Preface

It would seem that everything that needs to be written about JavaScript has been written. Frankly, it is difficult to find a topic related to JavaScript that has not been discussed ad nauseam. However, JavaScript is changing at a rapid pace. ECMAScript 6 has the potential to transform the language and how we code in it. Node.js has already changed the way in which we write servers in JavaScript. Newer ideas such as React and Flux will drive the next iteration of the language. While we spend our time learning the new features, there is no denying that the foundational ideas of JavaScript have to be mastered. These ideas are fundamental and need attention. If you are already an experienced JavaScript developer, you will realize that modern JavaScript is vastly different from the language that most people have known. Modern JavaScript demands a specific stylistic discipline and rigor of thought. Tools are more powerful and slowly becoming an integral part of the development workflow. Though the language seems to be changing, it is built on some very solid and constant ideas. This book emphasizes on these fundamental ideas.

While the book was being written, things kept changing in the JavaScript landscape. Luckily, we were able to include all the important and relevant updates in this book.

Mastering JavaScript provides you with a detailed overview of the language's fundamentals and some of the modern tools and libraries, such as jQuery, Underscore.js, and Jasmine.

We hope that you enjoy this book as much as we enjoyed writing it.