When we began learning JavaScript this week, there was a feeling of "hitting the reset button" on everything that I have learned up until that point. I went through the same stages I did when I began learning Ruby: utter confusion, flailing about to piece together code that would work, seeing the patterns at work and then beginning to begin to understand. This weekend, I had a JavaScript book laying around, and I decided that I was going to try to find the point where things began to become fuzzy so I got to the first chapter. I understood that much. Got to the second chapter and that was familiar too. I kept skipping ahead to look for the "confusing stuff" and before I realized it, I was a solid 100 pages into the book....not bad for only learning this stuff beginning Monday.
What helped me through this is that the same core programming principles that were in Ruby were in JavaScript as well. In fact JavaScript's stricter syntax helped me understand things in Ruby that I ha missed the first time around. Sure the feelings were the same when I first looked at JavaScript, but this time, I got over them much quicker. I feel with a little more practice, that I can make this work.
Really interesting read, Keith. I found myself referencing this (not naming you) in several conversations. Thank you.