JavaScript really isn't that bad. It is different to be sure and lost when it comes to OO. But like "The Good Parts" book explains, JavaScript really isn't about OO. Or strong typing. It doesn't need to be. It would be nice if the certain features worked correctly and it worked the same in all browsers, but I'd rather have less features and not more. With closure and first class functions you can get most of what you need once you learn a basic model for building apps.