Fun Links 2014-11-21

A couple of JS MVC frameworks which seem interesting and promising. And a small focused library for adding instructional elements to a page.

Mithril
http://lhorie.github.io/mithril/
Aside from the nice Lord of the Rings reference, this tiny JavaScript MVC framework has a lot of promise. It provides a core set of feature which are useful for a lot of applications. It seems that some developers are switching away from AngularJS for Mithril, and the timing is right as many devs are still up in arms over the recent AngularJS 2.0 announcements.

Taunus
http://taunus.bevacqua.io/
Another small JavaScript MVC framework which puts humans first (not the developer). Focus on content-first and progressive enhancement. Sits on top of node.js servers like express or hapi and server-side view rendering along with client side view caching and ajax requests if the user supports it. A very refreshing project direction at a time when things are getting very browser expensive in terms of cost of entry.

Purplecoat.js
http://ellekasai.github.io/purplecoat.js/
A simple JavaScript library with a singular purpose, to allow for instructional overlays to be placed on top of page elements in a way that can be toggled on or off. Good for providing instructions on usage of applications for example.