Javascript Is the Shit

Javascript is an extremely popular language in front end web development for so many reasons. Of course the biggest reason I learned it is because it’s pretty easy. With all of it’s libraries and frameworks (JQuery, JQuery UI, Angular, Kendo, and more) you can quickly build websites without knowing too much of the formal language itself. There’s so many open source resources for JS. On top of all of the libraries and it’s simplicity to learn, you can code without using a compiler. It’s written in plain text, so you can write it using a text editor or sublime, etc. Just make sure to install Node if you want to test it on your computer. It’s a great language to start building an understanding of object oriented design and principles that cross over to a lot of other languages as we have seen recently when working between Javascript and Ruby.

Javascript is also extremely fast. It is a client side script and therefore doesn’t rely on your servers, and therefore reduces server load. However, if you want it to be your server side language, NODE. JS has recently been introduced to tie the server side and client side to one another without the introduction of another language. With just HTML, CSS, and JS you can now create a fully functional, beautifully designed website without knowing any other language.

Javascript is cross browser compatible. You can use it in IE, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome without worrying about it’s functionality breaking. It’s the perfect tool for good UX.

It’s also great for prototyping. You can build objects and functions on the fly and create great design patterns with far less structure than many other languages. With Firebug and the Chrome Web Developer Tools console, you already have the ability in your browser to easily build and debug your code. Not to mention all the other free debuggers floating around the interwebs that you can use to test what you write.

Also with the introduction of AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) we have the ability to create and plug into databases to pull data into your static web page.

What Can Javascript Not Do?

The biggest issues I see with javascript are security and it’s inability to write files on the server without the help of a server side language. Only a server side language such as ajax can access the database for you. On top of that, javascript can not access anything on the client computer for you outside of the browser window. Javascript relies on the browser and as such, there is always the option for the client to turn it off.