TodoMVC's New Version and New Home

TodoMVC is a place where a large number of people have turned in examples of building the exact same Todo web application while using different MV frameworks (and even some non-MV frameworks). Why? So that developers can come explore the code and decide for themselves which libraries and frameworks look best to them. For those wishing to explore the MV* landscape, this is can be a huge help for getting a quick look each framework.

There have been a few exciting developments related to TodoMVC lately, with it’s release of version 1.2 and moving to new ownership. Let’s take a deeper look at these changes. If you haven’t heard anything about TodoMVC before, then you might want to click through some of the links and learn a few things!

More and Newer Frameworks

First of all, in this new release, several new frameworks added to the mix, such as Polymer, Flight, React, and more, including a new example that uses plain JavaScript without any libraries or frameworks. Impressive! Not only that, but many of the examples that existed previously have been updated to newer versions of their frameworks.

Bower

In addition to that, the libraries are now loaded into the examples with Bower. Each example has its list of dependent libraries, so you can “clone the repository, navigate in your terminal to the demonstration you’re interested in, then run bower install to pull down all of the relevant source files.”

Info Bar

In order to help aid newcomers - which is the whole point of the project - each example now also includes an “Info Bar”. This sidebar on the left gives vital information and links related to the framework(s) that the example is demonstrating. I feel humbled by the fact that the MarionetteJS example has links to my articles here and on Smashing Magazine. Thanks to whoever was in charge of that for considering my work worthy!

The TasteJS Umbrella

While Addy Osmani is still an integral part of the project, he is no longer the one hosting the project on GitHub. TodoMVC’s new GitHub home is now under TasteJS. In addition to the new home, a couple new developers have been added to the core team. Finally, a new application idea is in the works - called TasteApp - that will take TodoMVC to new heights with a new, more complicated application, which may showcase frameworks better.

Conclusion

I’m looking forward to seeing this new TasteJS application and I’m glad to see that this project doesn’t look like it’s going to die down any time soon. Though I have largely concentrated on Backbone and Marionette, I hope to explore some new frameworks when time permits, and I don’t doubt that TodoMVC will be one of the first places I go.

Author: Joe Zimmerman

Author: Joe Zimmerman Joe Zimmerman has been doing web development ever since he found an HTML book on his dad's shelf when he was 12. Since then, JavaScript has grown in popularity and he has become passionate about it. He also loves to teach others though his blog and other popular blogs. When he's not writing code, he's spending time with his wife and children and leading them in God's Word.