Google Web Toolkit

Last night I had a date with google web toolkit. I have played with it before I was out to do a refresher course. So I got the latest version, now at 1.4 and I said I am going to figure this thing out and figure it out I did, well almost. I was able to use it to get a simple javascript application up and was trying to do some remote request stuff, which I was having problems with all the way up until I decided to quit and call it a night.

so what is GWT? Its a java framework for building javascript applications. Not everybody wants to take the time to learn how to write javascript, but just about everybody wants to get in on the new Rich Internet Application buzz. The solution is to create a compiler that takes Java (the most ubiquitous computer language) and converts it to an application that you can run in your browser with Ajax and All. I thought it was pretty neat. The interface for creating buttons and panels and labels and texboxes reminds of me of programming Java Swing. So if you are a great Java UI programmer you will have little trouble getting up and running with google web toolkit.

Frameworks

Frameworks are great I think. I have been spending the weekend working on a tool for work using the Yahoo UI framework for javascript client applications and the Zend PHP framework. Both take alot of the burden of writing certain tools from scratch. I am particularly pleased withe the Front Controller implementation in the Zend Framework. I have probably re-invented that wheel a million times over in my development efforts.