Chrome Web Store Resources and Documentation

Aloha!

The Chrome Web Store will launch later this year as a new consumer marketplace to distribute and monetize web apps.  We've collected a great set of resources and documentation to help you get started.

• Chrome Web Store developer documentation
• Integrating with Chrome Web Store payments
• Differences between Chrome Web Store hosted and packaged web apps
• Guidelines for designing web apps
• Chrome Web Store FAQs
• Chrome Web Store apps discussion forum
• HTML5 Studio

We encourage you to sign up as a Web Store developer and get started.  It will be an easy way to get your great web app in front of the 70+ million active users of Chrome!

Seth

Presenting an Introduction to HTML5 at University of Hawaii on Sept 10

Aloha!

Thanks to the Pacific New Media Center, I will be presenting an Introduction to HTML5 on September 10th at 7pm at University of Hawaii in the Yukiyoshi Room, Krauss 12. This will be a fun and engaging talk with lots of time for questions and answers.

Intro to HTML5 Abstract:

This presentation will cover a very broad range of exciting and cutting edge HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript technologies that are powering the next generation web.  We will see lots of demos and code for a variety of features, and we'll learn why so many developers, large companies, and users are excited by the family of HTML5 features.  We'll focus on what's possible now (more than you think!) and we'll look to the future of what's to come shortly.

This intro talk is targeted at web enthusiasts and web developers new to HTML5.  Anyone who has heard about HTML5 and wants to learn what it's all about and what you can do with it should attend.

Who am I?

Seth Ladd is a Developer Advocate for Google Chrome. He recently moved from Hawaii to Mountain View, CA to work at the Googleplex, and misses the cool Kailua breeze. When not unpacking boxes from the move, he enjoys web engineering and playing Legos with his son.

Please register so we can get an accurate head count!

Please bring your questions, concerns, hopes, and dreams for a better web, as we'll move swiftly from presentation to discussion. I hope to see you all there! I made a Plancast event for easy event and attendance sharing, and there is also a TechHui Event.

N.B. This will be a longer encore presentation from my TechHui Conf lunchtime HTML5 talk. If you saw that, this will be the longer version, but mostly the same content. If you missed that talk, this is the perfect time to catch up on the exciting world of HTML5. Learn why everyone always says, "whoa, I had no idea that HTML5 could do that!"

Mahalo,
Seth

Smart Browsers, like Smart Phones, Need to be the Focus

The Axioms

When talking about the mobile phone market, have you noticed that it seems like everyone is taking about and analyzing "smart phones"?  That is, there's an incredible focus on smart phones, the vendors, the SDKs, the marketplaces, and users.  It's easy to see why: smart phones are extremely capable, monetize well, and there is a lot of competition which leads to innovation which leads to users winning.

There are plenty of logical reasons why a developer chooses to develop for a smart phone instead of a legacy phone:

1. smart phones have tremendous features and functionality
2. smart phones typically have great SDKs
3. smart phones integrate with marketplaces
4. smart phones are evolving
5. smart phone users are trained to spend money on apps

There's a finite amount of energy in the universe, and the more it's spent on smart phones, the less it's spent on legacy phones.  In the mobile space, developers choose the target platform for their application which delivers the best end user experience.  In the mobile phone space, developers are targeting smart phones to the exclusion of legacy phones, and that's OK.

Put Your Thinking Cap On

Here now is the thought experiment.  Please read the above paragraphs, but mentally replace the word "phone" with "browser".  Would the above still make sense?  How does "In the web space, developers choose the target platform for their application which delivers the best end user experience" sound?  What about "developers are targeting smart browsers to the exclusion of legacy browsers, and that's OK" ?

Those statements sound perfectly valid to me.  As a developer, I want to develop and deliver cutting edge applications that exceed my user's expectations.  I will realize that to do that, I need to target smart browsers just like mobile developers target iPhone or Android.

Web developers are constantly torn between building the best end user experience with the least amount of effort, and a desire to build one website that functions and appears identical across any and all browsers.  I no longer believe this is a primary concern, any more than an iPhone developer is concerned about getting their single app onto any and all mobile phones.

The primary argument against building one website that works consistently across IE6 through IE9, and for multiple browser vendors, is simply cost.  It's cost prohibitive to support legacy browsers, especially as developers build out new features using new specs and technologies.  The pace of innovation is too fast to spend valuable time retrofitting your app's features for an ever shrinking user base.

You can compensate for this costly scenario by simply developing with technologies from the late 90's.  This would mean you would only have to support one code base for nearly all browsers.  This also means you aren't innovating.  It won't be long before a competitor develops a competing, and compelling, HTML5 application that works faster, has more features, and looks better than your legacy app.  Sticking with 90's web technologies means a competitor will eventually release something faster, richer, and more beautiful.

I argue, then, that it's perfectly acceptable to target and develop for smart browsers just like people target and develop for smart phones.  In fact, it's a better story on the Web: developers should write apps that work great on smart browsers and gracefully degrade for legacy browsers.  It's impossible to gracefully degrade your iPhone app onto a Symbian device.

Smart Browsers Are Where The Action Is

Let's define a Smart Browser.  A Smart Browser:

1. implements the majority of HTML5 features
2. will implement all of HTML5 soon
3. is constantly evolving
4. competes on speed, stability, features, and developer mindshare
5. hosts a capable extensions system
6. integrates with marketplaces
7. supports alternative platforms (Flash, eg)

Smart browsers are pushing Web standards forward again, which means web developers can innovate again, which means users will win.

Summary

For all the reasons why it's perfectly acceptable to target a smart phone, Web developers should target smart browsers and HTML5.  Smart browsers are pushing Web standards forward again, and providing a rich platform for developers to build incredible apps for users.

Developers should focus on smart browsers first, and brainstorm how using the wide array of new HTML5 technologies can really make for an immersive, fast, rich application.  Once the app is released, features can gracefully degrade to support legacy browsers or simply provide motivation for upgrading.

I believe there are interesting parallels between the mobile world and the Web world.  I believe that by studying the mobile world, and its motivations and rationales, developers in the Web world will face hard questions and come to terms with inevitable conclusions.

It's time to think of smart browsers like we think of smart phones.  That is, they are in a class all by themselves.

Sixteen HTML5 Articles, Tutorials, and Resources

HTML5 is being adopted quickly, with many of the specs already enjoying cross browser support.  Now is the perfect time to dive in and begin to plan HTML5 feature implementation to enable the types of Rich, Fast, and Highly Functional applications users are demanding.

I can recommend the following set of resources to begin your journey.  Have fun, get creative, and start hacking!

Overview

HTML5 Rocks!

Interactive presentation, Code playground, and Tutorials.  Produced by Google’s Chrome Developer Relations team.

What is HTML5 and Why Should We Care?

High level infographic illustrating the different HTML5 features and how they are related.

HTML5 Readiness

Browser implementation of individual HTML5 features.  This page itself is written using HTML5!

HTML5 Demos

List of demos by feature and browser support.

Get Started

HTML5 Presentation... in HTML5!

An HTML5 presentation written in HTML5.  Covers all of the new features, with demos for most.

Dive Into HTML5

This site is perfect to get a technical overview of HTML5 features.  It is updated frequently, and tracks browser implementation.

HTML5 Gallery

A showcase of sites using HTML5 features.  Provides tips and commentary for each site mentioned.  Good resource for learning best practices.

Developing with HTML5 Video from Google IO

This video covers the HTML5 APIs available to Google Chrome and Google Chrome OS applications and Google Chrome extensions.

Modernizer

Javascript library to help with HTML5 feature detection across browsers.

HTML5 Doctor

Get expert advice and guidance from the Doctor!

Advanced

Delicious HTML5 Links

A real-time, grab bag of HTML5 related links.

Building Fast HTML5 Apps

A bit iPad specific, but good tips for speeding up your site’s visuals.

Chrome Browser HTML5 Platform Status

Milestones and road maps for Chrome Browser HTML5 feature implementation.

When Can I Use

Very detailed list of browser support for each feature of HTML5.

60 HTML5 Articles

Large collection of various HTML5 articles and tutorials.

HTML5 Training

Five different HTML5 training courses offered around the world.

Transcript for HTML5 and Rich Internet Applications Panel from TechHui Conference 2010

Aloha!

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 dedicated HTML5 talk, I used the Interactive HTML5 Presentation from HTML5 Rocks!.

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!

----------

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.

Specifically, HTML5 is:

• more descriptive pages, such as
  and

  
  

  logical page layouts

  
  

  beautiful typography with real world fonts

  
  

  working offline, wherever you are

  
  

  faster access to data

  
  

  location aware

  
  

  hardware accelerated

  
  

  securely multithreaded

  
  

  real time and bidirectional

  
  

  indistinguishable from native apps

  
  

  machine readable

  
  

  more expressive field types like email, number, and range

  
  

  finally BFF with video and audio

  
  

  ready for games (canvas, svg)

  
  

  most importantly, native to the browser

  
  

Fine, so that’s a lot of new capabilities and features. And there are certainly a lot of subtleties here and technical details to talk about. But that is another talk for another day (extra points for talking Google into having me back :)

That was a lot of cool features, but that’s looking at the trees. Let’s look at the forrest now. What is HTML5, really, and what does it do for me?

OK, so HTML5 is:

• pushing the web forward again
• an open set of technologies for the open web platform
• mostly here today, more coming with each browser release
• implemented first, standardized second
• tested in real world
• not handed down from on-high
• designed for ubiquity
• devices
• vendors
• form factors
• allowing developers to innovate again
• enabling a new class of fast, rich Applications
• on, and for, the Web

 That last point is probably the most important. HTML5 is built as a first class citizen on the Web, and in every way can capitalize on the composability, interoperability, and ubiquity of the Net. Remember, the Web is built with Links. And Links are expressed in HTML5.

The Web is an open ecosystem, and that means there will always be a delicate evolutionary dance between platforms. This is A Good Thing, and I believe a successful, global, accessible information system must allow for multiple systems to enter freely and participate. We believe that the future of the Web is HTML5, but aren’t looking to shut out other ideas. The most important thing, I think, is to continue to promote and encourage open access to the Web Platform and HTML5. From there, vendors compete on stability/speed/outreach, developers innovate, and users win.

We get asked a lot, “How do I approach HTML5? I have lots of apps now, some need to support IE6. How should I proceed?” I generally mention three, complementary strategies.

For legacy applications, take an evolutionary approach. For instance, you can finally render rounded corners with CSS3 (part of HTML5) without any of the traditional hacks. It’s perfectly OK if users with modern browsers see the beautiful rounded corners and users with legacy browsers see square corners.

For new applications, or for mobile applications, target HTML5 now. Mobile browsers are very modern and implement a lot of the HTML5 family of technologies. In fact, I recommend first looking at HTML5 as your mobile solution, before considering native applications. In many cases, you can write one application in HTML5 and serve it to all user agents, from phones, to laptops, to netbooks, to TVs.

Don’t be afraid to think of modern browsers like Chrome or Safari as a special class of users. For example, many companies will release an application only for iPhone. This is perfectly fine, and they made a calculated choice, “The iPhone has certain characteristics that will provide a wonderful user experience for our app.” There are plenty more Nokia phones out there, so why choose iPhone? Because, that is where the future is. This same decision process applies to HTML5 and modern browsers as well. Don’t be afraid to use channels like the Chrome Web Store to deliver modern, innovative applications to users of modern browsers.

In some cases, users can install Chrome Frame, a plugin for old versions of Internet Explorer. This turns on the Chrome engine inside of IE whenever your site advertises support for Chrome Frame.

In summary, HTML5 is, on a basic level, a family of next generation technologies built to enable rich, interactive, and fast web applications. However, at its core, HTML5 is about pushing the Web Platform forward and bringing innovation back to web development.

For those wanting to learn more, I want to point you to HTML5Rocks.com. This site, put together by my teammates, features articles, tutorials, and a code playground to experiment in. You’ll also find an interactive slide presentation full of sample code and demos, all written in HTML5.

I can also recommend Dive Into HTML5, by Mark Pilgrim. His book, freely available, is a good overview of the history, context, and capabilities for HTML5 features.

Thanks again to TechHui and Pacific New Media for putting on this conference, and to my panel-mates for letting me join in on the fun. Mahalo!

HTML5 Survey for the Ruby on Rails Developer

Aloha,

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!

To help myself gain a real understanding of the Rails community's perception, knowledge, and deployment of HTML5, I've created a HTML5 and Ruby on Rails survey. I would really appreciate if you, as a Rails developer, can take two minutes and let me (and Google) know your experience and impressions of HTML5 features. I know your time is very valuable, and I thank you in advance for your feedback.

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!

Hack on Google Storage Service at RailsConf 2010

Aloha!

The Ruby on Rails community will be converging in Baltimore between June 7 and 10 for RailsConf 2010. Google will be on hand to take in the great talks, speak about OAuth, OpenID and the Google Data APIs and Scaling Rails on App Engine with JRuby and Duby, and to collect the feedback and ideas from the Rails community.

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.

If you register for the RailsConf Google Hackfest before June 8th you can request access to Google Storage Service, so don't delay!

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.

Mahalo, and see you at RailsConf!