Ajax Girl

Lately Twitter has been cleaning house, raising money, doing interviews and actually talking to users. In a blog post last week they did a Q&A session, directly answering questions about Twitter’s architecture.

So I have a couple of questions, too, based on a couple of discussions I’ve had with people who say they’ve seen Twitter’s architecture.

• Is it true that you only have a single master MySQL server running replication to two slaves, and the architecture doesn’t auto-switch to a hot backup when the master goes down?
• Do you really have a grand total of three physical database machines that are POWERING ALL OF TWITTER?
• Is it true that the only way you can keep Twitter alive is to have somebody sit there and watch it constantly, and then manually switch databases over and re-build when one of the slaves fail?
• Is that why most of your major outages can be traced to periods of time when former Chief Architect/server watcher Blaine Cook was there to sit and monitor the system?
• Given the record-beating outages Twitter saw in May after Cook was dismissed, is anyone there capable of keeping Twitter live?
• How long will it be until you are able to undo the damage Cook has caused to Twitter and the community?

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Source: TechCrunch
Original Article: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/302080252/

Our sister publication Techcrunch UK noticed that a Location services API had been added to Google Gears. The developers behind Gears have been plotting out future API additions for a while, and those plans have included having Geo-data available to mobile app developers (see the spec here). We found out today that Google is backing up their Location API with a large effort to map out cell-phone towers and wifi hotspots, so that a user’s location can be pin-pointed more precisely.

While some cell-phones have an internal GPS, the data is inaccurate indoors and not available on all devices. The other non-GPS method for accurate location data is to use the location of cell towers. Google can store the lat and long of a particular cell tower in their database, and when their software in the future sees that cell tower on a phone, they know exactly where the phone is. To boot-strap the database, both Google and Apple have been using a company called Skyhook, who drive around pin-pointing the location of cell towers. By using this method Google bypasses the need to have deals in place with network providers for positioning data. In addition to cell-phone towers, Google is also mapping out Wifi locations to form a large rogue base station almanac, which is used for both additional accuracy in location calculations, and also to point users to the nearest available access point.

Once the database has been boot-strapped with initial data and launched to developers via an API, users of the service will further refine and improve the service by having devices submit information on towers and signal strength (along with location) back to Google. This means that over time, the service improves itself and will be able to work almost anywhere in the world, regardless of local regulations, network providers or restrictions.

It is expected that the service and associated data will be made available for free to developers using Google Gears (specifically the new Windows Mobile version). For developers of mobile applications, it means that they now have a very accurate way of not only calculating a users position, but also an easy way to pinpoint other locations as a basis for a location-based service. There is also an effort to develop and define a standard API for accessing Location data and services in the browser. As with local browser storage, Google are leading the way here by implementing first and then working with other browser developers on a standard.

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Source: TechCrunch
Original Article: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/302019022/

The Google Checkout/Ebay Paypal wars continue.

Ebay Australia currently allows merchants to accept credit cards, direct debit, money orders and checks for purchases, but from June 17 they want to allow only PayPal or cash on delivery. When the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) asked for public comments on the proposal a lot of of people responded. But an anonymous 38 page document that is highly critical of Ebay’s move was submitted on May 26, leading to speculation on who the author might be.

It turns out, the title of the document, hidden in the PDF metadata, gave a very good clue “Microsoft Word - 204481916_1_ACCC Submission by Google re eBay Public _2_.DOC.” An Australian named David Bromage first discovered it.

The document is still available on the ACCC’s website (and is embedded below), with the title stripped out. But the Australian newspapers are all over this now.

Google’s competing product to eBay, Google Checkout, is only available to merchants in the US and UK, so they don’t directly compete yet with PayPal in the Australian market. Apparently, that hasn’t stopped them from trying to keep their options there open.

In the document, Google says Ebay’s actions are anti-competitive, that the public benefits claimed by Ebay are “illusory” and that the proposal will result in significant public detriment. They also request that the ACCC ban Ebay from the action under the Australian Trade Practices Act.

Will eBay retaliate? Last year they temporarily pulled all Ebay advertising on Google after they announced a Google Checkout party at an Ebay event. If they get that mad over a party, I can’t imagine how they’ll respond to this 38 page treatise on the evils of PayPal.

The full document is below. And in other news, PayPal was finally able to fix that drop down menu bug that plagued users for over ten days and was ignored until the press and blogs started to pay attention.

Google Objection To Ebay AustraliaPayPal Proposal - Find Documents

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Source: TechCrunch
Original Article: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/301730549/

Meet LaterLoop, a new bookmarking tool that was recently featured at Google’s I/O conference.

LaterLoop’s core functionality is very similar to Instapaper, which we reviewed last January. After adding either a Firefox extension or a Bookmarket to their browser, users can click “Save For Later” whenever they come across an interesting site that they don’t have time to read. These pages are saved in a list of temporary bookmarks on LaterLoop’s site, which can be accessed at a later date from a normal browser or from a mobile device (the site currently supports Blackberries, Nokia smartphones, and iPhones).

The site has also just implemented a download function that allows users to save all of their bookmarked sites into a .zip file. This will be handy for people on the go looking to catch up on their reading during a flight. Unfortunately this doesn’t work on the iPhone yet, though we can probably expect to see something once Apple’s official application store launches.

LaterLoop isn’t exactly a novel application - similar functionality can be found from toread, Firefox’s Read it Later extension, PhoneFavs, and a number of others. But it has very intuitive interface, and Google’s endorsement of the app at their I/O conference speaks volumes.

LaterLoop is the latest offering from developer Gregor Hochmuth, whose other ventures include FlickrStorm and Mento.

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Source: TechCrunch
Original Article: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/301627980/

Katalyst Media founders Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg were in Silicon Valley today. They stopped by TechCrunch HQ (aka my house) before heading off to more important meetings with Dan Rosensweig at Quadrangle Group (and the former COO of Yahoo) and YouTube cofounder Chad Hurley.

The reason for the visit? They are preparing to launch new interactive web content (with an emphasis on the interactive part) and are doing a bit of a road show to see what Silicon Valley thinks of their ideas. I had a chance to see some of the content and hear their monetization strategy. And while I can’t say much yet, this is clearly going to be really entertaining stuff. Advertisers in particular are likely to flock to the platform.

The two decided to focus on the web after a trial run with AOL that began in 2006. That partnership eventually fizzled - rumor is the content was a little too racy for AOL’s taste.

The new content isn’t just entertaining, it’s highly engaging with users and they definitely have a monetization strategy that goes beyond display and pre/post roll ads.

And Kutcher won’t be trying to lock people into interacting with content under their rules. “If people steal our stuff, it’s fantastic” he said.

Suddenly Katalyst Media is doing more than producing video, they’re now building software. That means they need to hire more developers. Their most important hire is a new CTO, Kutcher said. Prepare your resumes.

Sorry for the teaser on this. More to come.

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Source: TechCrunch
Original Article: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/301538987/

Robert Scoble just finished a half hour interview with Twitter Founders Evan Willams and Biz Stone. The two are surprisingly candid about the scaling problems the service has had since, oh, it launched two years ago.

“The fact that people are frustrated is a sign that we built something people care about,” says Williams a few minutes in. I agree, but that’s no way to run a business. Stone also says that Twitter doubled in size in March/April this year.

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Source: TechCrunch
Original Article: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/301526398/

Can video games save the music industry? Probably not. But video games are emerging as a powerful distribution channel for digital music downloads. Players of Grand Theft Auto IV can buy the songs they hear in the game from Amazon by making their characters dial a number on their cell phones.

Now the rock band Mötley Crüe (yes, they are still alive) is getting in on the action as well. They released a single from their latest album, Saints of Los Angeles, both in the video game Rock Band and as download on iTunes, Amazon and elsewhere. In the first week that the digital single was available for sale (the physical album won’t be released until June 24), it was downloaded 47,000 times on the Xbox alone compared to 10,000 times on iTunes and other digital download stores on the Web.

Maybe people who play Rock Band are just naturally drawn to the Crüe. Or maybe video games are just a better way to sell music. You get to hear the whole song as part of a more immersive experience. And if you just scored high in the game, you are probably more receptive to shelling out some cash for the song that helped you get there. All those feel-good endorphins have to be channeled somewhere.

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

Source: TechCrunch
Original Article: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/301513042/

Nearly a year after it was bought by Google for $100 million, FeedBurner is finally going to roll out Google’s AdSense as an advertising option for blogs and Websites that use its service to publish their feeds. FeedBurner will start with a few select publishers next week, and then expand the option to all of its customers soon afterwards.

What took them so long? That seemed to be the whole point of the acquisition.

FeedBurner intersperses ads in blog feeds between every few posts. Integrating with AdSense will allow for publishers to tap into contextual ads for their feeds, in addition to the ads that FeedBurner already sells.

Hopefully, Google also found the time to integrate its automated back-end payment system into all FeedBurner accounts. Until recently, FeedBurner was still sends out paper checks to publishers participating in its ad network. At least, that’s how TechCrunch gets paid.

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Source: TechCrunch
Original Article: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/301485750/

Jon Ferraiolo of IBM and the OpenAjax Alliance wanted to share with the community news on a couple of initiatives:

The OpenAjax Alliance is requesting industry feedback on two companion initiatives, OpenAjax Conformance and the OpenAjax Registry, which have been under development for the past year.

The term OpenAjax Conformance is shorthand for the set of conformance requirements that OpenAjax Alliance places on Ajax technologies, products, and applications to promote interoperability. Version 1 of OpenAjax Conformance defines 10 specific conformance requirements on Ajax runtime libraries. An Ajax runtime library that meets these conformance requirements will allow Web developers to use that library conveniently within a given Web page with other OpenAjax Conformant libraries.

OpenAjax Conformance provides the following benefits to IT managers and the Ajax developer community:

• Seamless integration of multiple Ajax products and technologies within the same Web application, particularly with applications that use mashup techniques
• Greater certainty about product choices, where OpenAjax Conformance plays a similar role in the Ajax community as the Good Housekeeping Seal does with consumer products
• Lower training costs, lower development costs, and faster delivery of Web 2.0 innovations due to industry adoption of common approaches that build from OpenAjax standards
• Interchangeability of OpenAjax Conformant products, such that customers can choose among multiple vendors (and change vendors in the future)

OpenAjax Conformance defines three conformance levels. Full Conformance is for Ajax products that have sufficiently strong Ajax interoperability characteristics that there is high expectation that the given product can be used successfully and conveniently with other Ajax products as part of the same Ajax development task. Configurable Conformance is for Ajax products that support all of the same strong interoperability characteristics as for Full Conformance, except not in their default configuration. Limited Conformance is for products that meet a particular subset of the conformance criteria, and therefore have taken important steps towards Ajax industry interoperability, but on the question of whether the given Ajax product can interoperate successfully and conveniently with other Ajax products, the answer is “it depends”.

The OpenAjax Registry is a centralized, industry-wide Ajax registration authority managed by the Interoperability Working Group at OpenAjax Alliance. The Registry maintains an industry-wide list of Ajax runtime libraries and various characteristics of each library. For each library, the Registry lists:

• JavaScript globals
• runtime extensions (both JavaScript and DOM)
• markup extensions (e.g., custom elements, attributes or CSS class names)

These two technologies have now entered a public review phase that ends on June 30, 2008. Feedback can come in various forms, such as email to public@openajax.org, or comments posted on various industry blogs. After the public review phase ends, the members of OpenAjax Alliance will adjust the two specifications to take the feedback into account and then move the two specifications towards version 1.0 completion and approval.

Source: Ajaxian
Original Article: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ajaxian/~3/301440818/call-for-feedback-on-openajax-conformance-and-openajax-registry

One of the details of Yahoo! BrowserPlus that people picked up on was the fact that it only runs against Yahoo! properties.

However, some folks have hacked that restriction so they can play with it locally, and assume that Yahoo! wouldn’t like this.

Skylar Woodward of Yahoo! has posted that this isn’t the case at all:

BrowserPlus was more-or-less designed to be hacked. Not hacked in the “I want to steal innocent users data and delete their files” sort of way, but in a manner that allows experimentation and freedom without compromising the security of pedestrian users. There’s more there to be mined, but enabling local development is a good place to start.

And goes on to show how you can get rid of the restriction:

Currently, BrowserPlus is restricted to Yahoo! sites; that includes restrictions for running local files. A simple addition to our test file exposes the error:

PLAIN TEXT

JAVASCRIPT:

1.  
2. else {greeting = “BrowserPlus is hiding. (”+res.verboseError+”)”;}
3.  

The error BP_EC_UNAPPROVED_DOMAIN confirms the local domain (file://) isn’t permitted. That means it’s time to dig into the BP configuration files. On Mac these are in

/Users/[you]/Library/Application Support/Yahoo!/BrowserPlus/

On Windows XP, you’ll find them in something akin to

c:\\Documents And Settings\[you]\Local Settings\Application Data\Yahoo!\BrowserPlus\

and on Windows Vista…

c:\Users\[you]\AppData\Local\Yahoo!\BrowserPlus\

In the Permissions folder is a file similarly named which is what we’re looking for. Opening it up we see:

PLAIN TEXT

JAVASCRIPT:

1.  
2. “whitelist” : [
3.         “^http(s?)://(.*)\\.yahoo\\.com$”,
4.         “^http(s?)://(.*)\\.yahoo\\.com:[0-9]+$”
5.     ],
6.  

The intuitive addition to this list is:

PLAIN TEXT

JAVASCRIPT:

1.  
2. “whitelist” : [
3.         “^http(s?)://(.*)\\.yahoo\\.com$”,
4.         “^http(s?)://(.*)\\.yahoo\\.com:[0-9]+$”,
5.         “^file://$”
6.     ],
7.  

The file is modified, but BrowserPlus hasn’t picked up the changes yet. The clean way to force this is to close all open browser windows. (BrowserPlus shuts down when no pages are using it.) The dirty way to do this is to search for BrowserPlusCore in your process list and kill it using your favorite platform-available tool. Either way, after opening test.html back up we should see our “Hello World.” Sweet - now we’re ready to start playing.

There is one final catch. BrowserPlus is fairly proactive about security so it helps to know that the permissions file will be overwritten on a regular basis. The savvy way around this would be a simple build script or at least a handy copy of our modified permissions file that we can use to reapply the changes in between development sessions. We might also test for BP_EC_UNAPPROVED_DOMAIN somewhere in our init callback to scream if the temporary development environment is disrupted.

Source: Ajaxian
Original Article: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ajaxian/~3/301432812/hacking-browserplus-to-work-locally