SmartClient to Outsmart Ext with SmartGWT
On 8/18/2008, the creator of GWT-Ext announced his involvement in the new LGPL-licensed SmartGWT. SmartGWT - a combination of GWT and the SmartClient Ajax library - is a stealth project which will help fill the huge need for an advanced Java-based RIA framework. Judging by GWT-Ext, I trust that SmartGWT will be an outstanding product managed with integrity and predictability.
http://www.jroller.com/sjivan/entry/smartgwt_gwt_api_s_for
http://www.isomorphic.dreamhosters.com/?p=51
SmartGWT would probably not have gotten off the ground had Ext not enraged so many people. The takeaway business lesson for the rest of us is not to alienate our customers, including the indirect ones that evangelize our products and services. I look forward to a much more cooperative SmartGWT forum in contrast to the confrontational Ext forum.
I discussed possible RIA alternatives for Java developers in a previous blog entry, and the only other major development in the past couple of months has been the announcement of YUI 3. I believe that SmartGWT will become one of the best frameworks for Java RIA developers along with GWT-Ext and Flex. Is there any taker on Ext renaming Ext GWT to GWT Smart?
August 20th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
One question that needs to be raised is whether the SmartGWT license will explicitly contain the same derivative work clarification to the LGPL license as the GWT-Ext license.
http://gwt-ext.com/license/
According to this forum post, the SmartClient Ajax library does not affect the Web site license. Therefore, it is probably a good bet that SmartGWT will have the same interpretation.
http://forums.smartclient.com/showthread.php?t=1778
August 21st, 2008 at 1:58 pm
You are quite thorough :) Yes in fact, as stated on the forums, when a site or product embeds SmartClient LGPL / SmartGWT, Isomorphic regards that as a separate work wholly owned by the company that created the site or product, not a derivative work of SmartClient. We will be sure to make this prominently visible in the official license.
August 22nd, 2008 at 8:45 am
This is fantastic news!! My prediction is that Ext is going to be Ext-inct within 1.5yrs. I had reluctantly stopped using Ext because of the license change to GPL. I say reluctantly because I still liked Ext but we simply couldn’t use any GPL software. I hope SmartClient / SmartGWT deliver as this is exactly what the community needed. I’ve already assigned a couple of resource to come up with a migration path from Ext to SmartClient.
August 22nd, 2008 at 9:51 am
@Charles
Thanks for the clarification. Ex-Ext supporters should be happy to hear that Isomorphic’s offerings do not require a law degree and telepathy as prerequisites to commercial deployment, unlike certain other products that they have used.
August 22nd, 2008 at 7:53 pm
@Harry
If Ext does fade away (cue Ajax effect), I personally think it will take longer than 1.5 years if only due to inertia. Everything else that you wrote, I agree with 100%.