Lightning Talks on JS Libraries, Frameworks, and Tool Kits.

As a web designer, front-developer, or software engineer you might be interested in using Javascript (https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/JavaScript) to make your UI more dynamic, load your pages more quickly on the client-side of the browser or may need to build a web app efficiently for a tight deadline. By learning and implementing JS frameworks, libraries, and tool kits that are out there, can help you with a lot of the heavy lifting. Without having to code everything from scratch or know everything under the hood. For our May event we will explore the differences between jQuery a DOM abstraction library, Backbone.js a data modeling library, tool kits such as Cujo.js, and also Ember.js and Angular.js frameworks. How do you chose one, and how are they different, what are the advantages of using them, what are best practices, what makes them great, and not so great. Each presenter will have 10 minutes to discuss these issues, demo, and 5 minutes for Q&A.

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jQuery isn't so much a framework as it is a toolkit. We'll be discussing why this is an important distinction for those getting ready to build an application. We'll then look at jQuery in the context of the other frameworks being discussed at the meetup. This will include examples of how Backbone and Ember depend on jQuery and how Angular gets by without it.

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GitHub: jugglinmike (https://github.com/jugglinmike)
Twitter: @jugglinmike (https://twitter.com/JugglinMike)

Mike Pennisi works at Bocoup (http://bocoup.com/) where he evangelizes open-source software development, builds web applications, and instructs on writing testable JavaScript. His contributions to open-source software include patches to JSHint, Socket.io, and Backbone.LayoutManager. He enjoys researching user interface design, privacy on the web, and third-party JavaScript.

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Sometimes when we are working on an app we push ahead just trying to get it to work. We might not put any thought into how the app is composed or organized. CujoJS (http://cujojs.com/) is a set of tools which makes the decomposition of your application easy! Cujo will give you the building blocks you need to write code which is easier to maintain and extend into the future!

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Github: treasonx (https://github.com/treasonx)
Twitter: @treasonx (https://twitter.com/treasonx)

James Morrin software engineer at Swoop (http://www.swoop.com/). James has been building single page JavaScript applications before it was the cool thing to do. Back when we (most of us) had to worry about browsers like IE6! Currently he is working at Swoop where he is tasked with building, and maintaining a third-party JS framework for serving contextually relevant content to users across 500+ domains. James has contributed to a few open source projects over the years including AngularJS, node-jquery, and grunt-markdown.

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Ember (http://emberjs.com/) is coming! The future of front-end web development is being laid out as the Ember javascript framework gets developed. Learn about the Ember MVC pattern, routing, and integrating it with your web app. See a live demo and discover what sets it apart from the rest of the javascript framework jungle.

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Patrick Holloway is currently a Ruby on Rails Engineer at the Cambridge based company PatientsLikeMe (http://www.patientslikeme.com). A self-taught web developer, recently leaving behind his small business as a photographer, and web designer. PatientsLikeMe is a data-driven social networking health site that enables its members to share condition, treatment, and symptom information. In order to monitor their health over time, and learn from real-world outcomes.

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Backbone (http://backbonejs.org/) is arguably the most widespread JavaScript framework out there. Weighing in at just 1500 lines, simplicity drives the framework's power and flexibility. But that simplicity comes at a cost - where other frameworks provide a well worn trail at every turn, Backbone hands you a compass and wishes you good luck. We'll cover the requisite background, code demos, and comparisons, through which we'll discover the pros and cons of Backbone's minimalistic philosophy.

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GitHub: davewasmer (https://github.com/search?q=davewasmer&ref=cmdform&type=Users)
Twitter: @davewasmer (https://twitter.com/davewasmer)

Dave Wasmer is a frontend developer for Kinvey (http://www.kinvey.com/), a backend as a service startup and TechStars alum right here in Boston. He spends his days building and maintaining the Kinvey console, a complex single page app powered by Backbone. His nights are spent hacking on Backbone, Coffeescript, single page apps, and more. He also enjoys helping others learn all about JavaScript and Backbone; he has taught at General Assembly and the Startup Institute (formerly Boston Startup School), as well as mentored Lean Startup Machine workshops and Startup Weekend competitions.

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AngularJS (http://angularjs.org/) is the new kid on the MVC JS framework block. It is making big headlines for its testability, two way bindings, and get more done with less code mind set! In this talk I will take your on a whirlwind tour through angular and give you just enough to wet your appetite to explore the framework more on your own!

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Github: treasonx (https://github.com/treasonx)
Twitter: @treasonx (https://twitter.com/treasonx)

James Morrin software engineer at Swoop (http://www.swoop.com/). James has been building single page JavaScript applications before it was the cool thing to do. Back when we (most of us) had to worry about browsers like IE6! Currently he is working at Swoop where he is tasked with building, and maintaining a third-party JS framework for serving contextually relevant content to users across 500+ domains. James has contributed to a few open source projects over the years including AngularJS, node-jquery, and grunt-markdown.

Thanks to Synacor (http://synacor.com/) for being our sponsor by providing pizza and beer for the event!

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Synacor. We're a Tech company at the intersection of Hollywood and Madison Avenue. We trade in consumers' favorite stuff: their tv shows, movies, music, games, email and more. Consumers want all the content and services they can imagine, any time, anywhere and on the device of their choosing. Consumers are clamoring for it. Industry is struggling to deliver it. Enter Synacor, making it all possible. We're the leading provider of next-gen startpages, award-winning TV Everywhere solutions and cloud-based Identity Management (IDM) services. We are seeking Boston-based experienced, well-rounded and creative architects, software developers, and SQA engineers to join our growing team of like-minded individuals. If you have a passion for technology and want to work on products that will change our world, then check us out.

You can follow Synacor on Twitter @Synacor (https://twitter.com/Synacor) and also be sure to check out our website at www.synacor.com (http://www.synacor.com/) for more insight on the cool things we do.

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Thanks to Bocoup Loft (http://bocoup.com/) for hosting our May Meetup. Bocoup is an Open Web technology company by and for programmers. We create new Open Web technologies and help them become viable through consulting, training and community development. We research next generation browser technologies, implement software for clients, run events workshops and training and contribute to numerous open source projects.