Google Web Toolkit Conference
3-5 December, Palace Hotel in San Francisco
See slides from all sessions at
http://www.voicesthatmatter.com/gwt2007/index.html

This conference was about how to use the Google Web Toolkit. The GWT is a web development tool that allows you to code in Java and deploy in Javascript. Though there was a lot of javascript thrown around at the conference, people generally agreed that you don't have to know much Javascript to use the GWT.

Google sent many of their top engineers to teach us.

1) Javascript bootcamp. Alexei White.
This seminar contains all the Javascript you need in order to do Ajax or GWT. Thought most of it was too elemenatary for me, I did pick up a few pointers:
TOOLS:
Textmate is the best Javascript IDE for Mac.
firebug is required for any serious development
jslint can be built into Textmate.
SYNTAX:
I need to check out ECMA script
obj.x = 10; obj["x"] = 10;
JSON is just object literals
Functions are a datatype, and so can be a member of an object
identity === equality ==
Instructor didn't know the difference between identity and equality for objects
Strings are primitive, so you can switch on them
this-public/var-private
"prototype" syntax for Objects
Alexei uses innerHTML() instead of createTextNode() because it is more convenient
forms are the ONLY way to upload a file to a server
EFFICIENCY:
conditional operator
array.length is expensive
comparison with literal like 0 is fastest
Yslow plugin for firebug that profiles your JS program
DEBUGGING:
this is the key skill for a Javascript programmer
console.log()
Closures create memory leaks, Drip detects them


2) Things to check out:
Aptana studio
Google events
Google sitemaps
Silverlight runs .net on Mac
Ajaxpatterns.org
peer-based
anonymous inner classes : used in GWT RPC

3) Google Web Toolkit:
Only 50-60% of people in US have broadband
Average MS Office user uses 5% of the code
hosted mode vs. web mode
gwt - dnd "drag and drop"
jsni: javascript native interface
parts of a web app: Backend, business logic, transport (BLT)
an app should start up in 300ms
coolandusefulgwt.com
Eclipse has a GWT plugin
Findbugs
deferred binding
quirksmode.org
Book called Java Puzzlers from Kourtnaye Sturgeon, kourtnaye.sturgeonpearsoned.com