References to learn HTML & JS for Non-technical person [closed]

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My Manager wants to learn HTML and JS, and he has no idea of programming. Can you give me any good references from where he can learn?

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Do yourself a huge favor: do not use w3schools. A lot of its content has obviously not been updated in around 10 years, and a large portion of the javascript code on it is absolutely attrocious and should not be considered best practice even in a parallel universe.

For more details on this, see http://w3fools.com/ - which also suggests some alternative resources.

That said, I've personally found Mozilla Developer Network to be a very well-written resource, though I'll admit it may not necessarily cater to the greenest of audiences.

For JavaScript as a language, I'd highly recommend picking up Douglas Crockford's book JavaScript: The Good Parts, as it discusses the language while specifically trying to emphasize the good parts of the language while steering you clear of the bad. It's important to remember that while JavaScript looks like Java, its similarities pretty much end there.

EDIT: for JavaScript you may be better off starting with a resource like Eloquent JavaScript as Rebecca pointed out in her answer (for which she gets a +1 from me, and for which I kick myself for forgetting about).

I might also point you towards Rebecca Murphey's jqfundamentals - particularly the first chapter, which also briefly goes through some JavaScript basics, though admittedly it does so quickly and thus shouldn't be your only read. But it's also well-written and should be hopefully easy to understand. (For consumable formats, look here: https://github.com/rmurphey/jqfundamentals/tree/master/book/release)

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... non-technical person ... learn HTML+JS ... but no idea of programming.

All I can says is "good luck".

HTML you may get away with, but JS is programming. Can't get away from that fact.

Teach him to program using Javascript if you like, but don't expect to get a non-technical understanding of it, because it is technical.

My suggestion: teach him HTML only to start with. Don't bother even acknowledging that Javascript exists until he's got a good handle on that.

Then teach him CSS. You can't write a web site without it these days, and a lot of what he's going to want to do with Javascript would involve changing element styles anyway, so a good understanding of HTML and CSS is important.

Once he's got that - properly - then, and only then should you consider letting him loose on Javascript.

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For people who can get past jargon, a good place to learn HTML and JavaScript is by learning it from the source:

HTML 4.01 Specification (W3C Recommendation 24 December 1999)

HTML 5 Reference - A Web Developer’s Guide to HTML 5 (W3C Editor’s Draft 23 March 2009)

Core JavaScript Guide (Copyright © 2000 Netscape Communications Corp.)

Core JavaScript Reference (Copyright © 2000 Netscape Communications Corp.)

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This gets good reviews:

Google: HTML, CSS, and Javascript from the Ground Up

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Eloquent JavaScript is a fantastic resource, but I'm with Spudley -- learning JavaScript without some programming background is going to be a long and arduous road. Libraries can flatten some of the learning curve, but the tradeoff is the risk of writing code that "works" in the loosest sense of the word.

JavaScript: The Good Parts is a great book, but it's going to be way over the head of a beginner without programming experience.

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The most complete place to learn JavaScript is from the people who make it work: https://developer.mozilla.org/en/JavaScript/Guide

w3schools has JavaScript content, but it's very scarce and doesn't really explain things is much detail.

Mozilla also have HTML Docs for when you want to take the next step. https://developer.mozilla.org/en/HTML

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If you have no idea of programming then you can start with classes from Lynda.com as they are easier to follow for beginners. Their Essential HTML and Essential Javascript courses are a good start for those with no prior experience. However, you will have to pay for them.

Tizag.com also has easy to follow tutorials for beginners.

W3C school tutorials is also recommended.

I would advise you to get familiar with HTML and CSS first and then move on to JS.

I am sorry that I couldn't include more links because SO doesn't allow more than one link for new users.

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Don't start with W3schools to learn. Here is an alternative for W3schools. SnoopCode