TreeWorks Blog

There is no definition for Web2.0, at least not in the dictionary. Web2.0 usually refers to those services that allow users to co-operate and change online information. Unlike the previous version, Web 2.0 applications are more interactive offering to the users an experience much more similar to the desktop applications.

It was the beginning of 2005 when Google launched his free-email service: Gmail. At that moment the idea of having a 1Gb email account seemed good enough as to accept Google superiority in other field than “searching” and web advertising. However, Yahoo reacted immediately and it increased its free accounts to 250Mb and soon to 1Gb regaining - if necessary - its users.

But we won’t discuss here about Google and Yahoo war. What I intend to emphasis is that at the beginning of 2005, using Ajax in the new Gmail, Google introduced web 2.0 version at a large scale. If you remember, when you were creating your new Gmail account, the confirmation regarding the availability of the desired address was automatic without pressing any additional button. At that moment it was very spectacular… I don’t say that Google invented Ajax. This technology became first possible because of the browsers - in general - and especially the Internet Explorer, implemented XMLHttpRequest that allows asynchronous loading of the page without the complete reloading of the page. But I sustain that Google was the first of the big players that promoted this technology. You can find here or searching Google :), the Ajax history and many more details about its operation.

Ajax is a technology (in fact a conglomerate made by more technologies like JavaScript, xhtml, html, css, xml and many more) that enhances web functioning by admitting a high level of interaction between users and web pages. Ajax means interaction and if it is used correctly, it makes easier the user’s experience. Of course, web 2.0 is not limited to Ajax. Web 2.0 also it means the aggregation of information from different sources (feeds, blogs…). It means the issue of wiki-type collaborative tools, practically the existence off all the technologies that allow an easy collaboration and interaction between users with same interests. But Ajax is the engine that assures the necessary interaction at the page level.

The best example of Ajax use is the one that was first used by Google for Gmail: the using of Ajax in order to verify the choice made by user before he submits a bushy form and have the unpleasant experience to be turned around to the same form and to choose something else because the first choice was already made by another user. In this example, Ajax usage reduces the necessary time for filling in the form and it results in a “filling in” natural flow.

Obviously, in using Ajax there are pro and contra arguments. Pro reasons are rather related to the increasing of usability. And Jakob Nielsen (the usability guru) although it doesn’t seem to be very interested in the subject, admits that Ajax utility is a recommended practice as long as it doesn’t create confusion in users’ rank (when the difference between interactivity and navigation is evident - here are more details about this and here is the general discussion). The contra reasons are rather related to the fact that Ajax depends on JavaScript and thus, an user without an activated JavaScript can’t use that page. And even more! It is necessary to be taken into consideration the user’s Internet connection latency! Why?! Because if this latency is too big and if the user it is not prevented that an action is taking place in the background, he might not understand what it is going on and thus the aimed usability will actually dramatically decline.

As about usages and usage instructions, well… in this moment Gmail uses very much Ajax but it can run without it, also (obviously some functionalities aren’t available any more). However, bear this in mind! Yahoo! Mail Beta is exclusively based on Ajax. That means that without JavaScript activated you couldn’t use this web mail application at all. This e-mail application is by far the most astonishing achievement based on Ajax that is available to the large public (you just have to ask in order to test it). Yahoo! Mail Beta is, actually, an extremely visual application that proves what Web 2.0 is capable to offer us and what interesting things can be achieved in the future.

The fact that Yahoo Mail has a very similar functionality with Outlook Express, proves that the era of distributive applications is soon approaching. We won’t need desktop applications, anymore, because everything will be on the server… All that is missing is just the good Internet connections… and - obviously - the distributive applications. But Yahoo seems to completely trust Ajax and it’s potential.

PS: As a programmer I never trusted JavaScript too much. Besides the fact that it can’t be controlled, there also exists those variations in interpretation between the types of the browsers that make the development process difficult and with the necessary twitches for each version. But it can’t be without it also! And, at this moment, there are enough frameworks of JavaScript that help us very much in the development of applications. But about this subject we’ll discuss some other time…

Today we begin the web technological “discoveries” series. I’m sure that most of the subjects here are facts that you might have thought or discovered by yourselves. We don’t try to present ourselves as “teachers”. But we’ll try - though - to “talk” about interesting things for our industry-fellows as well as for the possible clients that want to know more about web technologies.
The topics won’t be extremely technical (or, I’d better say that the technical language will not be brought to extreme) and (hope so ) they’ll not be extremely boring either. We’ll try to extract from the huge bunch of information achieved throughout the years, and - why not - we hope to become better through the feedback we expect from you.
Therefore we propose you to read and debate opinions, observations, experiences and the utility of different technologies that should be used in order to create a great web presence.

A study determinated that people consistently attribute personality traits to a variety of fonts presented onscreen.

Using an online survey, participants rated the personality of 20 fonts using 15 adjective pairs. In addition, participants viewed the same 20 fonts and selected which uses were most appropriate.

Results suggested that personality traits are indeed attributed to fonts based on their design family (Serif, Sans-Serif, Modern, Monospace, Script/Funny) and are associated with appropriate uses. For example the Serif fonts scored highest on traits such as Stable, Practical, Mature, and Formal, Fonts in the Script/Funny factor had the highest means for Youthful, Happy, Creative; Modern Display fonts are associated with Masculine, Assertive, Rude, Sad and Monospaced had the highest means for Dull, Plain, Unimaginative, and Conforming.
For the entire article follow the link

This study examined six new ClearType fonts developed by Microsoft. These were compared to some of the traditional fonts used today for business documents, email and websites. Participants were presented individual characters from each font at very short duration and asked to verbally identify the character. The article reports the findings of the serif fonts only: Times New Roman, Cambria and Constantia.

Results also show that the legibility, as measured by the number of correct identifications of briefly presented characters, was highest for the new font Cambria, followed by Constantia, and then Times New Roman.

For entire article follow the link

So… soon Google will launch the PayPal’s competitor: GBuy.

Interesting is that this time, they have a precise date for future, and not just with only some few days before - 28th of June. This means that they wish as much publicity as possible for the launch, starting even from the day 0. But this thing looks quite normal if we look at the size of the pot: maybe even the long term domination in the on-line advertising area.

Yesterday I was reading about the great problem that per-click-advertising (and especially Google Words) has with the false clicks (and not just 2-3 clicks given by anybody, but high volumes made through the networks of zombie computers and other large scale operations).

http://www.fool.com/news/commentary/2006/commentary06060927.htm?ref=foolwatch

And, obviously, the solution is combining the context targeting with demographic targeting and with the user targeting. I mean, it is clear that one who bought a cruise in the past from a specific IP, it is very probable that it will also buy a perfume. While a completely virgin IP, from the acquisition point of view, it is not too attractive for the advertisers. And I’m wondering when will we see “select the IPs that have a minimum of 500 USD spent in the past 6 months”?

But even better then the IPs would be a system of accounts so that one could calculate someone’s acquisitions made from different computers and other gadgets. Especially because this goes according with Google mantra of moving the activity from the Microsoft dominated desktop to web servers (preferably theirs).

And, from this point of view, I’d say that the portfolios of auctions from Google Finance and the paying accounts from GBay will play a very important role. The journalists already understand it.

It is interesting how much data-mining Google will do with this information. Up until now, Google operated analysis predominantly over the contents. But the similar algorithms can work on users too. Big Brother?

Petronela Jipa, chief editor at “Tranzit”, came across our achievements in April this year (praise Google!!! ; ) ) and thought about writing an article on what we have done in the e-logistics area.

It’s a really cool article of 2 pages, issued by “Tranzit-Logistica” magazine right in this June, that explains - in a very smart way - how do these complex applications work.

Great done, Petronela! Thanks a lot for your work!

The whole article can be downloaded here.