Veeb's Brain Dump

 

Here’s the offical line.

In short, it is a tool for building a rich desktop client application.   It communicates to the server using standard web protocols: HTTP and XML/JSON.  The server can be developed in any technology as long as it can support the HTTP and XML/JSON protocol.

How is it different from standard web apps?

Sproutcore allows ALL presentation layer process to be performed on the client side (in the browser). 

The sproutcore architectural mind-set is more like developing a WinForms or Java Swing application than a web page.

Why is it better than standard web apps?

It speeds up the application and provides a better end-user experience.

• Eliminates post backs
• Allows for client side business rules checking
• Javascript files are static and can be hosted within Content Delivery Networks for speedy delivery.

Why is it better than old client-server apps?

It eliminates the client application software distribution problem.

• Installing .NET apps requires the right version of the .NET run time
• Installing Java Swing apps requires the right version of the Java run time
• Installing C/C++ or old VB apps often run into DLL-hell
• Installing run-times and DLLs often require admin rights on the PC.  This is near to impossible on in enterprise SOE environment.

Sproutcore, being based on javascript, requires the ubiquitous browser (preferably one that supports HTML5).  Javascript files are download and run locally when the user navigates to URL hosting your application.

Competing Frameworks 

• Adobe Flash/Flex
• Microsoft Silverlight/.NET
• Google Web Toolkit
• Cappuccino - Objective-J base javascript generator
• JavascriptMVC - javascript MVC templating engine

 Here are some articles that provide a comparison:

• Charles Jolly interview
• http://www.vierundsechzig.de/blog/?p=189
• http://lukesh.wordpress.com/
• http://thelucid.com/2010/04/09/to-sproutcore-or-not-to-sproutcore/

I prefer Sproutcore over Cappuccino because:

• I know Javascript/HTML/CSS
• I like to have as much flexibility as possible.  In Sproutcore, if the framework does not support anything, I know that at worst, I can get around the problem with Javascript/HTML/CSS.  There’s not an abstraction layer in objective-j or java to get through.

I prefer Sproutcore over JavascriptMVC because:

• I like the Views (“widgets”).
• I want to move away form HTML templating.  In a complex app, it does get messy.
• I like the thought of a future Sproutcore designer

Learning Curve

My biggest issue with sprout core is the learning curve.

It is a new open source framework.  It does need more documentation but here’s some that I think are very useful.

• Do the hello work and to do walk through
• Wiki - specifically the programming guides
• API Reference
• http://frozencanuck.wordpress.com/sproutcore/
• http://www.itsgotwhatplantscrave.com/category/coding_tutorials/sproutcore_tutorials/
• http://blog.bruzilla.com/
• A book is on its way!

 Found the community on the Sproutcore Google Groups to be great.