Dojo and Jquery and DWR

[Paras Jain]

Hi Frank,
For the existing projects using Jquery and DWR Javascript libraries is there any compelling reason for them to switch to Dojo. What is the most distinguishing feature of Dojo when compared to Prototype, Scriptaculous, Jquery(I love) and DWR.

Regards,
Paras
[ September 30, 2008: Message edited by: Paras Jain ]

[Frank Zammetti]

I'd say if you're already invested in jQuery and DWR then there is, in my mind, no compelling reason to switch to Dojo. jQuery is a top-notch library (in fact, it's now the TOP library, based on every poll/usage graph I've seen over the last year) and DWR is IMO the *best* Ajax mechanism available today (your concerns about documentation notwithstanding... you could always buy my DWR book! LOL)

The most distinguishing thing about Dojo I think is simply how far-reaching it is. Dojo is the only library today IMO that you can take and not need anything else, it'll cover virtually every need when writing an RIA. It may not always be the best at everything, but it does just about everything. jQuery is starting to be like that too, when you count all the plugins available for it, but Dojo is by default that far-reaching.

[Paras Jain]

Frank,
I removed the word Hate from my original post. Just after posting I didn't feel it was right. I think it is way too extreme word. DWR has steep learning curve I feel. I whined about lack of documentation in your book promotion thread(Practical DWR project). You rightly suggested that I should learn Ajax and contribute in it if I feel it lacks documentation. I will buy your book and learn DWR. It is in my "someday maybe" list.

Back to the original topic, Dojo.
We are building a new website. We were evaluating different JS libraries for their Ready-made functionalities. We liked Dojo, prototype and scriptaculous and give sort of ready-made stuff. Jquery is great but you need plugins for achieving what is ready-made available in other libraries. What is your opinion about prototype and scriptaculous. When should one choose one over another?

[Frank Zammetti]

I'm not sure there's any checklist you could run down to determine when to use one library versus another, so it's not a simple question I'd say. I think if you like the "one stop shopping" idea, then Dojo is a great choice. If all you need is effects and maybe some simple widgets, Prototype/scriptaculous is a good answer. jQuery has been rising in popularity for a while now and has a robust community that provides lots of add-ons, which is a plus or a minus, depending on your mindset.

Prototype/scriptaculous, since you called them out specifically, are nice because they are relative simple and lightweight, which is a big draw. I'm not as familiar with the widget ecosystem around them, so I can't say much there, but the core libraries are good and I'd have no problem with a team that chose them.

[Paras Jain]

Thanks Frank for your replies