Lightweight UI Framework for JS/HTML5 Webkit-based mobile development with decent list performance

Question

My question is slightly different from Looking for a recommendation for a lightweight mobile HTML5/JavaScript framework

I'm joining a JS/HTML5 project that is targeting the ipad, currently using Backbone.js for MVC and Zepto for dom manipulation. They've experimented with jQuery mobile and found the list performance to be underwhelming.

Basically I'm looking for an alternative mobile Javascript UI framework with a non-viral OS license (Sencha seems out with gpl 3, and I'd like something focused purely on ui widgets), which provides performant dynamic lists and a general set of iOS style ui widgets. I do have experience with enyo, but I don't particularly like it, so that's out of the question as well.

Any suggestions?

Solution 1

Try Chocolate Chip UI - BSD Licence too.

Discussing performance - on the iPad, don't forget that if you want to have hardware accelerated CSS transforms (you want this), then you must be using webkit transforms / translates etc. Thomas Fuchs (author of Zepto/scriptaculous) wrote up a pretty good article talking about these issues, which I would suggest is essential reading, despite being from 2010.

Solution 2

This site gives all the options regarding mobile JS framework

http://sixrevisions.com/javascript/mobile%C2%A0web-development-frameworks/

But my suggestion is go for JQuery Mobile

Solution 3

I am in an almost identical situation, having used jQueryMobile for nearly a year, and finding myself completely unimpressed at this point. I have to say that I'm extremely exited for Lungo. The UI looks fantastic and is coded semantically.

In fact the whole framework has a superior construction quality and is highly optimized for mobile. It doesn't carry a huge footprint like JQM, the underlying QuoJS library is very powerful and provides nearly all the same idioms as jQuery. There is an app demo here.

There is a new interesting framework, Jo, but I haven't looked too much into it. It could be a good choice.

I'm also liking another unique library called Topcoat.io because it's only CSS based, with no assumptions. Very clean and performant.

Comments

[David Berneda]

I was actually reading that article over the weekend. His proof of concept app actually runs quite fast on the iphone. I'm going to try this out. +1, but I'd like to see a couple more answers before I fully accept :)

[danp]

One of the reasons to avoid using JQuery is the huge amount of legacy code that comes baked in. Clearly, if you are not targeting IE etc, then having a large amount of workarounds being executed will have an overhead to your code. One of the reasons ChocChip is cool, is that it works fine with Zepto, which as you know is is a jquery-like framework, but built from the ground up thinking of mobile.

[danp]

How are you getting on, anyway? I'm curious :)

[David Berneda]

So it's looking like we're going to try ChocoChip for small things here and there. We have a lot of components that we're just going to have to code from scratch in order to ensure performance. But ChocoChip looks like it will help us a lot. Thanks for the tip!

[Anish Nair]

Where do I find the latest .js and .css files for Chocolate chip UI. Went to this link: github.com/sourcebitsllc/chocolatechip-ui. And read that it is in the 'chui' folder. But could not find.

[Steve Benner]

That is a horrible suggestion. jQuery Mobile is one of the least performant mobile frameworks at this time.

[bschandramohan]

JQuery or JQuery Mobile? The question specifically talks about mobile web frameworks

[AurA]

@ChandraMohan I talked about JQuery Mobile.. you can visit that link and see that is the recommended mobile web development framework. Also, I have edited my answer now to give more clarity.