Frameworks, Libraries, Dynamic Content (2000s)
Learning Objectives
- You know of some of the milestones in web development from the 2000s.
- You understand the motivation behind web frameworks and their core architectural patterns.
- You are familiar with the evolution of client-side JavaScript and the role of libraries.
- You understand how AJAX transformed web applications.
The Rise of Server-Side Web Frameworks
During the early web, server-side functionality was developed in an ad-hoc manner. CGI scripts and early server-side languages like PHP and ASP allowed developers to create dynamic content, but they often resulted in tangled code where business logic, database queries, and HTML generation were mixed together. As an example, the following PHP code snippet that generates an unordered list based on data from a database demonstrates how database access and HTML generation were often intertwined:
<ul>
<?php
$connection = mysql_connect("localhost", "user", "password");
mysql_select_db("database", $connection);
$result = mysql_query("SELECT name, email FROM users");
while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {
echo "<li>" . $row["name"] . " - " . $row["email"] . "</li>";
}
mysql_close($connection);
?>
</ul>The early 2000s brought a solution to these challenges. Web frameworks emerged that introduced structure and best practices to server-side development. Frameworks such as Struts (2000) for Java, Spring (2002) for Java, Ruby on Rails (2004), and Django (2005) for Python helped structure web applications.
While the web frameworks were language-specific, they shared common architectural patterns. The Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern became the de facto standard for structuring web applications. In this pattern, the Model represented the data and business logic, the View handled the presentation layer, and the Controller managed user input and interactions.
In practice, the structure was similar across frameworks: when a request is received, it is mapped to a route and processed by a controller. The controller interacts with a model or repository layer to perform database operations, and the resulting data is returned to the controller. The response is then formatted using a view template (e.g., as HTML or JSON) and sent back to the client.
As the frameworks matured, they introduced additional features such as Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) for database interactions, form handling, validation, session management, and security features. These features abstracted away common tasks, allowing developers to focus on building application-specific functionality rather than reinventing the wheel.
Client-Side Evolution: Flash and JavaScript
While server-side development was being transformed by frameworks, the client-side continued to evolve through two parallel paths: proprietary plugins and open web standards.
Flash, originally developed by Macromedia and later acquired by Adobe in 2005, became a popular choice for creating animations, video players, and interactive content throughout the 2000s. Flash offered capabilities that browsers of the time couldn’t match, including vector graphics, audio and video playback, and rich animations. Websites built entirely in Flash were common, particularly for portfolios, marketing sites, and online games. However, Flash had drawbacks: it required a plugin, was not accessible to search engines, and had security vulnerabilities.
Meanwhile, JavaScript continued to gain ground as the dominant client-side scripting language. A key milestone was the ECMAScript standardization effort, which gathered industry-wide support.
Despite this standardization, browsers often differed in how — or whether — they adhered to the standard. Internet Explorer, which dominated the browser market through the mid-2000s, had its own proprietary features. This created significant challenges for developers building cross-browser functionality, requiring browser-specific workarounds and duplicating effort: code often needed to detect which browser was being used and execute different logic accordingly.
JavaScript Libraries: Abstracting Browser Differences
The cross-browser challenge led directly to the creation of JavaScript libraries that aimed to provide a unified interface for client-side development. Several libraries emerged to tackle this problem head-on.
jQuery, released in 2006, became the most popular and widely-adopted solution. It simplified “Vanilla JavaScript” by abstracting away browser inconsistencies, allowing developers to write code that worked across browsers. jQuery’s concise syntax for DOM manipulation, event handling, and AJAX calls made it popular.
Other libraries that emerged during this period included Prototype (2005), Mootools (2006), Dojo Toolkit, and YUI (Yahoo! User Interface Library). Each offered different philosophies and features, but all shared the common goal of making JavaScript development more productive and reliable.
However, browser limitations persisted, leading to web pages displaying messages such as “Works best with browser version xxx or newer” or “Please upgrade your browser for the best experience.” This became particularly common as developers wanted to use newer features that older browsers, especially older versions of Internet Explorer, didn’t support.
The Web Standards Project, founded in 1998 but gaining prominence in the 2000s, advocated for browser vendors to properly implement web standards. This advocacy, combined with the release of more standards-compliant browsers like Firefox (2004), Safari (2003), and later Chrome (2008), gradually improved the situation.
The AJAX Revolution
A key milestone in creating dynamic functionality for the web was the emergence of AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML). The term was coined by Jesse James Garrett in 2005, though the underlying technology had existed earlier. AJAX built on the XMLHttpRequest API, which Microsoft introduced in Internet Explorer 5 in 1999 as an ActiveX object, and which other browsers later standardized.
AJAX allowed developers to write JavaScript code that would query the server, fetch data, and update parts of a web page without requiring a full reload. This enabled web applications that were more responsive and interactive than before. Instead of the traditional request-response cycle where each user action required reloading the entire page, AJAX allowed for smooth, desktop-like experiences in the browser.
Google popularized AJAX with applications like Gmail (2004) and Google Maps (2005), which showcased what was possible with these techniques. Users could read emails, search messages, and navigate maps without page refreshes, improving user experience.
Despite the name “AJAX” including XML, developers soon gravitated toward JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) as the preferred data format. JSON, conceptualized around 2001, was more lightweight than XML and could be parsed directly as JavaScript objects, making it more natural for web development.
Web 2.0 and the Rise of Rich Web Applications
The combination of AJAX, improved JavaScript capabilities, and better browser support led to the “Web 2.0” movement. This term, popularized around 2004, described a shift toward web applications that emphasized user-generated content, usability, and interactivity. Social networking sites like Facebook (2004), video platforms like YouTube (2005), and countless other services demonstrated that the web could support rich, interactive applications similar to desktop software.
This era also saw the emergence of development philosophies like Progressive Enhancement and Graceful Degradation. Progressive Enhancement advocated building a basic, functional experience first (often server-rendered HTML), then layering on JavaScript enhancements for browsers that supported them. Graceful Degradation took the opposite approach: building for modern browsers first, then ensuring the site didn’t completely break in older browsers.
By the end of the 2000s, the foundation was laid for the next wave of web development. JavaScript had proven itself as a serious programming language, frameworks made server-side architecture more consistent, and AJAX demonstrated the feasibility of rich and interactive web applications. This set the stage for modern JavaScript frameworks and single-page applications that would dominate the 2010s.
Summary
In summary:
- The 2000s saw the rise of server-side web frameworks that introduced structured architectures like MVC, improving maintainability and development speed.
- Client-side development evolved through both proprietary plugins like Flash and the maturation of JavaScript, despite ongoing challenges with cross-browser compatibility.
- JavaScript libraries like jQuery abstracted away browser differences, simplifying client-side development and promoting code reuse.
- AJAX helped transform web applications to interactive experiences, where data could be fetched and updated without full page reloads.
- The Web 2.0 movement emphasized user-generated content and interactivity, setting the stage for modern web applications.