Node.js appears to be generating its fair share of noise these days. Given the push by the major software vendors on HTML5 and hence JavaScript from the browser side of the world, node.js and the concept of server side development is definitely causing people to sit up and listen.

The JVM today offers Rhino as an example of leveraging JavaScript, server side JavaScript on GAE is offered by AppengineJS, where as on the .NET platfrom there is Javascript .NET (Javascript .NET integrates Google’s V8 Javascript engine and exposes it to the CLI environment. Javascript .NET compiles (at runtime) and executes scripts directly from .NET code. It allows CLI objects to be exposed and manipulated directly from the executed Javascript). Maybe we’ll see Microsoft support an official JavaScript server side language in the future?

RedMonk has some views on why you should look at node.js. The one downside of node.js appear to be that extensions need to be coded in C++/C. On a positive note, node.js is pushing an asynchronous agenda, similar to other initiatives happening on other platforms. Of interesting is the fact that HP Palm appear to have jumped on the node.js bandwagon with the “runtime environment is built into webOS 2.0, which means that you can now develop not just webOS apps but also services in JavaScript”.

Installing node.js on Windows? The pain can be reduced by picking up these binaries. Check out Mastering node.js, available here as an ebook.

Ted Leung offer some interesting thoughts from JSConf.US 2010 earlier this year, and points to the node.js binding for RxJS.

Also of interesting is the fact that Processing.js has reached 1.0 – “Processing.js makes your data visualizations, digital art, interactive animations, educational graphs, video games, etc. work using web standards and without any plug-ins. You write code using the Processing language, include it in your web page, and Processing.js does the rest”

JsFiddle is a playground for web developers, a tool which may be used in many ways. One can use it as an online editor for snippets build from HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The code can then be shared with others, embedded on a blog, etc. Using this approach, JavaScript developers can very easily isolate bugs.

Using Visual Studio 2010? Then the JScript Editor Extension maybe of interesting, and likewise Reducing Code by Using jQuery Templates

IronJS is a ECMAScript 3.0 implementation built on top of the Dynamic Language Runtime from Microsoft which allows you to embed a javascript runtime into yor .NET applications.

So in summary, are we moving into client/server JavaScript world?

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