Google Releases AJAX Framework

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Google Releases AJAX Framework

Posted by ryuzaki0 on Wednesday May 17, 2006 @12:36AM from the well-isn't-that-special dept.

maquina writes "Google released a new AJAX framework based on Java. From Google's mouth: "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." This impressive framework promises to make AJAX available to the masses and is one more step towards Google becoming the de facto Internet platform provider."

16 of 327 comments (clear)

Google: by Trigun · 2006-05-17 00:38 · Score: 5, Interesting

Your source of, vangaurd of and now creator of all your information.
I, for one... by ABoerma · 2006-05-17 00:50 · Score: 5, Funny

...welcome our new buzzword-compliant overlords. MFG, all I read these days is Google, Java and/or AJAX.
Yeah, right.. by schon · 2006-05-17 00:53 · Score: 5, Informative

Yahoo has already done this

No, they haven't - at least not unless you have some other information you're not sharing.

From the Google site:
You write your front end in the Java programming language, and the GWT compiler converts your Java classes to browser-compliant JavaScript and HTML.

From the Yahoo link you provided:
To use a specific component from the YUI Library, include the path to that library in a <script> tag within your web page.

So, how is this the same thing?
Re:I have yet to figure out AJAX by DaoudaW · 2006-05-17 00:54 · Score: 5, Funny

and my brain just keeps seeing GOOGLE AJAX WEB DEVELOPMENT

Maybe we should just call it GAWD for short!
Re:The best feature of this toolkit by seizer · 2006-05-17 00:57 · Score: 5, Informative

It's not quite a "brand new direction" - Microsoft's Atlas product has been offering something along these lines for a while now (albeit still as a beta). You lay out controls visually in Visual Studio (or Express), and control them programmatically from .NET. It takes care of rendering them down to HTML + Javascript, and it's pretty much cross platform friendly.
Re:The best feature of this toolkit by Anonymous Coward · 2006-05-17 00:57 · Score: 5, Interesting

I personally find the way it handles remote prodecure calls to the server the most interesting. Just define a serializable java class, you say? And GWT handles the rest, you say? Sign me up!

This is sexy stuff, people. :-)
The worst feature of this toolkit... by Bogtha · 2006-05-17 00:57 · Score: 5, Interesting

...is that it's a closed-source, binary-only executable. Download page:

The GWT Java-to-JavaScript compiler and hosted web browser are shipped binary-only and subject to the license below.

--
Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
The license is restrictive.. mods prohibited by HighOrbit · 2006-05-17 00:58 · Score: 5, Informative

Prohibited Actions

Except for distributions for internal business and/or personal use to your employees or contractors in compliance with these Terms and Conditions, you may not distribute Google Web Toolkit Development Tools or any services or software associated with or derived from them, or modify, copy, license, or create derivative works from Google Web Toolkit Development Tools, unless you obtain Google's written permission in advance. If you wish to do any of the above, please contact us by emailing apis@google.com. You may not use the Google Web Toolkit Development Tools to develop or distribute products that violate the law or legal rights of third parties.

No, I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth and why does this matter? Because I happen to prefer PHP for web development (just a personal preference). It would be nice to be able to move the JavaScript components off from the Java framework into a PHP based framework. Well, apparantly you can't do that without special permission.

BTW, the Yahoo UI Library is BSD licensed.
1. Re:The license is restrictive.. mods prohibited by Dorktrix · 2006-05-17 03:30 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Have your attorney review the terms -- I think you are misunderstanding them. You may not redistribute GWT itself (the actual zip files containing the GWT compiler, among other things), but you own all output from the tools. We even released the source code to the class libraries under the Apache 2.0 open source license.
  
  GWT is available for commercial, non-commercial, and enterprise use with almost no strings attached. Please review the complete terms for details:
  
  http://code.google.com/webtoolkit/terms.html
  
  Bret Taylor
  Product Manager, Google Web Toolkit
Another downside... by Bogtha · 2006-05-17 01:00 · Score: 5, Interesting

...is that it phones home to Google.

When you use the Google Web Toolkit's hosted web browser, the application sends a request back to Google's servers to check to see if you are using the most recent version of the product. As a part of this request, Google will log usage data including a timestamp of the date and time you downloaded the Google Web Toolkit and the IP address for your computer. We won't log cookies or personal information about you, and we will use any data we log only in the aggregate to operate and improve the Google Web Toolkit and other Google Services. Please see the Google Privacy Policy for more information.

--
Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
1. Re:Another downside... by avdp · 2006-05-17 01:13 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  As opposed to Firefox (and right about every modern application I've used), which doesn't? It's just checking if there is an update to download. And only in the "hosted web browser" which you don't even need to use. Jeez. Paranoid.
Re:The best feature of this toolkit by Anonymous Coward · 2006-05-17 01:03 · Score: 5, Informative

"I think Google is mostly responsible for launching the AJAX trend"

Er, nope. Hard as it is to believe, Microsoft were there first with the awesome Outlook Web Access which mimics Outlook, on a web page really, really well. This used their XMLHTTP ActiveX object which is also used extensively in Windows Update.

The rest happened from there really. Google is probably the best known current implementer of AJAX, but good as they are I certainly wouldn't say they launched it... and I certainly wish world + dog would stop releasing AJAX frameworks!
Re:Yawn by volsung · 2006-05-17 01:05 · Score: 5, Funny
To bring balance to the Force. For every crazed, frothing pusher of tech hype, there must be a sullen, ennui-laden detractor who either:
- is bored by the new tech, and likes to proclaim so whenever possible.
- did the same thing 5 years ago.
- or thinks the technology is useless.
This is required by the Central Hype-Limit Theorem:
As the size of the sample increases, the average opinion of the group approaches the actual utility of the product in question.
Nope - OWA was closed. by mgkimsal2 · 2006-05-17 01:06 · Score: 5, Informative

Sorry, but I have to give it to someone other than Microsoft. While they did essentially invent the tech behind Ajax, the only major project they used it on was basically something that was closed. I don't mean source, but not open to the public. You only saw it if you had an organization using Outlook/Exchange in the first place, which still excluded a huge majority of people using the web. Had they ported hotmail to the OWA interface, that would have been a major revolution far greater than google maps or anything else. But they didn't.

--
creation science book
Re:The best feature of this toolkit by badfish99 · 2006-05-17 01:20 · Score: 5, Informative

Here's a much better implementation of the same idea that's been available for some time now: http://zk1.sourceforge.net/
It's not "beta" like this half-baked "me-too" from google, and it's open-source.Also commercial support is available it you want to pay for it.
Re:Google a Java shop? by chrisd · 2006-05-17 02:00 · Score: 5, Informative

We use Java, C++, Python and a smattering of other languages for user facing stuff.
Chris

--
Co-Editor, Open Sources
Open Source Program Manager, Google, Inc.