Following up from this post which makes things far too complicated, I realised it would be simplicity itself to create a website that allowed users to create their own m3u playlists from the combined RSS feeds of MP3 blogs they choose, that could then be updated every 4 hours or so. People can listen to these M3Us just like people listen to Internet radio.
M3U is the simplest playlist format ever, so this would be really, really easy.
2005/04/21
The whole offshoring thing:
Yes, it empowers giant megacorporations to fire hundreds of drones.
But how many people understand this: If you have a normal job, and no extra special commitments such as a family or a house, then you, yes YOU, can also hire programmers in far off countries.
What does this mean?
It means, that by virtue of being born in a rich Western country, you could manage a team as a hobby, in your spare time.
The same kind of gap between the West and Rest that makes corporations offshore whole departments also lets you compete with said corporations in your spare time.
Interesting, hmm?
But how many people understand this: If you have a normal job, and no extra special commitments such as a family or a house, then you, yes YOU, can also hire programmers in far off countries.
What does this mean?
It means, that by virtue of being born in a rich Western country, you could manage a team as a hobby, in your spare time.
The same kind of gap between the West and Rest that makes corporations offshore whole departments also lets you compete with said corporations in your spare time.
Interesting, hmm?
2005/04/11
Everything old is new again?
I read C4L's blog, and one of the things he's good at is skewering hype. In the process, he's pointed out some interesting similarities between new and old technology:
- REST and POX
- AJAX and DHTML
- SOA and Web Services
- PubSub and Push Content
- Tagging and META-tags
- REST is arguably a well-thought-out subset of POX that doesn't suck. POX + design patterns + exploiting HTTP's natual shape. What changed? Google showed us what was possible, and proved it could be done in the wild, outside of intranets.
- AJAX is arguably a set of design patterns that use DHTML but don't suck. It came about after new school web design gained mindshare. Only after the browser technology in Gecko and Opera caught up with the standards and showed us what was possible, and only after people started validating, stressing on semantic XHTML, and using CSS to the full, did people truly begin to accept and explore the power of JavaScript.
- Web Services is a small collection of good standards (SOAP 1.1, WSDL, UDDI) floating in a sea of untried, unimplemented, vendor-specifc and overly verbose (even for XML) 'standards' (SOAP 1.2, WS-[*]).
SOA is WSs minus the suck: it's a philosophy that brings order to the chaos, built around the idea of presenting a unified model of your data upon which processes can be built & designed.
WSs don't suck, but has suck potential, and SOA recognises that there's more to the special sauce than protocols or standards, and adding new ones doesn't help.
- Push was crap. An unmitigated disaster, foisted upon unsuspecting analysts by dotcom droolers and entertainment hype-droids trying to turn the 'Net into a big, dumb television.
PubSub, in contrast, multicasts and pointcasts data that people actually want in realtime, such as RSS feeds, as opposed to that which would rightly expressed in a collection of banner ads, where geeks can safely ignore them.
- The difference between tagging and meta tags is transparency and control. Meta-tags are not transparent to the end user, but hidden away in the source. Meta tags are HTML-centric and intrinsically per-page, whereas normal tags can be per object, no matter the layout.
The control issues where Technorati may have slipped upa little. Tags are nice bceause they're per-site, and each site has absolute control over their architecture. This is why I believe Flickr and del.icio.us work so well. With Technorati, they surrender this control to external users. We'll see how this works out.
2005/04/09
In. Cred. I. Ble
World Winds is a masterpiece.
The amazingness of this wonderful piece of software cannot be overstated. Direct zooming into 3D elevations of mountain ranges. MODIS event overlays. WMS integration. This is mindboggling. In Snow Crash, thought this type of thing would be available only to rich people able to pay. We have if for free. Mindblowing.
The amazingness of this wonderful piece of software cannot be overstated. Direct zooming into 3D elevations of mountain ranges. MODIS event overlays. WMS integration. This is mindboggling. In Snow Crash, thought this type of thing would be available only to rich people able to pay. We have if for free. Mindblowing.
2005/04/07
2005/04/03
Building APIs & object models for the rest of the web
OK, so XSD defines data structures, and the data structures <-> object debate is an old tarpit I'm avoiding for as long as possible. Neither is it news that schema-compliant structures can be produced by applying XSLT to XML.
However, why not produce Objects by applying ECMAScripts to HTML pages? One function defines a class and scrapes a document to extract the instance data from a web-page, a little like GreaseMonkey. Document hyperlinks become typeless references. Document forms define operations.
The rationale is behind this is that a lot of websites (e.g. Wikipedia) are broadly similar in markup structure to the extent that screen-scraping them is really, really easy (ignoring the API that obviates the need for that in this case and others).
The use case is anything that needs objects provided by 'web services' - definitions from dictionary.com, search results from Google, bla bla bla. In time such a system could theoretically provide models and API's to large portions of the web.
Of course, it's much easier in a scripting language that supports dynamic type construction. Also, someone else has definitely thought of this before.
However, why not produce Objects by applying ECMAScripts to HTML pages? One function defines a class and scrapes a document to extract the instance data from a web-page, a little like GreaseMonkey. Document hyperlinks become typeless references. Document forms define operations.
The rationale is behind this is that a lot of websites (e.g. Wikipedia) are broadly similar in markup structure to the extent that screen-scraping them is really, really easy (ignoring the API that obviates the need for that in this case and others).
The use case is anything that needs objects provided by 'web services' - definitions from dictionary.com, search results from Google, bla bla bla. In time such a system could theoretically provide models and API's to large portions of the web.
Of course, it's much easier in a scripting language that supports dynamic type construction. Also, someone else has definitely thought of this before.
Applying RBAC & DTE in OOP environments
Brainwave #1: SE Linux has a very cool permissions model that treats all objects within the OS as nodes in a directed state graph.
To briefly summarize, permissions are granted and/or denied based on who(user,process) is trying to access what(inode,socket) and from where.
The model is so cool that MS had themselves a gigantic hissy fit and wailed on the NSA (among others) for equiping the Linux community with a security model that beat its own commercial offering hands down, for free.
What's interesting, however, is that it should be possible to extract the model and super-impose it on the Java object model, or that of any other OOP language for that matter.
Of course, code injection is generally less of a worry in managed environments than in binary ones, so the idea may not be all that valuable until (or if ever) we start evaluating untrusted logic on the server. (Highly unlikely, due to the halting problem, but still.)
To briefly summarize, permissions are granted and/or denied based on who(user,process) is trying to access what(inode,socket) and from where.
The model is so cool that MS had themselves a gigantic hissy fit and wailed on the NSA (among others) for equiping the Linux community with a security model that beat its own commercial offering hands down, for free.
What's interesting, however, is that it should be possible to extract the model and super-impose it on the Java object model, or that of any other OOP language for that matter.
Of course, code injection is generally less of a worry in managed environments than in binary ones, so the idea may not be all that valuable until (or if ever) we start evaluating untrusted logic on the server. (Highly unlikely, due to the halting problem, but still.)
2005/03/08
The EC continues to amaze and disappoint me.
Ever since the EC tried to pass the patents directive onto voting at the Parliament as an A-item at a Council of Agriculture and Fisheries, for some reason I assumed that they'd sunk about as low as they could go.
Not so. In the face of overwhelming opposition from the democratically elected Parliament to this corporate-brought directive, what does the CoM do? They ignore them. And try again. As we've thanked the Polish, Dutch and Germans, among others, we now have the Danes to be grateful to for telling their Commission representative to, you know, represent them. And even then the Commission ignores them. Unbelievable.
Software patents delenda est.
Not so. In the face of overwhelming opposition from the democratically elected Parliament to this corporate-brought directive, what does the CoM do? They ignore them. And try again. As we've thanked the Polish, Dutch and Germans, among others, we now have the Danes to be grateful to for telling their Commission representative to, you know, represent them. And even then the Commission ignores them. Unbelievable.
Software patents delenda est.
2005/02/26
Fosdem '05: GCC 4 + Java
At the pre-party drink I met up with Matthias Saou, who maintains freshrpms.net and is fairly knowledgeable about the current state of the Linux kernel and GCC. He told me that GCC 4 will soon be able to compile Java direct to native code, and not just as a kludge, but in a real, competent implementation.
This is absolutely fantastic if true, 'cos it means that I can directly compile my Tomcat to run on my VM. Right now I have like 6/128MB memory free 'cos the JVM allocs so agressively. This is very, very cool, especially if you consider that automatically deploying native compiles to GNU/Linux from an Ant script is no more complex or involving than doing the same to class files.
This is absolutely fantastic if true, 'cos it means that I can directly compile my Tomcat to run on my VM. Right now I have like 6/128MB memory free 'cos the JVM allocs so agressively. This is very, very cool, especially if you consider that automatically deploying native compiles to GNU/Linux from an Ant script is no more complex or involving than doing the same to class files.
Fosdem '05: Gradient
So, I presented Gradient to about 8 people + 2 friends of mine (thanks for the moral support, Gael and Torrey!), which was interesting.
For a couple of minutes we had no video cable, so I chalked up a bit of stuff, like the URL for the presentation, and waved the laptop* under people's noses so they could read SVG and stuff.
It seemed to go OK. I didn't stutter, freeze up, stumble over my words or anything like that. However I'm not convinced I explained Gradient as well as I could have done. Gael was a great help in showing me how to explain my ideas properly, but I rambled a bit, and the demo's could have been better.
Nevertheless, it was a great opportunity, and it was good to meet Ralph and Heiner (author of Lluna) in person.
* generously provided to me by the company I work for.
For a couple of minutes we had no video cable, so I chalked up a bit of stuff, like the URL for the presentation, and waved the laptop* under people's noses so they could read SVG and stuff.
It seemed to go OK. I didn't stutter, freeze up, stumble over my words or anything like that. However I'm not convinced I explained Gradient as well as I could have done. Gael was a great help in showing me how to explain my ideas properly, but I rambled a bit, and the demo's could have been better.
Nevertheless, it was a great opportunity, and it was good to meet Ralph and Heiner (author of Lluna) in person.
* generously provided to me by the company I work for.
Fosdem '05: RMS
So at the Friday drink, someone told me that RMS has only two speeches: one on Free software, and one on software patents. This isn't true. The subject of this speech was how the four freedoms of the GPL are applicable to other types of information.
1) There's a whole spectrum of creative activity between creation and copying - commentaries, coppendiums and the folk process were mentioned.
2) An early point is that most laws are theoretically made to achieve a certain (desirable) outcome for society as a whole in the current zeitgeist. Modern-day copyright of course is now increasingly anachronistic, and is getting worse at the behest of the content cartels.
3) The subject of software patents was noticeable in its absence.
4) He proposes a system whereby works are split into three categories - practical works of reference, expressive, attestational works (e.g. bills, receipts, contracts, articles, autobiographies), and artistic, creative works.
He then goes on to define what is and is not in society's interest in each case as regards copyright law, and does make a very good case for applying the four freedoms directly to reference works, and making no-derivs on attestational works. For the third type his solution is a limited term copyright, but I think that this is a bit of a compromise. A neat solution to this has yet to be found.
RMS is an idealogue. He's a good one too - The GPL, and Free Software are both Good Things. However, what was conspicuously absent from his speech was any hint of what could actually be done by people like us to help change things from what we have now to what he sees as the ideal situation. It was a good speech, but there was no call to action, and he's perfectly positioned to provide one.
I wanted to ask him an inflamatory question, like this one:
Oops, too late :-)
1) There's a whole spectrum of creative activity between creation and copying - commentaries, coppendiums and the folk process were mentioned.
2) An early point is that most laws are theoretically made to achieve a certain (desirable) outcome for society as a whole in the current zeitgeist. Modern-day copyright of course is now increasingly anachronistic, and is getting worse at the behest of the content cartels.
3) The subject of software patents was noticeable in its absence.
4) He proposes a system whereby works are split into three categories - practical works of reference, expressive, attestational works (e.g. bills, receipts, contracts, articles, autobiographies), and artistic, creative works.
He then goes on to define what is and is not in society's interest in each case as regards copyright law, and does make a very good case for applying the four freedoms directly to reference works, and making no-derivs on attestational works. For the third type his solution is a limited term copyright, but I think that this is a bit of a compromise. A neat solution to this has yet to be found.
RMS is an idealogue. He's a good one too - The GPL, and Free Software are both Good Things. However, what was conspicuously absent from his speech was any hint of what could actually be done by people like us to help change things from what we have now to what he sees as the ideal situation. It was a good speech, but there was no call to action, and he's perfectly positioned to provide one.
I wanted to ask him an inflamatory question, like this one:
"given that you believe our supposedly democratic governments are not acting democratically, or in the best interests of our society, what forms do you think direct action and civil disobediance would take if we wanted to combat this?"However, (a) there was no time, and (b) the thing was being videoed, and I didn't want to (unfairly) label myself as a firebrand info-anarchist in front of the whole Internet.
Oops, too late :-)
Fosdem '05: Jimmy Wales & Wikipedia
His was a really good talk, and had many good points.
1) Although he couldn't talk about what he was discussing with Google, I suspect that they'd like to link to them for definitions etc. at some point in the future.
2) He presented two explanations/perspectives on Wikipedia; firstly that it's the emergent behavior of hundreds of thousands of tiny actions, secondly that it's the coordinated actions of thoughtful users. He prefers the second, but IMHO it's both: the second is a result of the first.
3) Apparently, at a certain moment they face the prospect of the 'site growth outpacing the growth of the development and sysadmin team. This is another thing Google has under it's belt that nobody else has successfully replicated - their major advances in large-scale administration of clustered/distributed computer farms. Of course, this is a major strategic asset for them, so they probably won't apply this expertise to Wikimedia's server farm for free.
4) Kudos to Jimmy Wales for having the courage to stand up and say that love and respect is an essential part of what makes Wikipedia tick.
5) He made a really good point that things like the Slashdot moderation system are inherently mechanical in nature, and compensate a little for a lack of community. In contrast, wikis are totally freeform, and don't dole out reputation or XP, which means that all moderation/structure/regulation occurs as a result of community action.
This is important: wikis provide space in which communities grow, and their structures grow and evolve with them, and are inherently human in nature. Contrast that with the /. moderation system, and the games/controversies/pending rewrites that surround it.
What I find interesting is to see where else on the Internet we can move from mechanical regulation to simply providing a substrate in which real human communities/societies can grow, unfettered by mechanics imposed by a centralised authority. Something to sleep on.
1) Although he couldn't talk about what he was discussing with Google, I suspect that they'd like to link to them for definitions etc. at some point in the future.
2) He presented two explanations/perspectives on Wikipedia; firstly that it's the emergent behavior of hundreds of thousands of tiny actions, secondly that it's the coordinated actions of thoughtful users. He prefers the second, but IMHO it's both: the second is a result of the first.
3) Apparently, at a certain moment they face the prospect of the 'site growth outpacing the growth of the development and sysadmin team. This is another thing Google has under it's belt that nobody else has successfully replicated - their major advances in large-scale administration of clustered/distributed computer farms. Of course, this is a major strategic asset for them, so they probably won't apply this expertise to Wikimedia's server farm for free.
4) Kudos to Jimmy Wales for having the courage to stand up and say that love and respect is an essential part of what makes Wikipedia tick.
5) He made a really good point that things like the Slashdot moderation system are inherently mechanical in nature, and compensate a little for a lack of community. In contrast, wikis are totally freeform, and don't dole out reputation or XP, which means that all moderation/structure/regulation occurs as a result of community action.
This is important: wikis provide space in which communities grow, and their structures grow and evolve with them, and are inherently human in nature. Contrast that with the /. moderation system, and the games/controversies/pending rewrites that surround it.
What I find interesting is to see where else on the Internet we can move from mechanical regulation to simply providing a substrate in which real human communities/societies can grow, unfettered by mechanics imposed by a centralised authority. Something to sleep on.
Fosdem '05: impressions
So yeah, Fosdem '05 and the traditional drink was great fun and really interesting. I've never seen so many geeks in one place. Met a bunch of cool people, had a great time. A friend of mine went crazy with a cash card at the O'Reilly stand, but hey, I might get to read the books too :-)
1) Geeks know how to party.
2) Anti-social my ass.
3) RMS is probably the only person on earth who would give a good, intelligent talk
a) without slides,
b) commanding fixed attention from so many semi-ADD geeks,
c) absentmindedly scratching his nether regions in front of more than a thousand people.
4) Giving a decent speech/presentation is quite a skill.
5) Until Friday, it never quite sunk in that there's an enormous society of people to whom Free software is a real, tangible matter of principle. RMS is on to something, and I'm not talking about the itch in his pants.
1) Geeks know how to party.
2) Anti-social my ass.
3) RMS is probably the only person on earth who would give a good, intelligent talk
a) without slides,
b) commanding fixed attention from so many semi-ADD geeks,
c) absentmindedly scratching his nether regions in front of more than a thousand people.
4) Giving a decent speech/presentation is quite a skill.
5) Until Friday, it never quite sunk in that there's an enormous society of people to whom Free software is a real, tangible matter of principle. RMS is on to something, and I'm not talking about the itch in his pants.
2005/02/19
Slideshow presentations
The reason people put all that stuff in bullet points...
When you create the thing, you think you have to say what needs to be said at the presentation, with your slide show.
Not so. You will be there, and you will say what needs to be said. The slideshow or PPT or whatever is not there to say things, but to show things.
When you create the thing, you think you have to say what needs to be said at the presentation, with your slide show.
Not so. You will be there, and you will say what needs to be said. The slideshow or PPT or whatever is not there to say things, but to show things.
2005/02/15
CodeCon '05: misc.
Incoherence was incredible, something I will start showing to people.
OzymanDNS is totally mind-bending. Stuff like this is going to take back the 'net. TCP VPNs over SSH over IP over DNS...
Note to self: check this out.
OzymanDNS is totally mind-bending. Stuff like this is going to take back the 'net. TCP VPNs over SSH over IP over DNS...
Note to self: check this out.
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