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  • Is there a simple convention over configuration application framework that is javascript based, which looks and feels like a rich client side application, out-of-the-box? For example, there is GWT... But it is heavy weight (i.e. it requires compilation).

  • More specifically, given that tools like JQuery continue to gain popularity - are there any vanilla CSS + JQuery application frameworks that (again, like GWT), just "work" out of the box, with intuitive and natural layout managers similar to those defined by the GWT/Swing toolkits ? These parts of any such framework might be driven by a high level js wrapper.

  • Since JQuery is modular, and modularity has its benefits, the above may not be a fair expectation. Java is quite modular, but by picking a stack (hibernate + Spring + JSP, for example) we can simplify java development. Is there such thing as a common JQuery stack for full service front end development ?

The closest thing I have found so far to embody this are :

  • GWT

  • SproutCore (recent discovery which I haven't done too much with).

  • FLEX related technologies.

I'm sure other approaches to High level web / CSS / js / html5 programming exist- what are they? Although its that many js tools exist, it's not clear which ones are low level DIY ones (for DOM hackers) and which ones are the (less flexible) pre packaged frameworks that "just work".

jayunit100
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  • -1. do not use tag 'tools' see http://stackoverflow.com/tags/tools/info – r4. Jun 19 '12 at 18:38
  • I think the title of the question is confusing... Maybe it should be renamed to something like "Javascript frameworks for Rich Web Apps" but with reference to your specific needs... I don't fully understand the meaning of "configuration" in your phrasing. – Dmitry Pashkevich Jun 20 '12 at 07:38

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UPD: 2014 answer

It's great to see insane progress in the field, be sure to check out the following frameworks:

  1. EmberJS
  2. AngularJS
  3. KnockoutJS

It's virtually impossible to recommend a specific one without being opinionated but you can find plenty of comparison articles on the web and related questions here on SO.

From your description, the top 2 frameworks for RIA (Rich Internet Application) development that I would suggest are:

  1. ExtJS. A rich and mature framework with a big community and lots of complementary tools. Gives you OOP-like class system, an event system, a pretty rich and flexible library of widgets (with layout managers) and lots of other cool abstractions, just check out their website. Very good an extensive documentation. They also have a product named Sencha GXT (ex ExtGWT) if you want interoperability with GWT, they've been doing it for quite a while.
  2. Dojo Toolkit. Another robust framework, quite similar to ExtJS but probably more lightweight (which is framework's strength, they use AMD to define/load modules)

Also worth noting that the second one is free for commercial use and the second one isn't. I suggest you to look at what these two frameworks have to offer out of the box and decide which one better suits your needs.

Other less popular (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) and generally smaller frameworks that have some community around them are:

  1. Sproutcore. that you've mentioned
  2. YUI. RIA framework maintained by Yahoo. ExtJS was originally created as extension to YUI.
  3. qooxdoo. I'm not familiar with the framework but I've seen people recommend it. The description on the website looks promising.

These are the the frameworks that can help you architect "serious" single-page rich web applications. I should note that jQuery isn't generally suitable for such projects as a core. If what you want is more like library of widgets built on top of jQuery then you should check out jQuery UI but there's lots of other similar toolkits.

Also, check out these similar threads on SO:

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Dmitry Pashkevich
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