For the record, Khan Academy is going to eventually scrap all the Python videos. John Resig, creator of jQuery, is going to redo all the videos narrated by him and with the code written in JavaScript.
Yeah that's slightly disconcerting. I'm not a compsci expert, I know enough scripting to get by as a full-time web developer, but javascript seems like it has a lot of hard-to-grasp idioms that would be hell for a beginner. I've read The Good Parts and I still don't totally understand the intricacies of prototypal inheritance. :p
I'd say stick with something a bit simpler, especially given that it's Khan Academy, not Stanford, so it's likely to attract far more casual lay-users who just want to know "a little bit about programming." The casual nature of the engagement means there is probably a very low threshold for quitting if the program is resulting in more confusion/frustration than "aha moments."
I think it's great they're doing it, tho! More people should learn "a little bit about programming."
Indeed. I find it a bit odd that prototypal inheritance (in some more powerful form than JS's) isn't the normal way of doing OO in scripting languages.
It has a very low barrier to entry, and it's not a bad first language. Also, while this has nothing to do with JavaScript per se, I'm reluctant to bet against John Resig.
Exactly. Just think how many people got started programming because BASIC was right there, and easy to get started with. JavaScript is a strictly better language, and I would bet that the Khan Academy guys are planning to make JS as instantly rewarding as BASIC was back in ancient times.
