Opening presentation of Polymer.js, a JavaScript framework, in Chicago.
Peter Wong and Ryan Gerry present an overview of Polymer.js, a JavaScript library, at the Chicago Javascript Meetup in The Loop (Chicago)
"Web front end programming is a hostile environment" laments Ryan Gerry and Peter Wong, two developers who presented Polymer.js, a JavaScript framework, to the Chicago JavaScript Meetup group. The presentation, along with refreshments and presentation space, was hosted at Enova International in Chicago in November.
Polymer.js is one of several JavaScript libraries that have been rapidly introduced to the open source world. These frameworks are miles head of JavaScript's early days as "that language used for pop-up windows." The language is now at the forefront for unified communications and data visualization.
Polymer.js differentiates itself from existing Javascript frameworks by implementing the emerging Web Components standard. The benefit is a forward looking focus on evolving web standards to ease working with the DOM (Document Object Model) compared to backward compatibility.
The aspect I paid particular attention to Polymer's flexibility on HTML naming convention. The value of Polymer.js is that it attempts to organize encapsulation in a simple manner. Encapsulation in JavasSript means assigning a label that can be used globally in a document, such as the follow light-structured example.
The <polymer-element name...> can be specified in variety of ways - The site Polymer-project.org hosts a demo on a few elements to show how more examples work.
Polymer.js elements differ from HTML elements like <div>, <p>, and <a>. HTML elements are meant to render text or an image in HTML documents - the items you see in a blog, web app, or website. Instead the polymer elements help to label and organize functional activities on a page, like calling data from an application in a JSON format. The ultimate value is reducing the number of JavaScript calls that can "bloat" a HTML page of code - Polymer.js simplifies code functionality at the browser.
Both Peter Wong and Ryan Gerry programmers have had an extensive developer backgrounds. In fact Wong and Gerry have worked together at Follett Software Company and currently work together at Centro. Wong has worked on WebSphere App Server class loaders and VR training for John Deere welders. Gerry is a founding member of Software Craftsmanship McHenry County and has been programming on the web since the late over two decades. He understands Perl, Java, Ruby and JavaScript.
Polymer.js is still in its early stages of development, but many developers are jumping onboard to learn how to extract value from the library and develop more valuable client-side applications.
You can learn more about the Polymer.js open source project here (Polymer-project.org). Examples are available, as well as a Google developer video that explains Polymer.js in full detail. Wong and Gerry's presentation for the Chicago JavaScript Meetup group can be seen here.
