Selector Wars

Jack Slocum of Ext fame recently posted a comparison of CSS Selector speeds among different JavaScript libraries. The results are pretty impressive. Looks like performance is starting to become the foremost concern among the different libraries. The librariesin question are – Ext, jQuery, Dojo, Mootools, Prototype.

You can view the post here.

But why all the spotlight on CSS selectors only? What about other aspects of JavaScript like text metrics, element manipulation, event management, problem of memory leaking, state management, etc. There are no good comparisons on these lines, maybe because not all libraries support these features.

Anyways, according to the tests Opera seems to outperform other browsers, and Ext seems to outperform other libraries by a fair margin. But one could easily say that the results are tainted as they come from Jack himself. If that is the case, you can always run the tests yourself. Navigate here.

These libraries are doing their bit, but with the present incompatibilities among browsers and slow rendering of JavaScript, it is nearly impossible to push the performance any further. Its true that they keep on raising the bar, but the saturation point seems to be quite near.

500 GB Holographic Discs

Well, the title says it all….. some scientists at Technical University of Berlin claim to have developed a technique using which they can cram up data to the tune of 500 GB on a single disc….. and by 2010 they plan to double the capacity….. it will use multi-layered holographic storage to store data all across the 3 dimensions of the disc…… neat…. here’s the [Link] to the article for your reading pleasure…. I would be waiting for this monster to hit the market….. +1 to my wishlist

Web App….. what Web App?!

We all know that slowly Web Applications are gearing towards replacing the traditional Desktop Applications, but how soon and how well? Will Web Apps ever come close to replacing Desktop Apps or will they keep content with being called the cyber clones of the Desktop Apps after giving a tough fight? Will they ever pack enough punch to blur the difference between the Desktop world and the Cyber world?

Well, you will find sufficient support for both the camps, and I once myself said in a reply to a blog post that Web Apps are not meant to replace the Desktop Apps, rather they are meant to complement their desktop counterparts to provide a fuller experience to the users. But there is one person who is tilting me in the other direction, read Jack Slocum. He has set the internet ablaze with his mindblowingly beautiful and unbelievably powerful library. Just google for his name and see for yourself.

Recently in a blog post he demonstrated to the world what can be done using Adobe Air and Ext 2.0. What should I say about it, freaking awesome.

 

“Nobody can be told what the Ext is, you have to see it to believe it“

– Morpheus, The Matrix (abridged, of course)

 

So here you go

• The sample App using google gears and Ext 2.0 [Link]
• The Blog Post [Link]
• The forums (This is where all the action is discussed) [Link]

 

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