I must admit an interest in watching Sun and their software products. Network Help assisted VITTA last year with Sun Internet kiosks at the conference. I am impressed enough to make an investment in their server and thin client hardware on our Novell network following a long overdue upgrade to the Linux version. After a Friday briefing I can see why banking groups deploy their hardware and why Oracle took a move in this direction. I guess we are lucky to now have access to a good network technician who can speak Solaris, Novell SUSE Linux, VMWare, Windoze and other dialects (including my Klingon) .. very important for a multicultural school like ours :-)<br>
<br>Regards <br><br><div class="gmail_quote">2009/6/17 <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:stephen@melbpc.org.au">stephen@melbpc.org.au</a>></span><br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Roland writes,<br>
<br>
> Interesting to spot the two Sun products that power this database<br>
> Java and MySQL Thanks for sharing this Stephen :-) Regards Roland<br>
<br>
Yes, it is interesting :) go Sun! Perhaps this is also of interest?<br>
<br>
--<br>
Taking the Web into our own hands, one computer at a time<br>
<br>
Posted on June 16, 2009, by Lawrence Eng<br>
<br>
<a href="http://labs.opera.com/news/2009/06/16/" target="_blank">http://labs.opera.com/news/2009/06/16/</a><br>
<br>
My name is Lawrence Eng, and, as a product analyst for Opera Software, my<br>
job is to understand our users and what they need, so we can serve them<br>
better.<br>
<br>
Today, I will share my thoughts on Opera Unite, a new Opera technology<br>
that I’m extremely excited about.<br>
<br>
Of all the new features we’ve introduced over the years, none of them<br>
have filled me with as much anticipation as Opera Unite. This technology<br>
is a radical first step towards addressing what I call “the Internet’s<br>
unfulfilled promise”, which is about our ability to connect with each<br>
other and participate meaningfully online—on our own terms, and without<br>
losing control of our data.<br>
<br>
In this article I will explain what Opera Unite is, discuss “the<br>
Internet’s unfulfilled promise” in more detail (and explain how it led to<br>
us creating Opera Unite), and share some inspirational ideas to<br>
illustrate what you can do with it.<br>
<br>
If you haven’t already, download the new Opera Unite alpha builds<br>
available, and start playing:<br>
<br>
Opera Unite build for Windows<br>
Opera Unite build for Mac<br>
Opera Unite build for Linux/Unix<br>
<br>
Let us know what you think!<br>
<br>
1. Introducing Opera Unite<br>
<br>
Opera Unite is a unique technology that turns any computer or device<br>
running Opera into a Web server.<br>
<br>
In other words, your computer (running Opera Unite) is truly part of the<br>
fabric of the Web, rather than just interacting with it, and it’s<br>
something anyone can use. With Opera Unite, everyday non-technical users<br>
can serve and share content and services directly from their own<br>
computers in the form of intuitive applications. That sounds kind of cool<br>
from a technology point of view, but what can you do with it, and why is<br>
it important?<br>
<br>
With Opera Unite, we are giving developers a chance to develop<br>
applications (known as Opera Unite services) that directly link people’s<br>
personal computers together, so that you can connect with one or more of<br>
your friends at the same time. It all happens through the browser, so no<br>
additional software has to be downloaded, and it will work wherever Opera<br>
works (Windows, Mac, Linux, and later mobile phones and other devices).<br>
Opera provides the platform and you provide the applications—what you<br>
create is limited only by your imagination. We believe Opera Unite will<br>
redefine what’s possible with Web applications, and we invite you to join<br>
us in moving beyond stale ideas and limitations.<br>
<br>
Our vision for Opera Unite<br>
<br>
What will Opera Unite services look like? How will they be different from<br>
other application platforms out there, and what will users be doing with<br>
Opera Unite that they weren’t doing before, using other technologies?<br>
<br>
The initial applications offered by Opera Unite are just simple demos<br>
(such as a “messenger” application and a media player) that replicate<br>
existing services and online functionality, showing them working in the<br>
context of Opera Unite. That’s just the tiniest tip of the iceberg—the<br>
potential for what can be done is much larger. The key to Opera Unite is<br>
that it enables a whole new class of social software on the Web,<br>
applications that benefit from two or more people being online at the<br>
same time. And, with Opera Unite, these people can all connect directly<br>
without needing middlemen who control third-party servers.<br>
<br>
What Opera Unite offers is an opportunity and a challenge to developers<br>
and entrepreneurs who are creative enough to envision new ways that<br>
people can interact online, so that computing becomes truly interpersonal.<br>
<br>
At this point, if you’re already convinced about Opera Unite’s potential,<br>
feel free to jump to part 3 for some examples of what Opera Unite<br>
services might look like in the near future. If you want to learn more<br>
about why we created this technology, read the next part.<br>
<br>
2. The Internet’s unfulfilled promise<br>
<br>
Originally the Internet’s promise was that it would connect us all,<br>
bringing people together in a whole new way, bypassing the constraints of<br>
geography. The Web meant that we could all be part of a larger human<br>
network. How we actually interact with each other online, however, has<br>
been shaped by particular techno-social circumstances. Because of those<br>
circumstances, our online interactions have been constrained and are far<br>
from perfect.<br>
<br>
Undoubtedly, the ability to participate online has increased, especially<br>
for people in developed countries. Self-publishing, self-expression, and<br>
social networking retain their status as the cornerstone of online<br>
activity for millions of people around the world. That said, people who<br>
create and share content will never approach true empowerment online<br>
until the computers they use are actually part of the Internet.<br>
Currently, most of us contribute content to the Web (for example by<br>
putting our personal information on social networking sites, uploading<br>
photos to Flickr, or maybe publishing blog posts), but we don’t<br>
contribute to its fabric — the underlying infrastructure that defines the<br>
online landscape that we inhabit.<br>
<br>
Our computers are only dumb terminals connected to other computers<br>
(meaning servers) owned by other people — such as large corporations —<br>
who we depend upon to host our words, thoughts, and images. We depend on<br>
them to do it well and with our best interests at heart. We place our<br>
trust in these third parties, and we hope for the best, but as long as<br>
our own computers are not first class citizens on the Web, we are merely<br>
tenants, and hosting companies are the landlords of the Internet.<br>
<br>
Social networking is important, but who owns it — the online real estate<br>
and all the content we share on it? How much control over our words,<br>
photos, and identities are we giving up by using someone else’s site for<br>
our personal information? How dependent have we become? I imagine that<br>
many of us would lose most of our personal contacts if our favorite Web<br>
mail services shut down without warning. Also, many of us maintain<br>
extensive friend networks on sites like MySpace and Facebook, and are,<br>
therefore, subject to their corporate decisions via “Terms of Service”<br>
and click-through agreements. Furthermore, what does it mean anyway to be<br>
connected to hundreds of our “closest” friends? What about our real<br>
social networks, the people we want to interact with on a regular basis<br>
(like once a week, or even every day)? Why are online solutions to help<br>
us with our real-world social needs so few and far between?<br>
<br>
We are connected to a Web that has democratized much and is an amazing<br>
source of information. However, “the wisdom of the crowd,” along with the<br>
notion that our data ought to live on other people’s computers that we<br>
don’t control, has contributed to making the Internet more impersonal,<br>
anonymous, fragmented, and more about “the aggregate” than the<br>
individual. In fact, quite the opposite of the original promise. For too<br>
long, we’ve been going online to connect to each other, but sacrificing<br>
intimacy as a result.<br>
<br>
With Opera Unite, I think we can start moving in a different direction. I<br>
hope you’ll join me in imagining a more personal and social computing<br>
experience that actually begins to deliver on the old (but not forgotten)<br>
promise of the Internet bringing people together in meaningful ways.<br>
<br>
3. A vision of Opera Unite services<br>
<br>
The first few services we’ve released for Opera Unite are fairly simple<br>
and offer functionality that you’ve likely seen elsewhere, perhaps on<br>
desktop applications or 3rd party web sites. These first few demos are<br>
meant to illustrate how Opera Unite services are put together and the<br>
basics behind the new technology. Building on that foundation, what power<br>
will developers unlock when they create and deploy Unite Services in the<br>
future? Below is an illustration of what an Opera Unite service could<br>
look like. In coming weeks, we’ll follow this up with further ideas and<br>
concepts.<br>
<br>
Opera Unite Jukebox<br>
<br>
At Opera, when we first talked about media applications created for Opera<br>
Unite, one idea was a simple music player, where I would play a song on<br>
my computer, and my friends on their computers would then hear the same<br>
song on their machines. That’s not a bad idea, but is it something people<br>
would truly want to use? Does it offer anything revolutionary or anything<br>
fun, like a social component, that makes it worthwhile to use?<br>
<br>
In trying to come up with something better, I envisioned the Opera Unite<br>
Jukebox application. Instead of just choosing a song and forcing all of<br>
my online friends to hear it, the Opera Unite Jukebox will let me choose<br>
10 songs from my collection and put it in the queue, and all 8 of my<br>
friends who are connected to me (via Opera Unite) will do the same. In<br>
doing so, we create a virtual jukebox that contains the songs we’ve all<br>
selected. The jukebox will then play the songs to all of us (in random<br>
order), creating a shared listening experience. It’s sort of like online<br>
radio but with a social component, harking back to the days of going to a<br>
friend’s house to listen to records/tapes/CDs together. It’d be great for<br>
get-togethers too, allowing everyone to be the party DJ.<br>
<br>
Additional application features might include:<br>
<br>
On-the-fly ranking of songs so you can see which of your friends has the<br>
best (or worst) taste in music, as agreed upon by all of you<br>
<br>
A small window displaying relevant track, album, or purchasing info<br>
that’s pulled from the Web as each song is played<br>
<br>
A built-in chat box so you can discuss each other’s music as you’re<br>
listening to it<br>
<br>
Built-in trivia games where listeners submit questions<br>
<br>
A server to upload your playlists and trivia questions to, so you can<br>
challenge other listeners around the world, even if you don’t know them.<br>
<br>
The Opera Unite Jukebox is just one simple example. Opera Unite services<br>
can be just about anything. It’s up to developers, companies,<br>
entrepreneurs, end users, and anyone with a vision of what the<br>
interpersonal Web really means, to take that vision and build the next<br>
generation of applications that bring people together online in brand new<br>
ways.<br>
<br>
Think of multiplayer games, from simple two-player challenges like Chess<br>
up to sprawling RPGs. And Opera Unite is not just about fun. Think about<br>
collaborative applications such as spreadsheets, documents or Wikis,<br>
which you can work on with friends and colleagues without having to host<br>
them on a third-party site such as Google Spreadsheets or installing<br>
specialized applications on a dedicated server. You could use reverse<br>
Ajax or “COMET” techniques to mean that all the updates are seen on<br>
everyone’s computers in real time; multiple people could make changes at<br>
once, without having to lock people out.<br>
<br>
Summary<br>
<br>
Opera Unite applications can be just about anything. It’s up to<br>
developers, companies, entrepreneurs, end users, and anyone with a vision<br>
of what the interpersonal Web really means, to take that vision and build<br>
the next generation of applications to bring people together online in<br>
brand new ways.<br>
<br>
In upcoming installments of this series, we will discuss other uses we<br>
envision for Opera Unite services.<br>
<br>
Further reading:<br>
<br>
Check out our Introduction to Opera Unite for a guide to getting it up<br>
and running<br>
<br>
Read our Unite developer’s primer for more information on creating Opera<br>
Unite services<br>
<br>
--<br>
<br>
Cheers,<br>
Stephen<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
> National Library of Australia<br>
><br>
> <a href="http://sbdsproto.nla.gov.au/" target="_blank">http://sbdsproto.nla.gov.au/</a><br>
<br>
<br>
Taking the Web into our own hands, one computer at a time<br>
<br>
Posted on June 16, 2009, by Lawrence Eng<br>
<br>
<a href="http://labs.opera.com/news/2009/06/16/" target="_blank">http://labs.opera.com/news/2009/06/16/</a><br>
<br>
My name is Lawrence Eng, and, as a product analyst for Opera Software, my<br>
job is to understand our users and what they need, so we can serve them<br>
better.<br>
<br>
Today, I will share my thoughts on Opera Unite, a new Opera technology<br>
that I’m extremely excited about.<br>
<br>
Of all the new features we’ve introduced over the years, none of them<br>
have filled me with as much anticipation as Opera Unite. This technology<br>
is a radical first step towards addressing what I call “the Internet’s<br>
unfulfilled promise”, which is about our ability to connect with each<br>
other and participate meaningfully online—on our own terms, and without<br>
losing control of our data.<br>
<br>
In this article I will explain what Opera Unite is, discuss “the<br>
Internet’s unfulfilled promise” in more detail (and explain how it led to<br>
us creating Opera Unite), and share some inspirational ideas to<br>
illustrate what you can do with it.<br>
<br>
If you haven’t already, download the new Opera Unite alpha builds<br>
available, and start playing:<br>
<br>
Opera Unite build for Windows<br>
Opera Unite build for Mac<br>
Opera Unite build for Linux/Unix<br>
<br>
Let us know what you think!<br>
<br>
1. Introducing Opera Unite<br>
<br>
Opera Unite is a unique technology that turns any computer or device<br>
running Opera into a Web server.<br>
<br>
In other words, your computer (running Opera Unite) is truly part of the<br>
fabric of the Web, rather than just interacting with it, and it’s<br>
something anyone can use. With Opera Unite, everyday non-technical users<br>
can serve and share content and services directly from their own<br>
computers in the form of intuitive applications. That sounds kind of cool<br>
from a technology point of view, but what can you do with it, and why is<br>
it important?<br>
<br>
With Opera Unite, we are giving developers a chance to develop<br>
applications (known as Opera Unite services) that directly link people’s<br>
personal computers together, so that you can connect with one or more of<br>
your friends at the same time. It all happens through the browser, so no<br>
additional software has to be downloaded, and it will work wherever Opera<br>
works (Windows, Mac, Linux, and later mobile phones and other devices).<br>
Opera provides the platform and you provide the applications—what you<br>
create is limited only by your imagination. We believe Opera Unite will<br>
redefine what’s possible with Web applications, and we invite you to join<br>
us in moving beyond stale ideas and limitations.<br>
<br>
Our vision for Opera Unite<br>
<br>
What will Opera Unite services look like? How will they be different from<br>
other application platforms out there, and what will users be doing with<br>
Opera Unite that they weren’t doing before, using other technologies?<br>
<br>
The initial applications offered by Opera Unite are just simple demos<br>
(such as a “messenger” application and a media player) that replicate<br>
existing services and online functionality, showing them working in the<br>
context of Opera Unite. That’s just the tiniest tip of the iceberg—the<br>
potential for what can be done is much larger. The key to Opera Unite is<br>
that it enables a whole new class of social software on the Web,<br>
applications that benefit from two or more people being online at the<br>
same time. And, with Opera Unite, these people can all connect directly<br>
without needing middlemen who control third-party servers.<br>
<br>
What Opera Unite offers is an opportunity and a challenge to developers<br>
and entrepreneurs who are creative enough to envision new ways that<br>
people can interact online, so that computing becomes truly interpersonal.<br>
<br>
At this point, if you’re already convinced about Opera Unite’s potential,<br>
feel free to jump to part 3 for some examples of what Opera Unite<br>
services might look like in the near future. If you want to learn more<br>
about why we created this technology, read the next part.<br>
<br>
2. The Internet’s unfulfilled promise<br>
<br>
Originally the Internet’s promise was that it would connect us all,<br>
bringing people together in a whole new way, bypassing the constraints of<br>
geography. The Web meant that we could all be part of a larger human<br>
network. How we actually interact with each other online, however, has<br>
been shaped by particular techno-social circumstances. Because of those<br>
circumstances, our online interactions have been constrained and are far<br>
from perfect.<br>
<br>
Undoubtedly, the ability to participate online has increased, especially<br>
for people in developed countries. Self-publishing, self-expression, and<br>
social networking retain their status as the cornerstone of online<br>
activity for millions of people around the world. That said, people who<br>
create and share content will never approach true empowerment online<br>
until the computers they use are actually part of the Internet.<br>
Currently, most of us contribute content to the Web (for example by<br>
putting our personal information on social networking sites, uploading<br>
photos to Flickr, or maybe publishing blog posts), but we don’t<br>
contribute to its fabric — the underlying infrastructure that defines the<br>
online landscape that we inhabit.<br>
<br>
Our computers are only dumb terminals connected to other computers<br>
(meaning servers) owned by other people — such as large corporations —<br>
who we depend upon to host our words, thoughts, and images. We depend on<br>
them to do it well and with our best interests at heart. We place our<br>
trust in these third parties, and we hope for the best, but as long as<br>
our own computers are not first class citizens on the Web, we are merely<br>
tenants, and hosting companies are the landlords of the Internet.<br>
<br>
Social networking is important, but who owns it — the online real estate<br>
and all the content we share on it? How much control over our words,<br>
photos, and identities are we giving up by using someone else’s site for<br>
our personal information? How dependent have we become? I imagine that<br>
many of us would lose most of our personal contacts if our favorite Web<br>
mail services shut down without warning. Also, many of us maintain<br>
extensive friend networks on sites like MySpace and Facebook, and are,<br>
therefore, subject to their corporate decisions via “Terms of Service”<br>
and click-through agreements. Furthermore, what does it mean anyway to be<br>
connected to hundreds of our “closest” friends? What about our real<br>
social networks, the people we want to interact with on a regular basis<br>
(like once a week, or even every day)? Why are online solutions to help<br>
us with our real-world social needs so few and far between?<br>
<br>
We are connected to a Web that has democratized much and is an amazing<br>
source of information. However, “the wisdom of the crowd,” along with the<br>
notion that our data ought to live on other people’s computers that we<br>
don’t control, has contributed to making the Internet more impersonal,<br>
anonymous, fragmented, and more about “the aggregate” than the<br>
individual. In fact, quite the opposite of the original promise. For too<br>
long, we’ve been going online to connect to each other, but sacrificing<br>
intimacy as a result.<br>
<br>
With Opera Unite, I think we can start moving in a different direction. I<br>
hope you’ll join me in imagining a more personal and social computing<br>
experience that actually begins to deliver on the old (but not forgotten)<br>
promise of the Internet bringing people together in meaningful ways.<br>
<br>
3. A vision of Opera Unite services<br>
<br>
The first few services we’ve released for Opera Unite are fairly simple<br>
and offer functionality that you’ve likely seen elsewhere, perhaps on<br>
desktop applications or 3rd party web sites. These first few demos are<br>
meant to illustrate how Opera Unite services are put together and the<br>
basics behind the new technology. Building on that foundation, what power<br>
will developers unlock when they create and deploy Unite Services in the<br>
future? Below is an illustration of what an Opera Unite service could<br>
look like. In coming weeks, we’ll follow this up with further ideas and<br>
concepts.<br>
<br>
Opera Unite Jukebox<br>
<br>
At Opera, when we first talked about media applications created for Opera<br>
Unite, one idea was a simple music player, where I would play a song on<br>
my computer, and my friends on their computers would then hear the same<br>
song on their machines. That’s not a bad idea, but is it something people<br>
would truly want to use? Does it offer anything revolutionary or anything<br>
fun, like a social component, that makes it worthwhile to use?<br>
<br>
In trying to come up with something better, I envisioned the Opera Unite<br>
Jukebox application. Instead of just choosing a song and forcing all of<br>
my online friends to hear it, the Opera Unite Jukebox will let me choose<br>
10 songs from my collection and put it in the queue, and all 8 of my<br>
friends who are connected to me (via Opera Unite) will do the same. In<br>
doing so, we create a virtual jukebox that contains the songs we’ve all<br>
selected. The jukebox will then play the songs to all of us (in random<br>
order), creating a shared listening experience. It’s sort of like online<br>
radio but with a social component, harking back to the days of going to a<br>
friend’s house to listen to records/tapes/CDs together. It’d be great for<br>
get-togethers too, allowing everyone to be the party DJ.<br>
<br>
Additional application features might include:<br>
<br>
On-the-fly ranking of songs so you can see which of your friends has the<br>
best (or worst) taste in music, as agreed upon by all of you<br>
<br>
A small window displaying relevant track, album, or purchasing info<br>
that’s pulled from the Web as each song is played<br>
<br>
A built-in chat box so you can discuss each other’s music as you’re<br>
listening to it<br>
<br>
Built-in trivia games where listeners submit questions<br>
<br>
A server to upload your playlists and trivia questions to, so you can<br>
challenge other listeners around the world, even if you don’t know them.<br>
<br>
The Opera Unite Jukebox is just one simple example. Opera Unite services<br>
can be just about anything. It’s up to developers, companies,<br>
entrepreneurs, end users, and anyone with a vision of what the<br>
interpersonal Web really means, to take that vision and build the next<br>
generation of applications that bring people together online in brand new<br>
ways.<br>
<br>
Think of multiplayer games, from simple two-player challenges like Chess<br>
up to sprawling RPGs. And Opera Unite is not just about fun. Think about<br>
collaborative applications such as spreadsheets, documents or Wikis,<br>
which you can work on with friends and colleagues without having to host<br>
them on a third-party site such as Google Spreadsheets or installing<br>
specialized applications on a dedicated server. You could use reverse<br>
Ajax or “COMET” techniques to mean that all the updates are seen on<br>
everyone’s computers in real time; multiple people could make changes at<br>
once, without having to lock people out.<br>
<br>
Summary<br>
<br>
Opera Unite applications can be just about anything. It’s up to<br>
developers, companies, entrepreneurs, end users, and anyone with a vision<br>
of what the interpersonal Web really means, to take that vision and build<br>
the next generation of applications to bring people together online in<br>
brand new ways.<br>
<br>
In upcoming installments of this series, we will discuss other uses we<br>
envision for Opera Unite services.<br>
<br>
Further reading:<br>
<br>
Check out our Introduction to Opera Unite for a guide to getting it up<br>
and running<br>
<br>
Read our Unite developer’s primer for more information on creating Opera<br>
Unite services<br>
<br>
--<br>
<br>
Cheers,<br>
Stephen<br>
<br>
<br>
Message sent using MelbPC WebMail Server<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
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</blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Coordinator - Westall Secondary College<br><a href="http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au">http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au</a><br><br>"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret Mead<br>