JavaScript, .Net developers aided in separate projects
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(InfoWorld) - JavaScript and .Net developers are getting helping hands in application-building efforts, through separate projects intended to make it easier to use JavaScript and to document .Net projects. Sun Microsystems, meanwhile, is looking for developer input into the next release of its tool for C, C++, and Fortran development. In the JavaScript arena, the open source jQuery project provides developers with a JavaScript library to improve the quality of Web applications. JQuery makes it easier to write JavaScript and AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), said John Resig, lead developer of jQuery and also an author. "The big thing that makes it different form other JavaScript libraries is it doesn't really try to impose itself on you," Resig said. Developers should be able to write shorter code than before while still getting equal if not better functionality, he said. The technology addresses the issue of browsers each offering different levels of support for JavaScript; jQuery fixes browser issues, said Resig. In addition to working with XML, jQuery also can function with other data formats and frameworks such as HTML or JavaScript Object Notation (JSON). Also, jQuery provides benefits in developing animation applications and has a footprint of only 15KB. "That's one of the big selling points, is that it encompasses so much but it is fantastically small," Resig said. Version 1.0 of jQuery is now available under either an MIT or GPL open source license. Resig did not have an exact figure on how many people have been using jQuery, which has been available in a pre-release format for several months. But the jQuery home page receives about 3 million page views per month, Resig said. Microsoft, meanwhile, is offering a Community Technology Preview Â (CTP) of Sandcastle, which enables managed class library developers worldwide to develop documentation with a common look and feel that resembles MSDN (Microsoft Development Network) documents. An August CTP was made available this week. Sandcastle produces accurate, MSDN-style comprehensive documentation, according to Microsoft. Part of the Visual Studio software development kit, Sandcastle works with or without authored comments and supports generics and .Net Framework 2.0. Although primarily targeted at ISVs, corporate developers also could use Sandcastle. Also in the development tools arena, Sun Microsystems on Thursday said it has launched its Sun Studio Express program, which enables C, C++, and Fortran developers to preview features intended for future releases of Sun Studio. The company said it has had 50,000 downloads of the free Sun Studio 11 tool in six months. With the Express program, developers receive monthly builds of the next release of Sun Studio, which is due in 2007. "[Developers] can help influence the next version of the product," said Tom Gryder, Sun product line manager for Sun Studio. Thus far, early builds have focused on addressing data race bugs and performance on Linux. Sun Studio enables development of C, C++, and Fortran applications to run on Solaris or Linux on Sparc, x64, and x86 systems.ADVERTISEMENTMAKE SOA REAL WITH IBM WEBSPHERE PODCASTStreamline processes and maximize efficiency within a proven service oriented architecture. Take back control of your business processes with IBM WebSphere.
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Application developers got several new options last week as Sun Microsystems updated J2SE, Borland upped its CORBA ante, and Compuware announced products that will work with Microsoftâs Visual Studio 2005 toolbox.
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InfoWorld - Microsoft said this week that it is now allowing developers to examine source code for .Net Framework libraries as a way to help developers build better software. But developers first will need to upgrade to the newly released Visual Studio 2008 software development platform.
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Blog: Microsoft's CodePlex is not a bastion of great code, says eWeek.  That's a problem, but one that Microsoft can solve by contributing its own code.
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Partners get tools, encouragement to put applications online.
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Prism, a new Windows-only beta release from Mozilla Labs, lets users run web applications in separate, stripped-down browser windows, making them look and act more like desktop applications. Compiler has a first look.
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Looking to make Web development easier for Java developers, the Apache Software Foundation began offering this week Apache Wicket 1.3, an open source component-based Web framework.Formerly housed at SourceForge, the Wicket project moved over to Apache last year; version 1.3 is the first release bearing the Apache nameplate, said Martijn Dashorst, chairman of the project and a senior software developer at Web application development firm Topicus. Enhancements have been made in areas such as AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) and portal support."The purpose [of Apache Wicket] is to make development for Java developers simple as a possible," Dashorst said. "We use a component model for that."Developers can create components with plain old Java and HTML, Dashorst said. Apache Wicket 1.3 is downloadable here.Developing Web applications in Java has been a problem; Apache looks to address this with Wicket, according to Dashorst. "In JSF (JavaServer Faces), for instance, it's fairly hard to create your custom components. You need to have almost a graduate degree to create custom components with JSF," he said.Apache Wicket's lack of reliance on XML is hailed on the project's Web site."With proper mark-up/logic separation, a POJO [Plain Old Java Objects] data model, and a refreshing lack of XML, Apache Wicket makes developing Web apps simple and enjoyable again. Swap the boilerplate, complex debugging and brittle code for powerful, reusable components written with plain Java and HTML," the site said. Wicket emphasizes a logical separation of design and code.A key improvement in version 1.3 is enhanced AJAX support. "Pages can be a lot more dynamic than previously," Dashorst said.Google Guice capability has been added as an alternative to using the Spring Framework with Wicket. Developers also can use Wicket pages directly in a portal without changing a line of code.Also new is the switch to the Apache license over from the Lesser GPL (GNU General Public License). "It's more business friendly," because it allows companies to create closed-source products from Wicket, Dashorst said.A user of Apache Wicket, Nicholas Heudecker, principal at software development firm System Mobile, said his company migrated to Wicket and away from Struts."With Wicket, it's just a lot easier. There's no extraneous configuration. Everything is controlled within the Java code," Heudecker said. "Once people have an opportunity to take a look at it, they'll really like it.?Although pleased with the extra AJAX support and development features in version 1.3, Heudecker added he wished there were better tools support for IDEs. Heudecker said he uses the JetBrains IntelliJ Idea IDE with Wicket but would like more tools.Version 1.3 can scale to very large numbers of users with stateless pages and components. An Apache Velocity template engine in version 1.3 allows for user-generated macros in applications such as a content management system.The logging API in Apache Wicket 1.3 switches from commons-logging to SLF4J (Simple Logging Fa?ade for Java). This bolsters debugging and makes application deployment safer.Although the current version of Wicket is anchored on Java Development Kit 4, the next release in a couple months will be based on Java 5, gaining benefits such as generics to improve safety, Dashorst said.Wicket has been downloaded about 120,000 times since it began three years ago. It was moved over to Apache because of infrastructure issues such as spam and sustaining outages in the Subversion repository at SourceForge, Dashorst said.SourceForge representatives could not be reached for a response.
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(InfoWorld) - Looking to bolster AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) and development of Web 2.0 applications, the OpenAjax Alliance on Wednesday plans to introduce a project that addresses AJAX interoperability issues. The alliance, which features vendors such as IBM, Oracle, and Sun Microsystems, will roll out its OpenAjax Hub project. This effort involves developing a standard set of JavaScript functionality to tackle problems with interoperability arising when multiple AJAX libraries are used within the same Web page. With the hub, multiple AJAX run-time libraries would be able to coexist on a page. Version 1.0 of the OpenAjax Hub is planned for completion by the end of this calendar year; integration of the hub into AJAX toolkits expected in early 2007. "[In] today's world, AJAX libraries in general believe they own the entire browser [and] JavaScript environment, that they're the first one and the last one, so they assume a consequence-free environment where they can do whatever they want to do," said Jon Ferraiolo, acting director of the alliance and a Web architect in the emerging technologies group at IBM. What results, he said, are collisions of JavaScript objects and the toolkits managing HTML markup, and an inability to integrate functions such as drag and drop events. With development of the hub, the alliance is dealing with its top priority, said Jason Bloomberg, senior analyst at ZapThink, in an e-mail response to questions. "There is a critical need for OpenAjax at this point in time, because each vendor's AJAX implementation is generally incompatible with the others," Bloomberg said. "Basically, even though each AJAX widget leverages XML and JavaScript, both of which are open standards, that doesn't mean that one widget from one toolkit will work with another widget from some other toolkit. The most important goal of OpenAjax is figuring out how to resolve this interoperability problem. Clearly, Ajax will be far more successful if any widget works with any other widget, toolkit, or platform." Support for the hub is expected in toolkits such as Dojo and script.aculo.us as well as in AJAX frameworks such as Tibco General Interface and offerings from Backbase, JackBe and Nexaweb. "No one has made any commitments [to use the hub yet] but generally, [the parties cited] are all active in the alliance," said Ferraiolo. The unveiling of the hub is part of an update on the alliance's activities that is being provided Wednesday. The group will announce a near-doubling of its membership since its formation in February. New members include The Ajaxian, American Greetings, Bling Software, Curl, edge IPK, eLink Business Innovations, ENOVIA, MatrixOne, Finetooth, The Front Side, Ikivo, ILOG, IN2, IT Mill, Javeline, JWAX, Merced Systems, Nexaweb, Nitobi, OpenLink Software, Seagull Software, Sitepen, Sun, Vertex Logic, Vircon, Webtide, and Zoho. Previously announced members of the alliance include: Adobe, Backbase, BEA Systems, Borland, the Dojo Foundation, Eclipse Foundation, Fair Isaac, Google, IBM, ICEsoft, Innoopract, Intel, JackBe, Laszlo Systems, Mozilla Corporation, Novell, Openwave Systems, Opera, Oracle, Red Hat, SAP, Scalix, Software AG, Tibco, XML11, Zend, and Zimbra. While the alliance already has an impressive list of members, one name remains conspicuously absent: Microsoft. "Yes, we have extended an invitation and attempted to recruit Microsoft to join," Ferraiolo said. "We would love to have Microsoft participate in the alliance." "The purpose of the alliance is to make interoperability successful such that you can take AJAX technologies from one source and use it with another vendor's. Microsoft is one of [those] vendors and an important vendor in the AJAX community and it would be to everybody's advantage, particularly customers, if Microsoft's products would interoperate well with other people's products," said Ferraiolo. He added he was not making a statement that Microsoft products currently do not interoperate. Although Microsoft has promoted AJAX via its Atlas technologies, Microsoft currently does not have plans to join. "Microsoft has no firm plans to join the OpenAjax Alliance. However, Microsoft is very committed to working with the developer community and is engaged in dialogue with the OpenAjax Alliance organizers to learn more about the initiative," Microsoft said in a prepared statement. The alliance seeks to serve as an industry catalyst to boost AJAX-enabled Web 2.0 applications. Ferraiolo defines Web 2.0 as a new generation of the Web focused on collaboration. OpenAjax technologies are intended to produce lower development costs, faster delivery of applications, vendor choice, interoperability, and a richer Web experience. Greater collaboration capabilities that can be added to existing HTML sites or used for new applications is another goal. Also being unveiled on Wednesday is the organization's Web site and a white paper covering a description of AJAX, the AJAX value proposition and a technical section on AJAX architectures. These architectures include single and dual DOMs (Document Object Model), in which the single model involves processing everything in HTML browsers, while the dual approach involves using an XML parser that holds the description of the UI. The dual model offers a richer set of functionality but requires a larger download, typically, Ferraiolo said. AJAX in the open source world also is being included in the alliance's list of issues to cover. One of the goals for the alliance is the ability to have a zero-cost option, but it's not trying to lock out vendors from making money at all," said Ferraiolo. A second meeting of the alliance is planned for Oct. 5-6 in Santa Clara, Calif. The alliance on Oct. 5 plans to announce it has moved to a formal governance model that includes a steering committee. Goals and procedural issues also will be discussed. Security of AJAX also will be on the agenda, Ferraiolo said.
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A persistent problem with the Web API is the Return-to-Sender issue. JavaScript is capable of alleviating it, but it's not always enabled by software vendors. By Jacques Surveyor. 1014
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Free and independent Ajax developers are turning away from commercial development tools and opting for free, open source alternatives.â¦
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All for one A community driven project for Ruby source code to run natively on Microsoft's .NET framework has shut down, faced by progress from an official Microsoft effort.â¦Learn &amp; Contribute, Live &amp; Online - The Register Debates Green Computing
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Microsoft on Monday added to an already dizzying array of planned Visual Studio 2005 offerings by unveiling a new version of the toolset for developers who fall between hobbyist and professional levels.
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Adobe updates its Web development tool with support for Microsoft .Net.
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Like many, I was pretty shocked by the recent Microsoft-EU deal to settle the long-running investigation into interoperability issues.  This was not so much because of the way Microsoft has used every kind of delaying tactic it could before eventually agreeing (for the nth time) to try harder in the future.  My real dismay was provoked by the gap between appearance and reality â a chasm that I think bodes ill for the future of open source. read more
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No one would have believed me if I had said five years ago that Microsoft would have a page on its Web site called âOpen Source at Microsoftâ with the following remarkably sane and reasonable statement on the subject: Microsoft is focused on helping customers and partners succeed in a heterogeneous technology world. This starts with participating and contributing to a broad range of choices for developing and deploying software, including open source approaches and applications. From thousands of lines of code and scripts on MSDN and TechNet, to open source applications like IronPython, ASP.NET AJAX, SharePoint Learning Kit, and WiX on CodePlex and SourceForge, Microsoft is continually growing the number of products released with open source access.  That's right: Microsoft has released not one but several pieces of code as open source.  Moreover, it's submitting some of its home-grown licences to the Open Source Initiative  for approval.  So what is going on here?
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(InfoWorld) - Castle, which is an open source project to ease development on Microsoft's .Net platform, is nearing its general release. Spawned out of the defunct Apache Avalon object-oriented framework, Castle is built as a set of programming libraries. In addition to .Net, it also will work with Mono, an open source implementation of .Net.Â  "Castle's goals are avoid code repetition, use convention instead of configuration whenever it's possible, and handle common tasks on the programmer's behalf," said project creator Hamilton Verissimo, founder of the Castle Stronghold consultancy in Brazil. A second release candidate of Castle 1.0 is available as of several weeks ago. A general release is targeted for January.Â  Castle can be used for enterprise and Web application development. It features tools including MonoRail, which is a Web framework inspired by Ruby on Rails. MonoRail uses the MVC (Model-View-Controller) pattern for application flow, data, and views. AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is featured as well. Also in Castle are ActiveRecord, for mapping objects to databases, and Windsor, which is an object lifecycle container for making code more maintainable.Â  "[Castle is] a collection of many different tools and features primarily designed for easing development and reducing development time," said Kevin Williams, who is a developer involved in Castle. Ease of use and intuitiveness are the primary draws of Castle, Williams said. "Of all the software that I've used over the years in .Net, I've never seen anything as easy to use or powerful as the Castle tools," Williams said. "It's very intuitive to use and you have a lot of control over things and it's very extensible," Williams said. Users can mold Castle to their environment or use it with the Visual Studio IDE. "Probably the best thing I can say is that as developers improve their practices and learn about new methodologies and techniques and design patterns and all these things, sometimes it's difficult to put all these tool together and make it work," Williams said. "Castle fits all those pieces together for you and gives you a jumpstart in what you want to build." Castle began as an attempt to bridge Avalon to .Net. Planning already is under way for version 2.0 of Castle. The MonoRail component in version 2.0 may be enabled to work with many view engines at the same time. A domain language to generate JavaScript also is eyed, as is a better template engine in the vein of Ruby. Performance improvements also are planned for MonoRail. Initialization and mapping improvements are expected for ActiveRecord in Castle 2.0. The IoC (Inversion of Control) microkernel in Castle may be more configurable as well.ADVERTISEMENTNEW IT SERVICES FROM IBM: EASIER TO BUY AND IMPLEMENTDiscover a simpler, more cost-effective way to get the solutions your company needs to grow more flexible and efficient.
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Mainsoft has introduced a new version of Mainsoft for J2EE, which now lets Visual Studio developers build applications for Java-based systems.