So come on all your bloggers, better get ready for some musical tunes. Playing their hearts out, right there in your saloon.  A dirty old place, it's your virtual gutter.  And now, heaven forbid you can hear it utter.

Laszlo Mugs

Laszlo Mugs

We recently wrapped up version 2.0 of the Laszlo Presentation Server. In celebration of the new components, I opened a couple of Cafe Press stores to special-order some custom Laszlo schwag. It was a fun excuse to check out Cafe Press. Its an amazing business where you can create your own T-shirts, mugs or whatever with custom graphics. The site is very easy to use and I highly recommend it.

So... the stores are open and mugs are sold at cost. I'm posting links here for Laszlovians, Laszlo developers and other fans.

available at http://www.cafeshops.com /laszlofanclub  [Sarah Allen's Weblog]

That's what Laszlo objects are all
about!

Alf asked:

Apparently, Apple's new Dashboard thingummies are HTML/CSS/Javascript pages (ie WebKit) in little floaty windows, perfect for tiny Flash/SVG apps and web-updated displays.

But how do you control iTunes from one of those -- open up internal application controls to the internet?

And Mar c Canter replied:

Without being able to "API Into" a system, these little HTML pages are nothing more than just - well HTML pages.

But just imagine if we had open APIs to inter-connect modules together!

We spend most of our web time in the browser, and yet the browser is not an object on the web. Is it possible to change that, or will there always be a line that the web can't cross? How is an application that handles web objects different from a web object? Why can't my web app generate M3U files to control your client app to render M3U files?

This is the tragedy of Flash: Flash objects are on the web, but not the Flash player, so Flash has never become a building block.

We're using it on 1UP.com.

Laszlo is kranking!

Laszlo preview release

A preview release of Laszlo Presentation Server version 2.0 is now available. Woo hoo!

• New Component Framework: All the components you expect in a web app plus a few more. This framework is fully laszlo-rrific -- with the details you know and love from an OS GUI with all the cinematic user experience you've come to expect from a Laszlo app. The components support simple declaration, data binding, full scripting APIs, and keyboard navigation -- whew!
  
• KRANK Optimizer: Every web engineer worries about performance. Here's something for the Laszlo bag o' tricks. This new "instant-on" technology allows developers to optimize an application so that it will start immediately once downloaded.
  
• Live examples in the Documentation: I use this feature all the time. With a single click you can modify and recompile examples.
  
• Better and cooler data binding: if you liked data binding and replication from v1, you're gonna love the new $path expression.
  

The components were my main gig on this release, jamming with Bret Simister, Peter Andrea, and the gang. I think this may be the first component set created entirely in declarative XML. The complete source code for the components is included with the developer edition. You can check out a component example which you change the style to see the components in different colors. The components use a new "Ultra Pixel" font created especially for Laszlo by Truth in Design.

Download LPS 2.0 Developer Edition and try it yourself. [Sarah Allen's Weblog]

Laszlo Systems continues to rock and roll.

Not only have they shown real world, major, scalable deployed apps (Behr Paint, Earthlink, Yahoo, etc.) but they're about to show something for Kodak and are working on...... (ooops can't tell  you!)

Anyway this 2.0 rocks and - gee - that copycat stuff from Macromedia ain't even in beta yet.  Smart developers will put their money on Laszlo.

Bla-Bla list - speaking of Laszlo

From now on - you'll be seeing lots of great examples of free, open source examples of Laszlo apps.

Here's teh first - the Bla-Blah list.

Since Laszlo is free and Flex just raised it's price to $15k a server - there should be no issue why you wouldn't choose this superior solution.

Laszlo User Group meeting

OK - so unless it's not already obvious - the future has MUCH to do with reich media interfaces - those 'webapp'-like entities that exist in a webpage, but act like a "normal" app.

I'm in love with a company called Laszlo Systems - and they've got abunch of new stuff coming down the pipe.....

So my friend Andrew Woolridge wants everyone to know - there's a Laszlo User Group meeting coming up......

Here's Andrew's pitch......

Next User Group Meeting: Tuesday July 27, 2004

At: Laszlo San Francisco Office
Time: 6:30 pizza; 7-9 pm meeting

A group of Laszlo enthusiasts have organized the Laszlo User Group. Meetings occur monthly at the Laszlo Systems offices in San Francisco, CA. Free pizza is often served. Members typically discuss and demo their latest projects. They also hear updates from as well as discuss issues directly with the Laszlo engineering team.

Directions.....

There may be something very significant demoed this week....

============

I'll be there = :-)

New Media browser tech available now
from Laszlo

Kevin Schofield has an interview with some Microsoft guy of their new 'Media Browser'. I assume it's built in Avalon and XAML.

It does lots of coolio things like:

- show me these specific pictures
- show me their annotations
- image zooms up on rollover
- images sort themselves in front of your eyes
- all the images with THIS keyword get highlighted
- display a 'Facewall' of images
- images line up 3D
- drill into any stack of images - have it reshuffle itself
- resort, attach attributes, resort again
- etc.

So if you want to get nex-generation Microsoft functionality today - go get Laszlo.

:-)

Greg Elin and Adam Siefer should love this stuff.

And Flickr should include it. Too bad Flickr is written in Flash. They could do these exact licks in Laszlo in minutes....

But Ben Ceverney's platform is still pretty coolio. Flickr continues to lead the way in this area......

Free non-comercial licenses for Laszlo

What does an online audioblogging player really look like?

Yesterda y I wrote about online audio metaphors.  Today I ask What does an online audioblogging player really look like?.  What I'm really talking about here is the MP3 player's GUI that navigates the user to the online produced audio content.

No it doesn't look like anything in the current crop of IPods or MP3 players (not that they couldn't be made to adapt - in reality these devices or really just a bunch of software code).  Current MP3 players use the metaphors from the old analog offline world (see yesterday's post - Online audio metaphors defined).  At the time of the development of the first generation of digital mp3 players (the RIO - I own and still have the original), the online audio producing world was silent, so the design of these first generation mp3 players was obviously tied to the offline audio producing world way of thinking.  Audio file players that followed just continued this process, tapping into the legacy and expanding on what was created by the pioneers.  The current players in the field need to recognize that times are changing, audio is beginning to be produced in the online world also, which makes it time to rethink how the audio players relate to what is completely happening with audio production, online and offline.

As I look at the current version of SoundBlox, I see some of the same legacy analog design thinking (Album, artist and tracks).  Remember that SoundBlox is really just software so it can be changed and improved.  How do we make/drive the next generation of SoundBlox features? We either need someone to learn Lazlo or we need to find a Lazlo developer or SoundBlox developer to customize SoundBlox to add the features it needs to support the online audio producers, currently the audiobloggers (website/weblog, webmaster/audioblogger and files/audiomessage).

The nice thing I found out about Soundblox is that it's code is freely available under the same terms of the Apache Open Source license, so it can used as a starting point or reference which will save a lot of time for someone who wants to build a new version and add to it the emerging online audio metaphors. 

Any ideas on what's the best way to get these online metaphors/features into SoundBlox?

[Audio/Mobile Blogging News]

To Answer Harold - I can only say: "find someone who wants to learn Laszlo. It's not too hard!"  Non-commercial licenses are available - for free!

widGet

Zero Memory Widget 0.0.9

Zero Memory Widget 0.0.8

Zero Memory Widget 0.0.7

Zero Memory Widget 0.0.10

Widget Wars

Widget-Meta-0.01

Widget-Meta-0.02

Widget-Meta-0.03

The Rocket Widget

Now I'm not much of a drinker, but I do imbibe from time to time. Last night I got a wild hair and picked up a six-pack of Guinness Draught Bottles, (when I drink beer, I like to taste beer) and cracked one open when I got home. I didn't bother reading the label or anything... a good beer is a good beer, right? Pop the top and enjoy. The part of the label I did read was that you don't need a glass to get the full experience with this stuff, so bottoms up!

But when I got to the bottom of the bottle, I found something more than beer in there.

"What the ????"

A little plastic thingy that looked to be part of the filling equipment was rattling around inside. By this time I'm looking pretty closely at the label for a phone number to call and complain. (I'm not big on product liability lawsuits, but I've got to admit, the thought of a fat settlement check did cross my mind.) The label didn't really say anything about it, but did have a web address, and there I got the straight poop.

Enjoy the authentic taste of GUINNESS anytime, anywhere thanks to another clever little invention, the "rocket widget."

Once the bottle is opened, the "rocket widget" creates the famous surge and forms the signature creamy head right inside. Every time you take a drink from the bottle the "rocket widget" refreshes the surge so that you get the perfect pint taste with every sip. Ingenious.

Turns out they've had this feature in their bottled brew since 2001 (shows how often I get out!) Neat idea. And thinking back, I do remember having a bit more froth whilst sipping than I'd usually experience with a bottle of beer. I'll have to pay more attention on my next one.

Widget ideas

It's that Serenity widget again

Zero Memory Widget 0.0.6

CGI-Widget-FilloutForm

Canvas Widget 1.0.0

Zero Memory Widget 0.0.5

The Tk Text Widget

Zero Memory Widget 0.0.2

Xbae Widget Set

CGI-Widget-Path-0.01

The Tk Canvas Widget

Widget syndication

CGI-Widget-DBI-Search

Let's Build Another Dashboard Widget

Widget Machine launches

Dashboard: Widget (In)Security

Guis widget server 1.5

Guis widget server 1.6

Servlet Widget Toolkit

HTML-Widget-sideBar-1.01.1

Widget Wars: Thoughts On The
Konfabulator-Dashboard Brouhaha

Seattle Traffic Dashboard Widget

Vote for your favorite Dashboard Widget

Dashboard widget site launched

Thought I'd get the word out about a new site for news, tutorials, downloads, and discussion about Dashboard and Widget development. It's a free resource (AdSense-supported) I put together because I thought Dashboard could use something like this.

Check it out:

http://www.dashboardexposed.com/

News: Dashboard Widget store opens

News: Evite releases Dashboard Widget

Exclusive: interview with Mr. Sun about
the OS X Weather Dashboard widget

One of my favorite Dashboard widgets is the Weather widget. It's been pretty hot and sunny for the last few weeks here in NYC so I've been seeing quite a few pictures of my favorite yellow celestial object depicted on the widget. I recently had a chance to sit down with Mr. Sun, a long-time resident of both our solar system and the blogosphere, and I asked him about his Weather widget representations. Here's a portion of our interview:

Jason: How did the Weather Dashboard widget project come about?

Mr. Sun: Funny story. I'm kicking back, combustin' some rhymes, and this spacecr aft approaches me. I'm about to throw a flare upside its flimsy-ass hull, when I notice it is sending a message out into the heliosphere.The damn thing is in Apple format, and I have Windows - so I have to download a special viewer. I finally decode the thing, and it's from Steve Jobs about an "insanely great" idea. I vaguely knew about him, because I'd been doing some advance work for Satan on how best to burn Gates for eternity. I'm a special consultant, basically. Anyway, I figured -- what the heck? So, that's how it started. Look, what network are you with again? I don't recognize you.

Jason: Is this the type of work you want to be doing at this point in
your 4.5 billion year career?

Mr. Sun: Look, I'm not going to radiate sunshine up your you-know-what. I'm struggling. Back in the day, I had a great agent -- Nicolaus. Not the brightest guy in the cosmos, but totally devoted to me. He made me feel like I was the center of the universe. I remember I worked with Frank Capra on Our Mr. Sun. Just between you and me, that guy was a little too sunny even for me -- ringing bells and angels wings -- whatever. Then, there was the "Pee-wee incident" involving an unfortunate choice I made in a public setting. I know it's no excuse, but I've warned you people to wear those glasses. I was in a slump. I started to get mean, sloppy, and pathetic. I wasn't combusting properly -- I had bad gas. So yes, I agreed to lend my likeness to the OS X weather widget. Is it where I want to be right now? No. Is it an honest gig? Yes, I think so. I've been thinking about starting a blog anyway; someone needs to let those other Sun Shadys know they are just imitating.

Jason: But do you really need any more exposure? You've got the most prime advertising position in the world -- 5 or 6 billion people a day can see you by just looking up -- what more are you looking for?

Mr. Sun: Eyeballs. Is that all you Internet types ever think about? You want to know who had a lot of eyeballs on him? Mahir. Do you want to be that guy for even one minute? I KISS YOU !!!!! You ask me how I can want more. Let me tell you a story that may help you understand. When I was younger, I watched Daedalus and his son fly just beneath me, soaring out of captivity on wings made of feathers stuck with wax to a flimsy wooden frame. Drunk with freedom, Icarus looked directly at me. I felt the panic of his watchful father, but I was mesmerized by his youthful passion. I met his gaze. He moved toward me and the rest they call myth. I made a vow that day to never stay still. Yes, I am fixed in the sky -- but not at my core. The fire that sustains me is fueled by the memory of what it took for Icarus to make his way to me, and the debt I owe for my part in his fall to earth. I can't repay that debt from 93 million miles away, but sitting on your desktop, I can at least start. I am also told the Internet is basically just one gigantic Porn Delivery Device, and I haven't had any good jacking material since the Soviets from Mir jettisoned their garbage. Did you ever say where you are from? Was it the Wall Street Journal? I'd love to have one of those stencilled sketches of me.

Jason: The photography in this shoot looks more candid than in past shoots by NASA, ground-based astronomers, or vacationing amateurs. In one photo, it looks like you're crying and in another you appear to be surrounded by a haze of marijuana smoke. Are we finally seeing the real you?

Mr. Sun: Looks can be very deceiving. In this case, however, they are not. Last year, I cried nonstop for three of your earth months. I cried because I burn anyone who comes close to me. I cried because I shine alone in the blackness of space. I cried because just once, I'd like to feel pretty and I know that will never happen. As for the haze of smoke around me, I am made of gas. If I wasn't churning gas around, you'd all be as frozen as Ted Williams head, so maybe you should think twice before demoting me from life-sustaining star to orbital stoner. Look, I've been around the block a time or two when it comes to humanity. At first, you were fearful of me. Later, you worshipped me as a god. Now, you ask me these cynical questions. Fine, no problem. I'll be around to see the cycle repeat itself a few thousand more times. I'm just a star, an ordinary star. Deal with it.

Thanks for joining us, Mr. Sun.

Winner announced for Spymac Dashboard
widget contest

Konfabulator 1.5.4 fixes Widget issues,
more

Soundblox Laszlo Widget