Tech Corner Apr07 - So What?

Welcome back!

I hope you have returned to this space eager for more insightful information. Since last we “spoke”, I’ve grown my LinkedIn network to 114 first level connections, which translates to 9300 at the next level and 799,100 at the third level. Quite impressive, right?!

Also, I decided to see if I could link myself to Kevin Bacon – let’s follow the chain. I met Dizzy Gillespie (famous jazz trumpeter, for the youngsters out there) after his gig at Blues Alley in Georgetown around 1985. Dizzy was in “The Cool World” (1964) with Clarence Williams III. Clarence was in “Hoodlum” (1997) with Beau Starr. Beau was in “Where the Truth Lies” (2005) with Kevin Bacon. I have a Bacon number of 4!

I have four work-related and four personal IM accounts. I have this blog and have started a personal blog. I’ve explored the Google Earth Community. I’ve installed Google Desktop to help find stuff in my growing data stores (and have been meaning to try Copernic again). I use Wikipedia almost daily, and can’t keep up with the few RSS feeds I’m subscribed to. I have Internet Explorer favorites, del.icio.us tags, Opera bookmarks, and a Google Notebook. I’ve also played with the Google Docs & Spreadsheets and ThinkFree online collaborative office suites. I have Opera and Yahoo Widgets, and Microsoft Gadgets strewn all over my desktop.

So what?!?

My previous article touted the benefits and coolness of Web 2.0 technologies. What’s so great about it? From what I’ve discovered thus far, Web 2.0 technology will really demonstrate its value when it transforms into Web 3.0 (yes, I’ve heard/read that term being used already!)
The immediate benefit is inherent in the nature of the technology and its implementation. Web 2.0 applications are small, lightweight, collaborative, open, and network-centric. I can quickly load these widgets and applications. Data is updated in real or near-real time. I can infinitely customize my desktop, interface, and information sources. The ultimate promise of this environment is that it will lower costs and improve productivity.

First, let’s look at lower costs. Each widget has a single, or at least simple, dedicated function. Coding and configuration, therefore, should be smaller, faster, and easier to maintain. Each widget shares a common, integrated platform (right now they’re vendor specific – Google, Yahoo, Mac, Vista, and Opera widgets only operate on those platforms. You cannot, for instance, run a Mac widget on a Windows Vista computer. As mentioned above, these programs/functions/applications are network-centric in that many of them simply display information from the Internet, other programs, various data sources, or other widgets (remember this last point – it’s important!)

In terms of productivity, there are several characteristics to consider: collaboration, information sharing, ease-of-use, and open standards and interfaces. Many of these programs have collaboration built-in to their function – Google Docs allows multiple users to edit a document simultaneously. Similarly, a wiki allows individuals to automatically come to a consensus by giving everyone the ability to refine content. Information sharing is also ingrained in many of these applications, either through intentionally exposing data to the public (as in bookmark sharing sites) or through combining available data sources (referred to as mash-ups). The site zillow.com is a powerful example of a mash-up; enter your home address and you see an overhead photograph and map of your home and surrounding neighborhood. Each home is overlaid with an estimated dollar value, including square footage, number of bedrooms, and number of bathrooms. Furthermore, you can zoom in and see detailed, high resolution photographs of your home. In this single example, you see the combination of overhead imagery, map data, home data, pricing, and geotagged photography – all accessed from a simple search box interface. The ease-of-use comes from these simple interfaces in conjunction with the rapid data integration occurring “behind the screen”. This all works because the components agree to utilize standard interfaces and platforms – Extensible Markup Language (XML), Java, Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), etc.

Why haven’t we all standardized on Web 2.0 technologies? I believe there has to be wider use and acceptance of the technologies involved. The more people you have participating in these collaborative communities, the more powerful and effective they become. You have deeper resources and expertise for checks and balances (quality assurance), wider sources of information, and more agile solutions. As this acceptance grows, the environment will evolve into this Web 3.0 concept, where the agreed upon standards and interfaces will negate the need for the thick, expensive client. The important and resource intensive operations will occur on the network, with the user interface represented by small, light applications on the desktop. If you take an extreme example, do I need an expensive office suite on everyone’s desk, or can I perform the same functions with several inexpensive, interoperable programs – e.g. a text editor, a text formatter, a graphics producer, a math engine, etc.? Widgets dynamically integrating with other widgets and disparate data sources (I told you to remember this point up above!)

The next step beyond Web 3.0 is to formalize this type of architecture, embracing open technologies and interfaces with an infrastructure that leverages this thin client, network computing model. For this to work in a repeatable, consistent manner, we need to assure that operations and resources are protected, reliable and resilient. Standard platforms and interfaces will get us part of the way there, but we also need a more intimate level of security, information assurance, and accountability.

That will lead us from widgets to web services, network centric infrastructure to Service Oriented Architectures, and common XML interfaces to the Semantic Web (ontologies and context). I think I’ll save that discussion until next time …

As you can see, my current intent is to have these entries build upon each other, introducing more complex ideas as we go. As always, please feel free to contact me, ask questions, suggest topics, and use the resources listed in this column.

Ever curious,
George

Contact:
Email: gromas@caci.com
Blog: http://george-romas.blogspot.com
IM:
george_romas@yahoo.com
george_romas@hotmail.com
georgeromas@aol.com,
romasge@gmail.com

Resources:
http://www.thinkfree.com
http://www.opera.com
http://www.google.com/intl/en/options/
http://widgets.yahoo.com
http://microsoftgadgets.com
http://widgets.opera.com
http://www.programmableweb.com/
http://www.zillow.com