IT'S JAVASCRIPT, NOT JAVA

Aug 17, 2015
2 min read

So apparently, if you say "Java" when you really mean "Javascript" people will instantaneously know you're a noob. Fortunately, I discovered this before we started learning Javascript this week. Today is day one of week 5, so things are obviously very fresh, but I have to say I definitely did not hate it.

It's scary, jumping right into a new programming language, when I don't even feel as though I am very strong at writing code in Ruby yet. But, I got to pair with a friend from the offline cohort since both our cohort and theirs had an odd number of people in attendance today and that was a nice change of pace. I love my own cohort, but it's always good to pair with someone you don't normally pair with just for the sake of gaining a different perspective.

This week's project involves building a digital thermostat. First we are to finish the logic for the project by using TDD (Test Driven Development) and alternating between writing tests in our spec file and writing the functions in a separate file to reflect those tests. It went fairly smoothly, and we left off at pretty much an ideal spot so that when we pick up tomorrow with different pair partners we can begin planning how we want to build a static HTML page as the user interface, assuming our new partners left off around the same point. If not, the person further along in the project will help get their partner up to speed. Hurray for accelerated learning!

It will be interesting getting used to Javascript's quirks *cough semi-colon madness cough* (like when you move in with a stranger), and at first it might make us miss the familiarity of Ruby, but like it or not, Javascript is here to stay (at least for a while) and we better get used to it.

Like a good flat mate I will be direct about my questions about Javascript, no point in being passive-aggressive now (or ever for that matter). And I'm sure, eventually, we will learn to get along, if not be good friends.