January 23, 2009 – Welcome. My name is Jason Kerchner. I’ve been developing software for nearly twenty years, with much of my focus lately on web development. Most recently, I’ve been getting more and more involved in using JavaScript to create rich internet applications. As these web-based applications have become more complex, I began looking into many of the JavaScript libraries that are out there. And to be sure, there are quite a number of them.

Nevertheless, I have decide to code an entire JavaScript library online, through this blog. This means you will see my code in all its ugliness as development progresses. All the mistakes, all the in-line comments, all the theories and logic behind what I am doing. Not just code snippets, not just clean releases, but the code that I am actively working on. Most of the code will be my own, but some might be adapted from others who have made their libraries public. Maybe I can bring some of the best implementations together in a single code base. And where there is no good implementation (in my opinion) maybe I can create something better.

Do we really need another JavaScript library? Probably not. Most developers seem happy with what’s out there, and I’ve certainly had success using existing libraries. Do I think it will be fun? Yup. Do I think it will be educational, for me and others? Yup. Those are the reason I’m doing this, and doing it all online. My hope is to get a decent following, and hear the opinions and suggestions of other developers. Hopefully we can all learn some useful programming techniques together.

And yes, the library will be released under an open source license.

So what kind of library will I be building, exactly? Well, I see two basic types of JavaScript libraries out there right now. The first basically uses an existing HTML page and manipulates it. These are libraries like jQuery and Prototype. The other kind takes a (mostly) empty page and uses JavaScript to build the HTML, something like ExtJS and YUI. There is, of course, overlap between these libraries, I’m just talking about the primary manner in which they are typically used. The library I’m going to build will be more like the latter type.

Most of these libraries, I think, focus on rich GUI controls and fancy animations. My focus, at least initially, will be on creating a good foundation with all the necessary plumbing to make the library work. My intent is to create code that is minimal, efficient, and easy to work with. The last things to be implemented will be the fancy GUI controls and DOM element animations.

So, stay tuned. The first installments will be coming soon.