2006 / May 21^st/ Prototype is a Javascript framework

This will be a quick post, but I’ve noticed an ever-increasing trend around the ‘net. I’ve been seeing more and more of these types of comments:

Prototype and Scriptaculous are both great libraries containing invaluable amounts of excellent code - but… They’re written for a specific purpose (e.g. Prototype is written to work well with Ruby on Rails

It seems that there’s a very large amount of people that somehow think you need Rails to use Prototype. Let me clear this up: Prototype is a Javascript framework, not a Ruby on Rails addon. In fact, it’s quite the opposite: Rails’ javascript helpers are written for a specific purpose: to work well with the prototype framework.

It is true that Prototype has a very Ruby feel to it’s syntax - and that’s really the goal of it, is to bring forth some more Ruby-like code to Javascript. However, by no means does this depend on Ruby, nor mean that you must use a Ruby application to use Prototype.

Remember, Javascript is nothing but a browser scripting language. The server-side technology (if you chose to employ one) should not have any impact on your front-end scripts.

1. 

   Justin Perkins

   May 29^th | #

   Even still, I cannot help but find it a little ironic when somebody will use prototype and sing it’s praises ’til the cows come home, but at the same time be hating Rails.

   Sure, the two are not exactly dependent on each other, Prototype could care less what the server is doing. On the other hand, I would never wish upon my worst enemy the task of rewriting all the JavaScript Helpers in Rails to work with another JavaScript library.

2. 

   Kyle

   May 29^th | #

   True Justin, but a lot of that comes with how familiar you are with javascript. Personally, I love using Behaviour(.js) — so I rarely use Rails’ built in javascript helpers. So… my javascript helper is javascript :)

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