September 2010 Summaries

WebP is a new image format introduced by Google aiming to enhance web speed by reducing image sizes, which are a significant contributor to web page latency. Utilizing the VP8 codec initially open-sourced by Google, WebP compresses lossy images like JPEGs more efficiently, resulting in an average 39% reduction in file size without compromising visual quality. This format is based on a lightweight RIFF container, allowing for minimal overhead and extensibility for metadata. Google's team conducted extensive testing with over a million web images, showcasing WebP's potential to outperform existing formats in reducing file sizes. To foster adoption, Google released a conversion tool and is working on integrating native support for WebP in browsers, particularly through a WebKit patch for Google Chrome, with plans to incorporate features like transparency in future updates. The initiative is part of a broader effort to engage the web development community in optimizing web experiences, inviting feedback and collaboration on WebP's development and integration.

Google has announced the introduction of OAuth authorization for Google Apps APIs, enhancing the security and flexibility of its cloud-based services for users. Previously, administrators had to use the less secure ClientLogin Authorization, which required sharing passwords across sites. OAuth offers advantages such as increased security through scoped and expiring tokens, customization to limit token access to specific API scopes, and its open-source nature, which is widely recognized by developers. This update supports several Google Apps APIs, including the Provisioning, Email Migration, Admin Settings, Calendar Resource, Email Settings, and Audit APIs. The implementation of OAuth is part of Google's ongoing efforts to make its cloud platform more secure and reliable for organizations, with further information available through a scheduled webinar.

Google hosted its first-ever G-days in Egypt and Jordan in December 2010, aiming to enhance the relevance and utility of the Internet for Arabic speakers and to foster local tech innovation. The events took place in Cairo and Amman, with each day dedicated to different groups such as computer science students, developers, entrepreneurs, and tech marketers. Attendees were required to pre-register due to limited space. The conferences featured a variety of tech talks and breakout sessions led by Google's engineers, product managers, and business leaders, focusing on Google's open web and mobile technologies. These gatherings provided attendees with opportunities to interact with Google professionals and explore new technological advancements, reflecting Google's commitment to supporting the growing Internet ecosystem in the Middle East.

Registration for Google Developer Day in Europe and Russia has opened, with events scheduled for November 9 in Munich, November 12 in Moscow, and November 16 in Prague. The Developer Day promises engaging sessions featuring prominent speakers and valuable content for attendees. To stay informed about the events, participants can follow updates on specific regional blogs and Twitter accounts, using official hashtags #gddde, #gddru, and #gddcz. The announcement was made by Ben Wallace from Developer Marketing EMEA.

In September 2010, Google announced the relaunch of several developer tools acquired from Instantiations, making them available for free under the Google brand. These tools, which include GWT Designer for creating Ajax user interfaces, CodePro AnalytiX for code quality and security analysis, WindowBuilder Pro for Java GUI design, and WindowTester Pro for testing GUI interactions, are integrated into Google's offerings for Eclipse Java developers. The relaunch aims to unify these tools with the Google Plugin for Eclipse, enhancing the capabilities of the Google Web Toolkit (GWT). Google encourages developers to use these tools in their GWT projects and invites discussions and feedback through Instantiations' forums, while also offering email updates for future developments and integrations.

The Google Prediction API, initially introduced at Google I/O and well-received by developers, has unveiled new features designed to enhance app intelligence. These enhancements include multi-category prediction, which allows apps, like news aggregators, to tag articles with multiple labels ranked by pertinence, improving recommendation accuracy. Additionally, the API now supports continuous output, offering a refined ranking system for items such as wines, based on user preferences. Mixed inputs are another new feature, enabling the integration of both numeric and text data, which can significantly improve the accuracy of applications like automatic blog moderators by accommodating a wider range of input types. By combining these features, developers can optimize their apps for better performance and user experience. The Prediction API remains in a limited preview and is available at no charge during this period, with developers encouraged to join the waitlist for access.

Registration for the Sao Paulo Google Developer Day, scheduled for October 29, 2010, is now open, with additional details on sessions and speaker bios available on the event's website. Participants are encouraged to follow @googledevbr on social media, using the hashtag #gddbr, for ongoing updates about developer news in Brazil. It's important to note that registration will close on September 28, 2010.

The blog post discusses utilizing the Google Analytics Data Export API to enhance productivity by automating the retrieval of data, specifically for analyzing trends in organic search landing pages. Initially, it explains the manual method of extracting data from the Google Analytics web interface, which involves creating custom reports and exporting data into CSV files for analysis, a time-consuming process. The post then introduces a more efficient method using the Data Export API that automates this process, significantly reducing the time required. It describes two approaches: the first requiring a high number of queries that could exhaust the daily quota, and an optimized second approach that uses filter expressions to minimize queries, enabling users to efficiently analyze multiple dimensions and time frames. The post emphasizes the potential insights gained from this automation in understanding traffic patterns and encourages users to explore its capabilities.

Google's DevFest Asia Pacific Tour, announced on September 13, 2010, is set to return to Asia with events covering topics such as Android, HTML5/Chrome, Social Web, and Geo. The tour will feature sessions hosted by Google Developer Advocates and local speakers, providing opportunities for attendees to engage and showcase their projects. Events are scheduled in Taipei on October 1st, Hong Kong on October 5th, Jakarta on October 8th, and Bangkok on October 10th. Interested participants are encouraged to visit the DevFest website for more information and to register early, as space is limited at each location and registration alone does not guarantee attendance without an email confirmation.

In September 2010, web developers witnessed a significant rise in HTML5 gaming, spurred by the open technology stack of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and faster browsers. To capitalize on this momentum, SPIL Games and Google are hosting an HTML5 Game Jam event on October 9th and 10th, inviting participants to create games using these technologies. The event will take place simultaneously at SPIL Games' headquarters in Hilversum, Netherlands, and Google's office in San Francisco. The Hilversum event is a sleepover hackathon, while the San Francisco gathering will extend until midnight. Both events will feature short talks, game pitches, hands-on hacking, and judging of the final projects, with accommodations and refreshments provided. Participants need to register in advance due to limited spots, and the event is free of charge.

Code.Google.com initially launched its project hosting platform with a limited selection of open source licenses to address the issue of license proliferation that was seen as a barrier to developers and users. Over the years, despite some criticism, this approach did not hinder adoption, and the platform became a major host for open source projects. Recently, however, the platform has introduced a change allowing any OSI-approved license to be selected by users, reflecting a shift towards greater flexibility and support for open source software development. While public domain projects remain restricted on a case-by-case basis due to their rarity and legal complexities, this new policy aims to accommodate projects with compatible or unique licenses, such as the AGPL or zlib, providing a broader range of options for developers. The decision to expand the license options was driven by the desire to better align with the platform's goal of supporting open source developers while addressing previous inconsistencies in handling multi-licensed projects.

Google hosted an Apps Script hackathon on September 23, 2010, in Mountain View, CA, offering participants an opportunity to learn about Google Apps Script, a JavaScript cloud scripting language designed to automate tasks across Google products and third-party services. The event featured an introduction to Apps Script, followed by a hands-on coding session where attendees could either follow along with a guided project or work on their own ideas with support from Apps Script experts. Participants were encouraged to bring their laptops, ideas, and basic JavaScript knowledge, with food and power provided to facilitate the creative process.

On September 7, 2010, Google announced its involvement in the OpenID community by integrating OpenID into its signup process, specifically allowing Yahoo! users to sign up using OpenID without needing a password. While Google had not yet adopted OpenID for its own sites, it expressed plans to expand this feature to other email providers that support OpenID and related standards like OAuth, such as Microsoft's Live identity APIs. This approach enables websites to verify users' email addresses using OpenID, with Yahoo!'s API facilitating this process. Additionally, Gmail and Google Apps users can leverage this feature due to their systems' compatibility with OpenID APIs, as demonstrated by websites like Plaxo that utilize this capability.

Google has introduced a new Sidewiki "sidebar" web element, allowing website visitors to view and contribute information alongside webpage content without needing the Google Toolbar or Sidewiki Chrome extension. This feature is activated by a Sidewiki button, revealing a fully functional sidebar that enhances user engagement by displaying community insights directly on the website. Users can customize the sidebar's appearance using a wizard to select from Google's design options or create a unique look, and then integrate it into their site by embedding the provided code. Feedback from users implementing this feature is welcomed via Twitter at @googlesidewiki.

The Google Analytics API Team examines how developers use the Analytics Data Export API, identifying common challenges and areas needing detailed explanations, which led to the creation of in-depth articles paired with open-source sample code. These articles serve as comprehensive guides on specific topics, such as visualizing Google Analytics data using Google Chart Tools, automating data export to CSV format, and handling missing values in date requests. Each article is designed to help developers understand and apply the API more effectively, encouraging them to download the provided code, explore the material, and innovate based on the insights gained. The team also invites feedback and suggestions for future topics to be covered in this format.

Drupal 7, a widely-used open-source publishing platform, is set to deliver significant front-end performance enhancements, making it faster than previous versions. The improvements include a more flexible caching system for easier integration with memcache, enhanced caching HTTP headers for better compatibility with reverse proxies and CDNs, and a patch to reduce response sizes for 404 errors. Additionally, Drupal 7 aims to streamline CSS and JavaScript file aggregation, addressing issues from Drupal 6, such as downloading duplicate code, which slows down page loads. The platform also supports gzip compression for HTML, with a queued patch to enhance CSS and JavaScript compression using server-based tools like Apache's mod_deflate. These changes promise faster initial page views, with benchmarks indicating speed improvements of 20-60%, potentially reducing load times by 0.3 to 3 seconds. As these optimizations continue to evolve, future versions like Drupal 8 are expected to introduce even more advanced features to further enhance performance and efficiency.

Google announced on September 2, 2010, that it has enhanced its indexing capabilities to include SVG files, making it easier for users to find them during searches. This update expands the variety of file types searchable through Google, aiming to improve user access to diverse content. For further details on supported file types and more information about the SVG announcement, users are encouraged to visit Google's Webmaster Help Center and Webmaster Blog.

Google Developer Day 2010 promises a packed schedule across multiple global locations, with key focus areas being Android, Chrome & HTML5, and the Cloud Platform. The event aims to share technical content, including sessions on Android performance and app development, Chrome Web Store application building, and cloud services such as App Engine and BigQuery. Keynote speakers like Eric Tholome and regional leaders will address the attendees, and new Venture Capital panels are introduced to discuss startup investments. The event offers opportunities for networking during Office Hours and Happy Hour, with live translations available at some locations. Registration dates vary by location, and updates are provided through social media channels and official blogs.