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News: New Echo3 Beta and Initial EchoStudio Beta Now Available

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  1. New Echo3 Beta and Initial EchoStudio Beta Now Available (2 messages)

    • Posted by: Tod Liebeck
    • Posted on: October 14 2008 08:06 EDT
    Echo3 is an open source, component-based AJAX framework which provides the capability to create applications using either a client-side JavaScript or server-side Java API. Client-side Echo applications run entirely within the browser, without the need for an application server of any kind. Server-side applications run within a Java servlet container, with a translation layer synchronizing the state of client- and server-side component hierarchies to provide a remote browser view of the server-based application. The second beta release is a major improvement over the initial beta; significant new features relative to beta1 include:

    * Improved layout capabilities: Layouts components such as SplitPanes can now auto-size regions to the needs of their content. Percent and text-size relative positioning is supported throughout the framework. Using these capabilities, user interfaces can scale properly with changes in font size and/or display pixel density.
    • Documentation improvements: All sections of the Echo3 (and CoreJS) developer guides are now available. The process of authoring Echo3 components that render custom HTML and JavaScript has been fully documented. Both client-side and server-side APIs are well documented.
    • Performance improvements, polish, cleanups, and testing: Echo3 is memory stable and responsive even in old browsers (IE6) on old hardware, and has generally matured since beta1.

    Echo is open-source software, licensed under the Mozilla Public License (or alternatively under the GNU LGPL or GNU GPL licenses).

    A demonstration application is available at http://demo.nextapp.com/echo3csjs

    Echo3 Screenshot, showing client-side JavaScript demo application running performance/framerate test.

    More information and downloads for the open-source Echo framework can be found at http://echo.nextapp.com

    EchoStudio3 is an Eclipse-based tool which provides the capability to develop Echo-based user interfaces visually. As of beta1, EchoStudio3's features include:

    * A WYSIWYG, point-and-click Form Editor.
    • A StyleSheet editor for creating application themes.
    • Project creation wizards, with various project templates including an example E-Mail application.
    • Ability to run and debug Echo applications from within Eclipse using a built-in Jetty servlet container.
    • An Echo2 -> Echo3 Migration Wizard to convert Echo2 applications to Echo3. This feature DOES NOT require that the source application have been created with EchoStudio for Echo2.
    • A rendered component wizard to generate new HTML/JavaScript rendering components.

    EchoStudio is commercial software, licensed per developer. The product is available as a full-featured free trial.

    EchoStudio3 Screenshot, showing a form being developed using the visual editor.

    Information on the commercial EchoStudio product can be found at http://www.nextapp.com/products/echostudio
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    Threaded Messages (2)

  2. Congratulations[ Go to top ]

    Congratulations Tod.

    For the type of applications that I write, which are rich business applications with lots of heavy form-filling and search capability (i.e. traditional business apps which people now want delivering through a browser), I would not even consider any other framework. And I have tried many.

    The quality and productivity my team has achieved through being able to write all the code as pure server-side java, as if it was Swing or SWT, has been fantastic. We are able to leverage all the power of OO design.

    And crucially, we don't have to make decisions about when the client should call the server, because echo3 is a true thin-client framework, just synchronizing properties and events as they change. This removes a major risk from our development process.

    And we are still able to implement new client-side components and effects with ease. We don't use many of the echo3 core widgets, we mainly use ExtJS - we already had a commitment to the ExtJS UI. Integrating this has been some effort, but the process has been clear and rational.

    My developers tell me regularly how pleased they are with this framework, and I would certainly recommend that others evaluate it.
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  3. Looks really, really good.[ Go to top ]

    Having looked at echo, it actually looks like one of the best RIA frameworks out there. i.e. Has the nice swing like programming model of GWT but runs on the server side. Also, it has a much nicer, richer selection of widgets.
    It's also very similar to wicket, but doesn't have the additional plumbing required to keep the ".html" files in sync with java code.
    To me its almost the best solution, the only problem I see is a marketting and branding one. I think a good comprehensive book would go a huge way.
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