ExtAsp or Coolite - ASP.NET wrappers around ExtJs

Question

We are a small Microsoft shop looking into ExtJs and like the rapid building of complex and structured UIs that can be achieved with the toolkit. However we have been experimenting with ExtAsp.NET (CodePlex) which is an opensource layer of ASP.NET code which wraps around the ExtJs framework. We have also noticed the Coolite framework which looks good too and does the same thing. We have 2 options, either we purchase the ExtJs license which will be required if we use ExtAsp, or we purchase the Coolite kit which includes the ExtJs license. It looks like Coolite is actually it little cheaper than the ExtJs for some reason??

However, is it a little more risky as regards upgrade path if the Coolite framework becomes unsupported, whereas ExtAsp as an open source solution will have community backing?

Just looking to make the right step.

Answer 1

Coolite is the official .NET partner of Ext JS, LLC, if that means anything to you. They also offer support packages just like Ext does, and the forum community looks active (I haven't looked at ExtAsp closely to compare). Regarding open source, Coolite is dual-licensed commercial and OSS (GPL3) just like Ext, so I'm not sure that concern should sway you too much. If it became unsupported for some reason, the source is fully available to the community.