Thanks to TechHui and University of Hawaii's Pacific New Media for producing the TechHui 2010 Conference and inviting me to join. I was lucky enough to talk about HTML5 and then join the Rich Internet Applications panel to represent HTML5. The Star Advertiser even wrote up a short blurb on my involvement:
Google guru to gab
Google is sending one of its newest developer advocates to Hawaii for tomorrow's annual TechHui conference, where he will preach the gospel of an open Web to the glitterati of Hawaii's geek, er, tech community.
Seth Ladd lived in Hawaii for seven years, "the longest I've ever lived anywhere," but he moved away about three weeks ago to join Google. He was most recently director of software at Camber Corp., a defense contractor with offices here.
"Google's really betting on an open Web, open technology and open standards" for Web development, he said.
For the RIA panel, I put together a 10 minute presentation on HTML5 in Perspective. I wanted to how attendees think about HTML5 and how it relates to, and is shaping, the current landscape of Web development.
Below you will find the transcript of the HTML5 in Perspective presentation. Thoughts and comments are always welcome!
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Aloha, my name is Seth Ladd, and I’m a Developer Advocate at Google. I am working on the Chrome platform. This includes Chrome browser, Chrome OS, Google TV, and Chrome Web Store. I, until very recently, also lived here on Oahu and I’m very happy to be back in the islands.
Before I start, I want to quickly explain what a Developer Advocate is. You might think it's just a fancy name for an evangelist, but I think it's quite different. I advocate for, and on behalf of, developers and engineers. I am a liaison between our partner developers and Google’s engineering and product teams. Most of my day is spent helping partners and teams best understand the Web as a platform, open standards like HTML5, and how best to approach developing products for the Open Web. I give measured feedback and help engineers and teams come to their own conclusions. It’s a lot of fun, and I’m very excited to be here today.
Hopefully many of you were at my talk during lunch, in which I covered the many cool features in the HTML5 family of technologies. If you missed it, or want to learn more about HTML5, I’ll show some URLs at the end here where you can learn more and play with some cool demos. You can always grab me afterwards and I’ll be happy to chat with you.
Since there are far too many new HTML5 features to cover in depth right now, I want to instead help put HTML5 into perspective. I believe the Web is entering a new era of fast paced innovation and competition. You’ll see, experience, and begin to expect more from the new generation of web applications. I, and Google, believe that the future of the Web will be built on open standards and as an open platform. And this open platform will be HTML5.
I think I used open quite a lot there. This is how I like to think of Open:
anyone can implement it without paying or asking permission
anyone can connect to it without paying or asking
not encumbered by potentially restrictive licensing
freely available to vendors and users
a level playing field
Let’s begin by defining HTML5. Simply put, HTML5 is the collection of next generation web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. HTML5 is an open set of technologies that run inside of modern web browsers, such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and IE9. HTML5 also runs on multiple form factors such as computers, laptops, tablets, netbooks, phones, and TVs.
I'm at RailsConf 2010 this week, and really enjoying networking and learning from the Rails community. This community is very concerned with learning, improving, and writing clean code.
Most Rails conferences, RailsConf and my own admittedly, are focused on server-side concerns (Model or Controller) to the detriment of front end engineering (View). This is neither bad nor good, but I would like to see more focus on the View. Consequently, it's difficult to get a good feeling of modern View engineering practices in the Rails community.
Modern View engineering is, in my mind, adoption of the family of HTML5 features. HTML5 formalizes and standardizes on many of the rich user interface features that native clients and desktop applications have had for years. Web applications are now capable of providing very rich and immersive experiences. This should be extremely exciting for the Rails community!
Also, if you are at RailsConf 2010, please sign up for the Google RailsConf Hackfest. We'll be helping you check out Rails on App Engine, Google Storage Service, Apps Marketplace, or Chrome Web Store. If you fill out the quick survey, stop by the hackfest for a Google t-shirt (while supplies last).
Have a great time at RailsConf, please fill out the HTML5 survey, and see you at the Hackfest!
Google announced a lot of interesting services within the past year, many at Google I/O, that would appeal to Rails developers. For example, the Google Apps Marketplace allows you to integrate, and monetize, your application with customers' Google Apps domains. The new Google Storage Service, a cloud data storage service, was also just announced with features such as write-read consistency.
We know developers want to start hacking with these technologies, so Google will be hosting a Hackfest and reception at RailsConf 2010. There will also be food, drinks, and swag.
I'll be at RailsConf to also help anyone with the newly announced Chrome Web Store, an app store for the web. Rails developers can use Chrome Web Store to easily distribute and monetize their web applications through the proven app store model.
I'm also interested in gauging the community's perspective on HTML5, along with the Chrome Web Store. I'll be running in-person surveys while at the conference, with free Google t-shirts (while supplies last) to entice participants. I really want to hear your ideas, concerns, and successes with these technologies, so I hope to meet as many Rails developers as possible.
If you are familiar with the iPhone or iPad, then you are most certainly familiar with one of its killer features: the App Store. The App Store provides a slick, and captive, distribution channel and monetization facility for developers. The App Store also offers an easily searchable, and easily purchasable, shopping experience for end users. Those are the Good Parts of the App Store.
The App Store has its negative aspects as well. Applications written for the iPhone or iPad must be written in Objective C. This is not necessarily bad by itself, but it certainly limits your options and could prove to be a challenging learning curve. Also, the App Store has an ever evolving approval process. Applications can be rejected for numerous reasons, sometimes after they have been approved. This vague policy and sometimes seemingly random enforcement is a challenge for developers, and spell disaster if a money making application is suddenly pulled from the App Store. Those are some of the Bad Parts of the App Store.
What if we could take the Good Parts (distribution channel, monetization, single sign on, ratings) of the App Store and leave behind the Bad Parts (single development environment, single source of control, ever changing policies) and create an open and flexible application store for the Web?
Turns out, Google announced the Chrome Web Store to become the App Store for the Web! Google's vision for the Chrome Web Store is to take the Good Parts from app stores, fix the problems with the Bad Parts, and encourage distribution and monetization of web application across the Web.
Granted, the Chrome Web Store was simply a preview announcement at Google IO 2010. There isn't much more information available to me, either. But here's what I know:
The Chrome Web Store is meant for all browsers and all web applications.
The Chrome Web Store will feature a license server API of some sort.
The Chrome Web Store works with any web app built with any web technologies (HTML, HTML5, Flash, etc).
There is no approval process like Apple's App Store.
It's very early in the game, so details could change. Google is actively searching for early adopters and participators to help shape the experience. In fact, if you are interested in offering your web app or service via the Chrome Web Store, don't hesitate to contact me at sethladd@google.com, as I can provide technical guidance or further details and strategy assistance.
I am speaking on behalf of myself here: I think the Chrome Web Store is a service that couldn't come soon enough. There are so many talented web developers, and many many more web app users, who should have the same (and in many cases, better) experience as other app stores. A web developer should easily, quickly, and naturally offer and make money from their web apps.
Interested in learning more? Keep watching this blog or simply email me.
It's day two of my new adventure as a Developer Advocate for Google. I have joined the Chrome Developer Relations team based in Mountain View, California, but more on that later.
Day One was a full day of Orientation. We are affectionately called Nooglers, and Google did a good job of introducing us to the culture, business, food, forms, tips, and even safety and security. My Noogler class was not small, and they run this every week! It's clear they are growing fast and have this orientation process down pretty well.
For those wondering, some of us were able to choose Windows laptops. Although, easily 75% or more of my Nooglers had a MacBook Pro on their desk. I heard from at least one PC user that they wanted to switch to Mac after seeing so many out there.
We received breakfast and lunch. As you can imagine, food is no joke to Google. I believe I dreamt about food last night! Feeding the Googlers is serious business, and I look forward to trying all 19 or so cafes on the Mountain View campus.
We received our badges, activated our accounts, received and updated our laptops, and listened to presentations for most of the day. I found the business one the most interesting. I look forward to the two week training period, where engineers learn about the Life of a Search Query, Server, Data Center, and other topics like logging and testing. Normally, the first two weeks are taken up by the training and just settling in, but because I'm headed to RailsConf 2010, I've got an accelerated schedule.
At RailsConf, I will be there representing the Chrome Web Store, among other technologies such as HTML5. Chrome Web Store, announced at Google IO 2010, is a new initiative from Google to help developers of web applications distribute and monetize their apps.
The details are scarce, even for me, but I'll be taking a crash course on Chrome Web Store this week before RailsConf. I think Rails developers are going to love Chrome Web Store, because they can more easily monetize their web apps.
I'll write more about Chrome Web Store as I learn it. If you will be at RailsConf 2010, and you are interested in Chrome Web Store or any other Chrome or HTML5 based technologies, please do look me up! I'd love to take you out for a drink so I can learn what you need from HTML5 or Chrome Web Store.
