Mozilla’s Prism aims for a better web app experience

May 29, 2009 at 3:44 pm · Filed under AppGap Tips, Web Apps

Unlike desktop applications, web apps run from servers far away from our computers, and to access them we need to use Internet browsers like Firefox. The problem with Firefox is that it was designed for viewing web pages, which it does very well, but not for running applications. If a web app running inside a tab were to freeze, for example, other tabs would also stop functioning and eventually crash, causing you to lose valuable work.

In its own way, Google Chrome was engineered to prevent these types of crashes. Mozilla’s Prism extension for Firefox uses a different approach to make web apps run separately from the browser for added stability. They are treated to work as virtual stand-alone applications, reducing the load on the browser itself and improving performance. Aside from this, Prism takes things even further to make the web app experience feel as familiar as possible.

Accessibility. Shortcuts can be created for web apps on the desktop or the programs folder like other desktop applications. They can also be accessed from the system taskbar or dock.

Start-up. For web apps that you’d like to be always on call, you can use prism to have them run automatically whenever you start your computer.

Minimize to tray. You have the choice between making the applications minimize to the taskbar or to the system tray for a more uncluttered view. Notifications pop up here when you have new emails or other alerts.

Links association. Prism enables special links to treat the web app as a normal application and open it instead of a browser. For example, mailto: links could only open desktop mail clients, but with Prism it can now be set to launch web-based mail clients like Gmail.

Others. Among the nice enhancements brought by Prism are font control and private data clearing for each window.

Mozilla’s Prism comes in two forms: a Firefox extension and a stand-alone program. Each has a short video demo and can be downloaded now for free on the Prism site.

Study: Employees are crafty and persistent

May 15, 2009 at 1:21 pm · Filed under AppGap Tips, Security

Once again, when it comes to office Internet access, employees prove the old saying that “when there’s will, there’s a way.” Even with expensive enterprise security features in place, office workers inevitably circumvent them using proxies, encrypted tunnels, and remote desktop access applications. This is according to Palo Alto Network’s research covering nearly 900,000 users on 60 large corporate networks.

Peer-to-peer programs were monitored on 92% of these networks (BitTorrent and Gnutella the most common among them). Browser-based file-sharing and cloud-storage tools were also seen on 76% of the networks observed (like MegaUpload and YouSendIt). Some web apps are also being used, and while they are helpful to those who need to do off-site work, Palo Alto Networks says they are questionable in terms of security compliance and therefore pose a risk.

Another negative effect of these unwanted applications is that they gobble up a huge amount of bandwidth. The report found that 51% of the bandwidth being consumed by companies was due to 28% of the apps used, a majority of them consumer-oriented (media, social networking, P2P and browser-based file sharing, web-browsing and toolbars).

Today’s applications were designed to be greatly accessible, and so they navigate corporate firewalls easily (or would, with a little help from office techies). It’s difficult to block them permanently with users quickly adapting to barriers. Palo Alto Networks recommends filtering traffic by application type, content and user, as opposed to the traditional way of blocking ports, protocols and IP addresses. This strategy may be more effective, but perhaps it will only be a matter of time before it gets cracked as well.

An alternative would be to understand the reasons behind the popularity of these rogue apps. Needs drive demand. Some of them may have legitimate business usage, such as cloud storage tools. In this case, companies may opt to provide a suitable substitute to their employees that comply with its security standards. They might also want to work with the application developers of popular apps to ensure compliance, and perhaps doing some tweaks to their own networks. Completely eliminating unsecure activities on corporate networks may be a tall order, but minimizing them is definitely not impossible.

A clash of web design philosophies

May 13, 2009 at 8:41 am · Filed under AppGap Tips, Culture

Young, dynamic, successful and fun - this is what a lot of people think of when you say “Google”, and its reputation has made it one of the most sought-after companies for jobhunters. Some go there almost expecting to find the Holy Grail, but more than a few come away disappointed. Douglas Bowman’s case is particularly interesting, as it gives us an idea of Google’s culture and philosophy from a design perspective. In his blog, Bowman details his experiences in the company and explains why he resigned.

“When I joined Google as its first visual designer, the company was already seven years old. Seven years is a long time to run a company without a classically trained designer. Google had plenty of designers on staff then, but most of them had backgrounds in CS or HCI. And none of them were in high-up, respected leadership positions. Without a person at (or near) the helm who thoroughly understands the principles and elements of Design, a company eventually runs out of reasons for design decisions. With every new design decision, critics cry foul. Without conviction, doubt creeps in. Instincts fail. “Is this the right move?” When a company is filled with engineers, it turns to engineering to solve problems. Reduce each decision to a simple logic problem. Remove all subjectivity and just look at the data. Data in your favor? Ok, launch it. Data shows negative effects? Back to the drawing board. And that data eventually becomes a crutch for every decision, paralyzing the company and preventing it from making any daring design decisions.

Yes, it’s true that a team at Google couldn’t decide between two blues, so they’re testing 41 shades between each blue to see which one performs better. I had a recent debate over whether a border should be 3, 4 or 5 pixels wide, and was asked to prove my case. I can’t operate in an environment like that. I’ve grown tired of debating such minuscule design decisions. There are more exciting design problems in this world to tackle.

I can’t fault Google for this reliance on data. And I can’t exactly point to financial failure or a shrinking number of users to prove it has done anything wrong. Billions of shareholder dollars are at stake. The company has millions of users around the world to please. That’s no easy task. Google has momentum, and its leadership found a path that works very well. When I joined, I thought there was potential to help the company change course in its design direction. But I learned that Google had set its course long before I arrived. Google was a massive aircraft carrier, and I was just a small dinghy trying to push it a few degrees North.”

This just illustrates the point that there’s more to finding a job than good compensation, the nature of work, or whether you get along well with your collegues. Your philosophy and the company’s must be in tune, or you will end up feeling unfulfilled in your profession. The problem is that it usually won’t be evident until you’ve been inside for a while. In this case, Bowman wanted to lead users into new bold design directions. On the other hand, Google prefers that users take the lead, through continuous testing and data analysis to find what clicks. It’s been working fine for them, so I understand why they’d want to hold on to their processes.

Of course, it’s not a bullet-proof strategy. Humans (i.e., the analysts) are still needed to interpret the data, who inevitably introduce their own biases, for good or ill. Placing a premium on data only minimizes subjectivity, it doesn’t eliminate it. That said, everything that’s measurable can be improved, making this approach enticing. I honestly think that if there was a way to reliably measure their users’ emotional response, Google would seriously consider it.

In the end, it comes down to inertia. Google has grown so big that it’s become incredibly difficult to even nudge it - there’s too much at stake. Not that it’s impossible, but it’s probably not the best venue for radical creative experimentation. Daring designers best go somewhere else, and this is what Doug Bowman realized. He has now transferred to the current social media darling, Twitter. Here’s hoping that his new post as head designer there will prove to be fulfilling. I’m also curious about what his impact will be on the popular startup.

Google is a champion of web applications, a segment that The App Gap is keen on. What can you say about their minimalist aesthetics? Do you agree with their design methods?

5 Essential Add-ons for a more productive Gmail

May 7, 2009 at 8:28 am · Filed under AppGap Tips, Web 2.0, Web Apps

Google is fond of keeping things simple, and this reflects in their services like Gmail. They are, however, also famous for being innovators - something that the variety of add-ons available on Gmail Labs would support. For power users who want additional features, try to look up what’s available under Settings > Labs. A few of the most handy ones are listed here:

1. Undo Send

Ever pressed the Send button by mistake? We’ve all been there. The results are often incomplete emails, forgotten attachments, and unintended recipients. By enabling this feature, when you press the Send button, Gmail will delay the transmission of your messages by a short while. A new Undo button will be available near the top of the page for about 15 seconds, after which it will disappear, and your email will be sent.

2. Forgotten Attachment Detector

A common blooper around the office is promising attachments, but forgetting to send them. This feature scans your email for the word “attached”. When you hit Send and it senses that no files were chosen, it will ask you whether this was an oversight or not, allowing you to edit the email further. Simple yet effective.

3. Tasks

Using an organizer is fine, but if you have a lot of email-specific tasks to accomplish, why not keep track of them inside Gmail itself? Enabling Tasks will create a text link in your side menu, and clicking on that will open a simple to-do list. It’s easy to add and delete tasks, set a due date, and create notes for each task.

4. Keyboard Shortcuts

Some of us are more comfortable navigating with a mouse, but others swear that keyboard shortcuts make their work flow faster. If you’re in the latter category, why not enable this feature? Don’t forget that you still have to turn shortcuts ON under Settings > General afterwards, though. Default keystrokes are listed here.

5. Email Addict

As various studies have shown, in order to be productive, you’ve got to take some rest every once in a while. The Email Addict add-on puts a text link near the top of the page that says, “Take a break”. Clicking on it will lock you out of Gmail, to force you to rest your eyes or get some other work done. This is handy for those who obsessively check their emails every minute. It also makes you invisible in Google Chat.

Do you use any of the Google Labs features in Gmail? Which one’s your favorite?

Tips for Tough Times: The need for heroes, keeping the morale up, and more startup tips

April 3, 2009 at 9:55 am · Filed under AppGap Tips, Tips for Tough Times, Web 2.0

The Value of Role Models in the Downturn
Harvard Business School Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter talks about the people and companies that have shown resiliency in this economy. “A time of cynicism and mistrust can be made brighter by focusing on heroes. And because every story of success is also a story about persistence despite obstacles, the lessons can be applied to one’s own situation, as a source of inspiration and practical tips.”

The seeeeeeriously cool way out of a downturn
On his blog, “Chief Happiness Officer” Alexander Kjerulf lists a few ways for organizations to stay positive during a crisis. “3: Involve employees in decisions… An intended byproduct of the focus group sessions was that information about the crisis and how it was being handled spread quickly throughout the organization. When the initatives were announced to the employees, most people had heard about them already, which created more trust.”

5 Startup Tips From the Father of Gmail and FriendFeed
Getting your business off the ground is hard, knows Andrew Warner, as he shares noted engineer Paul Buchheit’s advice in an article on Mashable. “Launch a scaled-back version. You can find a simple, scaled-down way of launching anything. “Tesla [the financially struggling electric car startup] spent a lot of money making these cars, but there are people making electric cars in their garages. So it’s always possible to do a scaled-back version of what you have in mind.”

Two New Ways To Find A Job: Auction Yourself Off At JobaPhile Or Do A TwitterJobSearch
TechCrunch’s Erick Schonfeld profiles two startups looking to give jobhunters a helping hand. “Developed by UK-based job search engine Workhound, TwitterJobSearch pulls up Tweets that are only job-related and links to the underlying job posting. Most of these seem to link to other job sites such as CareerBuilder or more niche job sites which all seem to be using Twitter to post their latest openings. But with TwitterJobSearch, you search across all of them, and results are ranked by both relevance and by how recently they’ve been posted.”

Reid Hoffman Tells Charlie Rose: “Every Individual Is Now An Entrepreneur.”
Leena Rao of TechCrunch features excerpts from Charlie Rose’s interview with Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn. “But I think that one of the key things — the reason why I think risk tolerance is important is because what happens is people delude themselves they’re not taking risks. They say, oh, I’m going to get a job at, you know, Hewlett-Packard or I’m going to get a job — and that’s not risky. Well, look at current economic climates. Everything in life has some risk, and what you have to actually learn to do is how to navigate it. And people who take risk intelligently can usually actually make a lot more progress than people who don’t.”

It’s Not as Bad as You Think
On TechNewsWorld Ed Moyle discusses long-term investment opportunities like creating effective strategies, building better methodologies and training staff. “At a macro level, the equation is simple: The workload of certain areas in our security organization is directly tied to business activity. So when business activity is down — as is the case right now — organizations that were staffed to capacity prior to the downturn now have slack space in the workload of these folks. Since the cost of replacing these resources is high, it’s probably cost-prohibitive to adjust levels of staff to meet the change in the short-term demand.”

Steps Towards a More Sustainable Life of Less
Leo Babauta of Zen Habits shares his ideas on live better with less. “We work more than ever before, despite advances in labor-saving technology that mean we should be able to work less. We do so to support a lifestyle that has become more expensive than ever, because of the new levels of convenience and abundant consumer goods that we’ve become accustomed to. We can break out of this trap, by consuming less and then needing to work less.”

“5 Big Ideas for Getting All That Work Done” - recording of The AppGap webinar now available

March 19, 2009 at 10:44 am · Filed under AppGap Tips, Product Management, Talent Management, Technology Management, Webinar

As you know if you’re a regular reader of this blog, The AppGap last week hosted a discussion called “5 Big Ideas for Getting All That Work Done.” Moderated by AppGap contributor Anita Campbell, who was joined by leading commentators Jonathan Fields and John Jantsch, the webinar explored and shared insights on handling workloads that, in many cases, have only increased and gotten more stressful in these challenging economic times.

The major takeaways the discussion sought to explore:

• How to automate what you hate
• How going virtual can help
• How being “social” at work is good for business
• How to reframe what you do
• And how to get your head in the cloud, i.e., move more work to the web

See the end of this post to access the recording of the great conversation - hit play to hear it in place or download it as a podcast for later listening.

We hope you find it of interest and want to take the opportunity to point you to several other webinars The AppGap has hosted: Should your Business be friends with Facebook? from last June and a broad discussion on The Future of Work from early last year.

 

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Web 2.0 according to Google Trends

March 9, 2009 at 1:52 pm · Filed under AppGap Tips, Web 2.0

Now that we’re a few months into 2009, I thought it was appropriate to check on the popularity of certain key buzzwords related to this blog. For this, I used Google Trends, which does not reveal the actual volume of searches, but is useful nonetheless for tracking changes across time. These were the results:

Web 2.0, Social Network, and Social Media

Web 2.0 reached its peak in 2007, and though its no longer as talked about as it once was, it still enjoys significant search volume. Its related technologies, on the other hand, like social network and social media, are steadily gaining in popularity.

Blog and Twitter

In this second graph, we see the incredible rise in the popularity of the term “blog”, which it manages to hold to this day. Meanwhile, Twitter, which came much later, seems to have gained great momentum since the start of the year. This looks to bee in line with recent studies conducted on micro-blogging. Although its search volume is far from what “blog” currently enjoys, Twitter may just give it a run for its money in a few years.

Web App and Cloud Computing

The term “web app” is marching on steadily, increasing a little in searches for 2008 and is likely to do the same this year. In contrast, cloud computing is seeing a phenomenal rise, quite possibly because of economics and other factors pointed out by Anita in one of her previous posts.

Have you tried to use Google Trends for other keywords? What did you think of the results?