Hello. I'm self-studying to become a "full stack" web developer and I've chosen Backbone as the first frontend framework/library to learn, since it's small, widely used and plays well with React and other libraries/frameworks.<p>However, I've found that most resources seem to be pretty outdated and it's been hard to find any tutorial or course not using RequireJS or at least the "newest" Backbone features.<p>Can you recommend a good, updated path to learn Backbone, best if paired with React as the view layer?<p>Should I stick with learning Backbone or should I move to another library/framework?<p>Is Backbone still in high demand, will it still be between now and the next year?<p>Thank you for your answers and opinions.
As people are saying, the source is a great way to start.... Although I landed on many best practices through trial and error.<p>Marionette (<a href="http://marionettejs.com/" rel="nofollow">http://marionettejs.com/</a>) will maybe help you see its shortcomings (since it fills those gaps, although I don't personally use it).<p>Some pro tips:<p>* Figure out how sync works (when save() calls POST vs. PUT).<p>* Figure out how this.el works<p>* Learn the difference between router.navigate('/fun') and router.navigate('/fun', { trigger: true }).<p>* Learn the difference between url() and urlRoot(), and step through the backbone code with the chrome debugger as it determines a model's URL.<p>* Look at what delegateEvents() does.<p>* Learn about .listenTo() and how .remove() can alleviate view zombies.
Backbone might not be the cool kid anymore (maybe React is).<p>I found it to be a good framework for small apps (not those single page JS application).<p>While I was learning Backbone I didn't find any really good tutorial, but eventually I figure out an usage and style which suits me.<p>At times I do wish Backbone would be a "complete and opinionated framework", but I figured out a way to use it to build small UI components. I didn't use the Router components, but combination of model and view does wonder.
The library itself is so small you can simply read through the annotated source in half an hour: <a href="http://backbonejs.org/docs/backbone.html" rel="nofollow">http://backbonejs.org/docs/backbone.html</a><p>There is a trend towards more complete frameworks, but Backbone is still in use by many high-profile companies. Learning how it works is a small investment of time, and should give you nice insights for understanding larger & more complex projects.
Surely the quality and freshness of the documentation is a function of the momentum and support a certain technology has. Maybe you can find a similar tech that has tutorials that really appeal to you, that feel like they open a door to a wonderful new world?
Backbone is small because it doesn't do that much. After learning Backbone I regretted wasting so much time learning how to do simple things like nest views correctly. Backbone made me really long for a complete and opinionated framework.