flow: a living full-stack framework for the web
DESCRIPTION
These are the slides I've prepared for presenting at CampSmalltalkVI2014 flow, a full-stack smalltalk framework for doing Single Page Applications. tl;dr: it's Smalltalk for startups. In a nutshell: flow is Amber frontend, Pharo backend and Mapless for networking objects in JSON and uncomplicated MongoDB persistence. MIT licenseTRANSCRIPT
flowA living full-stack framework for the web
OOPSLA '97
Web browsers presuposing format = dark ages
Meanwhile…
• Google happens
• Web “rich” applications
• All kinds of full-server-stacks spread (RoR, Django, Seaside and Aida and a loooong etc.)
Then Gmail happens…
(not just happens but people actually loving it)
Fast forward a bit…
AngularJS teaches the browser “new tricks”
1. Composition AKA dependency injection !
2. not-presuposed formats AKA element directives
AngularJS is just the beginning of an experiment that works
wait.. so you say people telling the browser what the format is, had become the new normal?
Oops! if you can’t even do the normal tricks, is not that you can’t deliver cool, is that you’re not even a market option for the
incoming generation. Oh snap! Market lost without even noticing!
Great options out there…
• Real-time is default
• Designer friendly
• Engineer friendly
Hold on.. designers-friendly like in…?
The tools you’re going to use in the next 2 to 5 years are in this very moment in the designer's “drawing boards.”
How many designers love working with you (and your tools)?
What tools you made to help them? (so how many cool products are you expecting as output then)
That’s the kind of designers friendly we're talking about
Why Smalltalk?If things are so good out there, why not just move on and embrace those?
!Why even bother with Smalltalk?
Beside clients asking for projects with its features, is because it makes you feel the force. Why would you ignore mastering it? !It’s the language design principles. Smalltalk rewards more than any other: !• Intuition • Discovery • Personal mastery
What do we have now?
Great foundation!Still not as productive as Meteor
for a first demo done in 60 minutes (hard limit) !
The web is messy, we need some additional help
flow
1. A living full-stack framework for the web !
2. Smalltalk for startups !
3. A framework with a mission
flow’s mission
Flow's mission is to provide consultants, startups and software houses with a competitive Smalltalk full-stack framework that allows them to quickly deliver a demo with all the modern html5 features the market expects today (2014). !The idea is that they can tactically use this framework to keep momentum up among their prospects and clients and scale things to full successful projects delivered by kickass productive teams or individuals.
Some features
1. Two-way data binding !
2. (micro) Templates !
3. Realtime
Possibilities?
1. Hackathons, maker spaces, StartupWeekend & many Startup programs !2. Design Thinking, prototyping stage for corporate innovation !3. Consultants, software houses and vendors can win fast on demos of Single Page Application projects !4. Startups using it, eventually getting funded
Demo
Smalltalk gave me a lot. !
I feel very grateful to the Smalltalk community. Is my privilege to be able to give something in return and hopefully flow helps others like is helping me. !
This is my way to say: !
Thank you fellow Smalltalker
MIT license
all for the good!github.com/flow-stack/flow
flow is a mission with a
curated project
Contributions?
Really easy: you can add your feedback or idea in a Trello card here, choose any card
you want to help with and push your feature!
