A review and next steps... Today I completed Part I: Language from the Eloquent Javascript book. I skimmed the final two chapters, which felt less practical for me at this stage of the learning journey. The penultimate chapter covers async programming (something I'll pick up later, as its
Oh the quirks of JS! I continue to be reminded of why I much prefer Python. Javascript, it turns out, is far more forgiving when it comes to making mistakes with the language (this is why Typescript exists.) For example let's consider working with strings and numbers. Python
I completed chapter 7 and it has to be the most confusing chapter of Eloquent Javascript so far. It jumps across concepts relatively quickly, assuming a firmer grasp than beginners might have. For example, I couldn't complete the bonus exercise on data structures, right after the robot sim.
As a side quest today I used ChatGPT to practice the syntax for javascript arrow functions. Here's the prompt I gave ChatGPT in study mode: 🤖Arrow functions in JS. I'd like to learn all the different ways of writing them and firm up my knowledge/understanding
I'm starting to get used to the JS lingo. But I still find it an awkward language that's missing some modern capabilities. For example, here's how you create a list in Python: # Create a list of numbers from 1 up to 4 numbers = list(
I'm on a chunky chapter where I need to read all the code of a simple robot program and fully understand it before attempting the related exercises. This means this chapter will be a slow one. I've read it once already, but will re-read it again
ChatGPT Study Mode I've been using ChatGPT's Study Mode alongside what is my core resource – the book Eloquent Javascript – in learning javascript. Some impressions so far: The good bits... * I can copy and paste in portions of a book's text and ask for clarity
Today I covered prototypes (a quirk of javascript) and the related topic of classes. The protoype topic is an example of an area I can skim over, since the convention today in Javascript is to use the object-oriented approach (more on this here.) Covering classes was relatively easy since I&
I'm halfway through the 21 day Javascript challenge I set myself. How are things going? I'd like to complete at least the first 12 chapters of Eloquent Javascript. Today I completed Chapter 5. With another 10 days to go and 7 chapters left, I might have
Today I covered more higher order functions. Map and reduce. Yesterday I covered filter. One of the benefits of using these functions is composability. This is the idea of using relatively small blocks of code chained together for more complex behaviour. Here's a quick example. If we have
I have to say, I'm really enjoying using ChatGPT as an additional tutor alongside the key book I'm leaning on for this journey. For example once I got to a section that introduced JS filters, I worked with GPT to produce clear summary notes about filter
I'm now on Chapter 5 of Eloquent Javascript. I'm yet to finish the chapter but a key takeaway from today is the power of abstraction. I've blogged about this before, but came to appreciate it more today. The basic takeaway is this: Abstractions help