Bulletproof Ajax
March 16, 2007
About a week ago I got my copy of Bulletproof Ajax by Jeremy Keith, the sequel to his previous DOM Scripting book (which I might add, was excellent).
I should first point out that my javascript knowledge is quite limited, although I’ve gained confidence having read through “DOM Scripting” I’m still by no means a professional. I’ve been interested in ajax for quite a while but always found it impossible to do most things without resorting to using some sort of library such as prototype or script.aculo.us.
For the ajax newcomer this book is superb. It doesn’t jump into the code straight away, instead taking the time to explain what the actual technology is and how it could/should be used.
This is followed up by an entire chapter dedicated to explaining how the DOM works and even some simple javascript so it’s really not a requirement to own his previous book in order to get the most from this one.
Beyond these initial chapters he goes on to explain data formats, ajax challenges, progressive enhancement, accessibility and this is all backed up by several examples, with full colour illustrations, which you can put together yourself as you read along or can download from the books’ site. He even manages to throw in a section about javascript libraries and which ones to choose.
I would have to say for anyone wanting to learn ajax (with or without prior javascript knowledge) this the book you want, it’s well thought out and really takes the time to explain all of the concepts so that you fully understand what’s happening. It’s worth noting though that while the book does provide a good general introduction into javascript if you’ve never used the DOM or javascript before it’s worthwhile picking up “DOM Scripting” as well.
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