Should URLs Be Standardized?

June 30th, 2007 • 1 comment General

Alex and Greg Pass, argue that that URLs could be standardized:

In other words, if there was a standard way to turn things into URLs, then finding information would be a lot easier.

— Alex Iskold, Standard URLs – Proposal for a Web with Less Search

Alex, that’s not entirely true. Guessing information locations could be slightly easier, but not finding.

I don’t understand why would we need a standard for creating URLs. We’ve been running away from classical taxonomies and hailing tags everywhere, we’ve been trying once and again to organize the chaos that is the Web, and so far, I believe, the job’s well done.

Plus, the Web can’t possibly be changed with a top-down method: standards can’t be forced on “lower classes”; people resist change.

Take for example the development of RSS and Atom. Both only became adopted (and formally standardized) when they were needed. Compare that to the adoption of late W3C standards.

I absolutely agree that URLs shouldn’t remain meaningless. I wouldn’t want to see a jumble of numbers and letters that are only significant to someone else. Give me a URL I can speak in a phone call, and you have my recommendation vote.

If we were to standardize URLs, effectively converting them to lists of categories, we’ll be reinventing classification systems. I think it’s a little overwhelming to remember which goes where in a gigantic ontology tree.

Google Loses Suit to Microsoft

June 30th, 2007 • General

I’m sure you can also feel the winds of change. Just 10 years ago, Microsoft won a similar suite against Netscape. At least back then, Netscape’s argument was a little more convincing than Google’s:

Google had alleged that the Windows Vista search feature slows down its competing Google Desktop Search… [and] had argued that Microsoft Vista’s indexing service cannot be easily shut off and creates a drag on system resources when operating at the same time as rival indexers.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but wouldn’t GDS also cause a drag on Vista’s search? I don’t think you could argue that whoever installs GDS would definitely throw away “rival indexers”. In fact, some indexers are better than others in different tasks.

But the winds of change aren’t Google’s attitude. My surprise came from Microsoft’s response:

In response to Google’s complaint, Microsoft last week has agreed to make changes in its Windows Vista operating system, solving the issues that its computer search function put Google Inc. and other potential rivals at a disadvantage.

I don’t think I’ve seen Microsoft react this quick and positively to such law suites; these people don’t seem to crumble at the pressure of the law. I would think they know a move like this (namely allowing to select a default desktop search) wouldn’t tip the scales much in either party’s favor.

Microsoft’s a changing company.

Ajax Is iPhone’s SDK

June 29th, 2007 • 3 comments General

As far as Steve Jobs is concerned, he’s kept his word. There’s no way to add icons to the main menu on your iPhone, you don’t get flash themes like on SonyEricsson, and, as far as I know, you have absolutely no access to iPhone-owner’s data. There’s no official SDK.

On the other hand, if there’s anything that’s going to polish developers’ Ajax skills, it has to be the iPhone. Not because it runs Safari, or because it’s “cool” to say iJax; but because iPhone’s limited resources, and especially the limited connectivity, will force developers to think twice about how they serve their pages. I think we’ll see much more SPAs. Expect your next minimalistic, iPhone-enabled, server-backed, [GTD wiki] to be available soon.

Somebody should draft an unofficial iPhone SDK.

The Real Value of Web 2.0

June 28th, 2007 • General

I believe the reasons Web 2.0 become what it is now, are neither share-by-default policies that most sites are following so religiously, nor the development of programming languages and frameworks, and absolutely not tagging and flashy colors.

The most important reason of the success of Web 2.0—and I’m still reluctant to use the term—is that its primary consumers aren’t those using our software, but those building upon it.

Programmers, coders, or developers are treated as first-class customer now, rather than antisocial, basement inhabitants. We’ve realizes that decisions are held in their hands, and that the masses of information can only be of little value unless opened for public consumption.

Unlike a mere five years ago, no self-respecting, Web-based start-up advertises its applications without backing it with extensive documentation. I don’t mean those, now archaic, Help pages (since no self-respecting, Web-based application should require explanation), but extensive documentation for developers to extract data, reform it, and re-serve it.

Re-serve, not reserve, is what makes Web 2.0.

Vertical Tabbed Browsing

June 27th, 2007 • General

Scrolltabs a different take on tabbed browsing, somehow similar to OmniWeb‘s tabs, except you get to browse open tabs as a continues stream, like an endless newspaper so to speak.