Douglas Crockford is one of the best-known JavaScript developers and lecturers, as well as the originator of the JSON format. He is also a leading thinker on the advantages (and disadvantages) of JavaScript’s various features, and on the future of the language. In this talk from 2013, Crockford lists the many things that JavaScript does well, which have led it to be (as he describes it) the world’s most popular programming language.
Meteor is a new type of Web framework — one that bridges the gap between client and server, uses a single language on both, and allows for real-time communication between them. In this talk, Meteor developer Josh Owens introduces Meteor, and describes what he has learned (sometimes the hard way) from using this framework.
Angular.js is a popular open-source client-side framework, whose development is sponsored by Google. The current version of Angular.js, as of this writing, is 1.3 — but the big news is that Angular.js 2.0 will change everything, including much of the syntax. In this talk, two members of Google’s Angular.js team (Igor Minar and Tobias Bosch) discuss the differences between the versions, and what developers can expect.
It should be noted that this talk was given before the final state of Angular.js was decided. Moreover, many Angular.js developers have expressed upset with the sharp changes planned in Angular. Whether you love Angular, hate it, or are curious to see its future unfold, this talk will help you to understand where things are headed.
Client-side (i.e., JavaScript) frameworks and libraries are all the rage — which shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the ubiquity of the browser and of Web-based applications. Facebook has developed, and is promoting, React.js, a JavaScript framework that they are using for many applications, and which has become popular since its release. In this talk, two of the React.js developers, Tom Occhino and Jordan Walke, introduce and describe the framework — starting with its motivations, and continuing to its use in real-life applications.
How difficult is it to program in-browser graphical games using JavaScript? I assume that it’s not that hard in theory, but that it will actually be difficult in practice. Mary Rose Cook wants to disabuse me (and us) of the thought that it’s hard to do, and in order to do that, she implements a Space Invaders game, in JavaScript, over the course of a single 30-minute talk.
CoffeeScript is a language that compiles into JavaScript, and which is easier to work with in many ways. It is also part of modern versions of Ruby on Rails. In this talk, Mark Bates introduces CoffeeScript.
Axel Rauschmayer is an expert JavaScript developer, author, and trainer. In this talk, he describes how JavaScript is evolving, what is coming in future versions, and when we can start to use these features.
An excellent introduction to the AngularJS client-side Web framework, by Dan Wahlin, one of the leading trainers in the field.
Why are dynamic languages increasingly popular? What advantages do they have over statically compiled languages? Steve Yegge‘s talk on this subject is a great introduction to these ideas.