An interim developer.aol.com is live (first update in yeeeeears), and an updated Open AIM SDK was recently posted. Greenhouse is also public now, and should see some interesting activity in short order - it'll be less, uh, lame than you think :) (inside joke, sorry). And our first (internal) Open Services Developer's conference is in the coming week - the coming few months should see the release of some reference applications and services publicly.
So we're seeing the first few little buds...
Open Services at AOL is really about a methodology (and mindset) shift, as much if not much more than a technology and implementation change - though there's some of that, too. I thought I might outline in near-future posts some of the core principles of the Web eco-system this implies - from a developer's perspective, especially as it regards to AOL and the value (question: is there value in scale in Web 2.0 world?) of scale.
(hint: I think so, but probably not in the usual way)
The core idea, of course, is this: Be the soil, not the plant. Or perhaps, more directly, there's more aggregate value in the farm, than in any crop - though that's much less mellifluous.
But what does that really mean? Thus far, AOL hasn't embraced what it implies...
June 24, 2006
June 23, 2006
Deep Thoughts, by Sree Kotay
From my wit and witicisms collection, a few personal reflections from life at a big company:
[remember to read these with a Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handy voiceover in your head... though mine aren't quite nearly as funny, except in that horrific Dilbert-esque that's-only-funny-because-its-my-life kind of way :)]
- There's a big difference between "on time and on budget" and "good software as quickly as possible"
- Rewarding ability, attitude, and commitment leads to consistently better results than rewarding results
- If you're doing great work, then its a great place to work - everything else is noise
- Accountability and predictability are orthogonal - one does not presume the other; optimizing for predictability sacrifices innovation, creativity, and (ironically often) predictability
- Culture flows top down; Credit flows to whoever claims it
- Span of control is depressingly valuable
- Necessity is the mother of good software
- It takes commitment to succeed - its not a sprint, its not a marathon, its a relay race [marathon]; faint heart never won fair maiden
- Innovation does not mean "successfully copy", but with a lemon twist; you can't lead by following
[remember to read these with a Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handy voiceover in your head... though mine aren't quite nearly as funny, except in that horrific Dilbert-esque that's-only-funny-because-its-my-life kind of way :)]
- There's a big difference between "on time and on budget" and "good software as quickly as possible"
- Rewarding ability, attitude, and commitment leads to consistently better results than rewarding results
- If you're doing great work, then its a great place to work - everything else is noise
- Accountability and predictability are orthogonal - one does not presume the other; optimizing for predictability sacrifices innovation, creativity, and (ironically often) predictability
- Culture flows top down; Credit flows to whoever claims it
- Span of control is depressingly valuable
- Necessity is the mother of good software
- It takes commitment to succeed - its not a sprint, its not a marathon, its a relay race [marathon]; faint heart never won fair maiden
- Innovation does not mean "successfully copy", but with a lemon twist; you can't lead by following
And one from the real Jack Handy (which about sums it up):
- I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it.
Some of these apply equally well to small companies, but not all of them. Some of my small(er) company observations I found to be surprisingly stronger in the context of a larger organization.
June 21, 2006
The "Porn Narrative" of Games
From a few days ago: games.slashdot - Indigo Prophecy Creator.
Interestingly astute condensation of the problem with "interactive fiction" (AKA games) as an artform. Read the source for the full scoop - Postmortem: Indigo Prophecy.
I feel like applications suffer from these type of modality artifices as well... the art of UI design has always been a challenge of modality management - making it seamless (i.e. the best UI is the one you don't notice) to move from one state to another.
Interestingly astute condensation of the problem with "interactive fiction" (AKA games) as an artform. Read the source for the full scoop - Postmortem: Indigo Prophecy.
I feel like applications suffer from these type of modality artifices as well... the art of UI design has always been a challenge of modality management - making it seamless (i.e. the best UI is the one you don't notice) to move from one state to another.
June 20, 2006
See you in 2008!
Three big coming disruptive trends, I think, will converge by 2008: (1)Ubiquitous wireless connectivity (wi-max or some other), (2)ultra-portable computing, and (3)applications-as-content.
We see hints of this already - through wireless connections in our home (I'm writing this at the kitchen table while my kids are scarfing their chocolate chip waffles), web applications, etc. - but I think we'll be reaching an inflection point as these converge.
I don't know what form it'll take exactly - I don't think it'll be Wi-Max or Origami exactly. But I do think it'll be of that form - not smart fridges and talking wristwatches, but general computing devices over generic, omnipresent (though not ever-present) connectivity.
Two interesting contenders in the application-content space: XULRunner and Macromedia Flash.
My prognistication is predicated primarily on lack rather than abundance. It feels like, in the last 10 years (last, oh ... 7 or 8, for sure) that we haven't seen a behavioural shift enabled by new technology in the computing sector.
I'll contend there's nothing you really do now, that you couldn't nearly as easily have done then. Sure, things have gotten faster, better, and there's more stuff - but it doesn't seem like we've approached the next plateau yet. How old are the websites you visit most frequently? Or really what I mean is: how different are the behaviours they imply? Search, browse, IM, mail, music (ok, MAYBE video - but my TV still does that better) are all pretty old hat.
I'm not sure you'd say that for any 5 year period leading up to the last 10 (or so) since the computing revolution really began, in the 1940's.
Hints are there of what's coming: more web apps, more broadband and wireless (how cool was it when you got untethered for the first time?), notebooks outpacing desktops - but I think the inflection point is waiting for these few enabling technologies to converge (there's one more I didn't mention that I think is also coming) - and the next killer app to make them come alive.
We see hints of this already - through wireless connections in our home (I'm writing this at the kitchen table while my kids are scarfing their chocolate chip waffles), web applications, etc. - but I think we'll be reaching an inflection point as these converge.
I don't know what form it'll take exactly - I don't think it'll be Wi-Max or Origami exactly. But I do think it'll be of that form - not smart fridges and talking wristwatches, but general computing devices over generic, omnipresent (though not ever-present) connectivity.
Two interesting contenders in the application-content space: XULRunner and Macromedia Flash.
My prognistication is predicated primarily on lack rather than abundance. It feels like, in the last 10 years (last, oh ... 7 or 8, for sure) that we haven't seen a behavioural shift enabled by new technology in the computing sector.
I'll contend there's nothing you really do now, that you couldn't nearly as easily have done then. Sure, things have gotten faster, better, and there's more stuff - but it doesn't seem like we've approached the next plateau yet. How old are the websites you visit most frequently? Or really what I mean is: how different are the behaviours they imply? Search, browse, IM, mail, music (ok, MAYBE video - but my TV still does that better) are all pretty old hat.
I'm not sure you'd say that for any 5 year period leading up to the last 10 (or so) since the computing revolution really began, in the 1940's.
Hints are there of what's coming: more web apps, more broadband and wireless (how cool was it when you got untethered for the first time?), notebooks outpacing desktops - but I think the inflection point is waiting for these few enabling technologies to converge (there's one more I didn't mention that I think is also coming) - and the next killer app to make them come alive.
June 12, 2006
Pixar's Cars
Updated: My initial review may be have been a little harsh - it was better than most of the movies I saw this year, but, sorry, those Pixar jokers set the bar high; not my fault if they can't get over it.
I saw Cars this weekend. Surprised as I am to admit this, it was kind of dull. I liked it better the first time I saw it, when it was called Doc Hollywood (and even then, it wasn't that good :P).
My kids loved it, so that's good - but usually, from Pixar at least, I expect some serious entertainment myself.
Not so much.
The characters were engaging (and engagingly performed), but the plot sort of ploddingly sauntered - ironic, given its a movie about speed - to its politically correct conclusion.
At a technical level, at least, it was stunning. Visually, it was as beyond "Toy Story" as "Toy Story" was beyond cel animation. The casual rightness of the road repair scenes, among others, was impressive - though I suspect that might not be evident to most until you watch your next "3D" film by way of comparison.
I saw Cars this weekend. Surprised as I am to admit this, it was kind of dull. I liked it better the first time I saw it, when it was called Doc Hollywood (and even then, it wasn't that good :P).
My kids loved it, so that's good - but usually, from Pixar at least, I expect some serious entertainment myself.
Not so much.
The characters were engaging (and engagingly performed), but the plot sort of ploddingly sauntered - ironic, given its a movie about speed - to its politically correct conclusion.
At a technical level, at least, it was stunning. Visually, it was as beyond "Toy Story" as "Toy Story" was beyond cel animation. The casual rightness of the road repair scenes, among others, was impressive - though I suspect that might not be evident to most until you watch your next "3D" film by way of comparison.
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