xjs 0.0.0 "feet wet" release

Update newer versions of xjs have now been released.

This week I've worked on the module system: automatically packaging modules for distribution, indexing modules on a central CPAN-like site, and easily installing a module and its dependencies from the central site. To do this I had to separate the core distribution of xjs (e.g. JavaScript shell, xmake, File) from the extra modules (e.g. Synergy, PostgreSQL, YUICompressor). This decoupling is a great step in getting ready for other developers to write and share their own modules as well as contribute to the core distribution code.

So I've bundled it all up and put it on the server as the eagerly anticipated xjs 0.0.0 release. The 0.0.x line of "feet wet" releases are still early alpha but now a basic version of all the major packaging and distribution pieces are in place and modules up to a web framework are there too. It is pretty neat to see the whole system working from developing a module, having it indexed and finally installing it with its dependencies. It gives me a sense that JavaScript really will be able to compete with languages like Perl, Ruby and Python soon and it isn't necessary to wait for someone else to make it happen!

I've updated the instructions for the "hello, world" Tutorial with the new download instructions. The current instructions are what I've been aiming for all along and this should be the last time the instructions change. It should work just by overwriting any previous installs. Just to keep your computer clean, before you do the new install you could blast away any old installed items with

sudo rm -R /usr/local/lib/xjs \
      /usr/local/bin/xlp \
      /usr/local/bin/xjp \
      /usr/local/bin/xcp \
      /usr/local/bin/xjs \
      /usr/local/bin/xmake \
      /usr/local/bin/xmod \
      /usr/local/bin/synergy \
      /usr/local/bin/xws

For the curious, you can see the automatically generated index page of all modules on the server you can go to http://xjs.michaux.ca/modules/. There is also a version for the module installer xmod http://xjs.michaux.ca/modules/index.json.

Soon I'll write an article about developing a module that includes Java from scratch all the way to submitting it for indexing. Who wants be the first to submit a community written xjs module?