One of the givens of web programming is that there are a lot of different web frameworks out there to choose from. With this many choices, it is also a given that there is a lot of competition amongst these alternatives; which is better, faster, more scalable, easier to learn, easier to modify, etc.
Beyond technical discussions, for which a Google search will find more than enough flame wars to keep you busy, there is the marketing/branding, which is easy enough to show you with these screenshots of the home pages of some of the web frameworks out there.
Scan through these screenshots and try to identify how each of these frameworks is selling itself. Notice any common patterns? If you've used any of these frameworks, is this how you would describe it? Does the site peak your interest in the framework? Does the design of the page make you comfortable that this framework will help you produce your own sites that look great?
Opinions will vary, but the site that really jumps out at me is the Ruby on Rails site, which immediately grabs my attention with a non-standard page layout, forceful "this is different and that's good" branding and the inviting "Get Excited", "Get Started", "Get Better" and "Get Involved" links.
ASP.NET
Ruby on Rails
Django (Python)
TurboGears (Python)
ErlyWeb (Erlang)
Erlang (a language not a framework, but honorable mention for "retro" 1990's style)
(gOS Desktop)
In my previous post I mentioned gOS, a customized version of Ubuntu that is the default OS on the low cost gPC from Walmart. The initial supply of these PCs quickly sold out and gOS itself has been getting some good reviews, such as the this one from Linux.com. After spending some time with it inside a virtual machine, I also had a generally positive impression. I won't try to compete with the depth of the numerous reviews you can google for yourself, but I did want to explain why I put an image of a toaster at the end of my last post.
A toaster is a ubiquitous appliance; its functionality is well defined and most people can easily figure out how to use one. The question is whether or not a computer can me made more like a toaster, with circumscribed functionality, but enhanced usability. gOS is a step in that direction. Under the hood it is actually based on the full featured Ubuntu Linux, however, it is designed and marketed to be used in a limited fashion.
If a user of gOS never had to go beyond the predefined shortcuts from the lower menu bar, then I think the makers of gOS would be satisfied with their work. And based on just these shortcuts, a user could browse the web, do email, IM, manage their iPod, connect to social networking sites, etc. All of which taken together offer a nice package of activities for that mythical average computer user.
And, to echo other reviewers, gOS largely succeeds in this offering; if you were to buy a $200 gPC and really stayed within the predefined activities of gOS, you would be pretty happy. I will be interested to see if the popularity of the gPC continues, and if it does, if other vendors jump into the mix. Of course, there is already one vendor out there that tries to provide you with an easy to use, integrated out of the box, task based approach to computing. It's just that their starting price point is $599, leaving some room for competition from below.