[LRUG] Which JavaScript framework?

[Tom Taylor]

We're working on a large(ish) project with a heavy Backbone.js frontend on a Rails backend.

We chose Backbone primarily because we wanted something to provide us with enough structure for a complex app, but without having to bend and shape our project too heavily around it.

We liked that we could read the entire 30KB of well commented source code, and there wasn't too much magic going on in there. It's normal JS, written by people who write sensible, readable, clear code. We've often picked through the source code to make sure we've understood something, and its clarity has proved to be very valuable.

The other frameworks look interesting and clever in lots of different ways, but until the community coalesces around one of them, Backbone does the trick, and we're very happy with it.

On 27 Nov 2012, at 12:00, Riccardo Tacconi <rtacconi at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> I decided to learn a JavaScript MVC framework to update my Rails development skills. Many projects are using Rails to provide a RESTful API and a MVC JS framework to do the rest. Although I do not like much to use Rails as an API framework and a JS framework to develop the UI, I think just using jQuery in the traditional way it is not enough, not anymore. What I am saying is not new, but the problem is that we already have many JS frameworks. Backbone.js was probably the first one, but now we have Ember.js, Spine.js and Angular.js. I am sure there are more. 
> 
> My question is: which one to choose? Which one is the most popular? Angular.js makes sense to me, it seems quite simple and complete, Backbone.js seems to me a bit 'exotic', different from what I am used to. The simplest solution would be to use the Meteor framework, which makes easy to write an app using Javascript client and server side as they were just one thing... but I still love Ruby, at least for the backend.
> 
> Since I am looking for a new job, I fear I will learn Angular.js and then an employer will ask me Backbone.js. 
> 
> What do you think?
> 
> -- 
> Riccardo Tacconi
> Ruby on Rails and PHP development - System Administration
> VIRTUELOGIC LIMITED
> 
> http://github.com/rtacconi
> http://riccardotacconi.blogspot.com
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