Mozilla Skywriter leaves cloud city - InternetNews:The Blog - Sean Michael Kerner

Mozilla Skywriter leaves cloud city

By Sean Michael Kerner on September 7, 2010 9:11 AM

From the 'Lando Calrissian' files:

Mozilla's open source effort to build an online code editor is gearing up for its 1.0 release. As tends to be common for Mozilla, the 1.0 release marker also is when there is often a name change too (think Weave/Sync, Phoenix/Firefox etc.).

Mozilla Bespin has been in development at Mozilla Labs since at least February of 2009and as of late last week, the project is now called 'Skywriter'.

"As we approach a 1.0 release, it was clear that it was time to shed Bespin's code name and give it a real, lasting project name," Mozilla developer Kevin Dangoor blogged. "We're happy to announce that that name is Mozilla Skywriter. I think that Mozilla Skywriter fits the "coding in the cloud" theme very well indeed."

Personally, I liked the name Bespin (a reference to Cloud City in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back) and the name Skywriter sounds remarkably close to 'Skywalker' -- another Star Wars reference.

While Bespin/Skywriter was originally an idea to build a coding system for cloud-based development, it's moving toward become an online/offline tool as well. Dangoor noted in his blog post that a desktop version of Skywriter is on the roadmap.

In my view, I had wanted to see a Mozilla-backed Bespin cloud service that could enable anyone to have their own Bespin/Skywriter instance to build apps. That's not the direction that Mozilla is taking though.

Instead, Skywriter really is a framework that will enable the development of those online building tools that I want to see and use. One such tool is Mozilla's new add-on builder codenamed flight deck, which is the pinnacle of cool.

Another interesting note, is that Skywriter development is now being done in GitHub and not Mercurial. That's a good sign for the community development/contribution of Skywriter in my view as Git provides a better environment for broad contributions, merging and branching.

I don't expect the core Firefox project to switch to Git anytime soon (if ever), but it will be interesting to see how the different SCMs in use at Mozilla net different results for development projects.

Google Instant

Google Instant is a new search enhancement that shows results as you type. We are pushing the limits of our technology and infrastructure to help you get better search results, faster. Our key technical insight was that people type slowly, but read quickly, typically taking 300 milliseconds between keystrokes, but only 30 milliseconds (a tenth of the time!) to glance at another part of the page. This means that you can scan a results page while you type.

The most obvious change is that you get to the right content much faster than before because you don’t have to finish typing your full search term, or even press “search.” Another shift is that seeing results as you type helps you formulate a better search term by providing instant feedback. You can now adapt your search on the fly until the results match exactly what you want. In time, we may wonder how search ever worked in any other way.

Continue reading : http://www.google.com/instant/#utm_campaign=launch&utm_medium=van&utm_source=instant

Firefox Sync

Firefox Sync

* Note: If you are using Firefox 4 Beta, Sync is a feature and you don't need to download the Add-on.

Stay in Sync With Your Firefox

Access your history, passwords, bookmarks and even open tabs across all your devices.

Get the Free Firefox Sync Add-on Now (available for Firefox 3.5 and 3.6) * Note: If you are using Firefox 4 Beta, Sync is a feature and you don't need to download the Add-on.

Why Sync Up?

Get Up and Go

Doing online research from the office, only to see itʼs time to head home? Now you can go back to your opened tabs and search history in an instant from any PC. Your Firefox is as you left it, no matter where you log in.

Back up Your Info

All your settings, passwords, bookmarks, and other customizations are saved in a more universal way, not tethered to a single machine. If you replace a device, you donʼt lose your Firefox.

Security

Your information is encrypted so only you can access it when you enter a secret phrase. Firefox puts security as a top priority and syncing is no exception.

Learn about Firefox Sync on your phone (now available on the Firefox Home iPhone app).

Read on to find more...

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/sync/?WT.mc_id=S100719_sync_en&WT.mc_ev=click

Google Instant gives users as-you-type search results - Computerworld

Google Instant gives users as-you-type search results - Computerworld

Google today announced a new feature that will allow users to get search results as they type their queries.

Google Instant, which is expected to be rolled out later today, is designed to speed search results. It's about searching as you type, according to Marissa Mayer, Google's vice president of Search Products and User Experience, speaking at a launch event via webcast.

"We think it's possible to enter a query and get search results as you type," said Mayer. "It's search before you type. We're predicting what query you're likely to type."

High-speed filter uses electrified nanostructures to purify water at low cost | Stanford News Release

High-speed filter uses electrified nanostructures to purify water at low cost | Stanford News Release:

"High-speed filter uses electrified nanostructures to purify water at low cost Stanford researchers have developed a water-purifying filter that makes the process more than 80,000 times faster than existing filters.

The key is coating the filter fabric – ordinary cotton – with nanotubes and silver nanowires, then electrifying it. The filter uses very little power, has no moving parts and could be used throughout the developing world."

Log -- David Chess

"I'm not sure you've really got this whole Object-Oriented thing down quite right..."

Read on...Log -- David Chess