EXT JS 2.1 Overview
(Page 1 of 4 )
EXT JS is a feature-packed and cross-browser RIA framework built from JavaScript and CSS that seriously reduces the development time of Web 2.0 applications. It was originally built as an extension of the popular YUI library. In this article we take a close look at its features and what you can do with it.
Version 1.1 of EXT JS can be used as a standalone solution to professional web development. It is currently on version 2.1. Though it is still a completely standalone product in its own right, it can be very easily integrated with today's best and most popular JavaScript libraries, including the YUI, jQuery and Prototype. It can also be used in conjunction with the excellent AIR framework from Adobe.
The library has been developed by a team of professionals headed by Jack Slocum and including Brian Moeskau, Aaron Conran and Rich Waters. It is available under two separate licenses depending on how you intend to implement and distribute applications based on the library. The licensing of the library has had a turbulent history, with the library's developers and the development community disagreeing on the terms and restrictions of use.
This issue has now been resolved by the implementation of a dual license for the library comprising of a range of Commercial licenses for non-open source distributed applications. You can also opt to allow your applications to be released with the source code fully shared with the development community under a GPL v3 license. Dual licensing in this manner allows the product to remain highly competitive, very well supported and bursting with features, while still at the same time remaining available to the open source development community.
Now that I've covered EXT JS's history, background, and licensing, it's time to take a look at the framework itself. That step starts with downloading the library. Click the link below to continue our exploration.
Next: Library Features >>
More JavaScript Articles
More By Dan Wellman
