Posts filed under 'web services'
Lots of great Open Source and Community Source work was showcased at JA-SIG this week. Here’s a list, in no particular order, of the most interesting, most relevant projects for me:
collections management and online access application for museums, archives and digital collections.
software for writing and reading rich media documents in a networked environment.
rich media analytics for humanists and artists.
DSpace repository using the Manakin XMLUI. A comprehensive digital library of public policy research.
guidelines for the interaction of tools with learning/course management systems. This is really about decoupling functionality from any single LMS. It would create a more pluggable model, enabling faculty or students to be application producers and Learning Management Systems and other applications to be consumers.
collaborative project for developing and distributing a library of sharable customizable user interfaces designed to improve the user experience of web applications. Fluid is not only developing component libraries, but is also churning out research, education, and outreach about how to design user experiences.
discover who at Cornell is working on a particular research topic; what they’ve taught or published recently; where facilities might be and what online tools are available to expedite research. Powered by RDF and Semantic Web technologies.
April 30th, 2008
I’ve been impressed by some of Microsoft’s recent projects, the Windows Live suite in particular. I’ve used FolderShare on a daily basis for the last 4 months to sync folders between my Tablet PC and my desktop machine. It’s a simple P2P tool that works.
I’m using Windows Live Writer to compose this post and I’ve been using it for about the last 3 months. It’s an enjoyable environment and definitely better than discovering that I lost an entire post because I forgot to periodically save while composing in Wordpress.
Jon Udell recently wrote an interesting post about Office Live. I found it compelling enough to try the free version. I would probably jump off a cliff if Jon recommended it. Of course, the requirement of using IE was annoying, but expected. The real problem, captured in my very first screencast, appeared after the Office Live registration process when I wanted to begin using the service. I did not alter or edit the capture at all. This occurred on my Tablet PC running Windows XP and IE 7. It completely prevented me from moving on.
This foible is an example of the downside of Microsoft and continued fodder for Apple’s Mac vs. PC commercials. Microsoft forces us into IE, but even IE 7 and Microsoft’s own sites rarely deliver an enjoyable experience.
I still to hope to revisit Office Live at some point, but for now it’s forgettable.
April 11th, 2007
I continue to be inspired by WPopac, Corey Bisson’s reformulation of the library catalog using WordPress. Corey calls WPopac “an OPAC 2.0 Testbed”. In this case, WordPress is just the means of bringing the library catalog into the 21st Century, with open standards and flexible interfaces.
I first learned about WPopac at Corey’s IUG Presentation, “Designing An OPAC for Web 2.0“. As a satisfied new user of WordPress, I was already convinced that somehow it might be a great tool for the library. I certainly wasn’t the first to wonder how and Corey’s work wrapped some flesh around it.
You can experience WPopac at Plymouth State, Corey’s place, and there are more implementations to come.
Who needs WebOPAC software for our catalogs as long as we have access to our data and open source apps like WordPress or Joomla!? The answer, of course, is those of us who are locked into turnkey systems that build walls around our data and then force us to pay for still more software in order to stick some doors into the walls. Change is in the air though, especially as librarians increasingly take to the Web 2.0 meme and begin to expect more from their systems.
August 5th, 2006