Thanks for your detailed comment.
While you have a valid point, trying to explain, why previous attempts to create a C++-based framework failed, I think you are making wrong conclusions from my article. I definitely don't want to eliminate HTML/JavaScript/CSS from the development lifecycle. The framework should not dictate a single approach to the creation of the web GUI, therefore a variety of paradigms is possible.
One could be indeed a rather rigid C++ only hierarchy of widgets, which would generate some simple tight HTML, probably not giving you much options in creating pretty looking AJAX interfaces etc., but which will abstract all the weirdness of modern web development from an uninterested programmer. Such set of widgets might be extremely useful in, say, embedded world - when you want to create a simple GUI for your router or other device, where nothing fancy is required, but memory/CPU constraints are tight.
Another library on top of the framework could be much more flexible, doing something along latest versions of JSP tags (or whatever they are called).
Yet another one could follow Google's approach of compiling Java into HTML/JavaScript.
All in all, I don't see my framework as an all-purpose one, it fits more in different niches, such as either exceptionally high loads or constrained hardware.
July 1, 2008, 6:18 p.m. - andre
Thanks for your detailed comment. While you have a valid point, trying to explain, why previous attempts to create a C++-based framework failed, I think you are making wrong conclusions from my article. I definitely don't want to eliminate HTML/JavaScript/CSS from the development lifecycle. The framework should not dictate a single approach to the creation of the web GUI, therefore a variety of paradigms is possible. One could be indeed a rather rigid C++ only hierarchy of widgets, which would generate some simple tight HTML, probably not giving you much options in creating pretty looking AJAX interfaces etc., but which will abstract all the weirdness of modern web development from an uninterested programmer. Such set of widgets might be extremely useful in, say, embedded world - when you want to create a simple GUI for your router or other device, where nothing fancy is required, but memory/CPU constraints are tight. Another library on top of the framework could be much more flexible, doing something along latest versions of JSP tags (or whatever they are called). Yet another one could follow Google's approach of compiling Java into HTML/JavaScript. All in all, I don't see my framework as an all-purpose one, it fits more in different niches, such as either exceptionally high loads or constrained hardware.