When I test some new technology or framework I usually try to find a mini related project to do in a way that I could practice what I learned in a Webinar, tutorial or similar.
About a week or two ago I heard about Meteor.
Meteor is a complete open source platform
for building web and mobile apps
in pure JavaScript.
My first thought was. Oh no! another JavaScript framework, but then I read a bit more about Meteor’s features. To highlight some:
- Radically less code: Accomplish in 10 lines what would otherwise take 1000, thanks to a reactive programming model that extends all the way from the database to the user’s screen.
- Browser and Mobile: A great experience both on the web and as a phone or tablet app.
- Live updates: Data updates live on the screen as it changes. Users can collaborate seamlessly.
- Ultra responsive: Changes made by a user are instantly visible, without the unprofessional laggy feeling that would result from waiting for a round trip to the server.
At this point I was curious enough to try it. A few online tutorials and videos and then I was thinking about what kind of project I would like to test the framework with.
Then I remembered how the Phillips Hue App is not particularly what I was looking for to control the lights in my home.
So a quick dive on the Hue’s API, a few sketches later, a bit of browsing in GitHub and then I was all set.
More on the app in the next post…
