SproutCore is an open-source

JavaScript JavaScript (), often abbreviated as JS, is a programming language that is one of the core technologies of the World Wide Web, alongside HTML and CSS. As of 2022, 98% of websites use JavaScript on the client side for webpage behavior, of ...

web framework A web framework (WF) or web application framework (WAF) is a software framework that is designed to support the development of web applications including web services, web resources, and web APIs. Web frameworks provide a standard way to build and ...

. Its goal is to allow developers to create

web application A web application (or web app) is application software that is accessed using a web browser. Web applications are delivered on the World Wide Web to users with an active network connection. History In earlier computing models like client-serv ...

s with advanced capabilities and a user experience comparable to that of

desktop application A desktop traditionally refers to: * The surface of a desk (often to distinguish office appliances that fit on a desk, such as photocopiers and printers, from larger equipment covering its own area on the floor) Desktop may refer to various compu ...

s. When developing a SproutCore application, all code is written in JavaScript. A notable fork of SproutCore is Ember.js. Both projects are maintained separately and have taken different directions.

Development

SproutCore, initially created in 2007 by Sproutit as the basis for their Mailroom application, is available under the

MIT License The MIT License is a permissive free software license originating at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the late 1980s. As a permissive license, it puts only very limited restriction on reuse and has, therefore, high license comp ...

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

announced MobileMe at

WWDC The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is an information technology conference held annually by Apple Inc. The conference is usually held at Apple Park in California. The event is usually used to showcase new software and technologies in t ...

in 2008, noting that much of it was built using SproutCore. Apple has contributed greatly to the project as part of a

Web 2.0 Web 2.0 (also known as participative (or participatory) web and social web) refers to websites that emphasize user-generated content, ease of use, participatory culture and interoperability (i.e., compatibility with other products, systems, and ...

initiative. SproutCore was also used at iWork.com, the online extension of the iWork

productivity software Productivity software (also called personal productivity software or office productivity software) is application software used for producing information (such as documents, presentations, worksheets, databases, charts, graphs, digital paintings ...

by Apple. The latest major stable SproutCore release is 1.8, released on March 7, 2012, with many bug fixes, several new features, and documentation updates. Release 1.6 was largely a bugfix release, building on the previous 1.5 release. SproutCore 1.5 contained significant updates to view layers, added a new CSS parser that builds off of SCSS, WAI-ARIA support, modular loading, and additional features. The previous major release, SproutCore 1.4, included touch support for mobile devices, released on September 20, 2010. In June 2010, the creator of SproutCore, Charles Jolley, left Apple to start Strobe Inc., which provides SproutCore support and continues development. In May 2011, the SproutCore team announced SproutCore 2.0, a rebuilt version of the framework designed to expose the MVC underpinnings without requiring developers to use the included widget set. The team also emphasized the importance of reducing file size to support developing applications for mobile devices. In July 2011, a new project, SproutCore UI, was announced. SproutCore UI is designed to provide common user interface elements for developers targeting mobile devices. In November 2011

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

acquired the Strobe team in a deal Facebook described as a talent acquisition. SproutCore 1.x codebase would continue releasing and was under active development by the core team and SproutCore community. Appnovation Technologies currently provides community support for SproutCore.

Notes

References

* * * *

External links

* {{Software in the Public Interest JavaScript libraries Rich web application frameworks Ajax (programming) Software using the MIT license 2010 software JavaScript web frameworks