Web_Designer_Issue_262_2017

Which front-end frameWork?
FRAMEWORKS: SIMPLIFY YOUR WORKFLOW
frameworks can help you develop better, faster
code. but is it worth the efort to learn one?
When we talk about front-end frameworks,
fundamentally we’re thinking of collections of
tools and libraries that aim to simplify web
development practices. You’ve probably heard of
some of these or used them already; Angular and
React are currently the most popular.
The strongest argument for the use of
frameworks is looking at the problems that exist in
‘vanilla’ web development: convoluted code, lack
of modularity and a great deal of time devoted to
building basic functionality. Frameworks solve this
by ofering a layer of abstraction between the code
written by a developer and that which is rendered
by the browser, providing simplified ways of
achieving common requirements. Essentially, you
no longer have to worry about implementation
details for simple things like manipulating the
DOM. Frameworks also generally focus around
component-driven development, which can make a
huge diference to the maintainability of a page.
For many years, jQuery was the go-to
abstraction solution for web developers. However,
as app complexity has increased, the need has
emerged for more extensive rethinks of how we
develop for the web. As a result, there is now a
proliferation of front-end frameworks, each with a
diferent opinion on how things should be done.
Along with Angular and React, we also have
Backbone, Ember, Vue and more. In spite of their
diferences, ultimately each of these will ofer
improved code organisation and reuse, while
helping to enforce good design patterns.
There are downsides to framework use,
however. Each comes with its own learning curve
and often an ‘opinionated’ design, which forces
developers to adhere to design patterns that the
framework author considers correct. For many the
learning curve will be overcome quickly through
improved productivity. But perhaps the biggest
watch-out when adopting frameworks is how
quickly the marketplace is changing. It’s possible
to learn a framework then find it discontinued or
redesigned, as many found with AngularJS. You
need to be prepared to keep up with the latest
releases, updating code when needed.
A HISTORY OF THE WEB
1991
birth of the world wide web
The first ever website is published,
describing the project itself
1993
html
The venerable HTML
specification is published
for the first time
amazingly, the world wide web is only 26 years old. it’s come a tremendous way, and a look at its
history helps understand why we need frameworks to manage the increasing complexity of apps
1995
Javascript
A scripting language is
introduced to enable more
dynamic pages
2004
web 2.0
The term Web 2.0 is coined
to describe the emergence of
user-generated content
1996
flash
The release of Flash opens up
never-before-seen freedom
for page design
1996
css
Cascading style sheets
are introduced to separate
presentation from content
2006
Jquery
Limitations are becoming
apparent. jQuery is released to
help simplify development
2007
mobile
The iPhone is released,
marking a huge shift towards
mobile web browsing
2008
html5
The first working draft of
HTML5 is published, allowing
for a richer web experience
2010
knockout.Js
2010
angularJs
The first release of Angular, which
would quickly become one of the
most popular frameworks on the web
2010
backbone.Js
2011
ember.Js
2009
node.Js
Server-side JavaScript rapidly
gains ground after the release
of Node
2012
meteor.Js
IF YOU’RE SLIGHTLY BEWILDERED BY THE WIDE RANGE
OF WEB FRAMEWORKS, TOOLS AND LIBRARIES, THE
GOOD NEWS IS THAT IT ISN’T JUST YOU. THERE’S A
HUGE AMOUNT OF CHOICE OUT THERE. RESEARCH AND
EXPERIMENTATION WILL HELP YOU FIND ONE THAT
SUITS YOUR STYLE THE BEST, AND YOU’LL QUICKLY SEE
GREAT IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCTIVITY.
Simon Jones
Software engineering director
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