August 2011 Summaries

In 2011, Google introduced a new Objective-C library for Cocoa developers, designed to efficiently support a new generation of APIs on iOS and Mac platforms. This development was necessitated by the shift towards mobile and bandwidth-limited devices, which favored lighter-weight data interchange formats like JSON over XML and AtomPub. The new library supports Google's JSON APIs, enabling efficient use of device resources and simplifying developers' interactions with APIs through high-level Objective-C interfaces and data classes generated from the Google APIs Discovery Service. It also incorporates features like partial response and update protocols, and a batch model for combining multiple queries into a single HTTP request, thereby enhancing application performance. The library aims to maintain the principle that data entrusted to Google remains under user control, and it reflects a broader trend of developing APIs that provide self-descriptive metadata to facilitate easier creation and maintenance of client libraries across various languages.

In 2011, Google announced another installment of its DevFest Tour, an initiative designed to bring developers together worldwide to explore Google platform technologies and best practices. This follows a successful previous year, where the tour attracted thousands of developers who learned from community peers and Google employees about improving web and mobile app quality. The updated DevFest site includes information on tour cities and dates, with further details such as venue locations and agendas to be added. Registration is essential due to limited space, with confirmations sent via email to serve as event tickets. Christine Songco Lau, involved in organizing developer events like Google I/O and DevFests, encourages early registration to ensure participation and highlights the interactive opportunities available during the tour.

Google hosted a Developer Day at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) Online from October 10th to 12th, 2011, focusing on providing game developers with in-depth technical insights into Google products and platforms. The event, featuring Google engineers and developer advocates, aimed to help developers create, distribute, and monetize games more effectively by leveraging Google's online technologies. Key topics included building hardware-accelerated 3D games with WebGL and the game framework used for Angry Birds on the web. Additionally, Google set up a booth at the Expo floor, showcasing technologies like the Chrome Web Store, Native Client, WebGL, App Engine, Google+, In-App Payments, Google TV, and AdSense/AdMob. For those unable to attend, Google offered resources through Google Game Developer Central to keep developers informed about relevant Google products and services.

Google announced the release of two new versions of the Google Analytics Management API, version 3.0 and a backwards compatible version 2.4, both of which transition from the Google Data Protocol to a new discovery-based API infrastructure. This change impacts data handling and necessitates that applications be registered via the Google APIs Console using a developer token, with updated URL endpoints affecting OAuth authorization token requests. Version 3.0 introduces new features, such as full representation of event goals, an internal web property ID for user interface deep-linking, and configurable profile settings for default page and site search query parameters. The legacy version 2.3 will be deprecated and cease functioning after two months, at which point it will automatically return version 2.4 responses. The announcement encourages users to refer to the Google Analytics Blog for detailed updates and to join discussions in the Management API developer group for any queries.

In August 2011, Google introduced a paid version of its Translate API, providing businesses and commercial software developers with a programmatic interface to the company's machine translation technology, capable of supporting translations between over 50 languages. This shift followed the earlier announcement of the deprecation of the free Translate API v1. The paid API, priced at $20 per million characters translated, removes previous usage restrictions and allows integration into commercial products. Academic users will still have free access to the Google Translate Research API through the University Research Program, while the Google Website Translator gadget remains free for use on websites. Other Google translation services, including mobile apps and features in Chrome and Gmail, continue to be available at no cost.

In August 2011, Google announced the public availability of the GTFS-realtime specification, an extension of the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) first published in 2006, which enables public transport agencies to provide real-time updates on their fleets through Google Maps and mobile applications. This new format allows for dynamic information such as Trip Updates, Service Alerts, and Vehicle Position updates, with each type of update provided in separate feeds that can be used independently. The specification uses Protocol Buffers for efficient data processing and bandwidth usage, and it was designed in collaboration with transit agencies and developers. The specification is under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license, inviting discussion and potential changes from the community. Agencies like MBTA and TriMet have already made their GTFS-realtime feeds available, and others like BART and MTS are expected to follow, with the goal of enhancing the accuracy and timeliness of public transit information for users.

App Inventor for Android, an initiative by Google to simplify app creation for programming students and enthusiasts, is transitioning to be managed by the newly established MIT Center for Mobile Learning under the guidance of Hal Abelson and other MIT experts. Meanwhile, the discovery of the Protoanguilla palau eel, a 200-million-year-old species not previously recorded in the fossil record and dubbed a "living fossil," highlights the wonders of ancient marine life. The blog post, part of a series intended for lighthearted enjoyment, juxtaposes the evolution of mobile app development with the marvels of prehistoric creatures, inviting readers to appreciate both technological and natural curiosities.

The Open Call HTML5 Challenge for Google Developer Day 2011 invited participants from eight countries to design and implement an original HTML5 doodle of the Google Developer Day Dymaxion map, incorporating local themes. The submissions, evaluated by local HTML5 experts, showcased impressive creativity and technical execution, with top entries selected based on these criteria. Participants used a variety of open web technologies, including HTML5, WebGL, and CSS3, to create interactive and culturally relevant doodles, with some incorporating audio, animations, and 3D elements for a dynamic user experience. The challenge highlighted the innovative potential of HTML5 and related technologies across diverse global contexts.

The Latitude API, recently enhanced with OAuth 2.0 support, enables developers to create innovative location-based applications by accessing users' location history and current location, provided they have opted in to share this information. This API can be used to develop apps that track users' location history, like Latify, which helps users remember past locations, or to integrate location data with other datasets for comprehensive insights, such as aligning location history with transaction records or photo albums. Developers can also leverage the API to access users' current location for real-time applications, exemplified by Moveable Weather, which provides weather updates based on a user's current location. Additional features include storing, accessing, and deleting location history, and developers are encouraged to explore the documentation and existing applications for inspiration.

Native Client, developed by Google, allows developers to create web apps using existing C and C++ code by enabling these apps in the Chrome Web Store through Google Chrome's beta channel. By utilizing the Pepper API, Native Client apps can operate across various operating systems without the need for multiple OS-specific versions, supporting features like 2D graphics, audio, and secure local file access, with plans for future enhancements including 3D graphics and improved networking capabilities. To ensure security, Native Client apps are isolated through dual sandboxes, distinguishing them from traditional plugins like NPAPI or ActiveX. The upcoming Portable Native Client (PNaCl) aims to bring architecture independence by using LLVM bitcode, with the Chrome Web Store serving as the current exclusive distribution channel to maintain updated applications. Christian Stefansen manages Native Client, with updates on PNaCl's progress available through the official blog.

GoogleCL, an open-source utility launched by Google in June, allows users to interact with various Google services directly from the command line, catering to those who prefer text-based interfaces over graphical ones. This tool supports tasks across platforms like Blogger, Google Calendar, YouTube, Picasa, Docs, and Contacts, and now includes APIs from Google's Discovery Service, enabling access to services like Tasks, Moderator, and URL Shortener. The article also highlights the Oxford Dictionaries' "Save the Words" initiative to preserve underused English words and humorously questions whether explorers have discovered the Millennium Falcon underwater, ultimately stating that Fridaygram posts are intended for entertainment, focusing on topics that intrigue tech enthusiasts.

Registration for Google Developer Days (GDD) Japan is now open, as announced by Phoebe Peronto from the Developer Marketing Team. This follows the recent opening of registrations for GDD events in Argentina, Brazil, and Russia. Interested participants can register by visiting the GDD website and accessing the Japan page. Additional registration details for other GDD events will be released soon. The GDD 2011 website offers further information on event specifics, session updates, and registration processes. Phoebe Peronto, a Developer Marketing Intern from UC Berkeley, is involved in coordinating the Google Developer Days 2011, working alongside the Google team during her summer internship.

Registration for the first Google Developer Day (GDD) events in Argentina, Brazil, and Russia is now open, with interested participants encouraged to visit the newly launched GDD website to register. Additional registration for five other GDD events will be available soon, and more information, including event details and session updates, can be found on the GDD 2011 website. Phoebe Peronto, a Developer Marketing Intern from UC Berkeley, is coordinating the launch of Google Developer Days 2011 and is enthusiastic about her summer role with Google.

The Prediction API, managed by Travis Green, has introduced a new feature allowing users to adjust predictive models for better performance, addressing a common request from developers. This update enables users to upload data to Google Storage for Developers and utilize the API to find the most suitable predictive model by evaluating a range of algorithms. The API now provides more detailed performance statistics, including enhanced training metadata and accuracy metrics through a confusion matrix, which helps in improving model performance by allowing users to add more samples and highlight important categorical data. This advancement aims to simplify the process of developing predictive models, which traditionally required extensive knowledge of algorithms and experience with datasets.

Google Developer Day 2011 is set to occur from September to November across eight global cities, offering one-day events focused on Google's web and mobile technologies, including Android, Chrome, HTML5, and App Engine. These sessions will provide deep technical insights directly from the teams working on these platforms. Registration dates vary by location, with specific dates provided for cities like Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, and Tokyo, although they are subject to change. The events aim to engage developers around the world with the latest advancements, continuing Monica Tran's efforts in leading Google Developer Day after her tenure in product marketing across various international locations.

In August 2011, Google announced the addition of Git support to its Google Code Project Hosting platform, complementing the existing Subversion and Mercurial version control systems. Git, a popular distributed version control system used by projects such as the Linux kernel and Android, allows users to enjoy Google's project hosting features, including project updates, advanced issue tracking, and a VCS-backed wiki, with the added benefit of using Git. Users can easily create server-side clones of Git repositories and access resources for converting existing Subversion and Mercurial repositories to Git. The implementation leverages Google's HTTP-based infrastructure and the efficient "smart" HTTP protocol available in Git version 1.6.6 and later, with object data stored in a custom data store built on Bigtable for scalable and efficient source code repositories. The Git server implementation is partially powered by Dulwich to integrate with Google's Python-based system.