Better javascript documenation?

[dsaba]

Hey I'm just another frustrated & beginning javascript programmer. I'm really shocked in the lack of documenation organization in such an essential language for the web. Yes, I've read about the history of javascript and how "javascript" itself is only a concept while the actual language is a criss-cross combination of different dialects like Jscript & Gecko Javascript. A beginning javascript programmer or any for that matter comes across too much junk, too many half-truth snippet/tutorial sites, too many ad-infested "javascript resources" and a whole lot of other misleading information. If people could rank the confusion in web technologies, javascript would probably be right up there.  Because this is a constantly evolving language with updates and changes all the time, no book can match an internet documenation, especially in this internet age. If you were to pick up the latest PHP book and the php.net documenation and confusion arises, most would find confidence in internet documentation to resolve the issue. I love the PHP.net documentation as you can have mostly all reliable information all in 1 place. Why can't javascript be like this?

 

Well, critics would argue that because we're talking about two different dialects and langauges within themselves this could never be. However, there IS a reason why Jscript and javascript are clunked into one 'javascript', because of their similarity! Nobody can deny that understanding Jscript and javascript and cross browserish concepts are essential to any javascript programmers. The fact is that there are more methods/properties that are verbatim-the same in both dialects than there are differences. ECMAScript was supposed to come to the rescue and bring standards to standardless langauges. Yay! Now we can read the ECMAScript docs and all our problems will be solved right? NOT! A documenation website in PDF-form is a joke anyways... (think about searching in it)

 

Well, I have an idea to create a similar documenation website like PHP.net but for javascript. You would be able to see information in an organized manner and information on what methods/properties work in what browsers, dialects, etc... Who likes going to at least 3 different places to get documenation and each website has different methods of organizing the information! How confusing if you're constantly looking at both, (which we all have to do!)!

It took me way too long just to find a simple method that is the same in both dialects on both documenation pages...

 

Bla..bla..bla.. Stop complaining and make it you say? Sure, I want to. But this last bit is the purpose of me posting here on this forum. Like I said earlier, I am javascript beginner so I not familiar with all the objects/methods/major differences in the major dialects of javascript.

 

Now its time for the javascript gurus to respond (no that doesn't mean you noobs).

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What do you think about such an idea? (if you don't like it say why)

Do think it will work and there are less major differences in both dialects to make an organization of both easier?

In the differences between the languages, aren't there more differences in the same methods but with different names, than there are completely different methodologies to doing the same thing on both dialects?

 

If you're worried about the authenticity of the documenation by such an "un-official" documentation. Don't worry about this. Assume it will be super authentic information, and there are ways to populate it with this easily. 

[lemmin]

Microsoft has already done what (I think) you are talking about:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/yek4tbz0(VS.85).aspx

[dsaba]

Yes, I think Microsoft's docs for JScript is the best I've seen so far for javascript. Mozilla's page says its undergoing 're-organization' though.. but its pretty hard in my opinion to get around it.. much less search for methods in it.

 

However if you didn't understand me I'm thinking more on the lines of 1 site to rule them all, but organized something in a php.net-ish fashion.

[haku]

I use this and this for all my javascript reference myself.