Is Backbone.js really an MVC? [closed]

Question

backbone.js has been spoken of as an MVC framework for Javascript. But is it?

Here is the description of the model, from http://documentcloud.github.com/backbone/

Models are the heart of any JavaScript application, containing the interactive data as well as a large part of the logic surrounding it: conversions, validations, computed properties, and access control. You extend Backbone.Model with your domain-specific methods, and Model provides a basic set of functionality for managing changes.

Now, that is not my understanding of the model in MVC at all. In my understanding, the model is just the classes that model the domain, so your Student, School and Teacher objects. The controller does performs the business logic on them and interacts with the view for display and receiving input.

This understanding is consistent with the various definitions I find on the web, IE http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_view_controller:

Model–View–Controller (MVC) is a design pattern for computer user interfaces that divides an application into three areas of responsibility:

the Model: the domain objects or data structures that represent the application's state.

So, my question is: is backbone.js really a MVC framework in any sense, or is it more of just a general way of helping you to glue everything together?

Incidentally, the definition of the Model from backbone.js's FAQ appears to differ from the one I quoted above (also from backbone.js http://documentcloud.github.com/backbone/#FAQ-mvc:

Backbone.Model – Like a Rails model minus the class methods. Wraps a row of data in business logic.

So in what sense is backbone.js really an MVC or not?

(Caveat: I am just evaluating backbone.js currently.)

Answer 1

Backbone is one of those MV* (MV-star). There is no controller because the logic that operates the app is in the View (something like M(V+C) instead).

And there is no unified definition for "Model" as it is used differently across different frameworks in different languages. But commonly, models are just an abstraction of the data storage and optionally have a bit of logic like validation, formatting and state change hooks.