Open Source Resources for Web Application Developers

Ever wondered which JavaScript framework was used on a specific website but was too lazy to check the source code for the answer? Fear no more WTFramework is here.

Our WebAppers reader Oskar Krawczyk has written a pretty simple and straight–forward bookmarklet. Say you come across a website, see a few pretty cool effects and you’d like to know which of the some JavaScript frameworks (MooTools, Yahoo User Interface, jQuery, the infamous Scriptaculous, Dojo Toolkit, Mochikit, etc.) are being used to rise the magic.

Typically, you’d have to look for the script tag in the source. Well forget about it, now you have WTFramework – one click and a info pops–up informing which framework are we dealing with.

Requirements: -
Demo: http://nouincolor.com/wtframework/2.0/
License: License Free

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Scroll Follow is a simple jQuery plugin that enables a DOM object to follow the page as the user scrolls. It means the plugin allows an element to animate down as the user scrolls the page. Scroll Follow has been successfully, though not extensively, tested on IE6, IE7, FF2, FF3, Safari 3, and Opera 9 all on Windows. You can also set the the duration of the sliding animation.

Requirements: jQuery framework
Demo: http://kitchen.net-perspective.com/open-source/scroll-follow/
License: MIT License

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Blackbird offers a dead-simple way to log messages in JavaScript and an attractive console to view and filter them. You might never use alert() again. You can add Blackbird to your page easily, simply download the files and place them on your server or in a local directory on your computer. And then Include blackbird.js and blackbird.css in your page. Blackbird is has been smoke-tested on Internet Explorer 6+, Firefox 2+, Safari 2+, Opera 9.5.

Requirements: Internet Explorer 6+, Firefox 2+, Safari 2+, Opera 9.5
Demo: http://www.gscottolson.com/blackbirdjs/
License: MIT License

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Quarkbase is a free tool to find complete information about a website. It is a mashup of over 30 data sources and many algorithms gathering information from Internet on various topics like social popularity, traffic, associated people, etc. Simple type in your webiste URL, you can get a detailed report about your website instantly.

Requirements: -
Demo: http://www.quarkbase.com
License: License Free

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Typechart lets you flip through, preview and compare web typography while retrieving the CSS.

You can view different typefaces with different font sizes and emphases. One of the handy features is that you can compare Windows rendering with Apple font rendering.

You can also download the CSS code for a specific typographic style, cach style corresponds with a style ID, which allows you to annotate prototypes and retrieve the css while coding as well.

Requirements: -
Demo: http://www.typechart.com
License: License Free

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Google Ad Manager is now available to all publishers across all regions. Google Ad Manager is a hosted ad management solution that can help you sell, schedule, deliver and measure all your directly sold and network-based inventory. The user interface is simple and intuitive, it decreases training time and trafficking steps with simplified tagging and inventory management. And it provides some basic tutorials as well. Now you can ensure quicker ad delivery and fewer reporting discrepancies. You always know what inventory is available to sell.

Currently, the Ad Manager product is in a Beta period and there are no fees for using it. However, they reserve the right to change this policy in the future. Ad Manager may not always be free at all volumes, for all features or add-ons or for all uses.

Have you tried Google Ad Manager yet? What do you think it? Please feel free to share your experience with us.

Source: Google Ad Manager

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WebSnapshot is a simple Adobe AIR application which allows you taking snapshots for any websites easily. Enter the Url and Press Snap. Or Drag and Drop it from your browser. Click on the Thumnails to Save. With Auto Save Checked, the thumnails are immediatly saved to your ’save’ folder. You can select the type of Snapshot you want to make: Thumbnail, Browser size, or Full Page. You can tailor the way the snapshots are take in the Preferences pane as well. Set the download folder as needed.

Requirements: -
Demo: http://myspyder.net/tools/websnapshot/
License: License Free

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Some applications look great in a screenshot, but deliver disappointing results when they are actually used. The driving force behind the development of SQL Buddy was not to produce a great-looking screenshot but rather to create a product that would enable developers to enjoy their work and get more done in less time. SQL Buddy is a web based MySQL Administration Tool similar to phpMyAdmin.

It is really easy to install SQL Buddy, just unzip the files to your server and its ready to use. You can easily find the data you are looking for with columns that can be ordered and resized. And instead of reloading the entire page structure with each request, ajax is used to fetch just the content that has changed. At the same time, it still plays nice with bookmarks, the back button, etc.

Requirements: -
Demo: http://sqlbuddy.com/
License: MIT License

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ShiftSpace is an open source layer above any website. It seeks to expand the creative possibilities currently provided through the web. ShiftSpace provides tools for artists, designers, architects, activists, developers, students, researchers, and hobbyists to create online contexts built in and on top of websites.

By pressing the [shift] + [space] keys, a ShiftSpace user can invoke a new meta layer above any web page to browse and create additional interpretations, contextualizations and interventions – which we call Shifts. Users can choose between several authoring tools we’re working to develop – which we call Spaces. Some are utilitarian (like Notes and Highlights) and some are more interventionist (like ImageSwap and SourceShift). Users will be invited to map these shifts into Trails. These trails can be used for collaborative research, curating netart exhibitions or as platforms for context-based public debates.

Notes is a Space that allows a ShiftSpace user to leave post-it annotations on websites. Highlights is one we’re still developing, which would allow a user to highlight text on the page. Some Spaces lead more naturally to an interventionist usage. Two such Spaces that we have implemented are ImageSwap, which allows a user to grab any image on the web and swap it in place of other image, and SourceShift, which allows users to freely edit a page’s HTML code.

When a user visits a modified (’Shifted’) webpage, the small ShiftSpace icon (§) pops up in the bottom left side of the screen. Pressing the [shift] + [space] keys reveals the ShiftSpace console. From the console, the user can browse through existing Shifts, choosing to enable those that might be of interest. Holding down the [shift] key shows a small contextual menu, allowing the user to create Shifts of her own. The user can then choose whether to share her Shifts or to keep them private.

Source: http://www.shiftspace.org/

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Soundsnap is a nice platform to find and share free sound effects and loops- legally. It is a collection of original sounds made or recorded by its users, and not songs or sound FX found on commercial libraries or sample CD’s.

It was originally started by a small group of sound people from all over the world. Their common belief is that sounds and samples should be free for everyone to use in their projects, commercial or not.

Their users are a diverse mix of sound designers, sound artists, web game developers, filmmakers and music producers. Hobbyists and home video makers are welcome too. They encourage everyone to upload high quality sound FX and samples, helping them make every kind of sound available on Soundsnap.

Requirements: -
Demo: http://www.soundsnap.com/
License: License Free

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