I completely agree with the claim "There is no substitute for doing", and I might even say that code you read without running and tweaking it doesn't count.
To learn how to implement computer programs, read books about it.
Also, "To learn how to implement computer programs, read books about it." contradicts the original comment's "There is no substitute for doing" more than I'm happy with.
You need to start by reading somewhere, or you'll probably not get anywhere, as evidenced by pretty much zero office grunts using web browsers every day having figured out the JS console and application development on their own without reading about it. I recommend books over tutorial texts.
But yeah, as I alluded to, you need to build stuff and learn from other builders.