[Offtopic] Opera Unite 'web server'

[Roland Gesthuizen]

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 :-)

Regards

2009/6/17 <stephen at melbpc.org.au>

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



-- 
Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Coordinator - Westall Secondary College
http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au

"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
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