RubyConf09 Proposal

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Embracing Collaboration with JRuby and JavaScript

Description

As web developers, we live in an arranged marriage with JavaScript. What is a Rubyist to do? Use
JavaScript as a compile target? Abstract it away on the server? With JRuby, we can embrace the shared
language of the web in a compelling way, building reusable libraries that work across the client
server boundary. By bridging Ruby to JavaScript using Rhino, we gain shared databases, including their
indexing strategies. We gain remote model discovery and shared client/server validation. We gain a
shared query language. And because it is JavaScript, we gain the entire web community as
collaborators.

Abstract

This presentation will begin with a very brief look at attempts to escape JavaScript including GWT,
Objective-J, and RJS. I will move quickly to presenting the high level vision of cross-language unity
around our shared language of JavaScript. The remaining 75% of the talk will focus on rapid
demonstration of specific bridging techniques for JRuby and Rhino, followed by real working JavaScript
for a JSON database that works on the server and in the browser (including its indexing strategy),
plus shared validation and model discovery. Some of these techniques will be demonstrated in the
context of CloudKit but the overall focus will be on using the techniques in any web project.