[My response to a post, "Why Startups are Leaving Nashville" http://southernalpha.com/startups-leave-nashville]
I believe that the VC and upper capital markets across the country are in transition. Likewise, the capital needs and timing issues of tech entrepreneurs are changing. They need less, but quicker, and without distraction. Long capital raise processes that distract from operations and business validations are death.
But for all too long those with capital fell into one of two categories: either they operated by themselves as an island, or they were part of a good-ol’ boy network – neither of which effectively recognizes the larger startup eco-system.
The reality is that the biggest thing a startup or growth-stage company needs is “continuity of resources”. This includes capital, but also includes so much more. Early stage companies need resource partners. Ones that allow them to focus on operation, validation, and growth without the distraction caused from running out of resources, whatever the resource may be.
Wouldn’t it be cool if an end-to-end network of capital and more emerged to provide real resource partnerships so that every company that deserved capital never went without? (ok, that might be a reach, but it sure as heck is am awesome direction)
Without giving away the secret, the best thing I can say is “stay tuned Nashville”, there are some really big things happening directly related to this discussion in all of the South East – anchored by Nashville and resources in between, all the way down to the tip of Florida. This is not occurring because of outsiders coming in, or insiders stepping up… rather because of ALL OF THIS and recognition by like-minded folks of the opportunity that results from truly supporting the talent resources around us.
--Steve Repetti
CrunchFire Ventures
Friday, November 22, 2013
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Data Gravity, or the theory that Data has Mass.
There’s an interesting article on TechCrunch today entitled “How Authoritarianism Will Lead To The Rise Of The Data Smuggler.”
While the article itself is interesting, and discusses a level of data portability far beyond what most people think about today, it also makes reference to the concept of “Data Gravity” posited by Dave McCrory. Dave’s rather unique concept is wrapped around the following statement (excerpted from the TC article by Alex Williams):
Filed under: thinking outside the box with Data Portability.
--Steve Repetti
While the article itself is interesting, and discusses a level of data portability far beyond what most people think about today, it also makes reference to the concept of “Data Gravity” posited by Dave McCrory. Dave’s rather unique concept is wrapped around the following statement (excerpted from the TC article by Alex Williams):
“Data has its own mass. When data gets stored it becomes harder to move. The more data stored, the greater the mass.”Intriguing – and very cool. Check out the Data Gravity website for lots of details: http://datagravity.org/
Filed under: thinking outside the box with Data Portability.
--Steve Repetti
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The State of Data Portability in Social Media, Part I – A Closer Look at Facebook
View the original post on dataportability.org
[The following is not a commentary on data portability policies at Facebook --- that will be a follow-up to this series. Instead, this article attempts to document the current state of data portability within social media, and in this case, Facebook in particular]
Every day, Facebook consumes billions of snippets of people’s lives in the form of freely-provided pictures, comments, messages, and more and stores them away in server facilities scattered throughout the world. This information is added to the tons of other information they already have and then used to render details of our lives upon request. But beyond the Facebook website, how can a user interact directly with their information?
Accessing your Facebook information is as simple as visiting your Facebook page, or that of your friends. This structured format is constantly being tweaked to provide what Facebook believes is the best way for you to interact with all of this information. But they also provide a mechanism for you to take your data “offline” through the downloading of a “personal archive”, as in:
Getting to this result starts easily enough, simply access your account settings from your Facebook page and select “Download a copy of your Facebook data” at the bottom of the GENERAL ACCOUNT SETTINGS tab.
After a bit of security validation, the process begins. Facebook starts gathering your information into your personal archive and emails you when complete. Not all of your information is provided, however, particularly things that involve activity with others. Specific information includes:
Now, I believe that I am a moderate to light-weight Facebook user. I do not use it every day, although I do have several hundred “friends” and my twitter feed auto-posts to Facebook. Still, it took almost a full hour to gather my information and package it up with neatly organized directories into a 44MB zip file ready for me to download.
And here’s the content of the zip file representing my personal archive from Facebook:
Now that I have my data on my own computer, I can browse through it without having to be connected to the internet. I have successfully downloaded a copy of my data Facebook allows me to access offline. There were some issues browsing the data, the biggest being no “pagination” for the data, hence when I tried to view all my messages the browser locked up trying to render so much information.
From a pure data portability perspective, this process is more of a “backup” of data than true data portability. The information provided is pre-formatted into html documents that make it easy to interact with IN THE FORMAT CHOSEN BY FACEBOOK, however much of the underlying data is unavailable to non-programmers.
I had hoped to see additional formats to the archive, or even just one, other than formatted HTML. JSON would have been my first choice, and, in fact, there was a time when Facebook did provide this option, but alas no more.
Programmers have considerably more options through Facebook’s extensive SOCIAL GRAPH API and related tools and resources, but this is not for the average user. Most applications today that integrate with Facebook are doing so in one form or another through the API interface (or one of its related components or plugins).
Interaction with graph data is extensive. From the Facebook’s Developer pages:
Facebook has also provided public access to the GRAPH API through the use of its RESTful interface. This makes it extremely easy to gather specific information from the social graph simply by referencing a web address, as in:
Facebook itself is not the only option for users interested in extracting their information. One of the most interesting alternatives is a site called www.givememydata.com (with an accompanying Facebook App), built by assistant professor of art Owen Mundy of Florida State University. It essentially provides a user interface to many of the programmatic aspects of the Facebook Graph API.
A variety of other options exist that can help users access and interact with their information, but ultimately Facebook has the biggest opportunity, as well as responsibility, to see these initiatives through.
Coming up next: The State of Data Portability in Social Media, Part II – A Closer Look at Google.
-- Steve Repetti
www.radwebtech.com
[The following is not a commentary on data portability policies at Facebook --- that will be a follow-up to this series. Instead, this article attempts to document the current state of data portability within social media, and in this case, Facebook in particular]
Every day, Facebook consumes billions of snippets of people’s lives in the form of freely-provided pictures, comments, messages, and more and stores them away in server facilities scattered throughout the world. This information is added to the tons of other information they already have and then used to render details of our lives upon request. But beyond the Facebook website, how can a user interact directly with their information?
Facebook’s Personal Archive
Accessing your Facebook information is as simple as visiting your Facebook page, or that of your friends. This structured format is constantly being tweaked to provide what Facebook believes is the best way for you to interact with all of this information. But they also provide a mechanism for you to take your data “offline” through the downloading of a “personal archive”, as in:
Getting to this result starts easily enough, simply access your account settings from your Facebook page and select “Download a copy of your Facebook data” at the bottom of the GENERAL ACCOUNT SETTINGS tab.
After a bit of security validation, the process begins. Facebook starts gathering your information into your personal archive and emails you when complete. Not all of your information is provided, however, particularly things that involve activity with others. Specific information includes:
Now, I believe that I am a moderate to light-weight Facebook user. I do not use it every day, although I do have several hundred “friends” and my twitter feed auto-posts to Facebook. Still, it took almost a full hour to gather my information and package it up with neatly organized directories into a 44MB zip file ready for me to download.
And here’s the content of the zip file representing my personal archive from Facebook:
Now that I have my data on my own computer, I can browse through it without having to be connected to the internet. I have successfully downloaded a copy of my data Facebook allows me to access offline. There were some issues browsing the data, the biggest being no “pagination” for the data, hence when I tried to view all my messages the browser locked up trying to render so much information.
From a pure data portability perspective, this process is more of a “backup” of data than true data portability. The information provided is pre-formatted into html documents that make it easy to interact with IN THE FORMAT CHOSEN BY FACEBOOK, however much of the underlying data is unavailable to non-programmers.
I had hoped to see additional formats to the archive, or even just one, other than formatted HTML. JSON would have been my first choice, and, in fact, there was a time when Facebook did provide this option, but alas no more.
Facebook’s Graph API
Programmers have considerably more options through Facebook’s extensive SOCIAL GRAPH API and related tools and resources, but this is not for the average user. Most applications today that integrate with Facebook are doing so in one form or another through the API interface (or one of its related components or plugins).
Interaction with graph data is extensive. From the Facebook’s Developer pages:
“The Graph API presents a simple, consistent view of the Facebook social graph, uniformly representing objects in the graph (e.g., people, photos, events, and pages) and the connections between them (e.g., friend relationships, shared content, and photo tags).”
Facebook has also provided public access to the GRAPH API through the use of its RESTful interface. This makes it extremely easy to gather specific information from the social graph simply by referencing a web address, as in:
3rd Party Alternatives to Facebook’s Personal Archive
Facebook itself is not the only option for users interested in extracting their information. One of the most interesting alternatives is a site called www.givememydata.com (with an accompanying Facebook App), built by assistant professor of art Owen Mundy of Florida State University. It essentially provides a user interface to many of the programmatic aspects of the Facebook Graph API.
A variety of other options exist that can help users access and interact with their information, but ultimately Facebook has the biggest opportunity, as well as responsibility, to see these initiatives through.
Coming up next: The State of Data Portability in Social Media, Part II – A Closer Look at Google.
-- Steve Repetti
www.radwebtech.com
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Google continues it's drive towards Data Portability...
Larry Dignan over at ZDNET wrote a post today entitled “Google ramps up its data portability as a weapon push” which discusses the further roll-out of Google’s Data Portability initiatives. Good stuff to be sure, and I hope it doesn’t end there.
My comment:
“Nobody seems to care about Data Portability until they need it and are denied access. Companies support Data Portability when it is good for them and it doesn’t conflict with their larger agendas, otherwise it is mostly ignored. And, of course, all of this changes on a moment’s notice and subject to the prevailing wind.
The real power of true Data Portability lies in its ability to extend and enhance not only existing services like Google and Facebook, but to facilitate entire ecosystems that reward innovation, value-add, and usefulness while chastising the walled gardens and private silos – or at the very least keeping them in their place.”
--Steve Repetti
Chairman, DataPortability.org
www.radwebtech.com
My comment:
“Nobody seems to care about Data Portability until they need it and are denied access. Companies support Data Portability when it is good for them and it doesn’t conflict with their larger agendas, otherwise it is mostly ignored. And, of course, all of this changes on a moment’s notice and subject to the prevailing wind.
The real power of true Data Portability lies in its ability to extend and enhance not only existing services like Google and Facebook, but to facilitate entire ecosystems that reward innovation, value-add, and usefulness while chastising the walled gardens and private silos – or at the very least keeping them in their place.”
--Steve Repetti
Chairman, DataPortability.org
www.radwebtech.com
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Data Portability Wars : Google and Facebook vs. YOU
Well, here we go again.
The big companies love to embrace data portability and the freedom it provides its users, not to mention the press and good will that comes with it, as long as it doesn’t conflict with their corporate agenda.
Google and Facebook have both flirted with data portability and it was generally taken as a good sign when both hired leading open source/data portability advocates (Chris Messina and David Recordon respectively). Facebook’s APIs and social graph integration, as well as Google’s Takeout initiative, have been shining examples of the net result of this effort.
Still, despite these advances, both companies continue to “play” with your data – to your detriment. Back in February, Google removed an existing feature from its Android mobile phone operating system specifically to make it more difficult for users to integrate their Facebook contacts (Nexus S losing Facebook contacts sync as Google tightens data policy).
The latest salvo in this escalating war occurred while the US celebrated its Independence day holiday weekend: Facebook disabled a critical feature used to export your friends data (Facebook blocks Google Chrome extension for exporting friends). This appears to be a direct response to Google’s recent moves further into social networking: Google+ (Facebook blocks friend export tool in Google+ snub ).
The reality is that we gave both companies the right to monkey with our data. We accepted their terms of service when we joined their services and we continually agree when they make changes – for better or worse. And, while a few have left in protest, it is not practical to expect much more.
Let’s call it what it is: Facebook and Google both support “convenient” data portability --- at all times convenient for them, *sometimes* convenient for you. And maybe that’s ok. After all, they are commercial enterprises answerable to boards and shareholders and subject to their leadership within.
I get it. Information is an asset, and why would anyone fiscally responsible intentionally dilute or give away an asset?
And therein is the conflict. Us versus them, my data versus their monetization of it.
This is complicated stuff. If Google and Facebook truly want to be the global purveyors of information that they purport to be, they’ll figure it out – or leave opportunity for the next company to come along and get it right. But the first thing they need to understand is that they cannot do it alone. When crafting global policy regarding user’s data they must include the user, otherwise they are simply more walled-gardens of varying heights.
So, before this thing spirals any further, let’s talk about it.
As Chairman of the International non-profit Data Portability organization, I hereby challenge Google, Facebook, and all other interested parties to sit down at a DATA PORTABILITY SUMMIT and figure it out together. Name the place, name the time – or your users will. Now is your chance to truly show leadership on a global scale. But know this: that coveted asset of information you possess exists solely because of your users. It’s ok to be capitalistic, and its good not to be evil, but it’s time to make data portability convenient for us all.
Interested in the DATA PORTABILITY SUMMIT? Let me know: steve@radwebtech.com
Steve Repetti
Chairman, DataPortability.org
READ THIS ON THE DATA PORTABILITY BLOG: http://blog.dataportability.org
The big companies love to embrace data portability and the freedom it provides its users, not to mention the press and good will that comes with it, as long as it doesn’t conflict with their corporate agenda.
Let’s call it what it is: Facebook and Google both support “convenient” data portability --- at all times convenient for them, *sometimes* convenient for you.
Google and Facebook have both flirted with data portability and it was generally taken as a good sign when both hired leading open source/data portability advocates (Chris Messina and David Recordon respectively). Facebook’s APIs and social graph integration, as well as Google’s Takeout initiative, have been shining examples of the net result of this effort.
Still, despite these advances, both companies continue to “play” with your data – to your detriment. Back in February, Google removed an existing feature from its Android mobile phone operating system specifically to make it more difficult for users to integrate their Facebook contacts (Nexus S losing Facebook contacts sync as Google tightens data policy).
The latest salvo in this escalating war occurred while the US celebrated its Independence day holiday weekend: Facebook disabled a critical feature used to export your friends data (Facebook blocks Google Chrome extension for exporting friends). This appears to be a direct response to Google’s recent moves further into social networking: Google+ (Facebook blocks friend export tool in Google+ snub ).
The reality is that we gave both companies the right to monkey with our data. We accepted their terms of service when we joined their services and we continually agree when they make changes – for better or worse. And, while a few have left in protest, it is not practical to expect much more.
Let’s call it what it is: Facebook and Google both support “convenient” data portability --- at all times convenient for them, *sometimes* convenient for you. And maybe that’s ok. After all, they are commercial enterprises answerable to boards and shareholders and subject to their leadership within.
I get it. Information is an asset, and why would anyone fiscally responsible intentionally dilute or give away an asset?
And therein is the conflict. Us versus them, my data versus their monetization of it.
This is complicated stuff. If Google and Facebook truly want to be the global purveyors of information that they purport to be, they’ll figure it out – or leave opportunity for the next company to come along and get it right. But the first thing they need to understand is that they cannot do it alone. When crafting global policy regarding user’s data they must include the user, otherwise they are simply more walled-gardens of varying heights.
So, before this thing spirals any further, let’s talk about it.
As Chairman of the International non-profit Data Portability organization, I hereby challenge Google, Facebook, and all other interested parties to sit down at a DATA PORTABILITY SUMMIT and figure it out together. Name the place, name the time – or your users will. Now is your chance to truly show leadership on a global scale. But know this: that coveted asset of information you possess exists solely because of your users. It’s ok to be capitalistic, and its good not to be evil, but it’s time to make data portability convenient for us all.
Interested in the DATA PORTABILITY SUMMIT? Let me know: steve@radwebtech.com
Steve Repetti
Chairman, DataPortability.org
READ THIS ON THE DATA PORTABILITY BLOG: http://blog.dataportability.org
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Google Unleashes New Data Portability Initiative: Google Takeout
Google today unveiled a new service that provides advanced Data Portability across its diverse platform. Google Takeout (http://www.google.com/takeout) makes it easy to extract your data from a variety of Google Services including: Buzz, Contact and Circles, Picasa Web Albums, and Profile. The information is provided in a variety of formats, including vCard and JSON (JavaScript Object Notation), and can be quickly downloaded onto your local computer.
In many ways this is not unlike the Data Portability initiatives over at Facebook, and it is certainly a welcome addition to the Google universe. And now that Google is moving more into the social networking space with its just announced Google+ project (http://plus.google.com), the value of Google’s Data Portability efforts to its end-users will likely substantially increase.
In many ways this is not unlike the Data Portability initiatives over at Facebook, and it is certainly a welcome addition to the Google universe. And now that Google is moving more into the social networking space with its just announced Google+ project (http://plus.google.com), the value of Google’s Data Portability efforts to its end-users will likely substantially increase.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Data Portability Applauds US CIO, Mourns Departure
Today, friends of Data Portability lost an ally in their cause when the Federal CIO, Vivek Kundra, announced he will be leaving his post in August. Mr. Kundra was the first-ever Chief Information Officer of the United States. During his tenure, Mr. Kundra championed the use of open standards, cloud computing, accessibility, and data portability through a variety of initiatives but lately saw his budgets slashed almost to the point of ineffectiveness. The irony of this is that his cost-saving initiatives netted the Government billions in savings, yet he was unable to save his own projects.
We are at a time when information is instantaneous and permeates every aspect of our lives. Data portability, privacy, and accessibility are the heart of the matter and leadership in this area is game changing on a global scale. If we screw this up we become second fiddle to those that do get it. Mr. Kundra was on the right path, and we at the Data Portability organization applaud his efforts as he re-enters the private sector. We wish him well at his new post at Harvard and hope his voice and passion never lose their strength.
Through this all, our Federal Government and politicians would do well to reassess the importance of the initiatives brought forth by real-world need and championed by Mr. Kundra, for failure to do so will be the real loss felt by the people and businesses of this country.
--Steve Repetti, Chairman, DataPortability.org
We are at a time when information is instantaneous and permeates every aspect of our lives. Data portability, privacy, and accessibility are the heart of the matter and leadership in this area is game changing on a global scale. If we screw this up we become second fiddle to those that do get it. Mr. Kundra was on the right path, and we at the Data Portability organization applaud his efforts as he re-enters the private sector. We wish him well at his new post at Harvard and hope his voice and passion never lose their strength.
Through this all, our Federal Government and politicians would do well to reassess the importance of the initiatives brought forth by real-world need and championed by Mr. Kundra, for failure to do so will be the real loss felt by the people and businesses of this country.
--Steve Repetti, Chairman, DataPortability.org
Sunday, June 12, 2011
STARTUPS: INVESTMENT POTENTIAL & READINESS
Last Friday I was invited to speak along with the Hatchery at the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Adams Center for Entrepreneurship. FAU’s previously held business plan competition was such a success that they wanted to capitalize on the momentum that was generated and provide additional value to the talent that had emerged. As a result, the one-day workshop was created targeting Startups to help them “Increase Business Readiness for Investment and Growth.”
Topics included: Market Need, Revenue/Business Models, Investment Potential and Readiness, Proof of Concept, Hurdles – Ideas & Strategies, Digital Marketing, Crowd Funding, and Legal considerations. My presentation was about Investment Potential and Readiness.
The allotted time was 45 minutes, however my speech ran over by 55% --- no one left and no one stopped me. I guess that was good, either that or the door was looked. Anyway, my friend Marc Kaplan was good enough to video the presentation – although he missed the first 5 minutes and it took him another couple of minutes to stop shaking the camera! Here’s the full presentation minus the first few minutes: (Watch the large-screen version directly on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lca6GvPDZwY)
Topics included: Market Need, Revenue/Business Models, Investment Potential and Readiness, Proof of Concept, Hurdles – Ideas & Strategies, Digital Marketing, Crowd Funding, and Legal considerations. My presentation was about Investment Potential and Readiness.
The allotted time was 45 minutes, however my speech ran over by 55% --- no one left and no one stopped me. I guess that was good, either that or the door was looked. Anyway, my friend Marc Kaplan was good enough to video the presentation – although he missed the first 5 minutes and it took him another couple of minutes to stop shaking the camera! Here’s the full presentation minus the first few minutes: (Watch the large-screen version directly on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lca6GvPDZwY)
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Miami Startupbus Rolls in to Baton Rouge!
[This is a copy of a comment I posted to a great article regarding the Baton Rouge team on the Miami startupbus - photo credit John Berjarano]
As a tech executive, technology investor, and the person who ran the Miami Startupbus, I was blown away by the talent of the team from Baton Rouge. Great things will come from these individuals and I am both proud to have met them and look forward to doing business with each of them in the future. More so, it felt like the entire city of Baton Rouge turned out to welcome us and embrace this crazy startup phenomenon --- this microcosm of real-life condensed to the confines of a bus and executed in less than “internet time”.
This was a challenge, a competition, a search for talent and spirit and passion. What we found in Baton Rouge was all of this and more and cannot be explained simply in words. It truly is an experience, an entrepreneurial culture thriving and expanding beyond the limits of the city. I am honored to have been part of all of this and humbled at the opportunity to meet and share and enjoy the experience with the businesses, educational institutes, and governmental communities of Baton Rouge.
It is true that this year we had six buses from all over the country filled with entrepreneurs – a group representing the future of startups in this country. It is not by accident that the only place in the country that two of the buses came together during this journey was Baton Rouge.
Having recently invested in a startup from the LSU incubator, I know about the entrepreneurial spirit in Baton Rouge – and now the whole world does too! Thank you to all that helped make this happen, thank you to my friend Terry Jones, and thank you to everyone lucky enough to call Baton Rouge their home!
Warmest regards,
Steve Repetti
Miami Startupbus “Conductor”
CEO/www.radwebtech.com
Here's the original article thaat inspired my post: http://digbatonrouge.com/article/birthing-a-business-on-a-bus-483/
As a tech executive, technology investor, and the person who ran the Miami Startupbus, I was blown away by the talent of the team from Baton Rouge. Great things will come from these individuals and I am both proud to have met them and look forward to doing business with each of them in the future. More so, it felt like the entire city of Baton Rouge turned out to welcome us and embrace this crazy startup phenomenon --- this microcosm of real-life condensed to the confines of a bus and executed in less than “internet time”.
This was a challenge, a competition, a search for talent and spirit and passion. What we found in Baton Rouge was all of this and more and cannot be explained simply in words. It truly is an experience, an entrepreneurial culture thriving and expanding beyond the limits of the city. I am honored to have been part of all of this and humbled at the opportunity to meet and share and enjoy the experience with the businesses, educational institutes, and governmental communities of Baton Rouge.
It is true that this year we had six buses from all over the country filled with entrepreneurs – a group representing the future of startups in this country. It is not by accident that the only place in the country that two of the buses came together during this journey was Baton Rouge.
Having recently invested in a startup from the LSU incubator, I know about the entrepreneurial spirit in Baton Rouge – and now the whole world does too! Thank you to all that helped make this happen, thank you to my friend Terry Jones, and thank you to everyone lucky enough to call Baton Rouge their home!
Warmest regards,
Steve Repetti
Miami Startupbus “Conductor”
CEO/www.radwebtech.com
Here's the original article thaat inspired my post: http://digbatonrouge.com/article/birthing-a-business-on-a-bus-483/
Friday, January 7, 2011
Data Portability 2011 - Call to Action++
If you’ve read my blog before, you know that I have been advocating the principals behind data portability for some time. More so, I am quite active in the organized effort surrounding data portability – first as a general participant in the International non-profit, then as a board member, officer, and most recently vice-chair.
Now, I am honored and humbled to have been elected as the 2011 Chairman of the Silicon Valley-based non-profit DataPortability organization (http://www.dataportability.org). I have big shoes to fill as the result of all of the good that has come from the efforts of my predecessors, but I am excited, energized, and surrounded by terrific folks who share the passion and vision of data portability.
2011 is poised to be a banner year in the world of data portability. Increasingly the subject commands leading headlines as the Facebooks and Googles of the world run head-on into the will of their users. And, prior DP efforts, including the DPP-initiative “Portability Policy”, are on the verge of hitting mainstream. Exciting times. Truly. And I for one consider myself fortunate to be on the front line of all of this. But so too can you. Join us in this effort. Effect a change. Influence a direction. Solidify a policy. Join the data portability movement today!
Regards,
Steve Repetti
DataPortability Chairman
Now, I am honored and humbled to have been elected as the 2011 Chairman of the Silicon Valley-based non-profit DataPortability organization (http://www.dataportability.org). I have big shoes to fill as the result of all of the good that has come from the efforts of my predecessors, but I am excited, energized, and surrounded by terrific folks who share the passion and vision of data portability.
2011 is poised to be a banner year in the world of data portability. Increasingly the subject commands leading headlines as the Facebooks and Googles of the world run head-on into the will of their users. And, prior DP efforts, including the DPP-initiative “Portability Policy”, are on the verge of hitting mainstream. Exciting times. Truly. And I for one consider myself fortunate to be on the front line of all of this. But so too can you. Join us in this effort. Effect a change. Influence a direction. Solidify a policy. Join the data portability movement today!
Regards,
Steve Repetti
DataPortability Chairman
Monday, November 8, 2010
RockMelt Builds on Facebook’s Data Portability
An innovative new product has entered the scene that will likely test the resolve of Facebook and others as it relates to data portability. RockMelt (www.rockmelt.com) is a customized implementation of the open source (Google) Chrome browser that tightly integrates social media while maintaining the comfort (and speed) of the Chrome browsing environment. It is so tight in fact that Facebook is likely trying to figure out what to do with this revolutionary – and potentially dangerous (to them) – new thing. You see, RockMelt gives you much of the experience of being inside of Facebook without actually being there – including no Facebook ads — all thanks to Facebook’s data portability capabilities. In many cases the RockMelt browser does Facebook BETTER than Facebook.
Of course if Facebook looks at all of this with an open mind, they will realize that RockMelt has “officially” made Facebook the center of the social communications universe – and FB’s data portability initiatives are powering an increasingly expanding wave (sorry Google, no pun intended) that solidifies that position. The question remains whether Facebook will embrace this direction and take it even further or feel threatened and seek to crush that which it does not control. I for one wouldn’t be surprised if the RockMelt browser became the Facebook browser…
Regardless of the result, it is the innovative use of data portability that sparked this particular seed of innovation.
Of course if Facebook looks at all of this with an open mind, they will realize that RockMelt has “officially” made Facebook the center of the social communications universe – and FB’s data portability initiatives are powering an increasingly expanding wave (sorry Google, no pun intended) that solidifies that position. The question remains whether Facebook will embrace this direction and take it even further or feel threatened and seek to crush that which it does not control. I for one wouldn’t be surprised if the RockMelt browser became the Facebook browser…
Regardless of the result, it is the innovative use of data portability that sparked this particular seed of innovation.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Facebook Data Portability Takes First Step into the Light
Today’s announcement from Facebook represents the most important statement from them to-date regarding Data Portability. But to be clear, it is by no means the ultimate solution we all seek. Still, it represents major movement in the right direction.
First, you literally can draw a line on the calendar and say “prior to this date it was virtually impossible to get meaningful information out of Facebook without being a programmer” – that has now changed. Is it everything we could want? No, but it’s a pretty good start. It’s not so much what you can do with the information today, rather that it is available and will absolutely fuel innovation tomorrow. Sure, other services will use this information, but Facebook is showing leadership as well as responding to the will of its user base – to the benefit of us all.
Secondly, and more importantly in my mind, this announcement shows the elevation in importance of openness and standardization. More than a few of us scratched our heads when open-source guru David Recordon joined the walled-garden giant not so long ago. So it is with great excitement we learned today that David’s efforts (along with all of his cohorts and team members) have succeeded from the inside where so many others have failed from the outside.
From a pure data portability perspective, there is still much more that Facebook can do, but I applaud their direction and effort. This is way more than PR, this is policy that has grown from within and is now escaping into the light. Today’s announcement is the beginning; the Sleeper is waking; and openness lives on with more on the way.
Kudos.
First, you literally can draw a line on the calendar and say “prior to this date it was virtually impossible to get meaningful information out of Facebook without being a programmer” – that has now changed. Is it everything we could want? No, but it’s a pretty good start. It’s not so much what you can do with the information today, rather that it is available and will absolutely fuel innovation tomorrow. Sure, other services will use this information, but Facebook is showing leadership as well as responding to the will of its user base – to the benefit of us all.
Secondly, and more importantly in my mind, this announcement shows the elevation in importance of openness and standardization. More than a few of us scratched our heads when open-source guru David Recordon joined the walled-garden giant not so long ago. So it is with great excitement we learned today that David’s efforts (along with all of his cohorts and team members) have succeeded from the inside where so many others have failed from the outside.
From a pure data portability perspective, there is still much more that Facebook can do, but I applaud their direction and effort. This is way more than PR, this is policy that has grown from within and is now escaping into the light. Today’s announcement is the beginning; the Sleeper is waking; and openness lives on with more on the way.
Kudos.
–Steve Repetti
Vice-chair, DataPortability.org
Thursday, September 16, 2010
How I Came to Uninstall IE9 BETA in 5 Minutes
First, let me say that I am a long-time Microsoft fan. I’ve met Bill Gates a few times and have had dinner with Steve Balmar (back in the original “Year of the LAN” days). That’s not to say that they don’t frustrate or disappoint me from time to time – they do, like everyone else (myself included now and then). Which leads me to the recent BETA release of IE9. I am excited to see HTML 5 support finally make it to the IE platform and was looking forward to testing it on my computer. I am a frequent tester of early release software, so I have no problem with Alpha or Beta releases – however, when the BETA stamp is on it I do have a reasonable expectation that general functionality will work.
My experience with IE9 BETA started well enough --- the system downloaded and installed easily and had no problem that I had other browsers open at the time (IE8, Chrome, and Firefox – yes, I use ALL of them for testing). Once installed I was politely asked to reboot the system, which I did, and (eventually) up came my computer. Everything appeared normal and in its place. There was no obvious magical IE9 button and all of my IE icons on my desktop were intact. So, I clicked on the first one and PRESTO, up popped IE9.
I’ve already been following the progress of IE9 so I wasn’t surprised at the new toolbar design and top screen real-estate efficiencies. It is certainly different and will take some time to get used to it, but my initial reaction was positive. The new IE9 opening page is very nice and really shows off some of the cool things we can all expect to see as HTML 5 starts making its way across the web. The first “normal” page I navigated to was a simple static HTML page and everything looked great; after that, not so much.
After all the hubabaloo regarding flash, I was really surprised that the first page I went to with a simple embedded flash object did not work; that’s not to say it didn’t display --- it did – sort of. IE9 made Flash flash – literally. As I scrolled down the page, the flash object alternatingly was there, then disappeared, then flashed in a strange strobe-like manner! Ok, I thought, not ready for prime time, but I’ll just resume my development projects back on IE8 and “play” with IE9 when I get a chance. Not so fast – ALL of my IE icons now link to IE9! So, IE9 has got to go.
Trying to uninstall IE9 was itself an adventure. It does not show up on the installed programs list and took some time to figure out how to get it off without causing damage. But for now, it is gone. In hind sight, it would have been much better if it had left all of my existing links and applications alone, and simply installed a new icon to use for testing. In any case, I’ll try again at some point and hope that they continue to evolve the product. IE9 is REALLY important to Microsoft --- its success means the difference of carrying on a dynasty, or handing the reigns over to Google Chrome; IMHO.
My experience with IE9 BETA started well enough --- the system downloaded and installed easily and had no problem that I had other browsers open at the time (IE8, Chrome, and Firefox – yes, I use ALL of them for testing). Once installed I was politely asked to reboot the system, which I did, and (eventually) up came my computer. Everything appeared normal and in its place. There was no obvious magical IE9 button and all of my IE icons on my desktop were intact. So, I clicked on the first one and PRESTO, up popped IE9.
I’ve already been following the progress of IE9 so I wasn’t surprised at the new toolbar design and top screen real-estate efficiencies. It is certainly different and will take some time to get used to it, but my initial reaction was positive. The new IE9 opening page is very nice and really shows off some of the cool things we can all expect to see as HTML 5 starts making its way across the web. The first “normal” page I navigated to was a simple static HTML page and everything looked great; after that, not so much.
After all the hubabaloo regarding flash, I was really surprised that the first page I went to with a simple embedded flash object did not work; that’s not to say it didn’t display --- it did – sort of. IE9 made Flash flash – literally. As I scrolled down the page, the flash object alternatingly was there, then disappeared, then flashed in a strange strobe-like manner! Ok, I thought, not ready for prime time, but I’ll just resume my development projects back on IE8 and “play” with IE9 when I get a chance. Not so fast – ALL of my IE icons now link to IE9! So, IE9 has got to go.
Trying to uninstall IE9 was itself an adventure. It does not show up on the installed programs list and took some time to figure out how to get it off without causing damage. But for now, it is gone. In hind sight, it would have been much better if it had left all of my existing links and applications alone, and simply installed a new icon to use for testing. In any case, I’ll try again at some point and hope that they continue to evolve the product. IE9 is REALLY important to Microsoft --- its success means the difference of carrying on a dynasty, or handing the reigns over to Google Chrome; IMHO.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Facebook Embraces Data Portability – Again
Today, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, made his strongest endorsements of Data Portability to date. Speaking from the company’s Palo Alto offices earlier today he stated:
“There is this concept of data portability that we’re trying to enable. We believe that people own their information and not only should they have control over it, but they should be able to take it to other services.”
This is a bold pronouncement from a company that has all too often been perceived as being more closed than open when it comes to data policies.
Of course the devil is in the details, particularly in understanding better what he means when he says “this concept of data portability that we’re trying to enable” – hopefully the “concept” is the same one most other folks understand to be regarding data portability.
As for the rest of his statement, it is a significant milestone for him to say “people own their information” and that they “should be able to take it to other services. If this holds true, then Facebook may be on the verge of becoming the largest and most influential supporter of data portability – to the significant benefit of all.
Still, Facebook has been here before – having initially joined the non-profit Data Portability organization and then largely remaining on the sidelines.
Hopefully, this all comes to pass and Facebook becomes the shining example of how a large company can balance direction and profitability with open data policies. If not, Mark’s words will likely become a rallying point that will surely stick in his side.
But, for now we’ll take him at his word, literally, and hope that the corner has turned. If this is in fact the case, then one of the best things that Mark and Facebook could do is to enact an official Portability Policy – just like those suggested by the recently released PortabilityPolicy.org from the Data Portability organization.
Read more: http://social.venturebeat.com/2010/05/26/zuckerberg-motivations/
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
iPad -- the New Computing Form Factor! (xWinLib announces support of the iPad!)
Today I released support for the iPad in my xWinLib cross-browser library. But first:
Hello, I’m a Windows dude and I LOVE THE iPad.
That’s not a sacrilegious statement or my introduction at Apple Anonymous, it’s a statement based on anticipation, excitement, and realization. Yes, I had to have it the day it came out. Yes, I am a geek, but I also consider myself more of a Window’s guy than an Apple dude. Still, I do own a Mac Air, a bunch of iTouchs, and of course a Macbook Pro (all [mostly] for testing purposes[;-)]) --- but the iPad is truly different.
I like to think that I obsessed on owning the iPad because it represents a new “form factor” – a new paradigm in the computing world – and as a software developer it opens all kinds of new avenues. And while all of this is true – and I do think that the iPad creates an entirely new market that previously did not exist (and we didn’t even know we needed…but we do need it) – there’s more to it… the iPad is COOL!
The day of the iPad release, lines went around the block. I called my local Apple store in the Galleria mall and they told me the line went outside into the parking lot. Best Buy at Pembroke Pines had a line that exceeded their inventory. Double bummer. Fortunately I didn’t have to wait in line to get my iPad. My local Best Buy in Sunrise somehow didn’t get their UPS-delivered shipment of iPads the day before --- and boy were they stressing! I went there the day before and talked to the dude responsible for the iPad rollout at that store – he was totally stressing. The morning of the launch, the guys answering the phone were even more stressed, and they probably went something like this: “Hi, this is Best Buy, no we haven’t gotten our iPad shipment in yet but we are hopeful that it will happen today. Please call back and we’ll be happy to tell you this again.”
After lunch I went in anyway and the “iPad dude” gave me a number for “when (if) they did come in” --- I got number 18, “just make sure you come in to pick it up before 5pm” – no problem! And it wasn’t – I rolled in at 4:30 --- the shipment arrived – no line – they swiped my credit card – and I left with the goodies. S-u-w-e-e-t.
So, what’s all the fuss for what many are calling an oversized iPhone?
Would you leave your personal computer or laptop on your coffee table for others to play with? No friggin’ way. Would you pass your laptop around the room in a magnanimous gesture of sharing? Seriously? Not a chance. Yet the coffee table is exactly where my iPad sits. And that’s just one of the things that makes the iPad so radically different.
The iPad is a household computing device. A media interface. A computer DESIGNED FOR SHARING. And, as a gaming device it adds a layer of SOCIAL INTEGRATION that transcends virtual to, dare I say it, reality!
How many remotes do you have? In my house I’ve got the cable box, blue-ray dvd, TV, surround sound, and an HDMI splitter – and that’s just the family room. Yeah, I’ve tried the “smart remote” -- my son bought me the Logitech model 10billion -- and my wife still shops for wicker baskets to hold all of the remotes.
More so, are we really approaching “the year of home automation”? OK, I already mentioned that I’m a geek – and, yes, I was playing around with creating APIs for X10 device 2 ½ DECADES ago – but TRUE automation is way cooler than turning on and off your Christmas lights with a key fob.
The iPAD IS PERFECT FOR ALL OF THIS. My laptop… not so much. My desktop… definitely not. My server farm… get real…. Hence my belief that the iPad is a completely new form factor for computing – and THAT is why I had to have one… NOW. For all these reasons and more, I made damn sure that my xWinlib library (www.xwinlib.com) provides support and recognition for the iPad platform – TODAY.
And now, if you don’t mind, I’ve got to excuse myself so I can test my credit limit in the APP STORE… and I’ve got a few planes to land as I play “drag and drop” air-traffic controller…
--Steve
Hello, I’m a Windows dude and I LOVE THE iPad.
That’s not a sacrilegious statement or my introduction at Apple Anonymous, it’s a statement based on anticipation, excitement, and realization. Yes, I had to have it the day it came out. Yes, I am a geek, but I also consider myself more of a Window’s guy than an Apple dude. Still, I do own a Mac Air, a bunch of iTouchs, and of course a Macbook Pro (all [mostly] for testing purposes[;-)]) --- but the iPad is truly different.
I like to think that I obsessed on owning the iPad because it represents a new “form factor” – a new paradigm in the computing world – and as a software developer it opens all kinds of new avenues. And while all of this is true – and I do think that the iPad creates an entirely new market that previously did not exist (and we didn’t even know we needed…but we do need it) – there’s more to it… the iPad is COOL!
The day of the iPad release, lines went around the block. I called my local Apple store in the Galleria mall and they told me the line went outside into the parking lot. Best Buy at Pembroke Pines had a line that exceeded their inventory. Double bummer. Fortunately I didn’t have to wait in line to get my iPad. My local Best Buy in Sunrise somehow didn’t get their UPS-delivered shipment of iPads the day before --- and boy were they stressing! I went there the day before and talked to the dude responsible for the iPad rollout at that store – he was totally stressing. The morning of the launch, the guys answering the phone were even more stressed, and they probably went something like this: “Hi, this is Best Buy, no we haven’t gotten our iPad shipment in yet but we are hopeful that it will happen today. Please call back and we’ll be happy to tell you this again.”
After lunch I went in anyway and the “iPad dude” gave me a number for “when (if) they did come in” --- I got number 18, “just make sure you come in to pick it up before 5pm” – no problem! And it wasn’t – I rolled in at 4:30 --- the shipment arrived – no line – they swiped my credit card – and I left with the goodies. S-u-w-e-e-t.
So, what’s all the fuss for what many are calling an oversized iPhone?
Would you leave your personal computer or laptop on your coffee table for others to play with? No friggin’ way. Would you pass your laptop around the room in a magnanimous gesture of sharing? Seriously? Not a chance. Yet the coffee table is exactly where my iPad sits. And that’s just one of the things that makes the iPad so radically different.
The iPad is a household computing device. A media interface. A computer DESIGNED FOR SHARING. And, as a gaming device it adds a layer of SOCIAL INTEGRATION that transcends virtual to, dare I say it, reality!
How many remotes do you have? In my house I’ve got the cable box, blue-ray dvd, TV, surround sound, and an HDMI splitter – and that’s just the family room. Yeah, I’ve tried the “smart remote” -- my son bought me the Logitech model 10billion -- and my wife still shops for wicker baskets to hold all of the remotes.
More so, are we really approaching “the year of home automation”? OK, I already mentioned that I’m a geek – and, yes, I was playing around with creating APIs for X10 device 2 ½ DECADES ago – but TRUE automation is way cooler than turning on and off your Christmas lights with a key fob.
The iPAD IS PERFECT FOR ALL OF THIS. My laptop… not so much. My desktop… definitely not. My server farm… get real…. Hence my belief that the iPad is a completely new form factor for computing – and THAT is why I had to have one… NOW. For all these reasons and more, I made damn sure that my xWinlib library (www.xwinlib.com) provides support and recognition for the iPad platform – TODAY.
And now, if you don’t mind, I’ve got to excuse myself so I can test my credit limit in the APP STORE… and I’ve got a few planes to land as I play “drag and drop” air-traffic controller…
--Steve
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
DataPortability 2010
As many of you know, I am a big-time proponent of Data Portability. That simple concept that enables the free-flow of information in intuitive, secure, and informed ways has been a pet project of mine for some time. In fact, many of the products I have developed over the years, including Zude, Scrapplet, FGL, and xWinLib just to name a few, posses significant components of (and hopefully important contributions to) data portability.
I have been fortunate to be associated with the Data Portability Project (http://www.dataportability.org), the International non-profit spearheading the charge of Data Portability. My involvement has grown from “just a member” to a corporate officer and member of the Board of Directors. I am humbled by the caliber of folks that I get to work with in this group and others that share a mutual passion and vision for data portability. Today, the Data Portability organization counts among its members and participants many of the thought-leaders in the technology world and related organizations including: Facebook, MySpace, Google, Plaxo, Microsoft, Adobe, and more.
It is with this in mind that I am honored to have been elected as 2010 Vice-Chairman of the DataPortability organization and again member of the board. This is especially meaningful knowing all of the good things ahead for data portability and the consumers and producers of information. I look forward to the year ahead and am excited at the prospect of positive change that data portability will bring to us all!
--Steve Repetti
www.radwebtech.com
I have been fortunate to be associated with the Data Portability Project (http://www.dataportability.org), the International non-profit spearheading the charge of Data Portability. My involvement has grown from “just a member” to a corporate officer and member of the Board of Directors. I am humbled by the caliber of folks that I get to work with in this group and others that share a mutual passion and vision for data portability. Today, the Data Portability organization counts among its members and participants many of the thought-leaders in the technology world and related organizations including: Facebook, MySpace, Google, Plaxo, Microsoft, Adobe, and more.
It is with this in mind that I am honored to have been elected as 2010 Vice-Chairman of the DataPortability organization and again member of the board. This is especially meaningful knowing all of the good things ahead for data portability and the consumers and producers of information. I look forward to the year ahead and am excited at the prospect of positive change that data portability will bring to us all!
--Steve Repetti
www.radwebtech.com
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Open Web Advocate Chris Messina to join Google
TechCrunch is reporting today that Open Web rockstar Chris Messina is joing Google!
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Chris through the Open Web Foundation (www.openwebfoundation.org) and Data Portability initiative (www.dataportability.org) and can unequivocally state that he is truly one of the thought leaders in technology today. I know he will do well at Google and all of which will mean bigger and better things for us all. My advice to Google: listen to Chris, give him whatever resources he wants, and sit back and take credit for your brilliance to bring him into the fold. (oh yeah, and don’t forget DISO http://diso-project.org/ !)
And... Happy Birthday Chris! What a great birthday present!!!
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Chris through the Open Web Foundation (www.openwebfoundation.org) and Data Portability initiative (www.dataportability.org) and can unequivocally state that he is truly one of the thought leaders in technology today. I know he will do well at Google and all of which will mean bigger and better things for us all. My advice to Google: listen to Chris, give him whatever resources he wants, and sit back and take credit for your brilliance to bring him into the fold. (oh yeah, and don’t forget DISO http://diso-project.org/ !)
And... Happy Birthday Chris! What a great birthday present!!!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
SuperTweet MetaData
Uber-blogger Robert Scoble started a lively conversation regarding his concept of the SuperTweet as a mechanism of monitization for Twitter on his blog.
I had to put in my two cents because I really think he's on to something -- but WAY beyond just advertising. Here's my response:
First, the meta-data association is BIG --- way beyond just advertising. Tagging, geo-location, and parent/child info (providing the ability to piece together entire conversations and trends – REAL-TIME), just to name a few, would be enormously useful to Twitter and 3rd-party developers. It would create a mechanism that does not mess with the magical 140 characters, while providing an extension that embraces really useful things today and things that haven’t even been thought of yet.
Addressing the monetization issue, clearly the integration of (multi-tiered) SuperTweet MetaData would benefit any advertising strategy Twitter pursues, and offer an affiliate opportunity for Twitter clients and developers. Twitter has every right to place whatever ads they want within any context they chose, just as the user has every right to ignore them or abandon the service. Twitter’s responsibility for long-term happiness (for all) is to find a balance.
It wasn’t so long ago that nobody would conceive of paying a subscription for the right to push out messages 140 characters at a time. But that was before the phenomenal growth and success of the Twitter ecosystem. There is absolutely a class of Twitter users today that would pay $2.95 per month for additional value add – whether that be no ads, higher control over ads, or premium service/content.
For everyone else, SuperTweet MetaData could help target ads in ways not otherwise available. The problem with web-based ads (a la Google), is that there is too much anonymity for them to be really useful (this is separate from privacy). If I visit a website, the context for ad delivery is the website I am visiting. Twitter, on the other hand, knows the context of the message, the conversation in which the message occurs, the originating sender, distributed recipients, relational association at each step (including location of all), plus any meta data that I may have inserted via preferences, priorities, filters, patterns, and trends – all of which occurs in real-time.
I do not believe the case for SuperTweet MetaData is about advertising, though it certainly has relevance. No, I think the real case for SuperTweet MetaData is that it reinforces Twitter’s position as the center of its universe, extends 3rd-party opportunity by an order of magnitude, and provides Twitter with numerous monetization options – including advertising and subscription revenue.
I had to put in my two cents because I really think he's on to something -- but WAY beyond just advertising. Here's my response:
First, the meta-data association is BIG --- way beyond just advertising. Tagging, geo-location, and parent/child info (providing the ability to piece together entire conversations and trends – REAL-TIME), just to name a few, would be enormously useful to Twitter and 3rd-party developers. It would create a mechanism that does not mess with the magical 140 characters, while providing an extension that embraces really useful things today and things that haven’t even been thought of yet.
Addressing the monetization issue, clearly the integration of (multi-tiered) SuperTweet MetaData would benefit any advertising strategy Twitter pursues, and offer an affiliate opportunity for Twitter clients and developers. Twitter has every right to place whatever ads they want within any context they chose, just as the user has every right to ignore them or abandon the service. Twitter’s responsibility for long-term happiness (for all) is to find a balance.
It wasn’t so long ago that nobody would conceive of paying a subscription for the right to push out messages 140 characters at a time. But that was before the phenomenal growth and success of the Twitter ecosystem. There is absolutely a class of Twitter users today that would pay $2.95 per month for additional value add – whether that be no ads, higher control over ads, or premium service/content.
For everyone else, SuperTweet MetaData could help target ads in ways not otherwise available. The problem with web-based ads (a la Google), is that there is too much anonymity for them to be really useful (this is separate from privacy). If I visit a website, the context for ad delivery is the website I am visiting. Twitter, on the other hand, knows the context of the message, the conversation in which the message occurs, the originating sender, distributed recipients, relational association at each step (including location of all), plus any meta data that I may have inserted via preferences, priorities, filters, patterns, and trends – all of which occurs in real-time.
I do not believe the case for SuperTweet MetaData is about advertising, though it certainly has relevance. No, I think the real case for SuperTweet MetaData is that it reinforces Twitter’s position as the center of its universe, extends 3rd-party opportunity by an order of magnitude, and provides Twitter with numerous monetization options – including advertising and subscription revenue.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
The "Personal" Server in My Everyday life...
[Dave Winer started a great conversation about "Personal Servers" over at his scripting.com site. My comments:]
(Personal Servers have) become part of my environment – part of my “operating system”. It’s an extension whose always-on real-time availability lets me host services, communications, aggregators, consolidators, syndicators, and so much more.
I have been living daily with “personal” servers since the mid 90’s. There is one running in the background on my laptop (and most of my other machines) as I write this comment (actually, it is running multiple server instances – port 80, 7070, 9090, and 443 [ssl]. This is ALWAYS present for me. The power of dynamic content generation and JIT compiling/execution is infinitely more useful when it exists real-time in your actual environment. I can modify a file, and simply by saving it the change is instantly available on the web. Likewise, via localhost, I can develop without the burden of FTP. Code, refresh, code, refresh. When I’m ready, and need more (such as the business/commercial aspect) then after I’ve locally fine-tuned, I upload to an offsite hosting rack.
But it’s not just for development. It has become part of my environment – part of my “operating system”. It’s an extension whose always-on real-time availability lets me host services, communications, aggregators, consolidators, syndicators, and so much more. I, for one, cannot imagine my environment without this power and flexibility.
+1 for Personal Servers
(Personal Servers have) become part of my environment – part of my “operating system”. It’s an extension whose always-on real-time availability lets me host services, communications, aggregators, consolidators, syndicators, and so much more.I have been living daily with “personal” servers since the mid 90’s. There is one running in the background on my laptop (and most of my other machines) as I write this comment (actually, it is running multiple server instances – port 80, 7070, 9090, and 443 [ssl]. This is ALWAYS present for me. The power of dynamic content generation and JIT compiling/execution is infinitely more useful when it exists real-time in your actual environment. I can modify a file, and simply by saving it the change is instantly available on the web. Likewise, via localhost, I can develop without the burden of FTP. Code, refresh, code, refresh. When I’m ready, and need more (such as the business/commercial aspect) then after I’ve locally fine-tuned, I upload to an offsite hosting rack.
But it’s not just for development. It has become part of my environment – part of my “operating system”. It’s an extension whose always-on real-time availability lets me host services, communications, aggregators, consolidators, syndicators, and so much more. I, for one, cannot imagine my environment without this power and flexibility.
+1 for Personal Servers
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Is the Droid Love Affair Over? Absolutely not, but…
I love my Droid. Simple as that. But a serious flaw has revealed itself that has the potential for catastrophic consequences for my new little buddy. It’s a problem so obvious that at first I couldn’t believe it and hoped it just went away – but it is a critical problem that could cripple the Droid, and therefore needs to be addressed.
First, let me say that I have never owned an iPhone, Blackberry, or any other Smart Phone – ever. I have been a loyal Motorola phone user for years (my phone previous to the Droid was a Razor) and I WANT the Droid to be successful for so many reasons.
The problem is with the physical keys of the keyboard. This is not an issue of whether you like the keyboard or not, or think the keys could have been laid out better (for the record, I like the keyboard, but also believe it will be refined as the Droid evolves). The problem is the keys themselves -- under a very specific circumstance.
So, when I was at the Verizon store when they opened yesterday (the first day of availability of the Droid), I got my Droid, all the accessories, and a big smile on my face. Of course I got the car charger, the car mount (for GPS mode), and the Verizon-recommended rubber protective “Bra” – this latter accessory consisting of two-piece rubber that attaches to the top and bottom of the Droid. And it is this “protective” accessory that has the potential for catastrophic interaction with the phone. The problem is that is seems the “face” of the keys on the keyboard are glued on to the keys – no big deal, except when you slide the keyboard open and the rubber bra catches on the keys – in my case the edge of the DEL key caught and started to peel up. At first I didn’t realize why the slide was “sticking” but then quickly determined that if I opened the keyboard all the way up, it would rip the face of the DEL key right off. CRAP!
If you look closely at the picture above, you can see the corner of the DEL key pulled up. For now, I have used my fingernail to push it back down and I removed the top piece of the rubber protective “bra” and everything is working fine. But I can no longer use the top piece because it will rip the key face right off. I’ll be visiting the Verizon store tomorrow to seek a remedy, but in the mean time, I would caution everyone not to use the rubber bra thingee on top.
Has this experience soured my excitement for the Droid? Hell no. I told you, I love the little guy. I struggled with even raising this issue, but it was clear to me that this is a problem that will continue, and maybe the next guy who writes about it will use this flaw to slam an otherwise fantastic device. For me, I’m sticking with the Droid… quirks, flaws, and all -- but my Droid will go topless without the rubber bra.
[UPDATE: It runs out that the BRA has a small tab on three of its four sides. It must be installed so that no tab is on the bottom side where the keyboard slides open. Regrettably, neither Motorola or Verizon provide any instructions in this matter.]
First, let me say that I have never owned an iPhone, Blackberry, or any other Smart Phone – ever. I have been a loyal Motorola phone user for years (my phone previous to the Droid was a Razor) and I WANT the Droid to be successful for so many reasons.
The problem is with the physical keys of the keyboard. This is not an issue of whether you like the keyboard or not, or think the keys could have been laid out better (for the record, I like the keyboard, but also believe it will be refined as the Droid evolves). The problem is the keys themselves -- under a very specific circumstance.
So, when I was at the Verizon store when they opened yesterday (the first day of availability of the Droid), I got my Droid, all the accessories, and a big smile on my face. Of course I got the car charger, the car mount (for GPS mode), and the Verizon-recommended rubber protective “Bra” – this latter accessory consisting of two-piece rubber that attaches to the top and bottom of the Droid. And it is this “protective” accessory that has the potential for catastrophic interaction with the phone. The problem is that is seems the “face” of the keys on the keyboard are glued on to the keys – no big deal, except when you slide the keyboard open and the rubber bra catches on the keys – in my case the edge of the DEL key caught and started to peel up. At first I didn’t realize why the slide was “sticking” but then quickly determined that if I opened the keyboard all the way up, it would rip the face of the DEL key right off. CRAP!
If you look closely at the picture above, you can see the corner of the DEL key pulled up. For now, I have used my fingernail to push it back down and I removed the top piece of the rubber protective “bra” and everything is working fine. But I can no longer use the top piece because it will rip the key face right off. I’ll be visiting the Verizon store tomorrow to seek a remedy, but in the mean time, I would caution everyone not to use the rubber bra thingee on top.
Has this experience soured my excitement for the Droid? Hell no. I told you, I love the little guy. I struggled with even raising this issue, but it was clear to me that this is a problem that will continue, and maybe the next guy who writes about it will use this flaw to slam an otherwise fantastic device. For me, I’m sticking with the Droid… quirks, flaws, and all -- but my Droid will go topless without the rubber bra.
[UPDATE: It runs out that the BRA has a small tab on three of its four sides. It must be installed so that no tab is on the bottom side where the keyboard slides open. Regrettably, neither Motorola or Verizon provide any instructions in this matter.]
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