The Champions of JavaScript

 JavaScript is one amazing language.  I recently finished reading "Javascript - The Good Parts", and am in the process of teaching myself node.js.  For all of the bad press it has gotten, JavaScript is going in some really amazing directions.  It is now possible to implement an entire web application in JavaScript - from the database on up.  Not only that, but you can get some rediculously fast performance out of it too.  The following are my favorite JavaScript based tools:

mongodb : A document oriented database using JSON format.  The console is JavaScript, you can use JavaScript in your queries, and it is just one darn fun and easy way of storing data.

node.js : Asynchronous programming definitely has a learning curve to it, but it is an excellent fit for creating web applications (which are asynchronous by their very nature).  Node apps are easy to deploy to the cloud too!

express.js :  A simple and straightforward web app framework for node.  Like Sinatra for Ruby it takes care of all the basics while not forcing you into specific paradigm.

socket.io : Want to have real-time data in your apps?  Socket.io will be your best friend.

underscore.js : Think capenter's utility belt on this one.  A set of useful JavaScript tools that are just handy to have around and you'll find yourself using all the time.

knockout.js : Just try building an app that keeps track of a large volume of data in the UI without making a big mess of it.  Then, get wise and use knockout on the next go.

jQuery : In my opinion, jQuery is one of the most useful pieces of open source software ever created.  It has singlehandedly made the web a much better place and is the undisputed champion of JavaScript libraries.