This is more of just a random thought that came to me today. It was thanks in part because I was thinking of a solution for something I was tasked to complete. This little task was to create a sort of date calculator. I could use either JavaScript or PHP to create it.
I, of course, chose to go with the JavaScript route. I do feel much more comfortable with JavaScript for some weird reason. I think it could be some nostalgia behind it. It is the first language I really did learn that dealt with objects and classes. I didn’t realize it at the time either when I first started learning how to use them. It wasn’t until later that it really clicked. Like really truly clicked.
When was that point?
Funnily enough it was random YouTube video that really helped me understand because it was a step in the right direction. The funnier part was that it wasn’t even a video on JavaScript but rather server-side technology. The person asked who was not using JSON and why they hated the world or something along those lines. It really helped me better grasp what objects are.
JavaScript Object Notation. Or JSON for short. It really was one of those moments when it really clicked and I laughed at how much sense it made then wondered why it took me so long to fully understand. I really do have this trait of having to read things more than once to understand. I don’t mind it to be honest. Biggest reason is because then I can better explain it later on.
And the thing is I love explaining things too. I love seeing others make that connection after I do; watching the little light come on is so satisfying and a good reward. For me.
What was the point?
To be completely honest, it was more a random thought that came up and I felt like writing about it. JavaScript took me a long time to really understand and I think that’s part of the reason it has really stuck with me. The one thing that took me the longest was what Objects really were.
I remember reading the JavaScript Bible and going through the pages and chapters and much of it didn’t quite make sense at the time. Some time after I went through it all over again and it was starting to really click. Knowing what built-in objects were really made me happy and then when I began to actually use it on the daily was when I really began to like it.
Then after some time I began to dislike it. And again, over time I liked it again. It has been super cyclical over the years and I’m okay with that. I do like seeing what can be done with it too and to this day still impresses me how much of the web still uses and relies on it. It is one of the programming languages that really will stick for many more years to come.