Improving's Caleb Jenkins Sits on Cutting-Edge Panel2007.08.21 Caleb Jenkins, a Principal Consultant and Instructor at Improving, was selected to sit on the DFW Usability Professionals Association’s (http://dfw-upa.org/index.php) “Web 2.0, RIAs, and Beyond” panel discussion at Southern Methodist University. A twelve-year veteran in the field of software development technology, Caleb Jenkins recently joined Improving’s talented consulting team. His record as a developer, designer, architect, and social media power-user will bring insight to the discussion. The panel will express their individual thoughts on various topics regarding the emerging web technologies that are shaping the future of the web.Web 2.0 is a phrase that has not yet been standardized -- the World Wide Web Consortium, or W3C (http://www.w3.org/), has neither endorsed nor set standards for this concept. In actuality, Web 2.0 does not replace or update any standards but adds a layer of abstraction that end-users might find more helpful or user-friendly. The term, Web 2.0, not yet being officially defined, has taken on multiple meanings and connotations, both negative and positive. To some, it is a perception of the internet in which the basis of utility is usability rather than salability, and in which the crux of the internet is a user-driven platform rather than an arm of advertising. A popular architectural anecdote analogous to the premise of Web 2.0 recounts an architect who refused to make plans for sidewalks at a University library annex that he designed. Instead of cutting out grass and paving sidewalks, he waited until the buildings were fully constructed and then allowed students to traverse across the grass-covered campus for a semester, thus creating a user-designed system of routes on which the concrete was later poured. Likewise, the premise of Web 2.0 is that users, through collaboration and sharing, are defining the way in which the web will be used as a platform. The idea of Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) has existed under different names for almost a decade. In 1998, for instance, Microsoft devised remote scripting to allow scripts running inside browsers to exchange information with servers. The point of furthering this technology is to allow users to engage with online applications that are as rich as desktop applications. RIAs do not require installation and run locally using one or more methods such as Java, Ajax, JavaScript, .NET (WPF), etc. With features such as OS neutrality and use without software installation, RIAs are quickly increasing in popularity. The DFW UPA panel will be discussing and fielding questions on these topics plus any related issues. “We are fortunate to have a great panel of Web visionaries, knowledgeable in emerging Web technologies, who have their thumb on the pulse and their eyes on the future of the Web.” (http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/237371/). |
