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Alex Jones

I lead teams at the intersection of strategy and design. Autodidact. Polymath. Barbecue acolyte. I start fires (the good kind).

Flash

SproutCore: Apple’s Flanking Move?

SproutCore LogoI wasn’t all that familiar with Sproutcore, Apple’s JavaScript framework prior to reading this article, but after thinking the arguments over, I think Apple has been flanking the other players in the application marketplace (both online and desktop) for a while. The article Cocoa for Windows + Flash Killer = SproutCore provides some very good reasons for Apple’s moves onto Windows with Safari and other apps; I highly recommend you read it if you’re the least bit interested in development on the Web, the iPhone and/or Rich Internet Applications (RIAs).

Being based on open web standards and being open source itself means SproutCore will enable developers to develop cross platform applications without being tied to either a plugin architecture or its vendor.

Sitting on top of web standards will also make it easy for Apple and the community to push SproutCore ahead without worrying about incompatible changes to the underlying layers of Windows, a significant problem for the old Yellow Box or some new Cocoa analog. SproutCore also lives in a well known security context, preventing worries about unknown holes being opened up by a new runtime layer.

Daniel Eran Dilger – Roughly Drafted

These developments are exciting for oru industry, but also for the world as a whole – a solid platform that can be as portable and accessible as the Web, yet have the power of the desktop has long been sought. We may finally have it in our grasp.

Feeling Ethereal: Prism, Air and SilverLight

Mozilla Labs has launched Prism, which is an application, based on Webrunner “that lets users split web applications out of their browser and run them directly on their desktop” They are approaching the solution in a different manner than Adobe’s AIR and Microsoft’s Silverlight, choosing to harness the power of the Web, which they call “a powerful and open platform for this sort of innovation” ultimately aiming to “identify and facilitate the development of enhancements that bring the advantages of desktop apps to the web platform.”

It’s interesting and exciting to see another contender working on the Web app to desktop app bridge. It’s even better that they won’t require developers and designers to come up to spread on yet another language.

Thanks to Rick for the heads-up on this one!

FlashObject

FlashObject “is a small Javascript file used for embedding Macromedia Flash content. The script can detect the Flash plug-in in all major web browsers (on Mac and PC) and is designed to make embedding Flash movies as easy as possible.”

Click 2 Touch

One of the biggest issues with online clothing retailers is the high percentage (35 – 40%) of returns. Quite often, an article of clothing is returned because the customer expected the fabric to feel different, be thicker or thinner etc. One UK company aims to change this state of affairs. Software from Click 2 Touch creates “unique web pages that allow consumers to see garments as 3D objects, enlarge important details and experience ten tactile sensations.” It is an intriguing (though not really new) concept.

From what I gather from the demo, they are using Flash to display a series of high resolution images, each focused on a specific part of the fabric. The interesting aspect of the demonstration are the attributes they demonstrate for each fabric. The demo only illustrates thickness and elasticity, but they also list softness, fullness, smoothness, hairiness, prickliness, drape, rigidity and warmth as other options.

The most important thing for this company, and the future of their product is the process behind the creation of these demonstrations. Their success depends heavily on the following points, missing one point will seriously complicate matters in such a competitive market:

  • Speed – Adding new clothing lines and products to a retail site is time-consuming, especially for those who work on catalog schedules. Inserting another major step in the process has a large impact. If that step isn’t relatively fast, it may well be left by the wayside.
  • Automation – While this is tied to speed in many ways, it is important to note that automated processes are extremely important in catalog-to-Web workflows. If the system isn’t automated, then it can only be used for a smaller, subset of products due to time constraints.
  • In-House Production – While some retailers will be open to using this as a service, many will want the ability to purchase software for in-house customization and use. If this isn’t an option, many clients will walk away.
  • Cost – Always an important point, the cost of the system/process is an integral selling point. The catalog company will have to factor in the time it will take their team to learn the system, and modify it to fit their site in addition to the time spent to create each product demonstration. The overall cost will rise very quickly, and may well eclipse the cost to develop the same basic functionality in-house.

All in all, this is an interesting system. We’ll keep an eye on them over the next year or so, to see how they progress.