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copied!<p>If you already have a basic knowledge of Javascript, you should continue in this direction rather than picking up a totally different language like Ruby or PHP. Javascript has a lot more in common with Objective-C in how it's used than RoR or PHP.</p> <p>Server-side languages run small programs from start to finish in a split second, whereas Javascript or Objective-C programs run for an indefinite amount of time. Both types of programs require a different mindset, and object oriented programming makes a lot more sense when you actually have a bunch of objects that interact with each other over time and that the user can interact with. Objects in PHP are mainly a way to organize code, they don't teach you a lot about object interaction.</p> <p>Since there's going to be a learning curve no matter what, you may as well dive right into Objective-C, but learning Javascript first is the next best thing if you really don't want to. Since you can play around with it in your browser's console it offers a great interactive way to learn. The problem with Javascript is the lack of good material, but <a href="http://www.crockford.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Crockford</a> and the <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Core_JavaScript_1.5_Reference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Mozilla Reference</a> are probably the best places to start.</p> <p>Programming in Javascript usually means manipulating a browser's DOM, which is another concept you'd have to learn. It also means having to deal with browser quirks, which is best dealt with by using a Javascript framework/library like jQuery, MooTools or Prototype, which is yet another technology.<br> To avoid these additional learning curves, you can use Javascript in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javascript#Uses_outside_web_pages" rel="nofollow noreferrer">a bunch of other scenarios</a>, including desktop <a href="http://widgets.yahoo.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">widgets</a>/<a href="http://www.google.com/webmasters/gadgets/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">gadgets</a>. These work a lot like mini-Cocoa apps in terms of user interaction and might be a good starting point.</p>

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