June 2011 Summaries

Swiffy, a project initiated by Google, emerged from an intern's innovative effort to display Flash animations on devices lacking Adobe Flash player support. Initially developed by Pieter Senster and later expanded into a team project, Swiffy enables the conversion of SWF files into HTML5, allowing animations to run in modern browsers like Chrome and Safari that support SVG. Although in its early stages and unable to convert all Flash content, Swiffy effectively handles ads and animations by using a compact JSON representation rendered with SVG, HTML5, and CSS3, with ActionScript 2.0 interpreted in JavaScript. This approach results in animations nearly as compact as the original SWF files, showcasing advancements in JavaScript execution and browser graphics capabilities. The project transitioned from Google Labs, reflecting the progress and potential of the web platform.

Google Developer Day (GDD) 2011 is set to occur in eight cities worldwide, offering developers the opportunity to learn about Google's latest products and interact with the engineers behind them. This year's schedule includes stops in Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Moscow, Prague, Tokyo, Sydney, Tel-Aviv, and Berlin, with dates spanning from September to November. Registration will involve an application process, and updates will be provided on the official blog. The event encourages engagement with the hashtag #gdd11, and is being led by Monica Tran, a seasoned Product Marketing Manager with extensive experience from her time in Mountain View, London, and Tokyo.

At the 2011 Google I/O event, 19 companies showcased their innovative products in the Developer Sandbox, highlighting their use of various Google technologies such as Android, Google Apps, Google Web Toolkit, and Google TV. This year, Google aimed to broaden the reach of these demonstrations, traditionally limited to event attendees, by creating video case studies for a wider audience, including developers unable to attend and those wishing to revisit the event. These videos feature diverse innovations, such as CardinalCommerce's work on enabling alternative payments online, HistoryPin's historical photo layers on Google Maps, and the popular game Angry Birds available on Chrome. The initiative, led by Becky Chappell from the Developer Marketing Team, underscores Google's commitment to sharing technological advancements and encouraging development using Google technologies.

Google Code Blog Editor Scott Knaster highlights the rapid development pace of the Google App Engine team, noting their release of version 1.5.1 with features like High Replication Datastore testing support, a ProtoRPC API for Python, and user presence capabilities in the Channel API. Knaster contrasts this speed with the slower pace of natural evolution, sharing an intriguing study from Massachusetts where scientists discovered that the human cryptochrome protein could restore a fly's magnetic field response, suggesting potential magnetic field sensing in humans. The Fridaygram post, intended for light-hearted nerdy enjoyment, also recommends a creative multiplication video for weekend viewing.

Scott Knaster, editor of the Google Code Blog, introduces several innovative technologies in a lighthearted Fridaygram post from June 17, 2011, highlighting Google's new "Search by Image" feature, which allows users to search the web using images instead of words. This feature is useful for identifying objects and finding similar images. Knaster also discusses ReCell, a spray-on skin technology that aids in healing for burn victims by culturing and applying healthy skin cells, a process that, despite its futuristic sound, is already in use globally. The post also mentions Google's interactive guitar doodle created for Les Paul's birthday, which employed various web technologies such as HTML5 Canvas and Google App Engine, and notes its popularity among users who recorded themselves playing songs ranging from Lady Gaga to Led Zeppelin. The Fridaygram series aims to entertain and engage tech enthusiasts with interesting developments and lighter content.

HTTP Archive, an open-source service developed by Google engineers, is designed to track the speed of the web over time by generating regular reports on trends like page size and Page Speed scores for the top web pages. The project, which crawls the world's top 18,000 URLs with plans to expand to a million, allows users to download raw datasets for free and modify the source code for personalized analyses to uncover valuable insights. Google is transitioning the ownership and maintenance of HTTP Archive to the Internet Archive, continuing its support for creating a comprehensive data repository for performance research. Arvind Jain, who founded and leads Google's Make the Web Faster initiative, plays a significant role in these efforts, including the recently announced Instant Pages project.

In June 2011, Jeremy Glassenberg, Platform Manager at Box, detailed the integration of Box with Chrome OS's file browser handler, showcased at Google I/O. This integration, which was quickly developed over a weekend due to the simplicity of both Chrome's file browser platform and Box's API, leverages the HTML5 file system API to enable web applications to interact with local files. The integration allows users to easily upload and manage local and web-based files in the cloud via Box. The development process was streamlined by Box's Quick Importer tool, which simplifies the steps needed to connect the platforms, although some initial complications arose due to parallel development with Google's experimenting team. Once files are uploaded, they become accessible to various Google services like Gmail and Google Docs through further integrations with Google Apps. Glassenberg's role involves overseeing partner integrations, API management, and engaging with Box's developer community, reflecting the collaborative and open nature of modern tech platforms.

Google Labs has introduced an API for Gesture Search, enabling Android app developers to integrate gesture-based search functionality into their applications. This allows users to draw letters or gestures to search for specific data, enhancing user experience by simplifying navigation and selection processes, such as finding menu items in a restaurant app. The integration involves setting up a content provider compatible with the Android Search framework and using intents to invoke Gesture Search when needed. The implementation allows developers to control the display of search results and the theme of the search interface. A sample code demonstrates how to embed Gesture Search into an app that searches for country information, highlighting that developers need to ensure Gesture Search is installed on user devices to avoid exceptions. The API aims to make information access more intuitive and efficient by leveraging gesture recognition technology.

In an effort to improve the accessibility and usability of their API documentation, Google introduced a +1 button on most of the code.google.com API docs, allowing users to recommend pages that contain key information. This feature aims to address the common challenge developers face in locating the right documentation by leveraging peer recommendations to highlight useful content. Ashleigh Rentz, the API Docs Program Manager, emphasizes the role of technical writers in documenting Google’s developer APIs and suggests that this initiative will make finding relevant information easier, as developers often rely on colleagues' expertise to navigate technical resources.

In June 2011, Google announced a significant update regarding the deprecation of several APIs as part of a strategic shift to focus resources on newer and more advanced offerings. This move was highlighted by the introduction of seven new APIs during the Google I/O event, which included services like the Discovery Service and the Fusion Tables API. Despite this progress, some older APIs, such as the Translate API, were set to be discontinued or moved to a paid version, sparking feedback and concerns from users. Google assured developers that most of their APIs would remain unaffected, with deprecation policies outlined in individual documentation. Moreover, alternative solutions were suggested for deprecated APIs to minimize disruptions. Google's API Product Manager, Adam Feldman, emphasized that these changes aimed to enhance the platform's capabilities for developers.

20 Things I Learned about Browsers and the Web is an illustrated online guidebook developed by Min Li Chan and the Google Chrome team, created using HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS to educate everyday users about the workings of browsers and the web. Celebrated as an Official Honoree at the 15th Annual Webby Awards, it features interactive elements such as animated illustrations, page transitions, offline reading capability via the Application Cache API, reading progress tracking through the Local Storage API, and a clean URL structure enabled by the History API. The book also employs CSS3 for enhanced visual design and has been translated into 15 languages to reach a broader audience. Released as open source, it encourages developers to explore open web technologies for educational purposes, and it is best experienced in Chrome or any modern HTML5-compliant browser.

Google introduced custom extractors for Gmail contextual gadgets, enhancing developers' ability to create more sophisticated and relevant email integrations. Initially, developers were limited to using predefined extractors that matched content in specific email sections, like the subject. However, with the release of the Google Apps extensions console, developers can now utilize custom extractors to match complex patterns and trigger gadgets based on multiple conditions. This advancement allows for more precise customization, enabling gadgets to display highly relevant information to users. Developers interested in creating custom extractors are encouraged to consult the available documentation and seek assistance in the forum if needed.

In June 2011, Google introduced the Google Apps extensions console, a tool designed to assist IT departments and in-house developers in integrating with Google Apps. This console allows developers to access Google Apps extension points, enabling features like navigation bar links, single sign-on with Google accounts, and the ability to run applications within Gmail using contextual gadgets. The tool facilitates the creation of new projects, management of team permissions, retrieval of OAuth credentials, and uploading of application manifests. Once an application is ready for deployment, administrators can install it on their domain control panel for broader distribution. Developers are encouraged to refer to the console documentation for further guidance.