Foreword

When John emailed me to ask if I would write a foreword for Get Programming with JavaScript, I have to admit the main thing that got me on the hook was that he had used JS Bin throughout the book to let readers try out live demos. JS Bin was created in 2008 as a place for programmers to collaborate, test, debug, experiment, and share. Education is close to JS Bin’s heart, so John’s background as a teacher and his practical approach seemed like a great fit with its ethos and purpose. I’m a firm believer that getting your hands dirty with real code is a great way to learn, and being encouraged to create, extend, play, and rewrite, all in a safe, no-mistakes-barred space, looked like a good idea for a beginners’ programming book.

As the developer of JS Bin, an application created with JavaScript, I’m always excited to see JS Bin being used to teach beginners, and that’s exactly what John does with this book. It goes without saying that different people in different contexts take different lengths of time to learn programming. But they all benefit from a practical approach. JS Bin, as a free resource requiring no installation, provides an instantly accessible environment in which to learn, and this book provides the guidance to get started, the support to keep practicing, and the encouragement to enjoy the adventure.