March 2012 Summaries

Google's Translator Toolkit has expanded its capabilities to support four new translation-related file formats—Android Resource (.xml), Application Resource Bundle (.arb), Chrome Extension (.json), and GNU gettext-based (.po)—to facilitate easier localization of apps and content for translators and developers globally. Built on Google Translate, the Translator Toolkit enables both amateur and professional translators to efficiently translate content by uploading files, using a user-friendly WYSIWYG editor, and exporting the localized content for specific locales. Enhancements to the interface, such as customized color annotations, character count visibility, and synchronized scrolling, aim to improve translation speed and accuracy. This initiative reflects Google's commitment to making information more accessible worldwide by providing tools that simplify the localization process.

The Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory has launched an online multimedia archive featuring a vast collection of documents, photos, and videos related to Mandela's life, supported by Google App Engine and a grant from the Google Cultural Institute. Additionally, the Space Shuttle, following its decommissioning, will be displayed publicly after its service in space, as highlighted by photos and words documenting the process. The blog post also whimsically suggests pondering the use of wine to turn ordinary metal into a superconductor, reflecting the eclectic mix of topics featured in the weekly Fridaygram posts aimed at intriguing readers with diverse interests.

The OAuth 2.0 Playground, launched in November, has introduced several new features to enhance the developer experience and expand its functionality. These updates include support for the OAuth 2.0 Client-side flow, allowing users to experiment with this aspect by adjusting a setting in the configuration dialog. The tool now accommodates newer OAuth 2.0 drafts by enabling users to change the location of the access token in requests, making it compatible with most APIs from drafts 10 to 25. It also provides a feature to display all available API operations using the current access token, simplifying the process of setting up requests without consulting online documentation. Additionally, the playground supports Google-specific settings like access_type and approval_prompt parameters, and it offers an automatic refresh feature for access tokens if a refresh token is available. The interface has been enhanced with selectable links in HTTP responses, facilitating the quick setup of subsequent operations. Developer Advocate Nicolas Garnier, who has been with Google Developer Relations since 2008, plays a key role in these advancements, drawing on his experience from previous roles at Airbus and the French Space Agency.

Fast and maintainable web pages are essential, and while CSS @import allows for modularity in design, it can negatively impact performance due to multiple HTTP requests and serial round-trips. To address this, Google’s Pagespeed Automatic team announced a new feature in mod_pagespeed 0.10.21.2 called flatten_css_imports, which optimizes web pages by flattening imported CSS files into their parent file, thereby reducing HTTP requests and round trips. This optimization is particularly beneficial for WordPress users with child themes that rely on @import, enhancing the speed and structure of web pages. The team, including engineers Matt Atterbury and Joshua Marantz, focuses on improving web performance, with mod_pagespeed available for download to Apache administrators seeking to optimize their sites.

In March 2012, Google announced the transition of the Google+ Hangouts API out of its preview phase, allowing developers to officially launch and share their hangout apps with the Google+ community. These apps, which are standard web applications that run within the Hangout user interface, can utilize shared-state APIs for real-time interactivity and access built-in Hangout features like group video chat, microphone and camera controls, sound effects, and image overlays. The launch included a new "Apps" pane in Google+ Hangouts, featuring applications such as Aces Hangout, Cacoo, and Slideshare, making it easier for users to start a hangout with these apps. Developers can promote their apps by posting links on Google+ or adding a hangout button to their websites, which allows users to start a hangout with the app directly. This move aims to inspire innovative developments in the Google+ Hangouts environment.

Go, an open-source programming language announced by Google in November 2009, has reached a significant milestone with the release of Go version 1, or Go 1, marking a stable point in its development. This achievement, made possible by contributions from over 200 external contributors, signifies months of refining the language's specification, enhancing its implementation, and adjusting the standard library to ensure increased portability and compatibility for future growth. Programs written in Go 1 are guaranteed to function reliably for years, even as the language evolves, and it is now the standard runtime on Google App Engine, providing a consistent and dependable foundation for building software. The Go community and those interested in exploring its capabilities can find extensive resources, including documentation and interactive tools, on the official website.

Street View, a feature of Google Maps, ventured beyond traditional streets to capture the Amazon Basin's forests, villages, and rivers, creating breathtaking views from over 50,000 photos. Additionally, a video of a Space Shuttle launch featuring a Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) was highlighted, with its audio meticulously refined by Skywalker Sound, providing both visual and auditory experiences. In another captivating exploration, National Geographic published photos of the sunken Titanic, offering a glimpse into the depths of the ocean. This eclectic mix of land, air, and sea content was part of the Google Developers Blog's weekly Fridaygram, which shares intriguing, entertaining content with a nerdy twist, independent of developer updates.

Google I/O 2012 is approaching, with registration opening on March 27 at 7 AM PDT, and it operates on a first-come, first-served basis, highlighting the importance of promptness as last year's tickets sold out in under an hour. Attendees are encouraged to prepare by signing into their Google+ accounts and using Google Wallet for payment. For those unable to attend in San Francisco, alternative options include I/O Extended viewing parties or watching I/O Live from various locations. As excitement builds, participants are invited to engage in creative projects like input/output machines, with the possibility of showcasing the best at the event. Mike Fox, from the Google Developer Marketing Team, shares his enthusiasm for the event amidst personal interests, while Scott Knaster serves as the editor of this announcement.

Google has introduced Service Accounts to enhance server-to-server interactions with certificate-based authentication, offering better security than shared keys due to their non-human-readable nature. Initially supported by Google Cloud Storage, the Google Prediction API, and several other services, Service Accounts use an OAuth 2.0 flow compliant with draft 25 of the specification. Applications authenticate by generating and signing a JSON structure, encoding it as a JWT, and exchanging it for an access token from Google's OAuth 2.0 Authorization Server. Google provides client libraries for Python, Java, and PHP to simplify these steps, with plans to expand support to Ruby and .NET. Service Accounts extend App Engine capabilities to other server-side platforms and can be created via the Google APIs Console, with detailed documentation available for developers.

In March 2012, Google launched a new online hub for Google Maps API developers at developers.google.com/maps to replace the previous code.google.com site, aiming to enhance the way developers engage with the platform. This new site not only retained all the existing developer documentation and code samples but also introduced interactive demos to showcase the latest features of the Google Maps API, aiming to inspire innovation and facilitate connection between developers and decision-makers. A prominent feature of the site is the third-party developer showcase, which highlights innovative uses of the Google Maps API, curated by the Google Maps API team, complemented by a tagging system to help users filter examples by theme and API features. The initiative reflects Google's commitment to fostering a creative and dynamic developer ecosystem, with the hope that these resources will inspire new and imaginative applications of the Google Maps API.

Google Cloud Storage has introduced several new features to enhance user experience, including signed URLs for temporary, controlled access to data and browser-based uploads without requiring Google accounts. This advancement, which uses PKCS-12 keys and the RSA algorithm, supports application-managed access control, particularly beneficial for mobile applications and premium content distribution. Another feature, Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS), improves the development of JavaScript applications by allowing storage buckets to return appropriate headers, useful for web fonts and trusted JavaScript access from App Engine applications. Additionally, gsutil 3.0 has been upgraded with a cleaner code base, better documentation, multithreaded operations, and a hierarchical file tree abstraction, improving its usability. Storage prices have been reduced by up to 15% across all tiers, inviting new users to explore Google Cloud Storage.

In a lighthearted entry from the Google Developers Blog, editor Scott Knaster highlights a variety of intriguing topics that captivate both tech enthusiasts and the general public, including a Google doodle celebrating origami master Akira Yoshizawa, who is credited with inventing modern origami after leaving his factory job to pursue the art full-time. The post also discusses a groundbreaking experiment at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, where researchers successfully transmitted a message through the Earth using neutrinos, which rarely interact with other particles, thus enabling the transmission without obstruction. Additionally, Knaster encourages readers to engage in a playful experiment with Google search results related to binary code, demonstrating the blog's playful approach to merging scientific curiosity with entertaining content. The Fridaygram series is designed to offer a break from serious news, presenting topics that are both interesting and fun for tech aficionados.

Google I/O 2012, set to take place in San Francisco, will feature a first-come, first-served registration opening on March 27th, with rooms at the W Hotel available at a special rate. The event will incorporate Code Labs into its three-day agenda, and the After Hours theme will be "Carnival 2112." Attendees can expect real-time transcription during the keynote and select breakout sessions. To engage participants ahead of the conference, Google has launched a game called input/output, where users can create Rube Goldberg-inspired machines and share them on Google+. Comprehensive details about the event, including the program and session schedules, will be updated on the Google I/O website in the coming months.

Alex Komoroske, a Product Manager, highlights the advancements of the web platform in a blog post, illustrating its capabilities through a series of screencasts aimed at showcasing how it rivals and even surpasses native platforms. The post recounts a conversation with a developer friend, skeptical about the web platform's capabilities, which prompted Komoroske to create videos demonstrating the platform's strengths, such as improved graphical effects, composability, and text layout. The screencasts explore the platform's adaptation of successful features from other platforms, like push notifications and payment APIs, and cutting-edge developments, including webcam access, advanced audio APIs, and 3D graphics. Komoroske expresses enthusiasm for the platform's rapid evolution and encourages viewers to explore its potential further.

Colossus, the world’s first programmable computer used during World War II for code-breaking at Bletchley Park, is now celebrated with a dedicated gallery at the National Museum of Computing in the UK, following efforts to preserve the historic site. Meanwhile, recent research on honeybees has uncovered that some worker bees exhibit a penchant for novel behaviors, such as exploring new hive locations, with scientists identifying a genetic basis for this "novelty-seeking" trait and influencing it through chemical treatments. Additionally, visitors to Knoxville, Tennessee, in March can view knitted superhero costumes at the University of Tennessee's Ewing Gallery, adding a whimsical touch to the local art scene. These diverse topics are featured in the Fridaygram, a light-hearted segment on interesting and nerd-friendly news.

Google's Prediction API 1.5 introduces several enhancements aimed at improving user experience and functionality, including model enumeration and analysis. Users can now list all models with the trainedmodels.list request and gain detailed insights into data and models through the trainedmodels.analyze request, which provides information such as output values and confusion matrices. The update also simplifies the trainedmodels.get request by offering a more straightforward model description and including timestamps for better tracking of the model lifecycle. Additionally, new sample applications for Google App Engine, written in Python and Java, demonstrate how to utilize the Prediction API, including managing OAuth 2.0 credentials and making predictions. The release is accessible via the HTTP RESTful interface and client libraries, with an interactive experience available through the Google APIs Explorer.

Page Speed for Chrome, initially launched to provide desktop site performance suggestions, has been updated to support mobile Page Speed analysis for Chrome on Android, as announced by Google engineers Libo Song and Matthew Hillyard. This enhancement allows users to assess the performance of mobile versions of their web pages while accounting for the unique characteristics of mobile devices and networks. The tool provides actionable insights to optimize load times by identifying and suggesting improvements such as removing unnecessary reflows and optimizing scripts. It also offers automatic minification and optimization of HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and image files, facilitating their deployment on web servers. Users need to install the Page Speed extension on their desktop Chrome browser, enable remote debugging, and access Chrome Developer Tools to analyze mobile page performance. Feedback is encouraged, and Google has shared additional resources, including a talk on mobile web performance best practices from Google I/O.

An OpenID workshop, originally planned for Google's London office but later moved to Microsoft's London office due to high demand, was organized by the OpenID Foundation for March 28, 2012. This event aimed to educate owners of consumer websites and enterprise SaaS services on improving login systems through techniques like OAuth, OpenID, and an Account Chooser. The workshop was part of a series of events targeting business decision-makers, while more technical summits were also held by the foundation. Additionally, a related event on identity security best practices was scheduled for the previous day, hosted by Ping Identity and sponsored by Google. Eric Sachs, a senior product manager at Google, played a key role in these initiatives to enhance the adoption of Internet Identity standards.

In March 2012, Google announced efforts to enhance the web ecosystem for game developers, coinciding with the Game Developers Conference (GDC). Utilizing technologies like HTML5, WebGL, WebRTC, and Native Client (NaCl), the company aimed to transform browsers into robust gaming platforms. New HTML5 APIs, such as Gamepad, Mouse Lock, and Fullscreen, were introduced to improve gaming capabilities, and engines like BlitzTech and Havok Physics announced support for NaCl, enabling console-quality games on browsers. Games such as Zombie Track Meat and Ubisoft's From Dust showcased these advancements. Google+ games continued to expand, with new titles and plans to offer all games through the Chrome Web Store, reaching a vast global audience. The In-App Payments system was optimized for better global currency support and conversion rates. Google encouraged developers to engage with their resources on developers.google.com/games and invited participation at GDC to explore collaboration opportunities and advance the gaming experience for millions of internet users.

Google Summer of Code, now in its eighth year, is an initiative where university students collaborate with mentors on open source projects, with the current deadline for mentor applications set for March 9. Meanwhile, researchers at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University have created a robotic fish that can lead other fish by mimicking natural movements, providing insights into robot leadership. Additionally, a study comparing cooperative behaviors found that human children collaborate effectively, whereas adult non-human primates do not, often taking resources from their young instead. The post, part of the lighthearted Fridaygram series, aims to entertain and engage readers with intriguing updates from the worlds of technology and science.

Peng Ying, a Developer Advocate, discusses recent improvements to the Google In-App Payments API aimed at simplifying the in-app purchase process to boost sales conversion rates. These enhancements include the acceptance of additional currencies, allowing developers to specify prices in their customers' native currencies, with automatic conversion handled by Google. The process of adding a new credit card to Google Wallet has been streamlined, requiring only a postal code instead of a full address, thus simplifying the setup for users. Additionally, the Terms of Service have been integrated into the purchase confirmation page to expedite the transaction process for new users. The team is committed to ongoing support and updates, with regular Google+ Hangouts scheduled to address technical questions and further improvements planned throughout 2012.