JavaScript, In My Opinion

I played Diablo 2 religiously in my formative years. Early in the plot you’ll meet Deckard Cain, an old man who pesters you to listen to what he has to say. The irony is not lost on me that in writing this, I’ll become JavaScript’s pestering old man. In the words of my spiritual predecessor: stay awhile and listen.

Despite being the most widely used programming language in the world, most people using it don’t have a clear understanding of how it works. Even worse, those who get it have a hard time teaching their secrets to in a way most people can quickly understand.

I don’t blame either group.

Gave up trying to understand monads for the same reason that nobody has been able to explain it to me in a way I can understand. On the other hand, I’ve never been able to explain to successfully explain to anyone how JavaScript works.

I’d like to share a few simple ideas that will change how you see JavaScript.

The ideas will explain clearly what makes JavaScript slow. With them, you will learn to recognize if the JavaScript you’re reading is slow and learn how to rewrite it to be fast. These ideas are applicable in JavaScript engines as old as the one Internet Explorer 6 uses and are valid today.

If you work with JavaScript, learn these ideas so you can finally enjoy working with this language.

The list is at the bottom of the post, if you don’t want to stay awhile and listen. *sigh*

Continue reading JavaScript, In My Opinion