Another quite different angle on javascript is using "node.js". Ultimately this turns into server side javascript for most people. It is also a nice way to learn javascript without having to learn all about the browser DOM (document object model).
What most people want to do is to add javascript to their web development skills. I will assume that anybody reading this is already quite familiar with basic HTML and how to set up a static HTML online website.
Adventures in Computing / tom@mmto.org