If you look at the SproutCore framework right now, there are 2 versions to go with: A 1.7 beta and a 2.0 beta. The docs and guides seem to be different as they are served from different domains, but sometimes you just don't know if a tutorial or even the copy texts on sproutcore.com are referring to version 1.x or 2.
It's a bit confusing and so I am asking about the difference(s) of both. Is version 2 even comparable to the previous one? It seems to have a totally different approach.
Would be good to know, so someone could easily decide which version fits best for a certain usecase.
You are correct. SC1 and SC2 are very different.
Here's a good video I found that provides the background and reasoning behind SC2. http://vimeo.com/25210161
The recommendation for the SC team on the blog:
Remember: SproutCore 1.6 is still the best way to write desktop-style apps, and will continue to be maintained and developed by the core team and contributors. Right now, SproutCore 2.0 is the best choice only if you are building web-style apps, or want to augment an existing application.
Here's my own experience with SC1 v SC2: http://blog.chililog.org/2011/10/14/sproutcore-v1-vs-v2/
IMHO, use SC1 if you plan to write a native style ipad or iphone app. It has views and transitions that you can use "out of the box".
Use SC2 if you plan to write a web style app like the twitter UI.
Hope this helps.