Yahoo launches developer dream Cocktails

STRUGGLING WEB COMPANY Yahoo has launched Cocktails, a mix of programming languages and developer tools that could make it easier and quicker to code applications.

The unusual mishmash of HTML5, Node.JS, CSS3 and Javascript, combined with a few tweaks by Yahoo's engineers, could have an impact on the web developer community, as it eliminates some of the time-consuming parts of writing a new application or program.

The first two Cocktails to launch are Mojito, an environment-agnostic Javascript web application framework, and Manhattan, a hosted cloud environment for Mojito-based applications.

Mojito works by allowing developers to run things both browser-side and server-side, eliminating the need to write different code for each end. It also cuts out annoying Javascript warnings caused by working with multiple languages.

Mojito works as both a model and a widget, containing all of the code necessary to write programs, while also being a visual element of the user interface. Mojito-based apps are both modules and widgets, which gives them the nickname Mojits, where the name Mojito came from.

Manhattan is a server-side Javascript hosting environment for Mojito-based apps running on Yahoo's cloud, adding traditional cloud features like scalability to the mix. Multiple Mojito-based apps or versions can be deployed, un-deployed and managed on the Yahoo cloud network using the Manhattan environment.

Yahoo also unveiled a number of apps for tablets and smartphones, including its media newstand Livestand, a weather app for Android, and an updated version of its social TV app for the Ipad, Intonow, according to Reuters.

The interesting thing about Livestand is that it was written using Mojito, making it the first example of how Cocktails can be used. Because of the nature of Mojito, the same app can be run on the cloud without any alterations. The long-term goal is that developers will be able to write code for just a single app that can be used across multiple environments, saving countless hours of work.

It is still early days for Yahoo's experimental move in the web development field, but Cocktails shows a lot of promise that might help rescue the ailing company and restore its somewhat dented image. µ