Christo Dichev said
I came across the text "Head first Ajax" while looking for a tutorial type book that can be used to extend my Internet Technology course with material on Ajax. I approached the book with an "Ajax for beginners" mindset, but soon realized that its content was not only informative but amusing as well. In fact, I found this book to be particularly helpful for learning Ajax technology quickly and naturally. It combines conversational style, humor, pictures, asides and visual effects with a logical approach when introducing Ajax concepts. This is the kind of book that makes reading enjoyable where the learning comes as a natural by-product rather than because of a 'need' to learn. In contrast to many programming language books that force the reader to plow through tens of pages of syntax before getting to the "Hello World" example, this book dives quickly into asynchronous applications, events, DOM and JASON. The "Head first Ajax" is a pleasure to read. The book content does not stick to a simple description of the Ajax machinery, rather it is an exposition of a combination of technologies leading to an Ajax style of Web applications. Mixing graphics with handwritten text and humor with factual information the author Rebecca Riordan manages to show in a nontraditional way the obvious advantages of AJAX applications over the conventional design of websites. This includes as advantages such issues as less delay in information access; faster rendering and more responsive web pages, increased productivity for data intensive web applications, etc.
There are other great Ajax books (e.g. "Ajax in Action" by Dave, Crane and Eric Pascarello with Darren James) in the market. But they are pretty serious and require the readers to be actively engaged in the process of absorbing and learning the relevant concepts. In contrast, the writing in "Head first Ajax" is clear, with content matched by a casual and enlightened style that hits the right balance. All in all this book provides a great introduction to Ajax. It provides more than a menu of technologies; it shows how the existing methods fit together in a consistent way that enable more responsive web applications without sacrificing performance. I wish that more authors and students could read this book and realize that learning can be fun, interesting and pleasant, and this style of writing can be utilized to stimulate the reader by providing a component of enjoyment in the learning process.
If you are an HTML/JavaScript guru, the book might be an entertaining and fun read, but you should not expect more than that. On the other hand if you want to learn what Ajax is and how to use it then "Head first Ajax" is an excellent starting point. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn about the new generation of Web application but have no idea where to start with.
Amer Khalid said
Yup this is my favorite book on Ajax. I love Head First books but this one far exceeded my expectations.
Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I am a Java programmer with little bit of experience in web technologies. Before reading this book I had used JavaScript libraries such as [...] So Ajax was not a totally brand new technology for me.
I bought this book because for upcoming project, I wanted a deeper understanding of Ajax. Also sometimes, while using Scriptaculous, debugging was not easy, because I didn't know what was really going on behind the scenes.
After reading this book, I have better understanding of Ajax. This doesn't mean I am Ajax expert now and ready to write my own library. I will stick with existing libraries. But I feel this book has given me enough basic concepts of Ajax (and also some general web design concepts) that I can use Ajax libraries without breaking anything unintentionally.
I don't think I will read another book on Ajax unless I am doing some custom Ajax coding.
J. L. Gillaspy said
AJAX is almost the least of the skills you will learn or improve by reading this book. Yes, it covers the browser side of AJAX very well. But it also delves deeply into javascript, CSS, and the DOM, with many examples of the best way to write the code.
The server side, on the other hand, is left for the reader to download and browse through mostly on your own.
Chandan Kumar said
I am new to Ajax and Head First Ajax lived up to its expectation in teaching me Ajax in a fun-filled way.
Midwest Book Review said
Any web programmer seeking to learn Ajax will find Rebecca M. Riordan's HEAD FIRST AJAX a user-friendly course in interactive web application programming and the many opportunities offered by Ajax. The actual look of the book is different: it uses the latest findings in cognitive science and learning theory to blend cartoons, drawings, charts, and graphic images into the process, making for a far easier learning method.
Comments