Ext

The Ext team is proud to announce that Ext v2.0 Beta 1 is available for download. This release of the Ext framework features updated portal and desktop examples, documentation updates, and bug fixes.

New Sample Application Updates

In our last release, we introduced two new sample applications which were truly a hit with the development community. The two applications, Web Desktop and Customizing: Portals were excellent examples of the capabilities of the new Ext 2.0 framework. For the beta release, we have dramatically improved the features and functionality of both. The Web Desktop has been drastically enhanced to include a start menu as well as functional icons on the desktop. It truly looks like you’re working within an operating system like Windows.

Web Desktop

This sample includes updates to the look, code organization, desktop shortcuts and an excellent StartMenu implementation contributed by Todd Murdock of the Ext community. Thanks also go to Todd for porting the tab scrolling code into the TaskBar so it can handle additional windows without creating additional rows of task items.

Portal

This sample received it’s next major revision including new shortcut classes for columns and portlets, new layout enhancements and an overall smoother API for development.

All of the updated Ext 2.0 Beta 1 samples can be seen at the Ext 2.0 Samples page. Additional samples are available in SVN.

New API Documentation Updates

We’re continuing our efforts to provide top-notch information and documentation for Ext developers. In addition to updating our documentation with new class information, we’ve enlisted the assistance of several community members in developing tutorials specific to Ext 2.0 and migrating existing tutorials to take into account changes in Ext 2.0.

As we mentioned in our last post, our documentation center has been dramatically revamped to help finding information substantially easier.

2.0 Migration

The Ext 2.0 migration guide is near completion and we will be proofreading it shortly to ensure that it meets our high standards of documentation. As soon as it’s been verified, we will make it immediately available to help expedite the transition from Ext v1.x to Ext 2.0.

2.0 Availability

The Ext 2.0 codebase has stabilized and several clients have begun to use Ext 2.0 in production environments. Ext 2.0 is available for download and code updates are available to SVN subscribers in the Ext SVN under branches/ext2.0.

License

Ext 2.0 is being released with the same license options as 1.1. Please visit http://extjs.com/license for more details.

For many companies and products, Open Source licenses are not an option. Ext offers commercial licenses for these situations and for companies using Ext in commercial applications who want to help support the project. It is a non-copyleft license which gives companies complete freedom when integrating Ext in their products and web sites. During the 2.0 prerelease period, estimated until October 31st, we are offering a 25% discount on all commercial license purchases. If you were considering a commercial license, now is the time!

InfoQ.com, an independent online community focused on change and innovation in enterprise software development, recently interviewed Ext founder Jack Slocum about the latest release of Ext, version 2.0 alpha.

Jack offered great insight into Ext 2.0 and how the framework is positioned in the marketplace:

“Ext can definitely be used as a stand-alone framework. In fact, barring any other requirements, that is the preferred choice as it offers the smallest file footprint and tightest support and integration. However, we also offer the ability to integrate with jQuery, YUI or Prototype as the base library for core services like DOM and event handling, Ajax connectivity and animation. One reason one might opt for such integration is when they have a requirement to use an existing library-specific widget that Ext does not natively offer — the YUI history control is a perfect example.”

“The Ext components were designed to work with other Ext components so the process of using them together is seamless. That type of interoperability can only come when a close knit team is doing the design and development with the same goal in mind, which is something generally not found in open source projects. All of our components have been built from the ground up with presentation, performance, interoperability and extensibility in mind, and we think it shows.”

When asked what the driving force of ExtJS 2.0 is, Jack’s answer was clear and straight to the point:

“Developer productivity and a solid, consistent foundation to build on. Although the 1.x version of Ext was a great library to build on, there were certain areas identified that could be made easier and require less expertise and code by the developer. We want to tackle some of the more difficult problems when building a complex application, such as deferred rendering and component life-cycle and not require developers to handle it manually. The other major improvement for 2.0 in a more robust foundation in place for customizing components (plugins), grouping components (containers) and component initialization. The new consistency across layouts and components means that once you understand how to configure and work with one component in Ext, you will be able to work with any component in the framework in the same way. That leads to faster and easier development for the end user, while sacrificing nothing in terms of Ext’s size or performance.”

You can read the complete interview at InfoQ.com ExtJS Creator Jack Slocum Discusses Upcoming 2.0 Release.