The Bottom Line
Pros
- Fast and easy to read with lots of examples
- Real-world (sorta) examples make it easy to apply the knowledge
- Photos and fun graphics add a lot of fun to a dry topic
Cons
- None
Description
- Introduction to Ajax explains what Ajax is and how you can use it on your Web sites.
- The early chapters cover what Ajax is and what it isn't.
- Examples used throughout the book explain the concepts by building them out.
- Separate chapters on asynchrony, the DOM, and using XML with applications.
- There's even a chapter on using JSON rather than XML.
- All the examples are also online so that you can see them in action or copy them for your site.
Guide Review - Head Rush Ajax by Brett McLaughlin
I admit it, I've hated JavaScript for a long time. So when someone described Ajax as "JavaScript finally works", I knew that I had to check it out. So I picked up a few books. But most of the books were the traditional programming tomes - big (giant!), often red, and full of code samples and very few explanations. It's almost as if developers want to feel macho by reading these books.
But I don't think anyone actually reads them.
You Will Read Head Rush Ajax
I read this book cover-to-cover. I read it in the car, I read it on planes, I read it instead of the fiction I usually prefer to read. Then when I was done, I read it again. This book is very easy and fun to read.
And as a bonus, I learned Ajax. It's actually surprising to me how simple, at it's core, Ajax really is. In some ways, using JavaScript to manipulate the DOM and make your Web pages display differently dynamically is Ajax. In fact, this book has a whole chapter on manipulating the DOM with JavaScript, which while there really isn't any asynchrony (let alone XML), is still pretty cool.
Some people might be turned off by the humorous stories and graphics that illustrate the entire book. But most of these people are not Web developers anyway, so who cares? If you're interested in learning Ajax, but don't want to wade through a big book of technical jargon, Head Rush Ajax is the perfect book for you.
