Signs are Mounting

Everyone has been pointing out the web 2.0 bubble recently. Not that I agree that there can even be such a thing as a web 2.0 bubble. But I was amused to find an invitation in my work e-mail box to a cutting edge seminar.

You have to realize that I work in an old company — not only have we been around for a long time, but in any reduction in force, only the young talent gets cut, leaving the organization very top heavy. It’s like a technologist’s convalescent home. There is mandatory nap time after lunch in all branches.

So to get an invitation from one of our internal groups with this as the headline: “You’re Invited: Web 2.0 - The Internet Becomes Disruptive Again,” well, it just got me all a titter. “A new world is emerging,” it continues.

It reminds me of something one of my former employers used to say: “Say, you heard that Bob Prince died?” Bob Prince passed away well before my time, which was his point exactly.

A Collection of Ajax / DHTML Toolkits

I’ve just started using another Ajax framework in a current project I’m working on. This one is known as SACK, the Simple AJAX Code-Kit. Its usage is very similar to zXml, but is better encapsulated, so it generally requires fewer lines of code on my part to accomplish the same thing, though with the corollary that some flexibility is lost.

It’s not an effects library, and doesn’t do many of the nifty things that other Ajax libraries do. It’s only intended to manage the details of connecting to a server, checking the response, and then forwarding execution back to you.

SACK is available via Twilight Universe, though it seems that things are being rearranged a bit at the moment.

All of these Ajax libraries are getting hard to track, so here is a list of several of the libraries that I use:

• Simple AJAX Code-Kit (SACK): see above
• zXml: similar to SACK; general purpose connection library
• AdvancedAJAX: add request batching, caching, connection retries, and more control via events to SACK or zXml and this is what you get. It’s more than twice the size at 17KB, but the extra features are handy. For example, you can use the events to display and clear a progress indicator, add messages, etc. You can do the same with the other libraries, as well, but AdvancedAJAX builds the support into the script.
• moo.fx: not strictly an Ajax library, but rather a lightweight, general-purpose JavaScript library. It’s handy, and when I get around to announcing the last project I was working on (Amazon OnTheGo widget porting to Java ME), you can check out two effects created with moo.fx: smooth scrolling pages, and an accordion-like effect.
• Google Web Toolkit (GWT): This has been in my “Review” folder for quite some time, but I have never used it. According to Google, you can write a client application in Java, and then use the GWT to convert it to JavaScript and HTML that is cross-browser compatible. There’s a learning curve on this one.
• Yahoo! User Interface Library (YUI): Not strictly Ajax, but a wealth of tools for DOM scripting, events, animations, drag and drop, Ajax connections, sliders, calendars, tooltips, panels, dialogs, auto-complete, treeview. Yes, there’s a lot of good stuff here.
• Prototype: the one library to rule them all. What doesn’t run on Prototype?
• Rico: the usual Ajax functions, plus drag and drop, animation effects, accordions, and LiveGrid.
• script.aculo.us: you can make some killer effects with this library, and it also includes a slider, auto-complete, drag and drop, and sortable lists (drag and drop variations).
• The X Library: another all-purpose library, but like Prototype, X is very mature and stable, and is of substantial assistance when working with the DOM or the browser event model.
• MochiKit: seems to be gaining in popularity, but I have never used it myself.
• dojo: an extensive widget-based framework. Dojo is heavy enough to be considered a full web development framework, and it has some seriously nifty containers and UI controls.

This list is not intended to be comprehensive; it’s just an overview of what I use, or have bookmarked in my browser for investigation.

Tags: JavaScript, web applications, web 2.0, Ajax

moo.fx: Super lightweight JavaScript library

I toyed around with moo.fx over the weekend, and I’m pretty impressed with what it can do, or more accurately, what it can help you do. It’s billed as an “easy to use, fast, cross-browser, standards compliant” library, and that it is. You can get up-to-speed on all things moo in about an hour, and it weighs in at a minuscule 3KB, though you really need to use it along with prototype.lite.js.

Moo.fx makes it easy to control the height, width, and opacity of elements (in any combination) with its base controls. Another common use for moo.fx is the groovy accordion effect popularized by the Rico library, or the smooth scrolling effect if you’re using the 6KB moo.fx.pack.

Moo.fx will not replace other effects libraries, but it’s a small and reliable, and makes it a snap to add some basic effects to your pages with little effort. You’ll soon find yourself becoming close friends with the methods toggle and hide. And it even works for those who still insist on using Safari.

http://moofx.mad4milk.net/

I’ll be continuing to use moo.fx over the next few weeks, so look for some sample code / helper functions then.

Tags: JavaScript, moo.fx, web applications, web 2.0

YAAF: Yet Another Ajax Framework (a useful one, though)

I told myself I wouldn’t do this, but here it is. Another Ajax framework: “AdvancedAJAX 1.0.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of what Ajax can do for usability when applied appropriately, but I’ve been hearing a bit too much about it lately, and I’m getting tired of Ajax solutions “just because.” Stop breaking my back button!

That said, this looks to be a useful framework. I’ll tinker with it this weekend, and see if my opinion changes, but some highlights:

• Request queues
• Good error handling
• Support for the red-headed stepchild (Safari)
• Connection retry
• Productivity features related to forms

All-in-all, it looks solid, though the queues and error handling are implemented similarly to the framework presented in Ajax in Action. And it’s lightweight.

Tags: Web 2.0, Ajax, Web Application