Excellent, Thorough, and Detailed Coverage.  A great deskside reference.  Not a tutorial for initially learning JavaScript.
926150
This is one of those books that you keep withing arm's length and to which you frequently refer when designing software.  It is not a tutorial book for learning JavaScript simply because it has too much detail.  That detail is the reason this is such a useful reference book -- it contains loads of detailed information on every topics, including implementation issues, behavioral nuances, better ways to use features, alternatives, etc.  After over 40 years of active professional software development and multi-year fluency in at least eight languages, I've found a reference book like this for each language.  It looks like this will be my "go to" reference for JavaScript.

One review complained that there was not coverage of DOM, but there are three chapters (122 pages) dedicated to DOM.  Another complained about no inclusion of object-oriented programming in JavaScript, but there is a 44-page chapter solely on Object-Oriented Programming, plus additional o-o material scattered throughout the book.  There was a complaint about the incompleteness of the index.  Admittedly, I don't yet have months of referencing material in this book, but I have yet to find a topic that wasn't well-covered in its index.

I highly recommend Kevin Stokes' November 3, 2012 five-star review -- "Coming from a real language? This book is your best bet.".
3436755
I have several books on MySQL on my desk at work, but I have learned to go to this one first when I need an answer to a specific problem. It covers everything from from syntax to concepts. It is thorough and gives enough information to get the job done, but not so much as to be overwhelming. I think this is one of the better technical books I have encountered in many years, and highly recommend it to anyone who needs to actually get into the inner working of a MySQL database.
4509000
I have yet to meet an O'Reilly book I didn't like, and this is no exception. As an instructor I am always looking for good reference texts and O'Reilly publishes some of the finest computer references available on the planet. They are NOT, however, "how to" books that most beginners will find useful.
Once you have grasped the basics of JavaScript and can tell the difference between a function, a method, and an event handler, THEN buy this book! Until then, stick with references from PeachPit Press, or the Dummies Guides. They will help you get started with a much lower frustration factor. O'Reilly texts assume some working knowledge of how computers work, and Javascript: The Definitive Guide will be much easier for you once you have an understanding of basic programming concepts and theory.
The Third Edition of Javascript: The Definitive Guide has several improvements over the Second Edition. For example, the reference pages include the availability of each command described (i.e. is it JavaScript 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 and which version of Netscape or MSIE will it work in). That aspect alone makes it worth every penny because it will save you HOURS of time when trying to write cross-browser friendly code.
Chapter 1 also contains some excellent background information about the history of JavaScript, dispels a few myths, provides an overview of client-side features and addresses security issues. (Not many texts even bother to mention that there ARE security issues when using JavaScript!)
Highly, HIGHLY recommended for intermediate to advanced JavaScript developers, or anyone who is already familiar with object oriented programming and wants to add JavaScript to their tool kit.
BKA
2491261
This book pretty much covers everything I needed to know about Win32 system programming. It has very good coverage of topics like threading, file handling, Memory Management, Interprocess communication, network programming, and asynchronous I/O with completion ports. Ever wonder how to share memory or access really, really huge files? Want to learn how to build more scalable servers? This book covers all that and more. I recently took a new job that uses all of this stuff and I was relieved to find a book that covered it all so well.

He gives a very good generalized view of the windows programming philosophy and explains some common windows types and their uses, which helps in understanding the rest of the API. There are plenty of programming examples and he often compares Win32 programming techniques to UNIX programming techniques giving references to the Stevens book which will help put things in context for UNIX programmers.

For client side programming you can get by with Petzold but for server side this book is a must. If you do system development on Win32 then this book is your weapon.
183434
This is an excellent tutorial and simple reference book to get one started coding client-side applications.

The early chapters quickly walk the reader through the terminology, debugging and testing setup, and the mix of technologies involved in making a web page.  Later on, there is less hand-holding, more advanced material is explained in less detail, but with excellent code examples, making this book a good reference rather than a textbook.  The differences betweem platforms are addressed throughout the book, including Opera, Chrome and Safari browsers.

The book is organized with code on the right-hand side of the page, and text on the left, making it easier to search for the relevant code example.

However, this is not a cookbook-style reference. The information is organized by how to use a particular feature of the technology, rather then by how to accomplish a task. Accordingly, both the Table of Content in front of the book and in the beginning of each chapter, and Perspective at the end of chapters list the technology features discussed in the section.

If you expect to use this book mostly as a reference on how to get things done, plan on spending some time to get familiar with how material is organized, even if you already know your way around JavaScript and DOM.
2623939
A very complete and thorough address.  An excellent reference even if one is not utilizing the accompanying software.
3886620
A thorough and well-written introduction to AS 7

The author has written 2 other quality JBoss books, so you know there is adequate depth of knowledge.  AS 7 is a complete re-hang of JBoss, so users have much to learn and this book provides it.  JBoss administration is changed in big ways (some old tools are gone, some new ones introduced), and this book explains what you'll need to change and how to change it.

What's not here is how to program JEE 6, though you are given one small application as part of the application deployment chapter.  If you need to learn EE 6 as well, please look to another source for that information.  But for AS 7 (which will become the next supported JBoss, EAP 6) this is a great source.

I've really enjoyed working with the trifecta of AS 7's lightning speed, IDE-friendly reduced footprint, and JEE 6 productivity improvements.  All 3 combined make for a very enjoyable development experience.  This book is well written and already has plenty of content (with promise of more to come.)  I recommend it for any AS 7 user.
1817894
This book covers more than you need to know,
which makes it a superb reference.
I learned heaps from it.
Don't fear the A+ exam as it is
pretty straightforward. The questions a
are not confusing, which cannot be said
of most MCSE related exams.
The CD is really good as well,although there
are a few errors. If you can spot them it means
you know your stuff.
842695
I'm really impressed by the diverse coverage in this book, from e-mail protocols, HTTP transactions, server and browser architecture, XML and XSLT, to best practices for web application development. I've seen too many hodgepodge books on web application development that try to cover a broad range of topics that are slapped together haphazardly. This book has a well-defined learning path and a consistent style throughout, doing justice to each topic covered and tying all the information together cohesively. They say it's not supposed to be a tutorial on Struts, but the chapter for the book's sample application is better than many dedicated Struts tutorials. It explains clearly why MVC approaches are better than code-focused platforms like ASP, .NET, PHP, and JSP Model 1 -- because those approaches don't divide component responsibilities appropriately. The chapters on browser and server architecture explain the processing flow of HTTP requests and responses better than any other book I've seen, and the figures are quite helpful.
4977120
I bought this book because I wanted to learn JavaScript, and it is doing just that!!! There is so much stuff packed into this book that it is amazing, and I can't believe I only payed $32 for it! It covers everything you need to know. It goes into more detail about JavaScript than any book on any other language I have seen. And all the pages are not little flashy examples. It is a real reference for those who are serious about learning JS.
1906405
First off, I worry a bit that Amazon displays 3rd Edition reviews on the page for the unreleased (as of this writing) 4th Edition. The 3rd Edition was a major revision from the 2nd, and Danny Goodman (at his web site, dannyg dot com) reports that the 4th will be a "massive overhaul." Make sure you're reading reviews for the edition you're thinking of buying. It's been three years since JSB3, and like web technology, Danny Goodman does not sit still.
With that out of the way: In short, I always recommend Danny Goodman's JavaScript Bible, Third Edition, to everyone with a serious interest in JavaScript. It is the only book I recommend. And, with rare exception, it is the only book I use.
JSB3 is the single most valuable book on my programming shelf. I've been developing web applications for years with extremely complex JavaScript code, and I consistently turn to Danny for reference. Perhaps there are better introductory tutorials, but for straight-on encyclopedic data on the JavaScript language, I find JSB3 to be the fastest and clearest information resource. (It's labeled "100% Comprehensive" for a reason.) The book's reference section is unusually well formatted for quick skimming, and Danny's writing highlights many a vital detail.
I have, let's see here, five other JavaScript books, mostly gathering dust. Other than (the dust-free) JSB3, the only one I take down from the shelf is O'Reilly's Dynamic HTML: The Definitive Reference -- written by, yes, Danny Goodman. Mainly I use that one for DHTML issues. It does have a full JavaScript reference, but it's not half as easily skimmed as JSB3 and it's printed in O'Reilly's standard eyestraining ITC Garamond Light font. JSB3 is easy on the eyes.
I see many negative reviews here for this book, but to me it's indispensable. Perhaps it's a matter of taste? It's not completely free of errors (I've yet to find a JavaScript book that is), but Danny keeps a list of errata and updates at dannyg dot com, where you can also find the JSB4 Quick Reference and Compatibility Guide (formerly called the Object Roadmap) for PDF download.
Speaking of compatibility, JSB3 has the best cross-browser compatibility notation I've seen, which was an immeasurable help to me and my colleagues in the past couple of years. I look forward to seeing current information again -- fleeting though it may be. Even with newer browser versions, JSB3 is one of the rare programming books that have stood the test of time.
879051
Let me start off by saying that this book is not a teaching guide, if you are just starting out then look at some of the self teaching books. This book is a COMPLETE resource for javascript syntax. It has only what you need to finish a script with no nonsense. I use this book so much, I bought 2 copies - one for work and one for home. Anyone serious about javascript programming should end their collection with this book. I can't wait for the second addition!
2675797
As a proponent of creativity-based learning in web developer education, I think the intersection of literary knowledge and that of JavaScript is strong and extremely well done in this book.

The concept of viewing exercise solutions in the style of different writers not only shows readers that different styles can be used when writing in JavaScript, but it also allows them to learn about something outside of the web development discipline at the same time.

This is by no means a definitive guide on "how to JavaScript." That's been done hundreds of times, some great and some not so. "If Hemmingway Wrote JavaScript" is a book that helps you both further study and appreciate JavaScript with help from great writers such as Hemingway, Sylvia Plath, and Tupac Shakur.

Last but certainly not the least, the illustrations and layout of the book are gorgeous and add to the pleasurable experience of reading and studying this book. I've been gifting this to my fellow JavaScript developers who already own all of the classic JS tutorial/guide books and need a little more culture and art on their bookshelves.
4070082
This is a very good source of information about the Web Audio API. It is clear, ordered and it covers everything for the very basics of JS programming to the implementation of the API on useful applications. It does a good job presenting the examples using vanilla JS instead of relying on libraries, which helps for a clearer foundation.

A very complete book, considering the current development of the Web Audio API.
4295028
A careful description of HTML5 tags was given, followed by detailed descriptions of how to use CSS3. What I liked the most was how to cope with IE and older browsers -- the 'why' behind some lines of code. Now I can explain these things to others (students) and apply these principles in my own work. It is a reference book always at my side.
631106
This is the best VBScript I have ever read.  Explanations when appropriate, examples where needed, and a virtually complete reference section, formatted exactly as a reference book should be - command, syntax, parameters, returns and examples.  Easy to find exactly what you are looking for.  This book has save me a considerable amount of reference time, as well as giving me the info I needed when I needed it.  My hat off the authors, this book is worth every penny I paid for it - and then some.
1169940
If you've been in web programming for a while, you're undoubtedly familiar with JavaScript, but may have dismissed it as a "toy language" for flashy graphics effects without much substance.  Although JavaScript is certainly the web professional's tool of choice for flashy graphics effects without much substance, the language itself is surprisingly substantial.  I had been meaning to learn more about it for years and tried off and on by looking at example scripts and reading online documentation here and there.  I finally decided to break down and buy a book on JavaScript, and I'm glad that it was this one.  I can't recommend it highly enough - it's especially targeted at people with programming experience.  This book doesn't waste your time with basic constructs or meaningless metaphors; it gets to the point, describes JavaScript, and lets you get on about your business.

As the book itself clarifies, JavaScript itself is just a programming language and doesn't necessarily have anything to do with web browsers per se.  However, since virtually all JavaScript programming is done for the purpose of controlling web pages, the author specifically dedicates one third of the book to the core JavaScript language, and another third to a thorough description of the bindings between JavaScript and the browser.  (The final third is a well-indexed reference that you'll find indispensable).

Since you're probably most interested in the JavaScript-browser bindings (the core language is fairly well documented online), let me say that this books coverage of it is excellent.  It covers the entire history of JavaScript, detailing compatibility issues between Netscape, IE, and Mozilla (all the way back to the very first release of Netscape) and detailing exactly the sorts of uses that JavaScript is typically being put to these days.  An example in the section on event handling shows how to implement drag and drop on a web page in JavaScript (bet you didn't know you could do that!) and there's even a lengthy section on the relationship between JavaScript and CSS.

I couldn't be happier with the book - it lived entirely up to my expectations and was well worth the money I spent on it.