Why JavaScript is important and you will love it :)

Do you know "what is the programming language of the Web?". Is it PHP or ASP
S or C/C++ or Java or Python or Ruby or may be Lisp? (Note: HTML and CSS are not programming languages)

My answer is no, no, no and no. Ladies and gentlemen, our champion is JavaScript:

• All web browsers have it
• All Web 2.0 apps use it
• Adobe Flash & Flex have it
• It's one of the only four programming languages are allowed to use at Google (others are C/C++, Java and Python)
• Googlers love it so much that they created a JavaScript web app framework called Rhino on Rails :))
  
• It can run on both client side and server side (SpiderMonkey, Rhino ... )
• Web apps prefer JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) than XML
  

Now I think you agree with me that JavaScript is important. You should learn it. I'm sure that you will love it when you learn it in the right way.

• It's a simple language
• It's easy to learn
  
• It's functional
• It's object is very flexible
• It supports lexical closure (you can do great thing when combine closure and funtional)
  

How to learn it in the right what? I suggest you start from here:
http://www.crockford.com/javascript/

More very good and free material can be found at:

• Video: Douglas Crockford, "The JavaScript Programming Language"
  
• Video: Douglas Crockford, "Advanced JavaScript"
• Eloquent Javascript
• JavaScript Definitive Guide (free access for 2nd edition: not sure about copyright!)