Seven Ajax Frameworks / Toolkits to watch out for
Ajax was easily the most talked about technology at JavaOne 2006. Java developers it seemed wanted to get into Ajax by any means possible. So there were 100s lined up for every session that had “Ajax” in its title. It does make sense for developers to try and pick up Ajax soon, as the Ajax hype will move beyond the tech community and you would soon see managers and customers demanding that their applications be Ajaxed. Irrespective of what you think of Ajax, you now have to be able to develop Ajax apps.
Understanding Ajax is one part of the issue however the more complex part is that of actually implementing it. As no real Java developer can develop an application without using a framework, it was only a matter of time before hundreds of Ajax frameworks sprang up. With frameworks, there’s always the concern that you will lock your applications into the framework or even worse adopt a framework that isn’t suited to your needs.
You also need to watch out for frameworks that claim Ajax enabled solely because they have included a popular Ajax Javascript framework in their distribution. Using readymade Ajax enabled JSF components is also a good option that needs to be considered.
Here I have listed a handful of frameworks that I thought will serve us well over the long run. The primary factors I relied on were 1) already established 2) promoted by a major player.
If you feel any other framework should have been on this list, do add a comment.
1) Google Web Toolkit – Build AJAX apps in the Java language: Google Web Toolkit (GWT) is a Java software development framework that makes writing AJAX applications like Google Maps and Gmail easy for developers who don’t speak browser quirks as a second language.
http://code.google.com/webtoolkit/
2) Dojo: Dojo is an Open Source DHTML toolkit written in JavaScript. Dojo aims to solve some long-standing historical problems with DHTML which prevented mass adoption of dynamic web application development.
http://dojotoolkit.org/
3) Yahoo! User Interface Library: The Yahoo! User Interface (YUI) Library is a set of utilities and controls, written in JavaScript, for building richly interactive web applications using techniques such as DOM scripting, DHTML and AJAX.
http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/
4) Direct Web Remoting: DWR allows Javascript in a browser to interact with Java on a server and helps you manipulate web pages with the results.
http://getahead.ltd.uk/dwr/
5) Spry framework for Ajax:
The Spry framework for Ajax is a JavaScript library for web designers that provides functionality that allows designers to build pages that provide a richer experience for their users. It is designed to bring Ajax to the web design community who can benefit from Ajax, but are not well served by other frameworks.
http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/spry/
6) Mochikit: MochiKit is a free lightweight JavaScript library.
http://mochikit.com/
7) Script.aculo.us: Provides you with easy-to-use, compatible and, ultimately, totally cool JavaScript libraries to
make your web sites and web applications fly, Web 2.0 style.
http://script.aculo.us/
With Ajax, there’s a difference between Javascript based client side frameworks and Java based server side frameworks. So you will also find several serverside frameworks that include one of the client side frameworks mentioned above.
It’s time developers start getting their hands dirty trying out these frameworks and being Ajax ready!
Related:
>> Is AJAX worth adopting?
>> Ajax technologies aren’t particularly new or sexy
>> Rails has a huge lead on integrated Ajax development
>> New RAD platform to fill the J2EE-AJAX void
>> Webwork integrates with Dojo
Try creating Google Map using GWT. Like is in between lines (oh ya ! it has to be in English). In theory you can create everything starting from machine laguage.
When you download Script.aculo.us it includes prototype in it. So it’s kinda correct.
Another super nice library and super light is jquery.
Is mature and reliable.
When you download Script.aculo.us it includes prototype in it. So it’s kinda correct.
Another super nice library and super light is jquery.
Is mature and reliable.
There is one toolkit that is all about user interface. It is far more advanced than any of these kits in regards of making an app look like a REAL application.
http://www.qooxdoo.org
There is one toolkit that is all about user interface. It is far more advanced than any of these kits in regards of making an app look like a REAL application.
http://www.qooxdoo.org
hmmm…
hmmm…
ICEfaces has been getting some positive attention with the release of the free Community Edition.
It’s available under a free commercial license for development and deployment of rich web apps (not open source). Their focus is on Java developers and they offer a ‘no-Javascript required’ solution that works with JSF tools, runtimes, etc. It’s pretty slick if you’re looking for a Java-based solution and don’t want to deal with JavaScript.
(http://www.icesoft.com/products/icefaces.html)
ICEfaces has been getting some positive attention with the release of the free Community Edition.
It’s available under a free commercial license for development and deployment of rich web apps (not open source). Their focus is on Java developers and they offer a ‘no-Javascript required’ solution that works with JSF tools, runtimes, etc. It’s pretty slick if you’re looking for a Java-based solution and don’t want to deal with JavaScript.
(http://www.icesoft.com/products/icefaces.html)
Umm…he said *like* Google Maps or Gmail
Umm…he said *like* Google Maps or Gmail
Just love the mochikit video demo.
http://mochikit.com/screencasts/MochiKit_Intro-1.mov
Just love the mochikit video demo.
http://mochikit.com/screencasts/MochiKit_Intro-1.mov
I think that script.aculo.us isn’t so accurate, given that it runs on Prototype, and Prototype is the one that implements the Ajax objects.
I think that script.aculo.us isn’t so accurate, given that it runs on Prototype, and Prototype is the one that implements the Ajax objects.
You should see what Morfik’s WebOS AppBuilder (morfik.com) can do!
You should see what Morfik’s WebOS AppBuilder (morfik.com) can do!
TIBCO General Interface (http://www.tibco.com/mk/gi) offers over 90+ ajax widgets and comes with visual tools for very rapid authoring. In fact it was rated by InfoWorld as the ‘Best Ajax Toolkit of 2006’. If you;re interested in making web apps that look, fell and perform like desktop GUIs, then be sure to download a copy and try it out.
TIBCO General Interface (http://www.tibco.com/mk/gi) offers over 90+ ajax widgets and comes with visual tools for very rapid authoring. In fact it was rated by InfoWorld as the ‘Best Ajax Toolkit of 2006’. If you;re interested in making web apps that look, fell and perform like desktop GUIs, then be sure to download a copy and try it out.
Are you sure that Google Map or Gmail is written using GWT?
Are you sure that Google Map or Gmail is written using GWT?
Is there any framework from the open source guys like Apache or JBoss?
Is there any framework from the open source guys like Apache or JBoss?
If Agitar starts ‘challenging’ other companies, none will share any test data or testing metrics. This will end up as just a promo from Agitar
If Agitar starts ‘challenging’ other companies, none will share any test data or testing metrics. This will end up as just a promo from Agitar