Alright, so while the to Zend or not to Zend question is still under debate, I’m also looking at some AJAX-y goodness. There are several I’m looking at. Now, please do keep in mind that this is my personal preference only and does not reflect a wider standard. These are my opinions related to what I need to use these for. Flame on, if you like! ;]
GWT
- Pros
Obviously a nice framework, lots of support and has some good depth to it. - Cons
Needs a JSP container (e.g. Tomcat) so that disqualifies me since my server setup will not have this available.
dojo
- Pros
Lots of widgets, loads of things already done for you. Very extensive and seems to be pretty cohesive in its approach. - Cons
I tried to like it, I really did, but bottom line was that the examples just seemed a little behind the times (using old versions of the framework) and I ran into a couple of errors in FF 2.0 (although to be fair that might have been due to some other issues).
Prototype + script.aculo.us
- Pros
Nice and tight “framework” (more of a toolkit set than a framework, really), very fast and small. - Cons
There are fewer ready-made widgets that are part and parcel of the base tool set. Oh, I know, I could download a boatload of widgets from various places, but it seems these are all just ever so slightly different in their implementation details and quality of implementation, I just don’t feel like giving myself that headache. I’m a one-stop-shop kinda guy (for now ;] ).
YUI
- Pros
Big-name support, lots of features. Reasonably intelligent about what can be included and what not, should help keep size down. - Cons
Well, can’t think of any yet… ;]
Looking at this list, looks like YUI will be my choice. Time will tell whether this was a bad idea or not. ;]