Análisis y comparativa de librerías javascript – AJAX

Pequeño análisis y comparativa de algunas librerías AJAX actualmente disponibles (2006) sacado textualmente del libro Beginning JavaScript with DOM Scripting and Ajax y actualizado por mi mismo.

Leland Scott has done an amazing job researching dozens of different javascript Ajax libraries on the Web and comparing them in terms of cross-browser and cross-platform compatibility:

http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2006/03/ajax-dhtml-library-scorecard.html.

Here is a sampling of the best-known and most popular libraries with some information as to their capabilities and goals:

• DOJO (http://www.dojotoolkit.org/) is one of the most mature and most popular DHTML/Ajax toolkits now available. The only issue is that there is not a huge examples section.
• prototype (http://prototype.conio.net/) is a very powerful and much appreciated framework; however, it comes with neither documentation nor examples, which is why several prototype spin-offs are more likely to be usable for you as follows:
  • script.aculo.us (http://script.aculo.us/) is probably the best-documented library available. Dozens of examples and explanations help you find your way around the library quite quickly.
  • moofx (http://moofx.mad4milk.net/) was especially developed with size in mind. The entire library is only 3KB and offers lots of visual tricks and effects, along with a basic Ajax engine.
• Rico (http://openrico.org/rico/home.page) was developed with web applications in mind and features a panel bar, a data grid, and some effects, as well as an Ajax engine of its own.
• S@rdalya (http://www.sarmal.com/sardalya/Default.aspx) is a newer library that is very modular. It is constantly being updated. S@dalya’s developer is also very active on evolt’s thelist mailing list (http://lists.evolt.org/).
• The Yahoo User Interface library (http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/index.html), created and maintained by Yahoo, provides good documentation and examples, making it easy to take your first steps with Ajax. You’ll find a support mailing list at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ydn-javascript/.
• Sarissa (http://sarissa.sourceforge.net/doc/) helps when you need to work with XML; it allows you to convert XML to strings easily, and from one XML document to another, using XSLT.
• MooTools (http://mootools.net/) es un framework JavaScript modular y Orientado a Objetos que está diseñado para desarrolladores de nivel medio o avanzado. Permite escribir código cross-browser con su elegante, bien documentada y coherente API.