paul.nowak wrote: Matt, thanks for the comments. I made an error on the version of Plone. It's 2.5 Plone running on Zope 2.9x.
In regards to the additional products, we have a skin installed and we have a product that we had custom developed for us that connects to a PostgreSQL database. We've looked at slow PostgreSQL queries causing problems and have not been able to find an issue. We've also tested for the case where the PostgreSQL server is down and have not been able to create an issue. We therefor...
Problematically, RSS is still not quite a household word yet, and even the software industry is just beginning to realize the importance of this workhorse syndication format. Though at this point it's clear RSS will be the key enabler of Web 2.0 and Software As a Service. It will do this both as a notification format and as the actual glue that will eventually hold many Web 2.0 services and mash-ups together.
Dave Winer famously created the current incarnation of RSS but its implications are still rippling through the industry. The folks that can fully appreciate RSS will reap corresponding rewards. Microsoft CTO's Ray Ozzie is a good example of the folks that "get" what RSS means. I love the quote from his much-discussed leaked memo this week and I haven't been able to stop using it for the last day: "[RSS] is filling a role as ‘the UNIX pipe of the internet’ as people use it to connect data and systems in unanticipated ways."
And we can't forget that RSS feeds, storage, synchronization will be a central new feature of the next version of Windows.
So expect to see RSS on every blog, every Web 2.0 service, web site, and piece of desktop software going forward. If you can't find the feed, you can be sure whatever it is won't last long.
And for the fully buzzword compliant and for the record, I do fundamentally believe REST/RSS is the new EAI. And the glue of first choice for lightweight SOA as well. And I'm actively starting to see folks drop their Web services and go RSS wholesale.
Of course, the real problem right now is that most people on the Web still don't have any idea what RSS is. At best, the average Web user might understand that RSS forms some kind of information "feed". More sophisticated users notice that if they can find an RSS link somewhere (a blog or news site for example) that they can use it like a URL to get updates of information within services like My Yahoo, Bloglines, or something called an RSS reader.
Murkiness and partial examples are the enemy here. Raising awareness and finding clear examples that fully express the potential and power of RSS should be the goal.
Here are some clear, canonical examples that I think convey the full scope of what RSS does for us in a Web 2.0 world:
RSS Use Cases
Notification: Need to inform a lot of people about changes to information. Don't want central control? Want to enable self-service? Use RSS.
Syndication: Publishing new information regularly? Put it into an RSS feed. This flows out to the world your blog entries, news articles, podcasts, videos, job posts, weather reports, financial updates, bug reports, etc. The software you use should be able to take your information and make it into an RSS feed. If your current software can't, find new software. It's that important.
Glue: Need to connect any service to another service on the Web (or anywhere else)? Trying to mash together data? Building supply chains? There is generally no need to ever ask anyone to stand up a new web service. Pull everything you need via its RSS feed. Some software developers will disagree with this and say there are better methods, but to this I point out: 1) RSS is robust enough that it's all you'll ever need nine times out of ten and 2) it's what you're going to offered automatically anyway, take it and get something done.
RSS creates the Web 2.0 information ecosystem by enabling interconnectedness, network effects, emergent behavior, and much more as well. And RSS doesn't demand control of the other end of the conversation. This is a big enabler all by itself and is a classic Web 2.0 force. By letting consumers of RSS use any tool or service they want on their side, barriers are eliminated and connectivity is encouraged.
That doesn't mean that RSS doesn't have its weaknesses either and certainly there are other ways to create feeds, but RSS has the mindshare, support, and the goods right now. So though it's not perfect, it's more than up to the job. Let's spread the word...
What did I miss? What other canonical examples are there?
About RIA News Desk Ever since Google popularized a smarter, more responsive and interactive Web experience by using AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript + XML) for its Google Maps & Gmail applications, SYS-CON's RIA News Desk has been covering every aspect of Rich Internet Applications and those creating and deploying them. If you have breaking RIA news, please send it to RIA@sys-con.com to share your product and company news coverage with AJAXWorld readers.
The past month has seen an unprecedented concentration of Cloud-related articles, events, tweets, and - above all - product launches, partnership announcements and M&A moves. So is Cloud Computing, after three years, finally coming to the boil? Here, by way of allowing you to jud...
GigaSpaces and GoGrid have been strategic partners for quite a while. This week, we jointly announced a new technology partnership aimed at offering Java and .NET as a PaaS solution. To further explain our combined solution, there is a webinar slotted for October 14th where Guy N...
I had the pleasure of not only attending the Cloud Computing Expo in Santa Clara, CA this week, staffing the booth and generally enjoying talking to a wide range of developers, technologists, vendors, partners and others, but I also was able to do a couple of interviews with Pete...
Big news on the Cloud Standards front, I was just informed that the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) - JTC 1 have formed a new Subcommittee (SC) at their Plenary last week that includes...
The new widgetry features multi-cluster support and enhanced concurrency management to improve scaling so users can seamlessly overlay their Eucalyptus cloud on top of virtually any existing IT infrastructure, regardless of size or configuration. Eucalyptus is meant for implement...
.gif)
The past month has seen an unprecedented concentration of Cloud-related articles, events, tweets, and - above all - product launches, partnership announcements and M&A moves. So is Cloud Computing, after three years, finally coming to the boil? Here, by way of allowing you to jud...
GigaSpaces and GoGrid have been strategic partners for quite a while. This week, we jointly announced a new technology partnership aimed at offering Java and .NET as a PaaS solution. To further explain our combined solution, there is a webinar slotted for October 14th where Guy N...
I had the pleasure of not only attending the Cloud Computing Expo in Santa Clara, CA this week, staffing the booth and generally enjoying talking to a wide range of developers, technologists, vendors, partners and others, but I also was able to do a couple of interviews with Pete...
Big news on the Cloud Standards front, I was just informed that the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) - 
The new widgetry features multi-cluster support and enhanced concurrency management to improve scaling so users can seamlessly overlay their Eucalyptus cloud on top of virtually any existing IT infrastructure, regardless of size or configuration. Eucalyptus is meant for implement...
