Node is about three years old, which makes it an infant in library
terms. Rails is about eight and still doesn't have a lot of traction.
Perl (25 years) and Java (17 years) seem to be considered proven.
Node.js might wipe the floor (or not) with Java and Perl someday, but
ATM, those tools have something that node won't have for a while --
libraries that are useful to libraries.
What node does have going for it is the broad userbase for Javascript
(also 17 years). The learning curve is pretty short, if you have that
background.
Thanks,
Cary
On Tue, May 8, 2012 at 7:37 AM, Andrew Gordon <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Node is fairly new - so it would be a little experimental.
> But it does have an active community, and there are quite a few useful
> packages; including a solr-client (http://search.npmjs.org/#/solr-client).
>
> I would look into it, if only for the purposes of learning a little more
> about it and to see if it would work in the context of your needs.
> -drew
>
>
> On 5/8/12 9:17 AM, Ethan Gruber wrote:
>>
>> Thanks. I have been working on a system that allows editing of RDF in web
>> forms, creating linked data connections in the background, publishing to
>> eXist and Solr for dissemination, and will eventually integrate operation
>> with an RDF triplestore/SPARQL, all with Tomcat apps. I'm not sure it is
>> possible to create, manage, and deliver our content with node.js, but I
>> was
>> told by the project manager that Apache, Java, and Tomcat were "showing
>> signs of age." I'm not so sure about this considering the prevalence of
>> Tomcat apps both in libraries and industry. I happen to be very fond of
>> Solr, and it seems very risky to start over in node.js, especially since I
>> can't be certain the end product will succeed. I prefer to err on the
>> side
>> of stability.
>>
>> If anyone has other thoughts about the future of Tomcat applications in
>> the
>> library, or more broadly cultural heritage informatics, feel free to jump
>> in. Our data is exclusively XML, so LAMP/Rails aren't really options.
>>
>> Ethan
>>
>> On Tue, May 8, 2012 at 10:03 AM, Nate Vack<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>>> On Mon, May 7, 2012 at 10:17 PM, Ethan Gruber<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> It was recently suggested to me that a project I am working on may adopt
>>>> node.js for its architecture (well, be completely re-written for
>>>
>>> node.js).
>>>>
>>>> I don't know anything about node.js, and have only heard of it in some
>>>> passing discussions on the list. I'd like to know if anyone on code4lib
>>>> has experience developing in this platform, and what their thoughts are
>>>
>>> on
>>>>
>>>> it, positive or negative.
>>>
>>> I've only played a little bit, but my take is: you'll have more parts
>>> to build than with other systems. If you need persistent connections,
>>> it's gonna be neat; if you don't, it's probably not worth the bother.
>>>
>>> The Peepcode screencasts on Node:
>>>
>>> https://peepcode.com/screencasts/node
>>>
>>> are probably worth your time and money.
>>>
>>> -n
>>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Andrew Gordon
> MSI April 2011
> School of Information
> University of Michigan
--
Cary Gordon
The Cherry Hill Company
http://chillco.com
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