Technically Speaking

A little bit late with this as I had to fight some disappearing icons and logos today.

Under Statement - Yes, it’s Tuesday, and like every Tuesday - news will be splashing across the internet.

BrowserOS - WebOS, WebTop, BrowserOS - it’s all just a name, and I have talked about most of these companies. If you search for any one of them here on this blog, you will find something that I have said about them.

Joost - Appears to be getting some nice deals done! YouTube should watch how business is really run. Mainly, how to play fair in the sandbox!

Sell your Web2.0 site - When you are ready to sell it, Steve Poland has a new place besides the jungle of eBay to do that.

MySpace store - Just watch for the pick pockets and the shoplifters!

Maxthon browser - Yes, something Chinese comes your way. Google takes part ownership.

Nokia N95 - The complete review - if you can afford one!

MySpace Trailer Park - Where I live, Trailer Park is usually followed by the word “trash“.

Technically Speaking, that pretty much covers the last 8 hours of news; as Scoble says - should be a “wave” coming in today!

It’s the end of March, and quite an overcast day here in STL. Rain on and off, and the sounds of a new OS install going on to the left of me. Here is what I found, next it’s time to hit the Link Blog, and maybe more this evening.

Blogger’s Code Of Ethics - This took about a week to put together, and we shall see if anyone is going to adopt these 7 rules that Tim O’Reilly put out. I think they are decent, and all bloggers should adopt them.

Xcerion - New web OS / top that even Om likes.

China servers being used - It looks like crime is everywhere, even online. That is probably not a big revelation. The Chinese need to tighten up their security.

Google, hire him! - Why not? Give him an interview, I’m sure with your billions, you could use a good blogger.

Google airbrushing - Sorry, now I guess you won’t hire him or me. Well you already did a phone interview with me back in 2003; didn’t quite understand what you were doing then with RSS; my bad! Seriously, that is probably not something you should be doing, changing history with pictures before Katrina. Katrina happened, and it should not be hidden history.

Spamblogs or Splogs - I see links all the time from them; they get deleted. Comments also; deleted. I hope I got them all, or my Technorati Ranking will plummet.

While others are talking about Dekoh, I figured I’d make it interesting and discuss Xindesk. I just received a tip from Mikael Bergkvist, and he sent me an invite to check it out.

I did check it out, and it appears ready for primetime. It has a few things that I saw that were needing of a quick fix, but for the most part - Xindesk is a winner. I think I said it late last year, that this would be the year of the webtop or webOS. This one is getting a lot closer to that reality. The item that their main site seems to be pushing is the mobile issue.

Here is a quote (blog post actually, but it is well written to what it is and what services they are providing) directly from their blog:

So, whats different about XINDESK in comparison to other webtops/webos out there?

Well, lets start at the top shall we?

1) Xindesk is serverside, and all it’s applications are server applications by default, accessing all server features, including all the good stuff like SQL, the filesystem, and the email accounts.
It has an really easy to grasp API which can easily be extended and all it’s functions can be set either public or private with a single command.

2) Xindesk serverside development is in javascript, and the serverside javascript manipulates the serverside html in the exact same way DHTML manipulates html on the clientside.
We repeat, it’s serverside DHTML.
All DHTML techniques used on the clientside can be used the same way on the server!
This is not a trick nor a workaround - this is how it works.
All DOM metods work, and therefor the html can be manipulated extensivly before being served to the browser, AND inbetween pageloads.
That means that the server does some work AFTER the browser has recieved all the full content of the page, and BEFORE a new request is being made from the client.
If this is unclear somehow, please read it again.

3) Variables are persistent across pageloads, further strenghtening the connection to DHML to the point where there’s virtually no difference.

4) The Ajax interface is default.
It’s not something the developer need to code him/herself, or even do anything about - it just happens and it just works.

5) It’s fast, which is something many beta testers can testify to.
(We have passed 7400 beta testers as of yesterday.)

6) It’s modular, so applications created to function on the desktop may also be accessed in many other ways, even as webservices, returning XML only.

So by this it’s perfectly clear that as a developer you can build very big and very advanced datadriven webapplications very quickly, and plug in/out of any of the other pre-existing applications/frameworks on the XINDESK to extend the application(s) further, or allow others to do the same.

This blog, for example, was built in it’s entirety in a weekend, and a buzy one at that, with no real effort involved, by a single developer, and it also appear as an application on the demo desktop, from where it can be managed, and it’s file manager is the same file manager that XINDESK itself uses by default.
You can read about that here.

Technically Speaking, I have been a Goowy fan for some time now, but I do believe that Xindesk will be doing quite well also. Don’t forget to see some of the latest unpublished items on GMAFB and help to FRIGGIN’ BREAK them to the published side.

Is it coming? I have been saying it is already here! I’ve been talking about browser OS, Web OS, Google OS (maybe) for a couple of months now. I’m glad CNET finally thinks it’s here. I guess you have to take a poll or something to figure that one out? Well I usually just look for myself and see the advancement of such webtop’s as Goowy for instance to see the handwriting on the wall. If you use the built in “-k” option that is included in IE (yes, I have to use the “-k” with IE) - it becomes a full fledged “OS look and feel“. Try it.

The second thing is widgets. They are everywhere. They are cool. I personally have a widget from Spring Widgets on my MySpace profile page. It of course pulls in the feed from here ( http://feeds.feedburner.com/rexduffdixon ). I think it’s a rather cool widget, and if I wanted to take it further, I could have Spring Widgets on my desktop.

Well the official cut over of this blog is around 25 hours away now. The New Year 2007 is upon us, so as the article says - Look for Browser OS and Widgets. Technically Speaking, if you would have been reading this blog, you would have known that before you read it on CNET.

Q1: Today we are speaking with Benjamin Mestrallet of eXo Platform. This is a webOS that I talked about briefly right here.  First off, thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. Let’s get started - How long has your company been around? I’m talking about total time here, as in when you came up with the idea or who ever did, and how you came on board with running with it?

Hello Rex, the company was created in November 2003. We sell an Open Source product line that goes from Portal to Enterprise Content Management (ECM). Our products have been deployed in quite large companies and organization mainly in the military market (our first customer was the US department of defense) and in public organization (such as the Venice tourism portal in Italia). The funny thing in our story is that we had customers even before I created the company with Tuan Nguyen!

Hence, we have been around for quite some time, building mission critical application in portal environment where data can be classified and security issues are extremely important. We also leverage the Java Enterprise Edition stack and we collaborate to the Java standards such as the Portlet API or the Java Content Repository which is extremely important for Fortune 500 companies that want to avoid vendor locking.

So we have spent quite some time building a strong server environment and now thanks to technology like AJAX we have been able to apply all our experience on also implementing a powerful and beautiful user interface…but once again this is just the top of the iceberg, building an operating system is a complex and hard work!

Q2: What distinct advantages do you feel your webOS offers over rival webOS startups? I’ve talked about quite a few here on this blog, so make sure you tell the readers exactly “why they should use your exoPlatform webOS” over the other players in the game.

If you look at the existing WebOS on the market that are mainly flash based or with and AJAX front end but a PHP backend. Those are built for quick UI experience and server side work is not the main concern (they maybe hope to be quickly bought by Google :)). Hence integration in existing IT systems will be a big problem if they want to also target the enterprise market.

eXo Enterprise WebOS is taking a different path. We have spent 3 years to build a strong server side platform based on Java standards (Portlet API and Java Content Repository) and we now apply AJAX and other web 2.0 technologies to the UI to provide a strong new paradigm for our existing Portal customers. And they like it, so other portal companies will go that way too (IBM, BEA…) which will make a much faster adoption in the enterprise than we can imagine.

For example the Java Portlet API is used as the backbone for our WebOS windowing framework which allows extensibility, modularity and portability of WebOS applications. Our WebOS File System is based on the Java Content Repository specification which standardizes content structures, search, versioning, locking and export. Furthermore, existing applications like ERP or CRM already have JCA connectors that can be reached in portlets and hence in eXo Enterprise WebOS windows.

Of course pure JavaScript components like MacOS widgets or Vista gadgets are useful, especially for simple mash ups where services are exposed through web services or REST APIs but that is not the case of most enterprise applications (and I do not talk about mainframes). That is why we are also building a widget infrastructure à la MacOS, built as a portlet application to aggregate different existing JavaScript gadgets (Mac OS, Netvibes, Google, vista…).

Hence, for a WebOS to be really used in enterprise, it will have to be based on what corporation already use and are familiar with. The server side makes the difference and it is a huge one if we want to see that type of technology inside medium and large corporation. As we come with a new paradigm, we can not lock user data and applications with new middleware.

That is our main concern when building eXo Enterprise WebOS.

Q3: What would be the main goal of the company in 2007?

We are building a full OS stack from the kernel to the most advanced applications.

We already have the windows while still supporting older portal layouts, we have a strong File System with JCR and we leverage it to build our Enterprise Content Management (ECM) offering. That one includes BPM, DMS, CMS, Records Management and WCM.

Furthermore we are integrating BI solution as we were already doing in our previous web 1.0 portal.

We also work on a full groupware suite that includes forum, email, shared calendar, wiki, contact management and much more.

The only part we are not building yet is the office application like a text editor or a spreadsheet as we look more for an OEM solution. If we don’t find one, we will do it too.

On the business side we have just opened an office in US (Houston) and we truly think that this market will be the main driver for the adoption of WebOS in enterprise.

So as you see we have quite some work for 2007!

Q4: Tell us some more about the company. Are you growing, looking for new people, how many there are currently, etc… Whatever you can release to the public at this time about your company would be great information to share here.

eXo Platform Inc is a profitable venture that employs 35 people in 5 offices in US, Brazil, France, Ukraine and Vietnam.

We are still a private company owned by 4 individuals with no VCs and a huge growth!

Q5: It is truly a fact and a pleasure to interview people that are true cutting edge players. I have loved learning more about every person that I have had these 5 questions interviews with. Once again, thank you Benjamin for taking the time to answer these for the readers here. Now, as usual, it’s your turn - you can say whatever you would like everyone to know that I didn’t cover above.

Thank you Rex for covering such a new market but still a very exiting one!

This sure was a nice compliment to receive from an established site. All I can say is that even though my content is not always the first, I occasionally have the nice scoop on everyone else. I hope to have more of them in 2007, but as the post stated – here is what I foresee in 2007. Yes, it’s that time of year and only a few days left in 2006.  Before I start the list, I do want to say the blog is moving January 1^st, 2007 to its new home – http://rexduffdixon.com – Technically Speaking – please update your bookmarks today! Also, if you are a feed reader – please update your feed link to the new feed URL - http://feeds.feedburner.com/rexduffdixon 

1. There will be a new video content delivery system that will debut in 2007 that will blow away what is currently out there. This will not “kill” YouTube or any of the other video services, but it will be more like a CDN that is on steroids. This CDN will be the killer and talked about place in early 2007, and will be given many awards come this time next year. 
2. Social Networks will consolidate, but still experience huge growth. Sites such as the one I posted about this morning will become the norm. People will be attracted to social networks in 2007 even more. The difference will be that social networks will become more specialized such as Shuzak (for programmers, mathematics, etc…) and places like MySpace will be the central network point. People will start to realize that they will need centralized points such as Spokeo, as they will want to join only networks with distinct focus. 
3. AOL and Yahoo will merge by end of 1^st quarter 2007; maybe even sooner. 
4. Super Bowl Sunday (February 4^th, 2007) will be 50/50 Beer ads and Web 2.0 ads and new startup ads. Anyone happen to have $2.5 million to loan Rex Dixon? I’d love to do a 15-30 second ad (whatever $2.5 million will by this year for SB Sunday ads!) 
5. RSS and Widgets will have a nice marriage in 2007. We are already seeing allot of that, but I think the two will marry up nicely and be more abundant in 2007. 
6. WebOS – I can’t forget my favorite 2007 item! WebOS – maybe not GoogleOS, but I think WebOS will make great strides in 2007. 
7. Television as we know it will really start to come to the end of its rope in 2007. We already are seeing it, but 2007 will accelerate TV shifting its focus to the internet ten times faster then it did this past year. 
8. John Edwards. You don’t think other candidates will follow the leader? If they don’t, they will be forgotten before the fires in Iowa even start. 
9. Amanda Congdon was not a fluke. There will be more internet personality’s hitting the mainstream with nice old world contracts in 2007. Maybe Rex Dixon? Hey, I have to dream! 
10. The catch all – there will be one or two items that we NEVER saw coming. You can count that if none of the above 9 predictions for 2007 come true; I at least covered “my you know what” with this last one! 
11. Search and Aggregators - such as Megite, Techmeme, Tailrank, and search as in Collarity, Snap, Wikiasari, and even Google search will become bigger forces in 2007.

Now for some things I personally intend to do in 2007: 

1. Connected more – as in starting yesterday, whenever I can, I will be available via Meebo for chat. If I post myself as “busy” or “msg me” – I’m serious. I will respond when I can. That’s what the status thing is for! 
2. More focused on getting new items when at all possible. If I can’t get it new, I will still try to put a better spin on it. 
3. I truly am hoping 2007 will be the end of the day gig for Rex Dixon. That remains to be seen, but as I stated above (sort of) “Is it time to invest in Rex Dixon while I’m still cheap?” 

Take care and thanks again to Mashable for naming my blog as worth reading going into 2007. I intend to stay on top of it, and once again —-  The blog is moving January 1^st, 2007 to its new home – http://rexduffdixon.com – Technically Speaking – Please update your bookmarks today! 

Also, if you are a feed reader – Please update your feed link to the new feed URL - http://feeds.feedburner.com/rexduffdixon