Service independence in online applications

One of the things that all the internet-enabled applications need right now is service independence. This is to say that the way we connect to a certain application should have no effect on who we can communicate with. As in email, if you’re using Hotmail or even your local ISP’s mailbox, you can still communicate with any other mailbox. Why not the same with IM or voice chats?

IRC started this sort of thing but didn’t get too far. The different networks still remained separate even though servers did collaborate to allow users to communicate with other servers’ users.

Google’s shown the intention to pursue this with their proposed sevice independence with Talk. We can only hope that Microsoft and AOL (among others) create a scenario together where an MSN user would be able to communicate with a Google or AOL user regardless of the client they’re using. With Microsoft and others going for improving voice capabilities to hold their market share, this needs to be addressed as much as VoIP.

What do I care if my friend’s using AIM or Talk? I just want to have a conversation.

“Stop Saying ‘Like’”

I came across these posters on SquareFree blog. I know a few people who can learn from this.

You can replace ‘like’ with ‘you know’ too.

My new artwork on Gfxartist.com

I uploaded another artwork on Gfxartist.com after a very very long time. Sami’s new camera did a real nice job with a steel glass. I called it Dark Crescent. I’ll upload another one soon.

WordPress

I was surfing and came across this really nice-looking blog. I just had to find out how the guy had made it and guess what! It’s a free software.

Written in PHP and MySQL, it’s a very nice software with the best front-end themes I’ve seen for blogs. It’s a pity that I don’t have MySQL in my hosting plan or I’d be hosting my own blog. Oh well, I’ll keep this in mind and when I get my new hosting plan, I’ll be porting my blogs there! Inshaallah.

Paul Graham and Stefan Marti

Just came across these really good links. The first one is for those who hate writing (or are bad at it). Take a look at some very good pointers to good writing:

http://www.paulgraham.com/writing44.html

This second one is a real weird link: Stefan Marti (an MIT student) designs a squirrel to answer his phones for him!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4749507.stm

Footnotes in XHTML and CSS

Just came across a very good link for inserting footnotes in web pages. This is extremely useful pages publishing researches and articles. Take a look: Format Sidenotes with Javascript and CSS.

Google OS and Microsoft’s .NET

Take a look at this:

1. Google: A company that’s been free (to use) and thought of as the darling of the computing community as a whole and who looks really good to challenge the Giant Microsoft. At least in some areas. This company develops (is developing, rather) applications and systems that make people more and more reliant on Google’s so-called online operating system. So much so that it’s made people develop a ‘history of the future‘ that describes how people grew (will grow) dependant on Google’s OS.

2. Microsoft: The company that’s thought of as monopolistic and as “closed-source” as it gets. This company develops a software architecture (.NET; especially ASP.NET) that enables all companies to deploy their own web-based applications and sell subscriptions thus reducing Microsoft’s own monopoly of operating systems. Albeit from the customer’s PCs only if not from the servers.

Pretty ironical, don’t you think?

Hotmail Beta

Finally! something about Microsoft too!

The guys at Microsoft are working on a new interface for the Hotmail engine. It’s called Wave 11 and the system is called – as of yet – Hotmail beta! Great codename, eh? Anyway, here’re a few screenshots of the system. While you’re at it, take a look at the new MSN Messenger 8 too. I hear it’s for Windows Vista but can’t hurt to take a look at it, right?

I believe they’re using AJAX technology for Hotmail Beta. If they’re not, Microsoft’s just wasting her time with this new interface.

Hotmail Beta: 1 2 3
MSN Messenger: 1

Some great links about the future of the web

In my opinion, creating a cental, free, cross-platform operating system lies in the very near future of the web. (That free part being optional actually but I like putting it in there.)

Take a look at these articles. Some are pretty old but they give a very nice view of the idea:

http://www.kottke.org/05/08/googleos-webos
http://www.kottke.org/04/04/google-operating-system

Will be putting the latest ones in as I find em.

Google Desktop 2 and Google Talk

I’ve been working on these two for the past few days and I must say that Google’s softwares are only getting better! A lot better.

Google Desktop is the search solution for my money. (Actually, it’s free. So…) It searches in real-time. Just start typing what you want to search for and you get the results instantly.

Google Talk is a real early beta but it still shows it’s Googleness. It’s totally uncluttered, fast and very easy to use. Although there aren’t many features in it right now but that’s only because it’s a very beta-ish release.

Hope to see it upgrade quickly!

Wish Google will give me a break so I can write about some other company too.