Javascript, The Swiss Army Knife of Programming Languages

ATTENTION: THIS TEMPLATE IS DEPRECATED

What is this workshop about?
Javascript is not anymore an ugly language for make your web pages interactive. In this workshop you are going to learn the true essence of this powerful language from the roots. First, we are going to start from the basis and we will go through the best practices of Javascript. Next, we are going to build a basic web based game using HTML5 and advanced libraries beyond JQuery, like Require.js for example. Then, we are going to explore the surface of Node.js and make our multiplayer game using Javacript on the server-side.

Why is this course relevant nowadays?
The popularity of Javascript is growing each year thanks to edge technologies like HTML5, Node.js or Firefox OS. People are using Javascript on a lot platforms as an alternative to native technologies. This course is relevant because we need to learn how we can use this language at its full potential and don’t fall over common pitfalls. Javascript can be a little bit tricky, but with practise you will be able to do everything with it.

What will I learn in this workshop?
In this workshop you will to learn Javascript as a real programming language. We are going to review the best parts of the language and explain the parts you must avoid at all cost. This is not a workshop about game development, but you will create a basic game from scratch as an example. In this exercise, you will learn the basics of HTML5 and Node.js. Finally, you will meet new friends like Require.js as an implementation of AMD pattern on Javascript, Bower for dependency management, and Grunt to automate redundant tasks and improve your workflows.

Who will I be sitting next to in this workshop?
Developers. Their background will be basically web development but it’s not mandatory. We are going to use game development as an excuse for learning Javascript, so I expect attendees to be used to game development or at least be quite interested. Not additional skills are required.

Takeaways:

  • Javascript good parts: from basic to advanced features.
  • Basic HTML5 for game development
  • Automate your workflows using Grunt
  • Manage your dependencies using Bower
  • AMD modules with Require.js
  • Javascript on the server side using Node.js

Schedule
This is a 2 Saturday's Workshop: November, 23th & 30th from 10am to 2pm each Saturday.

Price: 89€/person

Prereqs & Preparation
This workshop will start with the basics and it will scale in difficulty step by step. Prior experience with Javascript is recommended but not mandatory. Just bring your laptop and we will start from scratch. Additional software is not required, just your favourite text editor. I personally recommend Vim.


PS: The first 10 attendants will have a T-SHIRT for free!