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Conference Cocktail Kick-Off
Drinking & Thinking
Dave Meeker
dmeeker@roundarch.com | meekerd@gmail.com

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thanks to sponsors
Illinois Technology Association

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why are we here?
?

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why are we here?
?

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in order to
understand why we
are here...we have
to understand where
we’ve been

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we have been on a constant
search for tools to create
better user experiences.

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1995 - 2000: “experimentation”
Netscape Plugins
ActiveX Controls
Java Applets
MS HTML Layout Control (IE3.0)
CGI Push Video
Framesets
Shockwave
MS Liquid Motion

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MS ActiveX Control Pad - 1996

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MS HTML Layout Control (ActiveX) - 1996

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Java Applet for Charting - 1996

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Java Applet Calculator - 1996
“Pocket Calc”

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We have been working to
overcome the absurd rule of
page-based applications,
minimally-functional UI
controls and “fetch --> display”

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Interactivity > HTML
Building “Real”
Applications using HTML
as the primary GUI
technology is like trying
to fit a square peg in a
round hole.

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2000 - 2004: “foundation”
SOAP / Web Services
XML
Flash MX*
Flash Remoting
Macromedia Central
Macromedia/Adobe Flex 1.0
MS .NET
* With Flash MX, Macromedia Introduced the term “Rich Internet Application” to the Web Vernacular

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2005 - 2008: “revolution”
Adobe Buys Macromedia
SOA Adoption & Readiness
AJAX Maturity
Adobe Flex 2.0 - 3.0, AIR, Flash Player,
FDS
Microsoft Silverlight, Expression Studio,
Surface
Users now demand good experiences

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2008 - Beyond: “the (near) future”
Web Applications Benefit from Hardware Graphic
Acceleration & OS Connectivity
Desktop & Web Blurring Continues
Personal Remote File Storage Becomes
Preferential
APIs, APIs, APIs & more APIs
The Thin Client Returns
Mobile Gets Real
Semantic Data
Voice / Touch Input

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all of this technology
was created with a
single goal...
creating better
user experiences

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So, back to this...
?
why are we here?

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in order to understand
why we are here...
we also have to
understand
who we are

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so... who are we? (you)
Software Developer(s) ?
Computer Scientist(s) ?
Information Architect(s) ?
Technology Project Manager(s) ?
Consultant(s) ?
Interaction Designer(s) ?
Web Technologists?
Business People?

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because you are here...

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it means that you are...
Someone who Strives to Design & Build Better
User Experiences
Someone who is Passionate about Creative
Technology
Someone who will Help Shape the Future of Online
Applications
A Creative Problem Solver

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:-) Now, don’t you feel good?
You are officially creative.

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we know who we are,
where we are, and
how we got here...
now what?

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making the most of
RIA for Designers & Developers (Keynote)
Tim Heuer & Corrina Barber
Agile Flex Application Development: How Mammoths Stay Slim
Ka Wai Cheung, We Are Mammoth
Best and Worst Practices Building a RIA
Michael Labriola (Digital Primates) & Josh Holmes
Fast. Smart. Agile. User Experience Driven Agile Development
Matt Nolker, Pathfinder Development
How RIA Changes In Application Design
Geoff Cubitt, President & CTO - Roundarch
Silverlight and RIA
Corey Miller, Magenic
Better Designer/Developer Collaboration with WFP & XAML
Anthony Handley, Magenic

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communicate
collaborate educate ideate
innovate

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Building a Bridge Between Adobe AIR and Java
http://merapiproject.net

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What is Merapi?
Merapi is a bridge between applications written in Java and those
running in and created for Adobe AIR™ (Adobe Integrated Runtime™).
Merapi has been designed to run on a user's machine, along with an
Adobe AIR™application and provide a direct path between the Adobe
AIR™ framework and Java, exposing the power and overall capabilities
of the user's operating system, including 3rd party hardware devices.

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Why Did We Create Merapi?
For Adobe AIR
To have access to the features of the Java
language and the myriad of Java libraries
For Java
To have access to the powerful user interface
framework available in Adobe Flex / AIR
applications

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How Did We Create Merapi?
Flex <-> Java
Communication on a local socket
using Adobe open source libraries
for AMF serialization

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Ways to Use Merapi
Control Lego MindStorm Robots from an Adobe AIR game.
Connect an AIR™ application to a Wii remote
Perform TWAIN Capturing of Video or Images from a camera or
scanner
Use AIR™ to talk to a phone plugged in via USB
Connect an AIR application to system hardware and OS
properties
Connect an AIR application UI to a GPS device
Sending MIDI signals to instruments over a network using a Flex
application GUI running in the AIR framework
Create a new UI for a command-line Java application or Java
Interface

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Q&A
dave meeker - roundarch - meekerd@gmail.com