Researchers at Brown University have created a new programming language for developing Web applications, known as Flapjax.
Flapjax is a new twist on AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) style development that is based on JavaScript, said Shriram Krishnamurthi, a computer science professor at Brown who is leading the project.
The new language makes AJAX-style development easier by hiding complexity, its developers say.
Krishnamurthi, based on Brown’s Providence, R.I., campus, said Flapjax is easy to learn for many developers because “its syntax is precisely that of JavaScript.”
Furthermore, “because Flapjax is built entirely atop JavaScript, it runs on traditional Web browsers without the need for plug-ins or other downloads,” he said.
“In fact, you can (in exchange for a little more code) use Flapjax purely as a library in JavaScript rather than use the compiler from Flapjax to JavaScript, so you can integrate it into your existing programs.”
Moreover, Krishnamurthi said Flapjax has six primary characteristics: It is event-driven and reactive; it reduces unnecessary code through its template system; it provides a persistent store that automatically updates all clients sharing the same data; it enables sharing of data with others; it implements access control to channel the data sharing; and it libraries to connect to external Web sites, which enables the creation of client-side mashups.
Read the full story on eWeek: Flapjax Simplifies AJAX Development