Gray Herter will introduce SproutCore, an application framework that aims to simplify the building of complex web-based UIs, and demonstrate how to use it in conjunction with Rails to create some fantastic apps.

SproutCore embraces several novel approaches to building web-based UIs. It uses only JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. This results in impressive user experiences without the need for browser plug-ins. To communicate with a server, SproutCore uses only RESTful Ajax calls. While SpourtCore maintains server technology independence, Rails makes a great partner to SproutCore UIs, providing the required access to backend web services.