Paul Krill
Editor at Large

Ruby on Rails getting HTTP streaming

news
Apr 21, 20112 mins

Version 3.1 of the Web development framework also will have jQuery its default JavaScript library

With the planned 3.1 release of the popular Ruby on Rails Web development framework, developers will see support for HTTP streaming to improve page performance. They also will find that JQuery becomes Rails’s new default JavaScript library.

Details of the release have been appearing on the Rails blog this week, and Rails founder David Heinemeier Hansson subsequently offered his own perspective: “HTTP streaming makes it possible for the browser to fetch expensive assets like stylesheets and JavaScripts before the server is done processing the whole request. This means a page that feels significantly faster because it’s ready to use by the user sooner.” HTTP streaming also is known as “chunked responses,” the Rails blog states.

In making jQuery the default JavaScript library, Rails builders are recognizing the momentum behind jQuery and extracting out the RJS (Ruby-to-JavaScript) compiler that worked with the Prototype JavaScript framework. “JQuery has more momentum, but the practical change is very little. People could already very easily use jQuery with Rails before this (and many did). This just updates the default to fit with that,” Hansson said. RJS becomes available as a gem add-on to Rails instead of being part of the standard distribution.

No specific date has been set yet for the release of Rails 3.1. “Rails is still baking, but we can see the end,” Hansson said. The Rails blog also notes the release this week of Rails 3.0.7. “The main change in this release is to fix a performance regression in Active Record that was introduced in version 3.0,” according to the blog. Active Record offers a base for models in a Rails application as well as database independence.

This article, “Ruby on Rails getting HTTP streaming,” was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Follow the latest developments in business technology news and get a digest of the key stories each day in the InfoWorld Daily newsletter. For the latest developments in business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.

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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