on the threshold of confluence Steinn Eldjárn Sigurðarson CELSTEC 2009

Evolution (1/3) users SYSTEMS >

Evolution (1/3) few users fewer systems low interoperability not very connected at all limiting factors: basic connections

Evolution (2/3) users SYSTEMS >

Evolution (2/3) more users more systems data flowing a little bit better between systems: search engines, e-mail, basic groupware limiting factors: systems (software)

more users

more systems

data flowing a little bit better between systems:

search engines, e-mail, basic groupware

limiting factors: systems (software)

Evolution (3/3) < SYSTEMS SYSTEMS SYSTEMS SYSTEMS SYSTEMS users users users users users users users users users users

Evolution (3/3) today. a lot of users a lot of systems proportionally, every user engaging in several different systems limiting factors: time, usefulness

today.

a lot of users

a lot of systems

proportionally, every user engaging in several different systems

limiting factors: time, usefulness

That's a lot of data.. multiple e-mail addresses multiple blogs multiple social networks wiki's google docs collaborative softwares where do I spend my time?

multiple e-mail addresses

multiple blogs

multiple social networks

wiki's

google docs

collaborative softwares

where do I spend my time?

So what changed? (since web 1.0)

(since web 1.0)

What changed.. New limiting factors: user's time and preference Old limiting factors: systems and their possibilities As opposed to systems being few & users using whatever they can have, now users have choice, and a system without users is inherently worthless (Metcalfe's law).

New limiting factors: user's time and preference

Old limiting factors: systems and their possibilities

As opposed to systems being few & users using whatever they can have, now users have choice, and a system without users is inherently worthless (Metcalfe's law).

Systems compete for users Users migrate Hundreds of types of systems Thousands of instances

Is this some kind of problem? Does this mean anything? Is this some kind of problem? It sounds pretty great to have all this choice actually...?

Yes it is a “problem” How do I access all my data? How do I make sure the people I work with see the data I want them to see? What happens when I want to move all my data somewhere else?

How have we attempted to solve this problem? Mostly from a system perspective: Ontologies and standards (SCORM, LOM, IMS-* in education) SOA and web-services (SOAP, XML-RPC, REST)

But what has been most effective? Good, old, underrated RSS! (and HTTP) Why? Because it's SIMPLE!

What do the following things have in common? e-mail blogs forums instant messages status updates ...

(some) Shared characteristics created by intended for title and/or description time of creation/modification usually part of a stream/feed/list

How are we trying to exploit this? Three dimensions: Target (person/group) Content size Item mean time

Dynamically typing feeds?

FeedBack (spec) Simple specification for push-based feed updates (& advertising). Specifies: feedback.offer(sub_uri, targ_uri) feedback.request(sub_uri, token) feedback.notify(data/uri, token)

Simple specification for push-based feed updates (& advertising).

Specifies:

feedback.offer(sub_uri, targ_uri)

feedback.request(sub_uri, token)

feedback.notify(data/uri, token)

FeedBack (cont.) Implementations ready for WordPress, Moodle, Scuttle Interested in writing one? We have some docs and a validator :-)

Implementations ready for

WordPress, Moodle, Scuttle

Interested in writing one? We have some docs and a validator :-)

Thanks.. Thanks to: Fridolin Wild (Open University UK) Zuzana Bizonova (Žilinská univerzita) (and others.. sorry)

Thanks to:

Fridolin Wild (Open University UK)

Zuzana Bizonova (Žilinská univerzita)

(and others.. sorry)