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Dojo, Ext, Google Web Toolkit, jQuery, MooTools, Prototype, and Yahoo User Interface perform amazing tricks with JavaScript; we explore what makes each tick to help you determine which one to pick
Which is the best open source JavaScript framework? It depends, of course. The open source projects that began as an effort to smooth over the differences between browsers are now large and varied enough to make the act of choosing far from simple. In the past, the project teams were small and happy just to write code that runs in different browsers. Now, there are many different options that depend on your feelings about project group dynamics, modularity, and dozens of theories about the best way, whatever you happen to believe that way to be.
Some decisions will depend upon the scope of the project. The best choice for adding a few fancy AJAX widgets to a site is often quite different from the best choice for building a full-fledged AJAX Web application. Other decisions may be matters of taste. The best library for an ex-Java programmer may differ from, say, one for a Perl hacker.
The good news is that there are now more libraries than any sane person can even consider in a lifetime. While we concentrate on the more established kits -- Dojo, Ext, Google Web Toolkit, jQuery, MooTools, Prototype and Scriptaculous, and Yahoo User Interface Library -- there are literally hundreds more that are flourishing. Some are big names that people will feel we were mistaken to exclude, but most live in small niches, such as providing slideshows for pictures downloaded from Flickr. Some are independent, but many of the most popular libraries hold entire constellations of semi-independent projects that use the core library. And there's plenty of cross-fertilization. A good idea or piece of code from one group is often adopted by others.
[ View our brief screencast tours of Dojo Toolkit, Ext, Google Web Toolkit, jQuery, MooTools, Prototype and Scriptaculous, and Yahoo User Interface ]
Many of the open source libraries are best for programmers who need to add a bit of AJAX functionality to a Web page. If you want to add a color chooser, a date chooser, and a touch of form preprocessing to a...