computer science

MochiKit

MochiKit is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand MochiKit rather than just read about it. In short: MochiKit is a light-weight JavaScript library written and maintained by Bob Ippolito. Inspired by the Python networking framework, Twisted, it uses the concept of deferred execution to allow asynchronous behaviour.

Key takeaways

MochiKit belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect MochiKit to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of MochiKit from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

MochiKit is a light-weight JavaScript library written and maintained by Bob Ippolito. Inspired by the Python networking framework, Twisted, it uses the concept of deferred execution to allow asynchronous behaviour. This has made it useful in the development of interactive web pages which maintain a dialog with the web server, sometimes called Ajax applications. Of particular note is its ability to load and manipulate JSON-encoded data sets, and MochiKit.DOM, a set of functions to easily create dynamic page components. MochiKit forms the foundation of the client-side functionality of the TurboGears Python web-application stack. Perhaps as a result of the author's involvement in the Python community, MochiKit exhibits many idioms familiar to Python programmers, and is commonly used in Python-based web applications.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MochiKit

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MochiKit claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to MochiKit before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about MochiKit ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of MochiKit

In research: MochiKit appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses MochiKit in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: MochiKit is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics JavaScript libraries, Software engineering stubs, Software using the Academic Free License, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MochiKit outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study MochiKit in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MochiKit means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain MochiKit out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MochiKit in simple terms?

Why does MochiKit matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study MochiKit?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on MochiKit.