One day I was asked what languages should be learned in order to increase the benefits of web development work quickly. My mind went back to college, when I used Pascal, Fortran, C, and assembly language, but at that time there were different goals.
Want to do web development, learn JavaScript
Given the current situation and trends, the answer is relatively easy to come up with: learning JavaScript. Look around, once the low-end browser scripting language now becomes ubiquitous, from server to client, seems to have more choices every day.
From a humble birth
I remember putting in web development a few years ago, learning HTML, and developing CGI scripts in Perl. Netscape introduced a scripting language called LiveScript in its version 2.0 browser, and soon the name changed to JavaScript. It's a cool language, but in the browser wars, about a year later, with Microsoft's increased support, JavaScript is limited to Netscape's browser. Its early effects are limited to simple tasks such as field validation, but it's a good choice compared to server-side scripting. JavaScript has gradually become a standard under the ECMAScript name.
Over the years, JavaScript has become a cool language for browser interaction, but it has gained more recognition as Ajax bursts, enabling developers to send and receive data from a Web server without refreshing the page. The next wave should be called the jquery Revolution, as it and other frameworks provide Easy-to-use features for developing powerful Web applications. Even Microsoft joined with the WINJS framework, and the Redmond giant chose JavaScript as a platform for developing Windows 8 applications.
When Google added a high-performance javascript V8 engine to its Chrome browser, JavaScript had a big leap forward. This development is helpful for the development of the new paradigm of JavaScript on server-side node.js. The use of Node.js has always been shocking, as well as the creation of a large number of JavaScript frameworks for applications that develop from Web sites to full-featured applications. The last item is data, and the JSON standard is the beginning of one of the most popular ways to transmit data, and most of the important data stores support it.
The momentum is still going on.
Over the years, there have been a lot of new technologies (Web site Evolution provides a great technology timeline), but one important aspect of JavaScript is that it has existed for about two centuries. Today it has steadily become a rich language.
This is a far cry from what it was at first, when JavaScript was never proud to write a resume, because the real programmer was too bothered to master it. Now, JavaScript is the focus of most recruiters ' assessment.
When you're looking for web development work, I think JavaScript is a great language to start with, and here's the big reason:
Low entry threshold: JavaScript is relatively easy to learn compared to other languages, and you can find a lot of ready-made scripts and resources online. In addition, JavaScript can be created by any text editor or a variety of free tools, including Atom, Chromedev Editor, and Jsfiddle.
Cross-platform: All browsers, as well as node.js servers, support JavaScript and operate on most mobile platforms. A set of JavaScript skills can be used to develop applications that target most platforms. (Note: JavaScript is not a universal tool.) For example, resource-intensive applications, such as data analysis, are best used in another language. )
Existing technology: Server-side JavaScript may be a relatively new concept, but the core JavaScript language has been around for years and has grown over time, and is widely accepted as a common web scripting language.
Springboard: JavaScript is compatible with other platforms, so your JavaScript skills will be required when you risk using Ruby on Rails, ASP.net, PHP, and other environments. You still need to learn HTML and some CSS to develop strong Web applications through JavaScript.
Top technology: Language is built, but the industry itself has found language with JavaScript knowledge and skills. Look at the job openings and you'll see trends.
Not your buddy's JavaScript.
I used to hear that JavaScript was described as easy to learn, but difficult to grasp. This may be true for many languages, but the degree of JavaScript saturation in the web means that novice developers can quickly copy validated code from other sites and make the necessary changes to work without having to fully understand the code.
Now that JavaScript is the backbone of the web, people who want to be web developers should focus on it as the first language to learn.
Do you agree? If you disagree, what is the first language that you think developers who want to find web development work should learn? Tell us in the comments.