GeoExt is Open Source and enables building desktop-like GIS applications through the web. It is a JavaScript framework that combines the GIS functionality of OpenLayers with the user interface savvy of the ExtJS library provided by Sencha.Version 2 of GeoExt (http://geoext.github.io/geoext2/, released in October 2013) is the successor to the GeoExt 1.x-series and is built atop the newest official installments of its base libraries; OpenLayers 2.13.1 and ExtJS 4.2.1.The talk of two GeoExt core developers and members of the PSC (Project Steering Committee) will shortly present the history of the project with a focus on how an international code sprint back in May 2012 lay the foundations of the 2.x-series of GeoExt. The current version will be presented and and we'll discuss new features and important changes for users of the framework. Especially the following aspects will be portrayed:- Usage of the new classes- Compatibility with the single-file build tool of Sencha- Integration into the ExtJS MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture- Better API-documentation- Easier theming of ExtJS/GeoExt applicationsAs both of the base libraries are about to release new major versions Ð OpenLayers 3 and ExtJS 5 are very near to be being released in stable versions Ð the last focus of the talk will be the future development of the GeoExt 2 framework.The project has already pre-evaluated the possibility of supporting more than just one mapping library, so a future version of GeoExt might bring support for OpenLayers 3 and/or Leaflet and is likely being built on top of ExtJS 5.