Intro

Welcome to less-than-mad science. The idea of this site is to perhaps explain some of the mysteries of more advanced areas of Javascript programming (for example, bringing your JS code up to the level where it could actually be refered to as 'programming').

Just to start, I expect that if you're reading this, you are somewhat comfortable with the basics of a C-syntaxed language, that is: how to use 'if', 'for', 'while', the 'this.' object; some of the core concepts in Javascript, that is, when to use 'var' and 'new'. I also expect that you be familiar with the integral objects found in Javascript, ie: String; Object; Array; Math; window; document; etc.

If you are unfamiliar with the basics of JavaScript, I can suggest a couple of sites, as well as a book:

Quirksmode - This site, by Peter-Paul Koch, is a combination of a lead-you-in-by-the-nose tutorial on HTML, CSS and ECMAScript, as well as a set of well-done object lessons on how to compensate for browser quirks. It's a useful resource for both the novice and the expert. You will essentially benefit at all levels from this guy's extensive exerience.

W3Schools - While it doesn't have the most complete tutorials on the internet, it does contain a complete object reference for ECMA Script, as well as nice little 'try-it' examples that allow you to write and test code right in your browser.

O'Reilly's Pocket Javascript Reference - This book is an essential resource for anyone who's even vaguely serious about web application development. Buy it.

The next post starts the first lesson: "AJAX: What it is, what it isn't, and what it can do"