Books I've read and approve Part 1

Over the past few months, I have been completely enveloped in a new (to me) set of JavaScript conventions/ideas, and it's changed the way I program completely.

I went from messy global variables left and right, unorganized functions, repeating myself a TON, to neater, cleaner, easier-to-read code that relies on JavaScript libraries/namespace-like functionality.

Two books that I have read helped me make this leap, and make it a TON easier, too.

In no particular order:

Pro JavaScrip Techniques by John Resig
        This book was awesome.  It had a ton of information, and it taught me a lot.  I like the way Resig writes.   He doesn't really do a bunch of convoluted examples; he's pretty straight forward.  X can be accomplished Y way, but it's more efficient to do it like Z and here's why.  There were some typos here and there, but all-in-all, the book is sound.  It also comes complete with a boatload of awesome Appendixes, one completely dedicated to Events!  Hell yes! I would definitely recommend this to anyone, in fact, if you want to borrow it from me, hit me up!

JavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford
        For those of you who don't know Crockford, you need to watch some of his videos; the man is hilarious.  I find him kind of cynical, but I love it.  He's not afraid to tell it like it is, whether or not you like it.  This book was pretty small, but don't let it's size fool you -- it had a lot of really awesome information.  He may seem rough around the edges, but deep down, Crockford is a man after my own heart.  He recognizes the elegance and power of JavaScript and really brings its beauty to light.

I am all about reading awesome books about programming, so if you have any, feel free to post them here.  I am always looking for a good read.

I think it's safe to say, JavaScript has pretty much taken over.

I recently bought Agile Web Development with Rails by Sam Ruby, Dave Thomas, David Heinemeier Hansson, and I've just started it.

I am extremely interested in how programmer-friendly RoR is.

I would love to hear some opinions from RoR veterans.

I know there are rumors about how it doesn't scale well, so I'd love to hear solid conversation on that aspect as well!

Well, until next time -- have a good one!