Press releases

"Head First JavaScript" and "Head First Software Development"--New from O'Reilly Media: Two Brain-Friendly Guides to Improve Your Skills

Press release: January 3, 2008

Wouldn't it be dreamy if there was a way to learn the skills you need from books without falling asleep in the process? To really learn JavaScript from a book without wanting to set fire to it halfway through and swear off the Web forever? Or if there was a software development book that really made you feel like a better developer? It's not just a fantasy. The newest Head First books from O'Reilly will help you do just that. Head First JavaScript by Michael Morrison (O'Reilly, US $39.99) will help you make the leap from writing web pages to scripting dynamic web applications. Head First Software Development by Dan Pilone and Russ Miles (O'Reilly, US $49.99) teaches you the essential lessons for making sure you deliver quality software on time and on budget.

Head First JavaScript
By Michael Morrison
ISBN: 0-596-52774-8, 650 pages, $39.99 USD

So you're ready to make the leap from writing HTML and CSS web pages to creating dynamic web applications. You want to take your web skills to the next level. And you're finally ready to add "programmer" to the resume. It sounds like you're ready to learn the Web's hottest programming language: JavaScript. Head First JavaScript is your ticket to going beyond copying and pasting the code from someone else's web site, and writing your own interactive web pages.

With Head First JavaScript you learn:

  • The basics of programming, from variables to types to looping
  • How the web browser runs your code, and how you can talk to the browser with your code
  • Why you'll never have to worry about casting, overloading, or polymorphism when you're writing JavaScript code
  • How to use the Document Object Model to change your web pages without making your users click buttons

Head First Software Development
By Dan Pilone and Russ Miles
ISBN: 0-596-52735-7, 495 pages, $49.99 USD

Even the best developers have seen well-intentioned software projects fail-often because the customer kept changing requirements, and end users didn't know how to use the software you developed. Instead of surrendering to these common problems, let Head First Software Development guide you through the best practices of software development. Before you know it, those failed projects will be a thing of the past.

With its unique visually rich format, this book pulls together the hard lessons learned by expert software developers over the years. You'll gain essential information about each step of the software development lifecycle-requirements, design, coding, testing, implementing, and maintenance-and understand why and how different development processes work.

About O’Reilly

O’Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O’Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying “faint signals” from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.

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