Last Friday I blogged about using Kynetx to put my latest tweet on my blog. Joseph Scott asked "Why would this be better than just using Javascript plus the Twitter API to show your last tweet?" The answer is a little longer than I wanted to put in a comment, so here goes.
KRL has a number of advantages over Javascript talking to the Twitter API:
- KRL, the Kynetx Rule Language, provides a closer abstraction to the task than Javascript does as a general purpose language. This is, of course, something that could be subject to debate--if you're already familiar with Javascript the way to accomplish this task would be clear and seem easier than something written in an unfamiliar language. Still, I believe this to be true.
- You could make Javascript more suitable to the task by loading a library like jQuery. This is exactly what KRL does. KRL uses a runtime library that is based on jQuery. So when you load a KRL ruleset, you're getting jQuery for free.
- Getting to the Twitter API from Javascript running in the browser requires some tricks since browsers don't just load third party Javascript directly. KRL datasources are automatically loaded by the KRL servers, cached according to programmer specification, and available for use inside the ruleset.
- KRL rulesets are served from the cloud. Consequently updates to the functionality of the application are immediately see by all users without updates or downloads.
- Unlike scripts downloaded and run on a blog page, KRL security can be addressed in a systematic manner. For example, if a ruleset was found to present a security threat it can be shutdown in one place.
- Finally, Kynetx applications, or KIX, are designed to be distributed, so there's no need to set up a server for users to download your library or install your application. Once built, KIX are ready to use and distribute.
If you'd like to try out KRL yourself, you can signup for an account and try it yourself. It's free. Also, you might want to register for Kynetx Impact, our developer conference in November.
