GWT 1.4 was released today. This is the first non-beta release of the software and includes numerous improvements to improve the usability of the code.

New Features:

• Rich Text Area, Improved Split Panels, Suggest Box & Buttons
• Image Bundle to automatically consolidate image downloads
• Servlet independence to allow any Java back-end infrastructure
• Benchmarking system based on J-Unit
• GWT can be added to HTML with simple <script> tag
• Synchronous loading of external files
• Ability to pull files across multiple domains
• RPC whitelists automatically generated

You can download the new release at:
http://code.google.com/webtoolkit/download.html

More info on the release can be found here:
http://googlewebtoolkit.blogspot.com/2007/08/gwt-14-release-and-out-of-beta.html 

Name: ext Javascript Library
URL: http://extjs.com
Native Server Environment: None
Included Widgets: Grids, Layouts, Panels, Menus, Buttons, Form, Tree, ComboBox, Dialog, Tab Panel
Download Size: VariableOriginally developed as an add on library for the YUI toolkit, ext has emerged as a powerful and capable toolkit in its own right. Ext has a powerful focus on widgets and application construction similar to Dojo’s dijit system. It’s biggest strength, however, is the fact that it can float on top of just about any underlying AJAX library or stand on its own.

Some Highlights

• Powerful animation & effect tools
• Excellent editable grid widget
• Compatible with several major AJAX libraries
  • YUI
  • Scriptaculous / Prototype
  • jQuery
• Powerful Skinning System

Some Drawbacks

• A bit of a learning curve
• Demo’s & tutorials may not work due because they were coded for different underlying library
• Depends on underlying library for many key functions, some features don’t work well with all libraries.
• Focus on XML or JSON for some tasks & in documentation

There’s a myriad of AJAX frameworks out there to streamline the development of interactive sites. While methods of implementation vary and the functionality toolkits offer can vary dramatically. All toolkits fundamentally provide you with certain key features.
Basic Features

• Simplified AJAX calls. All frameworks streamline the way in which you process POST and GET requests by abstracting away the cross browser descrepancies.
• Improved DOM Access. All frameworks improve interactions with the DOM through performance benefits and improved API calls.
• Object Orientation / Elements. All frameworks provide a level of object oriented abstraction to simplify and structure coding as well as some level of abstraction for DOM nodes.
• JSON Support. Most if not all frameworks provide strong support for the JSON data interchange standard.

Advanced Features
There are also some advanced features common to most if not all frameworks.

• Drag & Drop. Most frameworks provide tools for manipulating elements via drag & drop.
• Animation. Many frameworks provide animation tools to enhance the interface. These can vary dramatically between toolkits in performance & available effects, however.
• Event Handling. Since the default javascript event model can be slow and buggy at times. Most frameworks abstract away the default event system with a new slots & sockets approach.

Here are 5 open source WYSIWYG editors you might consider for your upcoming development projects. Rich Text Editors are one of the workhorses of modern web applications. Providing simplified wysiwyg formating of content for forms, RTEs have become a favorite among users.

Tiny MCE

Tiny MCE stands out as the most popular of the modern editors. The high flexibility, simplified theming and extreme ease of use the editor provides are highly regarded and well praised. Some key features:

• Microsoft Word Cleanup Filter
• Ability to fine tune available buttons
• Ability to restrict html to certain css styles
• Excellent Media import tools
• Simple API for custom features
• Skinable

Xinha

A venerable successor to HTMLArea, Xinha combines flexibility with a slick interface. Although once relegated primarily to the Zope / Plone universe. Xinha has lately emerged as a powerful stand alone editor. Many developers prefer its media & css tools to those of Tiny MCE

• Microsoft Word Cleanup Filter
• Highly Configurable
• Ability to restrict html to certain css styles
• Powerful Media import tools
• Skinable

FCK Editor

Although still popular, FCK editor doesn’t compete as well against the top tier wysiwyg editors as it once did. The interface seems clunky, especially compared to Xinha or Tiny MCE. And there’s always the issue of the name, I’ve had it shot down from a project spec because of it. The software is included here out of completeness and the fact that it is still widely used and adopted.

• Extensive capabilities
• Established & heavily deployed

Dojo Editor Widget

The Dojo Editor Widget is an integral part of the Dojo Ajax Toolkit. It is included here because of the compelling features that make it unique. Chief among these features is the ability to share one toolbar across multiple editor instances. It is this ability to provide a traditional application toolbar feel when multiple editors are in use that sets the Dojo Editor apart and inspired me to include it here today.

• Skinable
• Shared Toolbar Support
• Powerful API

YUI Rich Text Editor

Finally, an editor that works in Safari. Built on the YUI toolkit, the beta form of the Yahoo Rich Text Editor was designed from the ground up to work in Safari. By coding for Safari first and then modifying the code to create something that worked in Opera, Firefox & Internet Explorer. Dav Glass created a cross platform editor that surpasses every other editor in this list for browser support. The other unique feature of the YUI editor is web 2.0 / Mashup support and integration. By integrating a unique Flickr photo picker & useful insert link tools the YUI RTE has emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the WYSIWYG world.

• Flickr Photo Picker
• Link Picker Tools
• Powerful API
• Skinable
• Safari Support