Introducing MochiKit
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MochiKit (pronounced mo-chi kit) is a lightweight, fast JavaScript library that was inspired by the Python programming language. It aims to make a lot of JavaScript syntax more convenient. It was produced by Mochi Media, a company dedicated to providing tools and services that support content creators, and written almost entirely by Bob Ippolito. Keep reading to learn more about this library.
The general aim is to make building web content fun and easy and driven by creativity, passion and innovation. The library was initially released on July 27, 2005 and has undergone many revisions, improvements and releases since then bringing it to the current version of 1.4, a testament to the developer's ongoing dedication to making the product as good as it can be. It is released under a dual license in MIT or the Academic Free License 2.1 flavors, which allows you to use the library for anything that you want and to make whatever changes or modifications you see fit, which makes it ideal for use in your own products or web sites.
Like other libraries, you are offered the choice between a couple of different versions to download, the development version and the release version. The development version is the version that you should use during construction and testing of your web pages/site, and the release version is the more polished version that should be used when you release your pages/site for general consumption. The full current release version weighs in at approx 1.23 MB, including the documentation and examples, which makes it slightly bigger than MooTools but still pretty small and definitely smaller than some of the available JavaScript libraries available.
The tag line on the MochiKit website is that it "makes JavaScript suck less." Personally, I don't think JavaScript sucks at all; I think it's a great language that can do great things, but then I'm probably not advanced enough of a user to feel its shortcomings as much as others may. It's not infallible or perfect but then what is? Still I'm sure that many people who find it hard to use JavaScript to get the effect they want may indeed feel that it sucks a little, and these are the people at which I guess the library is primarily aimed. In truth, the library is well suited to many people and projects and is compatible with a wide range of browsers and other frameworks.
The MochiKit site is very well produced and is presented in a clear, attractive and no-nonsense style. You can view demos of MochiKit in action, read the library's documentation and find out who else is using MochiKit in their projects. There is a blog to keep up to date on the latest MochiKit developments, and of course links to the latest downloads of the two library versions. The demo's section on the whole is very good and provides clear examples of some of the functionality you can add to your web sites using the library. The only problem with the examples is that there isn't a great deal of them; although this is noted by the developers and more examples are promised.
Next: MochiKit Modules >>
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