APM: javascript and GWT

[Keith Howanitz]

Just to add a few things to last night's meeting....

I think the issue with javascript's popularity is not so much that
developers like javascript (or in my opinion, LISP type languages in
general) but it is pretty much the only vm choice if you want to
develop something to run in a VM in (the great majority of) browsers.
It is pretty unique in near monopoly status in that regard - and
personally I would use just about any other language and VM given the
choice, and not just because of that vm's poor track record with
security.

The toolkit I was trying to remember last night is the Google Web
Toolkit (GWT) - it allows you to write programs in Java, and then
compiles or translates the Java code into HTML files and javascript
for the javascript vm. I think that is how many developers are
creating javascript now, with very little actual coding in javascript:

http://code.google.com/webtoolkit/
http://ajaxian.com/archives/google-web-toolkit-ajax-apps-from-java
http://code.google.com/webtoolkit/app_gallery.html

Personally, I really hope the javascript vm monopoly does not last
much longer. Maybe things like this will get people thinking about the
issue:

http://code.google.com/p/nativeclient/?tbbrand=GZEZ&utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-et-osrcblog&utm_medium=et

-- 
-Keith
howanitz at gmail.com