Javascript as a functional language

Question

I am looking get to grips with functional programming concepts.

I've used Javascript for many years for client side scripting in web applications and apart from using prototypes it was all simple DOM manipulation, input validation etc.

Of late, I have often read that Javascript is one of the languages that supports functional programming.

With my familiarity and experience with Javascript, my preference is to use it to learn functional programming. I expect I would be able to concentrate more on the main functional concepts and not get bogged down or distracted by a completely new syntax.

So in summary, is Javascript a good choice to learn functional programming concepts? What capabilities in Javascript are relevant/support functional programming?

Answer 1

JavaScript supports first class functions. See Use functional programming techniques to write elegant JavaScript.

Answer 2

Higher Order Javascript is a great way to get familiar with the functional aspects of javascript. It's also a relatively short read in case you want to get your feet wet without diving into a larger book.