Paul Krill
Editor at Large

Meteor pulls JavaScript technologies together

news analysis
May 21, 20152 mins

Meteor seeks deeper integrations with the complementary AngularJS and ReactJS frameworks

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Proponents of the Meteor JavaScript framework see the AngularJS and ReactJS frameworks as complementary to their own technology and are working to boost integration.

Detailing where the Meteor.js technology is headed, Meteor CEO Geoff Schmidt noted in a recent interview that the company has hired Uri Goldshtein, developer of Angular-Meteor integration technology, and is working on ReactJS integration. “We’ve already found that many of our users are loving the combination of Meteor plus Angular or Meteor plus React,” Schmidt said.

While Angular and React can provide a front-end view layer, Meteor can fill in gaps like providing client-side database access, a way to push data over WebSockets, security rules, and business logic, Schmidt explained: “Angular is like the propeller. It’s part of the whole plane, but you’re left to build the rest of the plane yourself. Meteor provides all the other parts of the plane. It provides the wing, the cockpit, and the engine.”

Meteor, he said, “completes the story and provides an Angular or React developer with everything else they need to build a modern application without having to a integrate a dozen different technologies.” While Meteor offers its own Blaze technology for user interfaces, some developers nonetheless want to use AngularJS or ReactJS, Schmidt said. “This lets those community use Meteor,” he added.

Meteor is positioned as a complete platform for building Web and mobile apps in JavaScript. Recently, Meteor added support for Windows clients, with the release of Meteor 1.1. Meteor plans to support the ECMAScript 6 specification for JavaScript, and later this year, it will offer its Galaxy cloud-hosting solution for Meteor applications.

Paul Krill

Paul Krill is editor at large at InfoWorld. Paul has been covering computer technology as a news and feature reporter for more than 35 years, including 30 years at InfoWorld. He has specialized in coverage of software development tools and technologies since the 1990s, and he continues to lead InfoWorld’s news coverage of software development platforms including Java and .NET and programming languages including JavaScript, TypeScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, Rust, and Go. Long trusted as a reporter who prioritizes accuracy, integrity, and the best interests of readers, Paul is sought out by technology companies and industry organizations who want to reach InfoWorld’s audience of software developers and other information technology professionals. Paul has won a “Best Technology News Coverage” award from IDG.

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