If you want to make your Web pages more active and interactive, you should be exploring JavaScript. As programming languages go, it is one of the easiest to learn. Though you can produce quite extensive applications with it if you really want, it is designed for small-scale work. Blocks of JavaScript code can be interwoven with standard HTML to add an extra dimension to your Web pages.
This Made Simple book is not intended for proficient programmers who just need to pick up the rules and the vocabulary but is for you if you have little or no prior experience of programming, and it starts from scratch. The Author has concentrated on the basic concepts and practical uses of the language, and tried to avoid getting bogged down in technicalities.
JavaScript Made Simple will take you through to the point where you can write small scripts to enhance and add interest to your Web pages. From this book you'll gain the foundations and the confidence to go further into the language. Each feature is demonstrated at work in a short example, as new concepts are best learnt through practical work. You will find exercises at the end of most chapters - use them to test your knowledge and to experiment with new ideas.
The text files for the larger examples, and for all of the answers to the exercises, can be found on the Made Simple Web pages.
Mac's first steps into computing came 19 years ago when he taught himself Basic on a ZX81. He started his first book shortly afterwards, when he realised that (a) programming was fun, and (b) no-one was writing simple books on it. Since then he has programmed in, taught and/or written about 9 varieties of Basic, 3 Pascals, 2 Cs, Assembler, Cobol and Java, 5 spreadsheets, 3 databases, 4 word-processors, and 6 operating systems. He is looking forward to the time when developers stop producing new software and books don't go out of date in a couple of years. Mac can usually be found either in the kitchen or running a taxi service for his family. He lives in Southampton with 4 children, 2 cats and 40 fishes. Web page: homepages.tcp.co.uk/~macbride Mac is the author of the following Made Simple books: The Internet for Windows 95 (Second Edition) The Internet for Windows 3.1 (First Edition) The Internet for Windows 95 (First Edition) The Internet for Windows 98 The Internet (Colour Edition) First Edition the Internet (Colour Edition) Second Edition Office 95 Office 97 Office 2000 Works for Windows 3.1 Works for Windows 95 Windows 3.1 Windows 95 Windows 98 Internet Resources Microsoft Networking Explorer 3.0 Explorer 4.0 Explorer 5.0 Netscape Navigator Searching the Internet Java JavaScript Pascal UNIX Outlook 2000 Sage Accounts HTML 4.0 Mac is also the series advisor/editor.
