Google Sites to Launch in 2008

A recent presentation from Scott Johnston, a former JotSpot executive, revealed some of the future plans for Google Apps and other Google services.

A service based on JotSpot will replace Google Page Creator. “Scheduled to be launched sometime next year (2008), Google Sites will expand upon the Google Page Creator already offered within Apps. Based on JotSpot collaboration tools, Sites will allow business to set up intranets, project management tracking, customer extranets, and any number of custom sites based on multi-user collaboration.” The service will also allow you to upload any file formats. You can already see a gallery of applications that use JotSpot.

Open Social API vs Facebook API

Google’s Open Social API – is this the end of Facebook?

After the half a year experience in application development for both of them I can make a weighed conclusion – absolutely NOT.

As a developer I like Facebook API more than Open Social, why?

It feels more finished and stable. You can deeply integrate the application into facebook or user profile using amazing FBML. If You want to retrieve any user information You don’t need to use a “pack” of classes or functions, You can use specific functions or use FQL language and recieve any infromation You want.

OpenSocial codelab with the Silicon Valley Web Builders

This week’s Silicon Valley Web Builder (SVWB) hackathon attracted a group of developers of different levels of experience in building social applications and set them on a course to create applications with OpenSocial. After some introductions, they group got its hands dirty by working through a “codelab.” At the end of the night, groups demoed the apps they built during the hackathon.
The event also featured a demo of hi5’s OpenSocial container running an application from KlickNation that had been recently built for OpenSocial. It turns out they only spent about 20 hours to get it running on hi5, and porting the hi5 version to orkut took only 20 minutes.

Google’s Open Social API

As reported on TechCrunch one and half month ago, Google is going to launch a new API, now we know it as Open Social. According to a recent post on TechCrunch, the API will be launched this Thursday Google Time, though Garett Rogers, who had the chance to play with the API before it became publicly available, says that the planned launch date is the 5th of November. (”Remember, remember, the fifth of November.” )

Marc Andreessen, founder of Ning (the social network) and co-author of Mosaic (the browser), detailed the API on his blog. He said that Open Social is the “exact same concept as the Facebook platform, with two huge differences” (a polite way to call Google a copycat, that is). The two differences are that “applications” written under the Open Social platform (standard HTML and JavaScript) can run on any participating social networks*, or “containers” – as referred to in the documentations, compare to the Facebook applications that can only run on Facebook.

TechCrunch says that developers can access the profile, friends information, and activities of the user that’s using the application.

Sounds great, now let’s just wait. (And then somebody’s going to jump out from nowhere and start screaming “Google is EVIL!”)

Getting Started with Facebook Application Development

There’s been a fair bit of interest in Facebook as an applications platform, judging from declarations that it’s the new Visual Basic or the next Windows and the number of developers signing up for the Facebook Developer Garage taking place here in Toronto on August 7th. I recently started trying out development for Facebook and will share my notes, experiences and findings here from time to time.

This article will cover the basics of writing a simple Facebook application using PHP 5 — by the end, you should be able to write a simple, if not terribly useful, Facebook application. Most of this article will deal with the initial setup required.

What You’ll Need

I’m a good PHP-programmer

I’ve finished the test and knew that I’m a good programmer, but not enough for good company )))

P.S. Text on image I’m – good PHP-programmer 254-points