So there I was, getting ready for the PHP vs. Javascript showdown and I happened to take another glance at wxJS after being tipped off a while back here.
After more than four years work (Sourceforge registration date) the project is now at 0.8.4. And it’s not only doing the GUI part wxWidgets (C++); it’s also doing DBs and Files and ZIPs. wxWidgets means more than just GUI APIs – there’s other stuff available such networking, config file managers and logging – all to help you to write cross platform GUIs in C++.
wxJS also provides XML support (OK Expat not libxml2 but anyway) and Spidermonkey’s E4X support is apparently enabled.
But theres more: mod_wxJS is an Apache module in the same vein as mod_php (seems more like mod_perl in fact – looks like apps startup with Apache). Sure there are a few choices for server side Javascript but I’ll dare to say the only real alternative contender is haXe, which strikes me as more like Actionscript than Javascript. Meanwhile, judging from the responses to this, there’s a demand for server side Javascript, especially if it’s the same one available in your favorite browser.
Not that I’ve tried wxJS yet but fascinating stuff ;) Right now Windows only binaries but looks buildable on Linux.
(Silliness alert) So ignoring one or two minor technical details, there’s a potential for Javascript “all ur base” here – imagine server-side AJAX! prototype for your desktop GUI! Javascript everywhere! Microsoft were ahead of their time.
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Server-side Javascript, my wet dream. Too bad all the implementations so far, from Netscape’s to Whitebeam and haXe, aren’s really right. It seems like all of them try to find an “innovative” approach — I would really like to see someone making a PHP-like mod_js.
October 5th, 2006 at 9:45 am
It’s nice to hear (read) about my project wxJS. Currently I’m finalizing the 0.9 version, which will be available for Linux (tested on Ubuntu) and Windows (and a Mac release will be made available soon …). Some bugs in the latest source version of SpiderMonkey are holding this release.
A major upgrade in this release is also that wxJS is build with UNICODE support. Internally, wxJS uses (like SpiderMonkey) UTF-16. A SQlite module will also be available.
If you can’t wait for this release, you can always get the source from the subversion repository.
When you’ve got suggestions, please let me know at franky.braem@gmail.com or enter a feature request on the sourceforge project.
October 5th, 2006 at 4:58 pm
Where is that dancing smiley icon from Skype when you need one? ;)
Great work Franky!
October 5th, 2006 at 5:21 pm
On 25/10/2007 I released wxJS version 0.9.0. Beside bug fixes, it has the following new features:
1. wxJS uses UTF-16 internally (like JavaScript, SpiderMonkey does)
2. An SQLite module
3. Problems with manifests and dll’s should be solved now with mod_wxjs.
Franky.
October 26th, 2006 at 3:50 pm
Ok it should be 25/10/2006 instead of 2007 :)
October 26th, 2006 at 3:52 pm
I know there are hyperlinks on this post, and I can see them when I click on the comments. Why, then, I can’t see them on the main page of this blog?
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/category/dhtml-css/
They’re not visible there. Does anyone else get this problem?
October 29th, 2006 at 4:04 pm
mod_wxjs can now be found at http://www.wxjavascript.net
January 11th, 2007 at 5:29 pm