Itemscript 1.0

We released Itemscript 1.0 today.

Here’s what’s new:

• JAM (JSON Application Markup) template language.  With JAM, you can develop applications that run in-memory in a client side sandbox.  When the interface is ready, redirect your data to live sources without changing the application code.  With JAM templates, developers can easily re-use widgets and layouts.  JAM 1.0 is based on the Itemscript library, which supports standard Java and GWT Java.
• Itemscript Validator provides basic validation and pulldowns for rich web applications built in JAM.
• Item:Store API provides a RESTful connection and simple JSON API to in-memory or remote data sources.

We’re pleased with the programming style and the performance of JAM applications.  Our goal for this release is to provide a minimum viable product that we’re introducing for evaluation and comment.

We’re pleased to find that interface developers can learn JAM and build their first simple application in less than a day.  Compared with working in HTML, Javascript and SQL, they find JAM easier to work with, especially when making simple changes that affect the data model.  Using a declarative data model reduces the cost of finding new data, and the schema makes it easier to manage the data you know about.

Applications load in less time than popular widget frameworks like Ext and SmartGWT.  JAM uses the GWT widgets, so takes advantage of Google’s optimization of the Javascript client.  The AJAX design minimizes page reloads.

We’re looking forward to results of case studies that apply lean development techniques in real world application development projects. We’d like to reduce the cost per iteration, and when the application design is ready to integrate with live data sources, we’d like to reduce the cost of testing and implementation.

Visit http://itemscript.org/ for downloads, documentation and examples.  If you’re interested in lean development, smarter interfaces, or reducing time to market for applications, let us know.

Welcome to Item:Foo

Welcome to Item:Foo.

Item:Foo is developing rich web application development tools based on the itemscript specification.

We aim to reduce the cost of iterating.  It can take a lot of iterating to get the right user experience. When the interface designer uses drawings or mockups, you don’t have a chance to test the user experience.  We’d like to make it easier and less expensive to iterate with a running model when designing the user experience. Design pays you back forever, for better or worse, and we like better.

We also aim to reduce the cost of integrating.  When the application developer connects data sources, each has its own API.  This adds complexity to the code.  We’re introducing a simple RESTful API based on JSON name:value pairs. The Item:Store API provides URL references to in memory data or remote data sources.  The Item:Store API extends the value of data source connections based on SOAP, MQ, SQL and other protocols and gives greater control and flexibility to the web service developer.

We aim to reduce the cost of change.  Software should be more malleable.  When it’s time to iterate the interface or remodel the data source, there should be minimal disruption and rework.

We aim to bring the right information to the interactions that drive your business by making it easier to build and iterate rich web applications.

We’re believers in open source libraries, so we’re contributing our libraries as the Itemscript project.  We believe in fruitful collaboration, so we’re working with customers to build industrial strength development tools that deliver the value of the itemscript library. We’re partnering with colleagues who see the need to iterate, integrate and innovate actively to meet changing needs in a fast changing world.  We’re here to improve the interactions that make that possible.