wat. This is like teaching postscript as a first language.
almost literally.
almost literally.
Javascript is sent by a server to a rendering engine (your web browser), usually a part of displaying a page, though of course also as part of interacting with it.
Postscript is sent by a (print) server to a rendering engine (in a printer), as part of typseting a page. It is a Turing-complete programming language, but that's no guarantee it won't make your eyes bleed.
The existence of things like jquery "on top of" javascript are really no different form having Microsoft Word or Open Office / Libre Office there to 'print' your postscript file.
Like it or not, neither javascript nor postscript are:
- Systems languages.
- Desktop application languages. (As Java can be).
- Low-level language suitable for writing drivers.
- Low-level languages suitable for writing network protocols.
- High-level languages suitable for prototyping very large, complex data structures and relationships
- High-level scripting languages suitable for abstracting away incredible sophistication and power and letting the user program in a very high level mode.
- Robust and scalable applications languags, suitable for putting in a version control system and having a team of fifty iterate on it
They're niche, domain-specific languages, like a Perl regex. Would you suggest anyone's first language be the regex Perl uses? Obviously not.
Appropriate first languages are anything from:
* A fake language like Turtle Logo
* An almost-fake academic language like Pascale
* An "electrical engineer" approach nuts and bolts introduction: assembly.
* A low-level systems language, C, or C++
* A high-level scripting language: Ruby, Python, Perl
* An interpreted systems language: Java.
* A markup language: HTML and CSS
* No language. Configuration files for nginx and other things.
etc etc.
Very, very low on the list would be something like Javascript. This would be akin to editing Adobe Illustrator files in a hex editor. Sure you could end up with an image and an understanding of vector art, but, why in the name of God would you try to learn those concepts in that way?
Most beginners these days aren't really interested in your 'robust and scalable applications'. That is not where beginners need to start. At least if they start with javascript, they can see some value in continuing to learn programming. If that brings them to 'robust and scalable applications' then they'll migrate away from javascript if need be. But to say that javascript is far down on the list of first languages is just an asinine reaction that shows you don't really comprehend the problem of getting people to learn to program.
Also this: http://gigaom.com/cloud/node-js-and-the-javascript-age/