server side SpiderMonkey
Emanuele Ruffaldi
Hello to everything,
I would like to introduce the beginning of a new project called JuiceScript
aimed to provide an Open Source version of a Server Side JavaScript
based on the SpiderMonkey engine.
Currently we have a Apache2 module running providing the core features,
and a standalone version. We are planning the interface for template
mechanism
and database access.
The website for more details is http://www.juicescript.org/
Thanks,
Emanuele Ruffaldi
Peter Wilson
Did you look around at other projects before launching another server-side
JavaScript project. Server side JavaScript is not going to take off if everyone
that wants to do it just launches into yet-another implementation of their own.
If you'd like to take a look, Whitebeam has been around for about 6 years now.
It's mature and current works as an Apache1/2 module. It uses PostgreSQL as a
high-performance Enterprise class database. It's :
1) is fairly decoupled from Apache - all Apache dependancies being in one file.
2) Support for other databases would be fairly easy to add. I added PostgreSQL
support myself in a couple of days.
3) supports XML/HTML and server-side DOM manipulation
4) BSD style license so is as open as it gets (like the PostgreSQL database).
5) is in use running live, commercial applications for large public and provate
organisations
6) actually has some document beyond 'type make and here's a small example'
Why re-invent the wheel?
Emanuele Ruffaldi
Yet-another server-side JavaScript project?
Well, maybe, usually there are some reasons for a Yet-another product.
In this case, respect Whitebeam, there is the licensing, the support for multiple
databases, the encoding of the source code and finally the fact that the
last version was released last year.
In any case is always important to look at what is around, and it is the reason
for the birth of new programming languages or alternative implementations of
libraries.
It is our aim to provide a streamlined and clean server-side JavaScript with
the support of multiple backends, and initially just the Apache2. We are here to
listen for comments as yours to stimulate our work and improve our plan
Emanuele Ruffaldi
Peter Wilson
>
> Yet-another server-side JavaScript project?
>
> Well, maybe, usually there are some reasons for a Yet-another product.
> In this case, respect Whitebeam, there is the licensing, the support for
> multiple
> databases, the encoding of the source code and finally the fact that the
> last version was released last year.
mean nothing has changed since then? No E4X, none of the JS 1.7 features? A
formal release doesn't mean nothing has happened. Checkout the Whitebeam
CHANGELOG and you'll see there is a lot going on.
2) Multiple databases. Not sure to what this refers - your stated final goal is
support for SqlLite. Whitebeam supports PostgreSQL at the moment. We've added a
framewor
3) Not sure I understand the licensing issue. Whitebeam is licenced now under a
BSD licence. My understanding there is you can do just about anything you want-
including creating a new derived project (fork) under a proprietary licence or
even a GPL licence. Would be better not to and to join in with Whitebeam itself,
but you have the freedom to do that.
>
> In any case is always important to look at what is around, and it is the
> reason
> for the birth of new programming languages or alternative
> implementations of
> libraries.
Think that was my point - did you look around? No.
>
> It is our aim to provide a streamlined and clean server-side JavaScript
> with
> the support of multiple backends, and initially just the Apache2. We are
> here to listen for comments as yours to stimulate our work and improve
> our plan
Whitebeam would actually be a good starting point. From the web-page you
advertise there is no useful documentation and I couldn't find the source code.
There is nothing useful there for you to advertise your project. The given
reference (http://www.juicescript.org/) contains little to no useful information
and the link for more information connects to something called 'trac' which
appears to be some Perl based framework?
>
> Emanuele Ruffaldi
>
>
>
Peter Wilson
sha...@shantirao.com
Don't you think you're being a bit harsh? There are still problems to
solve with server-side JavaScript. Another mind working on it is
entirely worthwhile.
Shanti
Peter Wilson
I naturally welcome all interest in server-side JavaScript. It's just a pity
that most of that interest seems to be in re-inventing the wheel. Putting
SpiderMonkey into an Apache module and adding an 'include' and 'print' function
is about a days work. That day just gets done over and over and things don't
move forward.
The real work comes in actually building the support framework needed to build
robust feature rich web-applications : session management and tracking; user
authentication; data storage; interfaces with external systems like SMTP; XML
processing for accessing web-services; ... the list is endless, just look at the
number of 'library' APIs PHP has.
We've provided all the foundations and a whole lot more in Whitebeam to the
point where it is delivering highly functional web-applications. It doesn't have
the breadth of interfaces that PHP has though. It could do with code to build
PDF documents for example, or to interface with a graphics library. That's where
real value can be added.
With E4X and the JS 1.7 enhancements JavaScript is even more ideally suited to
web-development. With AJAX having the same language at either end of the link
just makes sense.
I know engineers tend to have a 'Not Invented Here' mentality, but it would be
great to actually move forward rather than have yet another simple, undocumented
encapsulation of SpiderMonkey.
>
> Shanti
Pete
--
Emanuele Ruffaldi
Hello to everybody,
I strongly apologize with the list for not having looked in depth the
current status of
JavaScript technologies for the Server-Side, in particular Whitebeam.
Anyway I think that the answers received from knowledged people were
interesting
and provided insights on the current status of this topic.
Relatively to us, I admit that we came out too early, and we are
re-considering
our roadmap. As suggested it could be interesting to take part to Whitebeam,
we'll see.
Just another question. Are there any performance comparisons of the
JavaScript solution against others? Or any feature comparison between
Whitebeam,
PHP and others?
Best,
Emanuele