Open Web Developer News Desk

Web API Expert: The Concept of a Web API

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:30:00 EDT

The Web is slowly changing from a visual resource designed to externalize information to people, to a non-visual resource that's able to facilitate machine-to-machine communications. The catalysts of this change are non-visual communications that are enabled using APIs, or Application Programming Interfaces. These APIs allow you to leverage within your own application both behavior and data that somebody else has built and hosted, as if both the functionality and information were local.

GraphOn Sues Google & YouTube for Patent Infringement

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:45:00 EDT

GraphOn, the old-line Citrix wannabe, has sued Google and its little friend YouTube in the Eastern District of Texas for patent infringement. That particular district court is partial to patent holders and their complaints. This one charges Google’s Base, AdWords, Blogger, Sites and YouTube online services with trespassing on four GraphOn patents, to wit Nos. 6,324,538 (the ‘538 patent), 6,850,940 (the ‘940 patent), 7,028,034 (the ‘034 patent) and 7,269,591 (the ‘591 patent).

View "Virtualization Power Panel" Live on SYS-CON.TV

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:00:00 EDT

Red Hat CTO Brian Stevens, Citrix CTO Simon Crosby, Egenera CTO Pete Manca, Allen Stewart, Group Manager, Windows Virtualization at Microsoft, and Brian Duckering, Sr. Director of Products and Alliances at Symantec were the top industry executives who joined Jeremy Geelan in the 4th Floor Reuters Studio overlooking Times Square for a special SYS-CON.TV 'Virtualization Power Panel' recorded on June 22, 2008, the day before the opening of SYS-CON's 3rd International Virtualization Conference & Expo - which was held 23-24 June 2008 in New York City.

Cloud Computing Expo - Schmidt Speaks

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 21:00:00 EDT

Jim Cramer’s been doing a stint on CNBC in the middle of the trading day and, being a Google booster, managed to entice Google’s usually standoffish CEO Eric Schmidt on the air the other day. Schmidt said Google’s stock wouldn’t split and that Google wouldn’t start issuing guidance (it would distract Googlers from “trying to change the world,” he said).

Cloud Computing Expo - Google’s Now in the Encryption Business

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:11:00 EDT

Google has waded into the encryption business with an open source cross-platform toolkit called Keyczar that’s supposed to make it easier for ISVs to put cryptography in their applications. It says Keyczar supports both encryption and authentication with both symmetric and asymmetric keys as well as Java and Python implementations, promising C++ soon.

AJAX World RIA Conference: Building AJAX Mashups with Google APIs

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:30:00 EDT

This session will cover how to integrate various Google APIs including Google's AJAX APIs including Maps, AJAX Search and Feed into superior AJAX mashups. The session also shows how to use Google's App Engine as an AJAX Web application provider. Finally, this session will also show how to socialize your AJAX applications using the OpenSocial APIs and Google Friend Connect.

Cloud Computing & Google - The Cloud Needs Some Duct Tape

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:15:00 EDT

Google’s Gmail fell over and died Monday, serving up only a temporary 502 error message to both free and paid accounts and bringing life as they know it to a grinding halt for a lot of people – including Google corporate.

AJAX World RIA Conference: Building RIAs Using Google Web Toolkit (GWT)

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:15:00 EDT

Rich Internet Applications using AJAX technology has truly improved the end user experience. But, as a developer if you are new to it, be warned: AJAX projects can quickly degenerate into a nightmare of spaghetti script. Large JavaScript technology code bases are often hard to write, read, test, and debug--not to mention the complexity of efficiently supporting multiple browsers. If you are a Java developer, you have another choice - the Google Web Toolkit (GWT). GWT is a lightweight, reusable Java technology framework has taken a unique approach to developing rich internet applications to wrangle AJAX coding issues. The Google Web Toolkit addresses code reuse, performance, multibrowser support, debugging, and testing AJAX applications.

Top Keynotes at SYS-CON's World-Beating RIA Conference & Expo: AJAX World

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:45:00 EDT

Two of the biggest launches in Rich Internet Application history took place in 2007/2008 when Adobe launched AIR 1.0 in February '08 and Microsoft launched Silverlight (September '07). At the 6th International AJAXWorld RIA Conference & Expo in October SYS-CON Events is delighted to be presenting major industry keynotes from the two industry executives with overall responsibility for both of those massive richer-web initiatives: Adobe's CTO Kevin Lynch and Scott Guthrie, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft's .NET Developer Platform.

Google’s Position in AOL Turns Rancid

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT

Google has told the SEC that its billion-dollar acquisition of 5% of AOL, made in 2005 to prevent Microsoft from doing it and giving AOL a $20 billion over-the-top valuation, “may be impaired,” accounting-speak for it ain’t worth what it was (if it ever was).

Apple, Google, Yahoo & Cloud Computing

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EDT

Industry gadfly John Dvorak is advancing a theory culled from the blogosphere that Microsoft wants Yahoo for some all-important patent or another that would give it an edge in cloud computing, SaaS and portable search advertising.

SuccessFactors Leverages Cloud Computing

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:15:00 EDT

SuccessFactors announced the delivery of five new capabilities integrated with the Google Apps suite of communication and collaboration products and other tools. The integration of SuccessFactors Performance and Talent Management suite with the products from Google enables companies of any and all sizes to reap the benefits of cloud computing (no hardware or software to download, install or maintain), and extends SuccessFactors’ mission to help companies better manage, motivate and engage their people to drive better business results.

One of Google’s Own Goes into Competition with It

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:58:00 EDT

The two-year-old counter-Google search start-up, Cuil (say cool), Irish for knowledge and notable for its ex-Google founders, finally hit the radar screen Sunday and got a lot of ink because of its DNA, a lot of the comments cruelly negative. (Cuil didn’t turn up in its own search.)

Google’s Money Cries Out To Be Invested

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:48:00 EDT

Some little birds whispered in the Wall Street Journal’s ear and got it to report that Google, which usually just buys start-ups, now wants to set up a venture arm a la Intel Capital, leaving the reader to imagine where the money would go, what stage companies might catch its eye and what strings it might impose.

Cloud Computing - IBM's Got Its Head in the Clouds

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:45:00 EDT

Reminding people of how its backing was the making of Linux, IBM, to no one's surprise, has thrown its support behind cloud computing, that delicious nexus of every chi-chi buzzword technology currently in vogue: Web 2.0, rich Internet applications, software-as-a-service, SOA, grid computing, Web Services, virtualization and utility computing. IBM calls its initiative Blue Cloud - like it could have another name - and claims it's a 'game-changing model for Internet-scale computing,' providing customer with just the right size computer power while at one and the same time being 'green' as well as 'self-healing and self-managing' based on open standards and Linux. Lordy, if this thing was a cute guy with money, it would be every mother's dream.

Salesforce & Google Create Multi-Cloud Computing Platform

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:30:00 EDT

Salesforce.com, which has already linked its CRM software to Google Apps and integrated AdWords tracking into its platform, is deploying a free new Force.com Toolkit for Google Data APIs so third-party developers can interact with data in Google services. The toolkit is supposed to bring together data and content in Google Apps with the database, logic and workflow capabilities in Salesforce.com's Force.com development platform.

Cloud Computing Expo - Microsoft, Google & Virtualization

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:15:00 EDT

Google is currently the pet of the American consumer. Although many in the industry don't find it particularly likeable, the company's reputation is tops among US consumers, based largely on how it treats employees and a perception of social responsibility, according to a Harris poll, in which Google dislodged Microsoft from the perch. Johnson & Johnson, the Band-Aid king, came in second and Intel third. Microsoft is now number 10. Google was previously number four. Companies with the worst reps include Halliburton, Comcast, Northwest Airlines and Exxon.

Virtualization, Microsoft, Yahoo & Google

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:30:00 EDT

Citrix has tapped its VP of channels and emerging product sales Al Monserrat to replace its departing sales chief John Burris, who, as previously reported, is going to Sourcefire as CEO. A couple of years ago Monserrat was responsible for Citrix' North American sales. Meanwhile, Citrix has named former PeopleSoft chief marketing officer and HP veteran Nanci Caldwell to its board.

Microsoft Disappoints, Ditto Google

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:45:00 EDT

Microsoft earned $4.3 billion on revenues of $15.84 billion, up 18%, in its fourth fiscal quarter in June, making it a $60 billion company - compliments of emerging markets and demand for Windows Server 2008. It had better-than-expected Vista sales this time through, up to $4.37 billion, and solid results everywhere but in retail sales of the high-end Office kit - a function of all those freebies out there? - and in its online business which lost $488 million - impacted by the weak economy and explaining why Microsoft is desperate to buy Yahoo, AOL, somebody. Yahoo, meanwhile, has also been eying AOL.

Virtualization, Google & Apple

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:30:00 EDT

After much soul-searching but finding no 'compelling reason,' Intel of all people is not going to upgrade its 80,000 PCs to Vista except in a few places; XP is just fine, thank you, according to a piece on a New York Times blog that actually started in the Inquirer. That started people to wondering whether Intel, when it finally does upgrade, will go to the Vista-beholden Windows 7 or to Linux or the Mac, its newest hero. It also got other people to remembering that Intel exhibited the same resistance to XP when it was new. It took four years for XP to get 50% of the market.

Adobe Gives Yahoo & Google Special Flash Treatment

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Adobe says it's going to 'dramatically improve' the search results of dynamic web content and rich Internet applications (RIAs) for Google and Yahoo by giving them optimized Flash Player technology. This new widgetry, which will read and index SWF files, is supposed to uncover information that is currently undiscoverable by search engines and provide more relevant automatic search rankings for the millions of RIAs and the other dynamic content that runs in Flash Player.

Google Ordered To Turn User Data Over to Viacom

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:45:00 EDT

A New York federal judge has ordered Google to turn YouTube user data over to Viacom's outside counsel so Viacom, which is suing YouTube for upwards of a billion dollars in damages, can prove YouTube users are watching copyrighted videos. That's every YouTube username, associated IP address and video watched.

DOJ May Prove Hurdle for Google-Yahoo

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:45:00 EDT

The Justice Department has reportedly opened a formal antitrust investigation of the multimillion-dollar Microsoft-escaping deal for Google to provide advertising to Yahoo's search engine, with a demand for documents going out to other than the immediate parties, not just the voluntary collection of information Yahoo and Google were prepared to supply.

Little ISV Sues Google for $1 Billion

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:30:00 EDT

A little Chicago ISV called LimitNone is suing Google for nigh on to a billion dollar charging it with misappropriating its trade secrets to beat back Microsoft Office. Seems a year ago March LimitNone shared its mojo for migrating Outlook users and their calendars and contacts to Gmail with Google and according to LimitNone's story the widgetry turned up in Google Apps despite Google's assurances that it had no intention of developing a similar product.

Android Won't Be Home for Xmas

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:15:00 EDT

Android, due in the second half, could reportedly be delayed until Q4 or maybe even next year, according to the tale the Wall Street Journal tells, a situation that opens up a can of worms for Google. Google has to prove that it's more than a one-trick pony and that it can deliver something other than beta software. The paper says Google is so absorbed with getting a T-Mobile Android phone out in Q4 that Sprint Nextel and China Mobile have fallen by the wayside.

Nokia Wants To Open-Source Symbian OS

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:30:00 EDT

Nokia wants to buy the 52% of the Symbian operating system that it doesn't already own to open source it and set it free. It's a defense against advances into the fragmented mobile space that Nokia and Symbian dominate - particularly - from the looks of case - against Google's nascent open source Android initiative and the freebie Linux-based LiMo Foundation - but then there's also Apple's proprietary iPhone, Microsoft's equally proprietary, royalty-charging Windows Mobile and the ever-present Blackberry and Palm.

Project Insight Project Management Software Releases Project Scorecard

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:00:00 EDT

Project Insight has released Project Scorecard, a project scoring system that enables companies to measure projects on how they fit into corporate goals and objectives. With the recent economic downturn, businesses are hard-pressed to prioritize major projects and determine whether or not they meet company strategies.

Yahoo & Virtualization

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 01:15:00 EDT

The two Detroit pension funds suing Yahoo in Delaware to invalidate its severance plan 'poison pill' have been denied the expedited trial that they asked for ahead of the August 1 stockholders meeting. The plan is supposed to incentivize Google staff to leave if an acquisition were to come off.

Yahoo Cuts Deal with the Devil

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:45:00 EDT

After failing to come to terms with Microsoft, and with antitrust regulators hovering in the background, Yahoo has gone and cut that death-defying deal on search advertising with arch-rival Google saying the agreement could clear $800 million in annual revenues. The deal is non-exclusive, applies only to paid search and text ads, and is supposed to run for four years with an option to renew for up to 10 years.

Citrix Buys German Virtualization Product

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:45:00 EDT

Citrix has bought sepago GmbH's sepagoProfile software so user profiles in XenDesktop, XenApp and Provisioning Server are integrated. Terms were not disclosed but as part of the deal the Cologne-based sepago will continue developing the product for virtualizing application provisioning for the next year and a half. Sepago specializes in application provisioning on large computer networks.

98% of Enterprises Implementing Virtualization Are Using Multiple Platforms

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 04:00:00 EDT

ComScore has upped Google's US search share. It was 59.8% in March and now for April it's 61.6%. It gave Yahoo 20.4% and Microsoft 9.1%. HP and Foxconn International, a unit of Taiwan-based Hon Hai Precision Industry, the big contract manufacturer, are building a $50 million factory outside St Petersburg where they will produce a half-million PCs a year for the Russian market starting next year. It could become a hub for the Baltic states and Scandinavia. Hon Hai, meanwhile, is going to start making laptops.

SYS-CON's Virtualization Conference & Expo: Themes & Topics

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:30:00 EDT

From Application Virtualization to Xen, a round-up of the virtualization themes & topics being discussed in NYC June 23-24, 2008 by the world-class speaker faculty at the 3rd International Virtualization Conference & Expo being held by SYS-CON Events in The Roosevelt Hotel, in midtown Manhattan.

Virtualization - Google Puts a Price on Its Cloud

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 07:45:00 EDT

Google has opened up App Engine to one and all. The cloud-sharing gambit meant to entice developers to build their web applications on the same infrastructure that powers Google's own applications - and in the process locks them into Google instead of Microsoft - has been in beta for the last six weeks and limited to 10,000 developers.

Microsoft Will End Up Buying Yahoo Anyway

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:15:00 EDT

Yahoo! founders Jerry Yang and David Filo received stupid advice from their investment bank advisers and blew their chance to close the deal with Microsoft as of this Sunday morning. Neither Yang nor Filo are experts on how to sell a company in a multi-billion dollar deal. They have relied on their investment bankers and advisers since the negotiations started with Microsoft. The difference between the offered price of $33 and the asking price of $40 per share is roughly $1.4b per share, so it's not small potatoes.

AJAX World - Google Tests Web Toolkit

Fri, 30 May 2008 12:30:00 EDT

Google's Web Toolkit Release Candidate 1.5 is out. That's the stuff programmers can use to develop and debug web applications in Java and then deploy them as highly optimized JavaScript. That way they're supposed to be able to sidestep common AJAX headaches like browser compatibility, and enjoy significant performance and productivity gains.

Facebook To Open Source Platform

Fri, 30 May 2008 12:15:00 EDT

Facebook, the social networking site that Microsoft owns a pricey sliver of, says it's going to open source its year-old Facebook Platform so it's easier for developers to build applications on it. It's reportedly calling the effort fbOpen and the move puts it on a collision course with the Google OpenSocial initiative that MySpace, Yahoo and now AOL back so third-party applications can access the sites' data.

MySpace & Opera Adopt Gears

Fri, 30 May 2008 12:00:00 EDT

In the largest third-party win yet for the year-old Google Gears, as well as a win for the browser-as-a-platform, they say, News Corp's MySpace social networking site has used the Google widgetry to upgrade its mail so users can search and sort their mail in real-time. The MySpace news was barely out of the bag when Opera up and announced that it'll be supporting Gears in its desktop and mobile browsers to push the browser as a full platform for applications, it said.

GIS Planning Integrates Browser-Based Google Earth into its Services

Fri, 30 May 2008 08:45:00 EDT

As soon as Google announced the availability of browser-based Google Earth functionality, GIS Planning's development team jumped on the opportunity to integrate the application into their existing Google Maps-powered services. In doing so, GIS Planning became one of the first developers anywhere to successfully integrate this technology.

AJAX World - Google Prices App Engine

Fri, 30 May 2008 08:15:00 EDT

Google is opening up App Engine to one and all. The cloud-sharing gambit meant to entice developers to build their web applications on the same infrastructure that powers Google's own applications - and in the process lock them into Google instead of Microsoft - has been in beta for the last six weeks and limited to 10,000 developers. Google says that another 150,000 developers are on the waiting list and so on Wednesday, the first day of Google I/O, the company's two-day developer event in San Francisco, will take down the barricade. Google also disclosed what it's going to charge for App Engine starting later this year.

AJAX World - Google Web Toolkit RC1.5 Ready To Pop

Thu, 29 May 2008 15:00:00 EDT

Google's Web Toolkit Release Candidate 1.5 will be available later this week. That's the stuff programmers can use to develop and debug web applications in Java and then deploy them as highly optimized JavaScript. That way they're supposed to be able to sidestep common AJAX headaches like browser compatibility, and enjoy significant performance and productivity gains.