Universal JavaScript with React, Node, and Redux (Udemy.com)

What he does describe is clear, but downloads/resources should be available for "playing" with the code

It was a good course. I think it could have more real world examples from scratch and an updated version with react-router v4, but I liked getting the more in depth approach with templates

Overall this course was a disappointment.

It started really well. Sections 1 through 4 were high-level overviews of the technologies (Node, Express, React, Redux, React Router) as well as some nice theoretical context around universal JavaScript.

Section 3 was a minor disappointment. The instructor quickly walked through a simple example application. There was mostly copy/pasting with little explanation of the example code, which was fine given the simplicity of the example and my hope that there would be more detail in later sections.

Section 5 was a major disappointment. Instead of walking through the iterative process of building a more complex sample application—explaining along the way how the different pieces work together or why they're being put them together one way vs. another—it amounted to forking a readymade application from GitHub and watching 5 short summary videos. There was no discussion around development process, project structure, code reusability, etc. Additionally, the last example application used an outdated version of React Router and there was some unexplained/unused code in the repository, both of which made it feel unfinished.

Section 6 was a high-level overview of 4 popular universal frameworks with good discussion around the pros and cons of each in addition to some simple demos. It leaves you well informed as to when you might use each framework in the future and why.

On the whole, I wouldn't recommend this course. The instructor is great, the content is good, but the videos are just too superficial. In short: it's an introduction and not a tutorial. You can benefit as much from forking the project on GitHub, skipping the videos and going though the printed content on your own.

I was very satisfied with this course. I gave a great overview and explanation of how JavaScript frameworks fit together. I like the author’s approach - he always focused on the concepts behind each section in addition to introducing the basics of the technology. His approach was clear and concise and it gave me a good start to implementing my own universal react app.

I like the clear, step by step explanations that culminate in a useful approach to building universal Javascript applications.