Press Release
January 2, 2002
Fourth Edition of the "Must-Have" Javascript Book Released By O'Reilly
Sebastopol, CA--JavaScript has earned its place in the web developer's
toolkit, to the extent that now it's considered required knowledge for
today's web developers. "It's become common enough that you can't work
with the Web and not encounter JavaScript code," says David Flanagan,
author of the just-released fourth edition of JavaScript: The
Definitive Guide (O'Reilly, US $44.95). Flanagan adds, "Some
developers can get by with just a cut-and-paste or cookbook knowledge
of JavaScript, but in the long run, I think it is worth taking the time
to learn the language."
JavaScript is a powerful, object-based scripting language; JavaScript
programs can be embedded directly into HTML web pages. When combined
with the Document Object Model (DOM) defined by a web browser,
JavaScript allows developers to create Dynamic HTML content and
interactive client-side web applications. Because JavaScript syntax is
based on the popular programming languages C, C++, and Java, it is
familiar and easy to learn for experienced programmers. At the same
time, JavaScript is an interpreted scripting language, providing a
flexible, forgiving programming environment in which new programmers
can learn.
Since the release of its first edition in 1996, JavaScript: The
Definitive Guide has been considered the must-have reference for
JavaScript programmers. The fourth edition of the book includes the
same comprehensive coverage as earlier editions, but has been carefully
updated to cover JavaScript 1.5 (ECMAScript Version 3). It also
provides complete coverage of the W3C DOM standard (Level 1 and Level
2) while retaining material on the legacy Level 0 DOM for backward
compatibility.
"Platform independence is a theme that runs throughout the book," says
Flanagan. "The early editions of my book leaned heavily towards
Netscape's implementations, for the key reason that they were the
primary innovators of the language. That Netscape-centricity has
diminished with each subsequent edition, and it is mostly gone from
this one. That is not to say that I've switched over to Internet
Explorer-centricity. Instead, the newest edition focuses on standards
and not on individual implementations: the ECMAScript version 3
standard for the core JavaScript language, and the W3C DOM standard for
client-side JavaScript.
"Another big change in the book is a structural one," Flanagan adds.
"I've split the reference section into three distinct parts. The first
part documents core JavaScript objects, methods, and properties.
Because JavaScript is being used in environments other than web
browsers, it is useful to keep this material separate from the
client-side material. The second reference section documents the legacy
client-side material, sometimes known as the Level O DOM. This material
has not changed much from the third edition, and it will be
comfortingly familiar to readers of that edition. The third reference
section is all new: it covers the objects, methods, and properties
defined by Level 1 and Level 2 of the W3C DOM standards."
JavaScript: The Definitive Guide will be particularly useful for
developers working with the latest standards-compliant web browsers,
such as Internet Explorer 6, Netscape 6, and Mozilla. HTML authors can
learn how to use JavaScript to build dynamic web pages, while
experienced programmers can quickly find the information they need to
start writing sophisticated JavaScript programs. The book will be an
indispensable guide for JavaScript programmers, regardless of their
level of experience.
What the critics said about the previous edition:
"An excellent programmer's guide and reference manual."
--fatbrain.com
"Interested in learning JavaScript? This book teaches it in a clear and
concise manner."
--Wendy Willard, A Web-Design Teacher's Recommended Reading List, May
2001
"Flanagan has collected, and presents, a good deal of solid information
about JavaScript. Flanagan presents all kinds of information about the
oddities of the language, weird behaviors that arise from
interpretations of variables and operators. The book reveals the
internals of the language (or languages, given the number of variants),
which are bewildering in their complexity."
--Robert M. Slade, Internet Review Project, May 2000
"In typical O'Reilly & Associates fashion, JavaScript: The Definitive
Guide documents every nuance of the JavaScript 1.1 language
specification. This is the book you'll pull off your shelf when you
want to know which method returns the primitive value of an object."
--Stephen W. Plain and Brooke Gilbert, Amazon.com Computer Editors,
March 2000
"A must-have for serious JavaScript programmers."
--Writers Write: the Internet Writing Journal, March 2000
"This book stands out in the field of JavaScript books for its
disciplined, thorough approach to the JavaScript language. While it
would most likely disappoint a non-programmer who simply wants to
dabble in JavaScript, for those who want to go beyond copying code to
create their own applications, it's hard to beat O'Reilly & Associates'
JavaScript:The Definitive Guide."
--Kief Morris, Web Developers Journal, January 10, 1999
"JavaScript: The Definitive Guide is a rapid and thorough exposition
of the JavaScript programming language, as well as an in-depth
reference covering each JavaScript function, object, method, and
handler. Experienced programmers will quickly find the information they
need to start writing JavaScript programs."
--Stephen Plain and Teri Kieffer, Amazon.com Delivers Web Development,
August 31, 2000
Online Resources:
JavaScript: The Definitive Guide
By David Flanagan
Fourth Edition, January 2002
ISBN 0-596-00048-0, 916 pages, $44.95 (US)
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
About O'Reilly
O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.
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