For Immediate Release
December 13, 2001
For more information, a review copy, cover art or an interview with
the authors, contact:
Kathryn Barrett (707) 827-7094 or kathrynb@oreilly.com 



NEW EDITION OF "DESIGNING WITH JAVASCRIPT" FOR
DESIGNERS WHO WANT TO USE JAVASCRIPT NOW


Sebastopol, CA--Hand-in-hand with their creative drive, most designers
also have a yearning to try new tools and techniques, which is
fortunate because the Web has presented them with ample opportunities
to learn new skills. Having mastered HTML, design principles for
crafting web pages, and optimizing graphics for web delivery, most
designers will find themselves needing to learn one or more programming
languages if they hope to achieve anything more than static web pages.
The natural starting point is JavaScript--the popular scripting used to
create image rollovers, pop-up windows, auto-scrolling frames and other
dynamic effects. O'Reilly's newly released second edition of "Designing
with JavaScript" (Nick Heinle & Bill Pena, US $34.95), shows designers
how to achieve the effects they want without forcing them to wade
through pages of dry programmer-speak about variables, operators, and
functions.

A working knowledge of JavaScript is more essential than ever for web
designers.  Says coauthor Bill Pena, "The Internet is an interactive
environment on many different levels, but if you look at most web
sites, they don't actually allow much interaction other than clicking
on links to load new pages. JavaScript makes web pages transcend this
static library of sites by letting you make any part of a page respond
to and interact with the user.  Menus and features pop up when you want
them, headline tickers update news and stocks, questionnaires and
cookies let users save their preferences for your site on their own
computer, all of which you can do without having to learn complex
programming languages or forcing your users to have certain plugins
installed."

"Designing with JavaScript" is geared toward web designers who don't
come from a computer science background, but who have learned web
languages and technologies as they've needed them. As Pena explains,
"Our book offers these 'accidental programmers' step-by-step
instruction of practical JavaScript applications, and example scripts
that they can use immediately in their own sites with a minimum of
previous knowledge."

"It's also aimed at people like me, who leaned JavaScript several years
ago, but need to refresh and relearn a lot of the advance topics, such
as dynamic HTML and the DOM, to keep up with the now-dominant 6.0
generation of web browsers," Pena adds. "The last three chapters of the
book have been completely rewritten to clearly teach the foundations of
these technologies. This book will help JavaScript hackers keep their
sites and their skills from becoming obsolete."

The first edition of "Designing with JavaScript" taught tens of
thousands of web designers how to enliven their pages with JavaScript.
This major revision demonstrates common JavaScript techniques and
explains how to customize them for specific purposes. Along the way, it
introduces basic JavaScript concepts, teaching the language in the
context of real-world examples. By the time a designer finishes this
book, he or she will have a solid foundation of JavaScript knowledge
that they can apply to their own web pages.

What the critics said about the first edition:

"...very intuitive and not like other programming books you may
read...this book is well written and gets my approval, if you are
looking to learn JavaScript, or if you already are very experienced in
it you will want to pick up the book as it will show you stuff that you
didn't know you could do."--Raymond Angel, thirdgeek.com, May 2001

"A useful book for the web page designer who does not wish to tackle
Java programming but wishes to make pages adaptable and
dynamic."--Brian Bramer, C Vu, March 1998

"Thank you for making such a HUGELY beneficial resource available to
designers who are already spread thin enough...Your pages have been leaned
on and referred to hundreds of times by myself and my fellow designers
here at work. Thanks."--Joel Harris, Designer

"A strong choice for people who don't necessarily know a programming
language and need a common sense introduction. That said, it also
covers a lot of great advanced techniques."
--Tom Mace, amazon.com, April 1998

"...a first-rate tutorial that demonstrates how to create dynamic
content on your web site through a multitude of examples and
explanations...The book emphasizes real-world application of its
lessons, making 'Designing with JavaScript' necessary for any budding
web designer who wants to move quickly from the static to the dynamic."
--Andrew Boscardin, amazon.com

"'Designing with JavaScript' is a book that makes going to the next
level easy and entertaining...Rarely does a book come along which works
so well for both beginners and experts, and yet does not talk down (or
up) to either part of the audience. 'Designing with JavaScript' is a
find in that it teaches the reader its subject in an even-handed and
thorough manner. The examples (taken from live sites) are meticulously
documented...If you are unfamiliar with JavaScript and want to learn,
or are slogging along with a less informative work, then pick this one
up."--Computing News & Review, November 1997


Chapter 1, "Diving into JavaScript," is available free online at:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/designjs2/chapter/index.html

For more information about the book, including Table of Contents, index, 
author bio, and samples, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/designjs2/

For a cover graphic in jpeg format, go to:
ftp://ftp.ora.com/pub/graphics/book_covers/hi-res/156592360x.jpg


Designing with JavaScript
By Nick Heinle & Bill Pena
Second Edition, December 2001
ISBN 1-56592-360-x, 216 pages, $34.95 (US)
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
http://www.oreilly.com

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