JavaScript Web Apps by O'Reilly | Hacker News Reader

JavaScript Web Apps by O'Reilly

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111 pointsmaccman40 comments

I just ordered direct from O'Reilly (eBook) and, before ordered, located a coupon code that worked for me (on August 31, 2011): 4cast -- it gave me a 50% discount on the eBook ($13.99) and supposedly gives 50% off on the printed version.

The books looks to be useful for people who want to build/understand an MVC library from the ground-up with jQuery as a base. There are also chapters about the various ready-built solutions.

Nicely done maccman.

Thanks, the coupon code worked for me .

Cheers for the coupon, mate. Worked for me too.

The coupon does work for both - you save $2 over the bundled price.

Cheers for the coupon dude. Just got the ebook :)

I bought the Early Release of this book a couple months ago. The book does a good job of introducing MVC concepts and how they can and should be implemented in a JavaScript web app. Even if you have a background in RoR, Django, CakePHP, etc., the best practices for implementing the MVC concepts client side should prove helpful.

The most worthwhile part of the book - for me - was maccman's coverage of three popular JavaScript MVC frameworks: Backbone, Spine, and JavascriptMVC. The coverage included the basics of how each framework worked, as well as sample apps for each. Other gems included dependency management options (module loaders) and testing client side apps.

My only complaint - and one that maccman can't be faulted for - is the book covers a topic that's rapidly changing. There's few de facto client-side frameworks for MVC or dependency management or maybe even testing. Personally, I think that makes this more exciting, and the book does cover the current state well.

I've just released the final version in paperback - also available on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/144930351X/

Like others I bought the ebook back in May. Is the final version different enough to make me re-read it now?

Most of it was finished back then - just a lot of copyediting, and the final chapters have changed.

Do you guys know of anything that is $3 I can buy to qualify for free shipping?

Confessions of an English Opium Eater - Thomas De Quincey

Good quick read.

http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-English-Opium-Eater-Pengui...

For an extra $5 you can pick up this which is fantastic: http://www.amazon.com/Geometry-Relativity-Fourth-Dimension-R...

Thanks for this book. Just purchased it. It gonna be useful for my future web apps.

Wow, a JavaScript MVC application book with no SproutCore coverage whatsoever.

If anyone needed proof that SproutCore has failed to launch, this is it.

A failure of an author to cover his bases is hardly proof that SproutCore is doing poorly.

To be fair, this book is about libraries that are strictly MVC implemented in JavaScript, and no more. At the time Alex was writing the book, SproutCore 1.4 was the current version, and is obviously a "full-stack" framework, including a UI library.

SproutCore 2.0 alpha was released on May 25th of this year, so Alex didn't have time to cover it. My hope is that a second edition would hopefully at least mention it, now that it is much more competitive with things like Backbone and Knockout, et al. :)

This is precisely correct.

Appeared exactly when I needed it. I'm currently exploring the JS web app world, and I am in need of some guidance. Sometimes I struggle because my flow currently consists of taking apart other JS apps, instead of having a solid foundation and implementing my own solutions.

There are some things that just aren't intuitive, when you're reading other people's code. I hope this book either enables me to write code from scratch or significantly speeds up my "decompiling" of other people's code.

Congrats on the launch! Must've been quite a ride, since from what I read, you're traveling the world and surfing. Nicely done.

I'm with you. After 10-odd years of getting by just from reading documentation, blogs and stackoverflow (on lamp+js), I recently rediscovered the joy of good quality technical books. There's nothing like taking a nice, structured tour from the 101 all the way to the more advanced topics, is there?

Not at all. Books are usually my first way to go too, then I'll go to blogs, documentation, etc.

Jvascript web applications seems too generic as a title. The book covers one way, but there are many different approaches to skin that cat.

The whole javascript apps scene won't stabilize until we get cross-framework ways of building ui components and doing layout. I should be able to take a sproutcore component and use it in an extjs layout, without it becoming a giant hack.

It's freaking that there's a backbone.js section in it. Am I the only one on earth who doesn't like this library ?!

What's not to like about it?

You're certainly the only I have read who doesn't like it.

If you'd like to explain what is it that you don't like about it?

I've just introduced myself into it, and I'm really liking all about it. ALL.

I feel backbone.js is a great base to build a custom mvc framework on top of it. However, for simple projects, I find it to be to heavyweight. I.e. it's really hard to have nested collections (You have to rebind all events). Views could give you a better hand for 90% of scenarios.. These are only 2 examples, but this is why I say it's more of a meta-framework. (I use backbone and patch it with lots of function, event binding, etc. and only then I can use it in my code).

So, I think there's still a place for a smaller, more 90%/10% mvc framework.. and have backbone.js to fallback on in the 10%. In fact, this framework could be build on top of backbone :)

Took a look at the toc, looked like a great package, made the purchase. Hoping to read it soon. Well done, maccman.

Just ordered the ebook and read through the first chapter. Great work! This is exactly the book I was looking for to take my JS skills to the next level and just the right size. Once a programming book goes beyond 300+ pages, it starts becoming an impediment to progress.

Bought (and enjoyed) this back in May while it was still a preview and I'm really pleased to have the finished copy now.

Congratulations Alex, really liked the writing style and it's been very helpful alongside 'The Definitive guide'.

While no doubt it must be no mean task to document fast moving technology (I have just seen the toc), but many of these concepts/libraries are still evolving. Maybe a good record to check back in a few years, what worked, what didnt.

What version of backbonejs is covered in this book?

Looking forward to my copy in the post !

Since you're one of the few published experts on this specific, evolving area :), what are your thoughts on the tradeoffs between the current popular frameworks (i.e. are they so different - yet mature - that each one could conceivably be a best fit for a certain type of applications?). And which framework do you currently prefer?

Added to safari book case.

Just ordered it!

I was just about to order it, but their registration system is messed up...makes me iffy on the idea of buying it now -- if they can't get a simple checkout process right =D

Hey, sorry registration wasn't good. What was the problem? Did you run into an error, or was it just that setting up an account was a hassle?

I have to agree. I had to jump through hoops, and registration was a PITA.

If not for the 'feeding frenzy' I was in, I would have not bought the ebook at that moment.

Edit: The book was worth it, jsut the process of buying it

Congrats Alex!

I didn't click through to the preview pages:

Does the book talk about some of the existing frameworks, such as backbone.js? Or does it walk you through rolling your own MVC?

Yes it covers backbone.js and other frameworks.

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