and that will abstract away some more complicated stuff you might encounter can help you stay more focused and get moving towards producing something tangible a lot more quickly.