Sick of creating web sites that reload every time a user moves the mouse? Tired of servers that wait around to respond to users' requests for movie tickets? It sounds like you need a little (or maybe a lot of) Ajax in your life. Asynchronous programming lets you turn your own web sites into smooth, slick, responsive applications that make your users feel like they're back on the information superhighway, not stuck on a dial-up backroad.
But who wants to take on next-generation web programming with the last generation's instruction book? You need a learning experience that's as compelling and cutting-edge as the sites you want to design. That's where we come in. With Head Rush Ajax, in no time you'll be writing JavaScript code that fires off asynchronous requests to web servers...and having fun doing it. By the time you've taken your dynamic HTML, XML, JSON, and DOM skills up a few notches, you'll have solved tons of puzzles, figured out how well snowboards sell in Vail, and even watched a boxing match. Sound interesting? Then what are you waiting for? Pick up Head Rush Ajax and learn Ajax and asynchronous programming the right way--the way that sticks.
If you've ever read a Head First book, you know what to expect: a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works. Head Rush ramps up the intensity with an even faster look and feel. Have your first working app before you finish Chapter 1, meet up with the nefarious PROJECT: CHAOS stealth team, and even settle the question of the Top 5 Blues CDs of all time. Leave boring, clunky web sites behind with 8-tracks and hot pants--and get going with next-generation web programming.
"If you thought Ajax was rocket science, this book is for you. Head Rush Ajax puts dynamic, compelling experiences within reach for every web developer." -- Jesse James Garrett, Adaptive Path
"A 'technology-meets-reality' book for web pioneers on the cutting edge." -- Valentin Crettaz, CTO, Condris Technologies
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Newbies need the code that's in the book to work - this doesn't.:
The teaching style is light and humorous and that's great and all (though definitely aimed heavily at 20-somethings), but when the code examples simply don't work, glib doesn't cut it any more. In a beginner's guide book the code must be solid, even more solid than a book aimed at experts, because the beginner doesn't have the knowledge base an expert would have to figure out obvious flaws. Unfortunately, what this book is presenting as valid working code contains major flaws. This is the kind of book... more info
Notice the "rush" in the title...:
Notice the rest of the books in this series are all "Head First ...", but this one is "Head Rush ...". It was an alright introductory book at the time it was published, but there are now better choices. I assume it has been replaced in the O'Reilly / Head-First lineup by the recent "Head First Ajax" (seriously, I'm not kidding ... this is reminiscent of them remaking The Hulk, again). Reviewing this book in a vacuum I'd say its strength is its very thorough, very tutorial, very well-illustrated... more info
A fun read, but don't use it on the job...:
The book is humourous and a pleasant read, and a fun way to learn Ajax in your easy chair by the fireplace. But *don't* try using it on the job. I tried building a real-world application with this as my guide - as I went through each chapter, I'd use the methods conveyed by the examples to build my own project. This went well until I got to the section on POST requests. As before, I adapted the example to my own project - and it didn't work. The problem is that the code on page 299 is flat-out... more info
Avoid like the plague!:
A conceptually solid intro to AJAX plagued by errors in the code samples -- see http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/headra/errata/headra.unconfirmed. Even some of the sample ajax apps running on the headfirstlabs site don't work! For instance, visit http://www.headfirstlabs.com/books/hrajax/chapter02/breakneck/pizza.html, type in a phone#, and watch as the php incorrectly dumps out all the addresses in the mock database. Did the author even bother to test out the sample apps?
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