JavaScript Everywhere

Chapter 1. Our Development Environment

John Wooden, the late coach of the UCLA men’s basketball team, is one of the most successful coaches of all time, winning 10 national championships in a 12-year period. His teams consisted of top recruits, including hall-of-fame players such as Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Bill Walton. On the first day of practice, Wooden would sit down each of his new recruits, players who had been the best in the United States in high school, and teach them to put on their socks properly. When asked about this, Wooden stated that “it’s the little details that make the big things come about.”

Chefs use the term mise en place, meaning “everything in its place,” to describe the practice of preparing the tools and ingredients required for the menu prior to cooking. This preparation enables the kitchen’s cooks to successfully prepare meals during busy rushes, as the small details have already been considered. Much like Coach Wooden’s players and chefs preparing for a dinner rush, it is worth dedicating time to setting up our development environment.

A useful development environment does not require expensive software or top-of-the-line hardware. In fact, I’d encourage you to start simple, use open source software, and grow your tools with you. Though a runner prefers a specific brand of sneakers and a carpenter may always reach for her favorite hammer, it took time and experience to establish these preferences. Experiment with tools, observe others, ...