Pintura is a REST-style web framework that provides a comprehensive solution for Ajax-based thin-server applications. However, Pintura has a very modular design, and many of the modules in Pintura are extremely useful as standalone JavaScript/CommonJS components that can be used with Node, Narwhal and other projects.

Dojo 1.4 sports a fantastic tree widget, complete with ARIA compliance, keyboard accessibility, and internationalization (including right-to-left layout for appropriate countries and languages). For large tree data sets, we want to be able to only load the necessary data for the visible nodes of the tree.

This article introduces dojo.cache and presents a technique for externalizing your widget templates in swappable configuration files, where they can be referenced by a custom templateKey widget property. Dojo 1.4 adds a new core utility called dojo.cache.

CommonJS (formerly known as ServerJS) has become the essential hub around the development of server side JavaScript (SSJS). SSJS for years has suffered from fragmentation, but the CommonJS project has provided the momentum to bring different frameworks together and start building interoperable modules.

Recently, a number of performance tests have been released that are based on the performance of the top 100 web sites such as SpriteMe savings, the IE8 100 top sites test results, or the JSMeter research. These are in direct contrast with tests such as ACID3 which attempt to test the future of the web rather than just what’s possible today.

It was recently reported that Google Dumps Gears for HTML5. If true, with the investment Google has made in HTML5, Chrome, Chrome OS, and Chrome Frame, this is not surprising, but it does leave a potential short-term gap for offline application development.

Persevere 1.0 is now available for download. Persevere is a JavaScript storage and application server that uses a standards-based interface of HTTP/REST, JSON-RPC, JSONPath, and REST Channels.

In addition SitePen’s various commercial Dojo support and Dojo workshop options, there are a number of ways to find helpful information on your own. Dojo has a large community of developers and hobbyists all across the globe that are willing to assist with problems and offer guidance.

Note: The Dojo Quick Start Guide posts – while still relevant – are a bit dated. Please visit http://dojotoolkit.org/documentation/ for expert tutorials and API documentation to help you get up and running with Dojo.