October 2013 Summaries

Building a real-time stock quote app is made accessible through PubNub, which facilitates the streaming of information to an HTML5 web browser interface. By using JavaScript, PHP, and PubNub, developers can create an app that updates stock quotes in real-time, as demonstrated by a practical example available both as a live demo and in a GitHub repository with supplied code. The app operates by sending data from a PHP server to an HTML5 JavaScript app via the PubNub network, utilizing WebSockets to display information instantly. Although the app streams live stock data, the numbers are randomized, and users are advised not to base financial decisions on them. Interested developers can sign up for free to start using PubNub for real-time stock quotes.

Access Manager, a security model developed for real-time applications, provides an easy-to-use yet robust system to secure chat applications by using PubNub's infrastructure. The system enables developers to manage user permissions dynamically through a text-based chat application that demonstrates its capabilities, where users can gain or lose access to chat channels by requesting permissions from an app server via an unrestricted PubNub channel. Designed to simplify the setup process, Access Manager uses a whitelist authentication system to validate messages and prevent unauthorized data access, allowing developers to modify access rules at various levels, such as key, channel, or user, and ensuring scalability and convenience in building secure applications. By leveraging JavaScript on both the front end and NodeJS on the back end, the system bypasses the need for extensive configuration files, enabling developers to focus on defining access rules while PubNub handles the underlying security infrastructure.

Access Manager has been launched to enhance the PubNub Data Stream Network by providing serverless access control, enabling developers to manage detailed permissions for real-time applications and data. It allows developers to grant Publish/Subscribe permissions at varying levels, such as person, device, channel, or key, and integrates with existing authentication systems like Facebook Connect, Twitter, Google, LDAP, or custom solutions. This feature is ideal for creating subscription services for real-time financial, traffic, or social data streams, point-to-point applications like home automation, and social apps where secure peer-to-peer communication is required. Access Manager includes a working demo and comprehensive resources such as a Getting Started Guide and Security Overview, and it can be accessed through the Developer’s Portal.

A comprehensive guide for building an iOS multiplayer Poker game using a client-server model was developed by summer interns Taylor Kimmett and Ajan Jayant, aimed at assisting aspiring game developers. The tutorial is divided into two parts: the first part focuses on developing the client side using Objective-C and implementing PubNub as a language-agnostic framework, while the second part covers building a game server in C#. Although the tutorial's original code is still functional, there is a newly redesigned iOS SDK (4.0) that offers a simplified and streamlined experience by leveraging Apple's latest features. The tutorial, along with a migration guide from the older SDK to the new version, and a getting started guide for creating a simple Hello World application, is available on GitHub to facilitate developers in learning and applying these concepts.

The text discusses a two-part series on developing an iOS app with a client-server model, created by interns Taylor Kimmett and Ajan Jayant, focusing on building a multiplayer game using Objective-C for iOS clients and C# for the server. It highlights the challenges and solutions of language interoperability, particularly through the PubNub Data Stream Network, which facilitates seamless communication across platforms. The series aims to demonstrate the benefits of the client-server model, including improved usability, design efficiency, performance, and security by allowing developers to focus on user interface design while managing data processing on the server side. Despite the initial code being deprecated due to a new version of the iOS SDK, the tutorial remains relevant, offering insights into building a poker game and emphasizing the utility of a language-agnostic framework like PubNub for handling real-time data and communication in multiplayer gaming environments.