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Programming Javascript Applications: Robust Web Architecture With Node, Html5, and Modern Js Libraries
Take your existing JavaScript skills to the next level and learn how to build complete web scale or enterprise applications that are easy to extend and maintain. By applying the design patterns outlined in this book, you’ll learn how to write flexible and resilient code that’s easier—not harder—to work with as your code base grows. JavaScript has become one of the most widely used—and essential—programming languages for the Web, on both the client-side and server-side. In the real world, JavaScript applications are fragile, and when you change them things often break. Author Eric Elliott shows you how to add features without creating bugs or negatively impacting the rest of your code during the course of building a large JavaScript application.
300 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2012
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339 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 6, 2013
Borderline four stars... and I think when it's completed and fully edited, it just might be. (Disclosure: I read an early access edition; O'Reilly [1] has been doing that a lot lately...)
Elliott's book fits neatly into that category of JavaScript books that are about praxis -- books that are not about specific libraries or language features or programming paradigms, but about doing "real development" on "real teams". It is close kin with Nicholas Zakas' Maintainable JavaScript , and (to an only slightly lesser extent) Addy Osmani's Learning JavaScript Design Patterns . And like ...Design Patterns, I found myself thinking once or twice: This book is like that in that it is an excellent and timely example of "how to do it the right way" and/but it also feels like it might be looking too microscopically at specific libraries or techniques? and consequently is it going to feel dated in 6-12 months? [2]
If you're already fairly well-read in the "JavaScript praxis book" arena, then most of this is going to be review. Elliott covers functions as first-class objects and functional style JavaScript (see also Functional JavaScript , others); style and linting (see also Maintainable JavaScript , others); different approaches to the module pattern and separation of concerns (see also: Learning JavaScript Design Patterns , others); and some other subjects. [3] The one subject I saw in here that I hadn't seen anywhere else was on internationalization -- which is something that I was very glad to see and is one of the reasons that I'll be recommending this one to people looking to build "professional" applications.
The other thing I wanted to point out here was that Elliott goes back and forth between programming JavaScript for the browser and programming JavaScript for Node, and the transitions aren't always clear. I expect this will get cleaned up a bit as they work it through editing for the final printed version. In either case, I am glad that he gives coverage to both in the same book, rather than marginalizing one or the other to a ghetto chapter.
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Footnotes:
[1]: To be fair: almost all of the technical book publishers that I know of are doing this lately -- i.e., releasing "Early Access Editions" and "MEAPs" and the like.
[2]: I go back and forth on this bit of critique. If you're "all theory" then you're potentially losing out on providing some value because you're discussion is too far away from the real problems; but if you're too close to "the real thing" then you're just talking about that specific situation or tool-chain and it winds up being about addressing that problem with that tool, and not really "that class of problem". Elliott is somewhere in the middle here, listing only slightly toward "too specific" and only in a couple of places.
[3]: The PDF I have of this book has a little more, and some slightly different content than the version I read on my Kindle. Again: "Early Access Editions" and all that...
Elliott's book fits neatly into that category of JavaScript books that are about praxis -- books that are not about specific libraries or language features or programming paradigms, but about doing "real development" on "real teams". It is close kin with Nicholas Zakas' Maintainable JavaScript , and (to an only slightly lesser extent) Addy Osmani's Learning JavaScript Design Patterns . And like ...Design Patterns, I found myself thinking once or twice: This book is like that in that it is an excellent and timely example of "how to do it the right way" and/but it also feels like it might be looking too microscopically at specific libraries or techniques? and consequently is it going to feel dated in 6-12 months? [2]
If you're already fairly well-read in the "JavaScript praxis book" arena, then most of this is going to be review. Elliott covers functions as first-class objects and functional style JavaScript (see also Functional JavaScript , others); style and linting (see also Maintainable JavaScript , others); different approaches to the module pattern and separation of concerns (see also: Learning JavaScript Design Patterns , others); and some other subjects. [3] The one subject I saw in here that I hadn't seen anywhere else was on internationalization -- which is something that I was very glad to see and is one of the reasons that I'll be recommending this one to people looking to build "professional" applications.
The other thing I wanted to point out here was that Elliott goes back and forth between programming JavaScript for the browser and programming JavaScript for Node, and the transitions aren't always clear. I expect this will get cleaned up a bit as they work it through editing for the final printed version. In either case, I am glad that he gives coverage to both in the same book, rather than marginalizing one or the other to a ghetto chapter.
----
Footnotes:
[1]: To be fair: almost all of the technical book publishers that I know of are doing this lately -- i.e., releasing "Early Access Editions" and "MEAPs" and the like.
[2]: I go back and forth on this bit of critique. If you're "all theory" then you're potentially losing out on providing some value because you're discussion is too far away from the real problems; but if you're too close to "the real thing" then you're just talking about that specific situation or tool-chain and it winds up being about addressing that problem with that tool, and not really "that class of problem". Elliott is somewhere in the middle here, listing only slightly toward "too specific" and only in a couple of places.
[3]: The PDF I have of this book has a little more, and some slightly different content than the version I read on my Kindle. Again: "Early Access Editions" and all that...
December 4, 2014
Book is OK, but it touch so many aspects of js web applications, that its in place quite shallow.
But, it raise a good points that we should think when we do write code. I liked a way Eric structure it - easy to navigate, you can concentrate on topic and then do googling about it for further reading.
I didn't liked some of the examples that were using Erics own libs - he did a good job trying to explain how do they works, but I just don't get it why he was using them across this book, there are other tools that can be used for the same thing (which were not mentioned).
If you are a veteran, don't read it, but there are some good points in this book, and for newbies, they should make them think.
But, it raise a good points that we should think when we do write code. I liked a way Eric structure it - easy to navigate, you can concentrate on topic and then do googling about it for further reading.
I didn't liked some of the examples that were using Erics own libs - he did a good job trying to explain how do they works, but I just don't get it why he was using them across this book, there are other tools that can be used for the same thing (which were not mentioned).
If you are a veteran, don't read it, but there are some good points in this book, and for newbies, they should make them think.
March 25, 2018
Most javaScript books target newbies so you waste time explaining basic issues. This is sort of advanced. Could use an update.
February 25, 2018
A bit too technical in parts for me, but good design philosophy offered throughout. The chapter on building APIs was useful as an API consumer. Might conceivably re-read after I learn a bit more.
February 20, 2017
Must read for JS Application Architecture
Eric covers all the bases of robust application architecture. Definitely good for a one time read or as reference. Your apps will be better, faster and more scalable if you follow these guidelines.
Eric covers all the bases of robust application architecture. Definitely good for a one time read or as reference. Your apps will be better, faster and more scalable if you follow these guidelines.
November 13, 2013
Inizia bene, con spiegazioni chiare, buon codice, e informazioni estremamente utili e ben organizzate.
E poi, verso la metà, si perde.
Inizia a mischiare codice client side e server side, senza chiarire troppo bene il salto di barricata. Presenta pezzi di codice che non si capisce se vanno inseriti in un pezzo che ha scritto prima o se sono file a parte. Presenta sistemi di precompilazione ma non li spiega in dettaglio, per finire con applicazioni di cui presenta solo pezzi o concetti e poi giri pagina e... finisce lì.
Ho una preview acquistata da O'Reilly, quindi potrebbe essere il motivo, ma il numero di pagine è cambiato poco tra la versione di marzo e quella di agosto (3 o 4), quindi o l'autore è molto lento a scrivere (e il libro sarà vecchio quando sarà finito) o davvero non sa come spiegare meglio alcuni concetti.
E poi, verso la metà, si perde.
Inizia a mischiare codice client side e server side, senza chiarire troppo bene il salto di barricata. Presenta pezzi di codice che non si capisce se vanno inseriti in un pezzo che ha scritto prima o se sono file a parte. Presenta sistemi di precompilazione ma non li spiega in dettaglio, per finire con applicazioni di cui presenta solo pezzi o concetti e poi giri pagina e... finisce lì.
Ho una preview acquistata da O'Reilly, quindi potrebbe essere il motivo, ma il numero di pagine è cambiato poco tra la versione di marzo e quella di agosto (3 o 4), quindi o l'autore è molto lento a scrivere (e il libro sarà vecchio quando sarà finito) o davvero non sa come spiegare meglio alcuni concetti.
May 17, 2016
In Programming JavaScript Applications Eric Elliott goes through the most important aspects of JavaScript development. Written in 2014, the book is still relevant, but already has some outdated content such as the state of the JavaScript front end frameworks - Backbone and Angular 1 are the big players mentioned here. Based on this, the book should be considered an overview of ES5 JavaScript which looks into some of the usual aspects of building apps.
Chapters of interest: Out of the 10 chapters, the following are indeed useful: Functions(2), Objects(3), Modules(4), Building RESTful APIs(8), JavaScript Style Guide(Apendix).
Read the detailed review
Chapters of interest: Out of the 10 chapters, the following are indeed useful: Functions(2), Objects(3), Modules(4), Building RESTful APIs(8), JavaScript Style Guide(Apendix).
Read the detailed review
February 28, 2013
Removed one star off my review of "early edition". Is this book ever getting finished?
April 30, 2016
Looks good but really entry level. I just skimmed through it because I was expecting something more advanced.
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January 21, 2016DL027871 GG6
May 16, 2016
Many good ideas and hints for further research. However, all in all it feels pretty shallow and outdated.
April 29, 2016
Aimed at medium-level devs. Good to get up to speed with how different programming paradigms map to the JavaScript world.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews