Comments on: Velvet Puffin Finds Another Way to Bridge the Web and Desktop http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/ Startup and Technology News Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:32:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Abhishek Tiwari http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1524060 Abhishek Tiwari Sat, 28 Jul 2007 16:01:11 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1524060 <strong>Instant Messaging meets Social Networking...</strong> Recently I came across a PodTech show on the Scobleizer. Robert was interviewing Chandra CEO of Velvet Puffin, who was demonstrating their offering in a buys SFO restaurant. So I decided to test drive it myself. At first it seemed like any other web b... Instant Messaging meets Social Networking…

Recently I came across a PodTech show on the Scobleizer. Robert was interviewing Chandra CEO of Velvet Puffin, who was demonstrating their offering in a buys SFO restaurant.
So I decided to test drive it myself. At first it seemed like any other web b…

]]> By: David Mackey http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1509853 David Mackey Fri, 20 Jul 2007 23:01:59 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1509853 blahhh... blahhh…

]]> By: Adam Sweet http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1509213 Adam Sweet Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:46:00 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1509213 It's still very buggy. I've been testing it for a couple days and now what it does is load, then hang in the lower right corner frozen while alert messages try to open behind it. The only way you can close it is with Taskmanager. It’s still very buggy. I’ve been testing it for a couple days and now what it does is load, then hang in the lower right corner frozen while alert messages try to open behind it. The only way you can close it is with Taskmanager.

]]> By: Ryan http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1508918 Ryan Fri, 20 Jul 2007 12:52:10 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1508918 My guess is they use Java because it's on all browsers and can fire up its own window sans browser chrome. The Java is just the frame. Flash is then used to make things easy to develop visually and animate (I'm a designer. Yes, Flash is easier to work with than Java and DHTML and has the benefit of being vector-based - read: small filesize). The C is employed because, well, it's a great, powerful language and can be hooked into the Java applet that's running as a frame. Java is the gateway between browser & "desktop"* Flash is the front-end. C is the transmission protocol. It all seems pretty smart to me. Maybe .NET has these things, but it wasn't until I was curious about Live Maps did I even bother to have that behemoth installed. * It's not really running on the desktop, people. Check your running processes, I bet you see FF, IE or your browser of choice on there. Kill it, and watch this "desktop" app die. My guess is they use Java because it’s on all browsers and can fire up its own window sans browser chrome. The Java is just the frame. Flash is then used to make things easy to develop visually and animate (I’m a designer. Yes, Flash is easier to work with than Java and DHTML and has the benefit of being vector-based - read: small filesize). The C is employed because, well, it’s a great, powerful language and can be hooked into the Java applet that’s running as a frame.

Java is the gateway between browser & “desktop”*
Flash is the front-end.
C is the transmission protocol.

It all seems pretty smart to me. Maybe .NET has these things, but it wasn’t until I was curious about Live Maps did I even bother to have that behemoth installed.

* It’s not really running on the desktop, people. Check your running processes, I bet you see FF, IE or your browser of choice on there. Kill it, and watch this “desktop” app die.

]]> By: Andy http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1508332 Andy Fri, 20 Jul 2007 06:15:13 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1508332 For years, installing programs so easily, from a single .exe, was one of the things touted as one of the benefits of Windows. Now even downloading and installing something is too hard? (I agree that's there's a barrier to entry there, And now the pesky web browser is too much in the way for web stuff? You know, if you're doing stuff on the Internet without a web browser, it's not a "web application" anymore. It's an "Internet-connected application", a peer of the web browser, not subordinate to the web browser. You have an Internet application, one that you've figured out how to spawn from a click within another Internet application, the web browser. I remember when we used to call these things "security holes". Before that, we called them "helper applications", and there was a dialog in Netscape where you could list them. For years, installing programs so easily, from a single .exe, was one of the things touted as one of the benefits of Windows. Now even downloading and installing something is too hard? (I agree that’s there’s a barrier to entry there,

And now the pesky web browser is too much in the way for web stuff?

You know, if you’re doing stuff on the Internet without a web browser, it’s not a “web application” anymore. It’s an “Internet-connected application”, a peer of the web browser, not subordinate to the web browser. You have an Internet application, one that you’ve figured out how to spawn from a click within another Internet application, the web browser.

I remember when we used to call these things “security holes”. Before that, we called them “helper applications”, and there was a dialog in Netscape where you could list them.

]]> By: James Thomas http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1508242 James Thomas Fri, 20 Jul 2007 05:34:47 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1508242 Cool concept, but after trying out the desktop app, I'm far from impressed... it's just not very user friendly. You can't see all your contacts at once, and for the photos I didn't see an option to just add my flickr account. In addition, it doesn't support dual screens. IMO, it was a mistake going their own route instead of using any of the premade ways to create a desktop app. Cool concept, but after trying out the desktop app, I’m far from impressed… it’s just not very user friendly. You can’t see all your contacts at once, and for the photos I didn’t see an option to just add my flickr account. In addition, it doesn’t support dual screens. IMO, it was a mistake going their own route instead of using any of the premade ways to create a desktop app.

]]> By: James Thomas http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1508212 James Thomas Fri, 20 Jul 2007 05:24:09 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1508212 @#4 and #5 Who cares? As long as it runs, the end user really doesn't matter. It's the end result that matters. @#4 and #5

Who cares? As long as it runs, the end user really doesn’t matter. It’s the end result that matters.

]]> By: Nik Cubrilovic http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1508109 Nik Cubrilovic Fri, 20 Jul 2007 04:51:28 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1508109 in Java it's called Web Start (6 years old now) in .NET it's called Click Once (been there since .net 2.0) why you need to mash java + flash + c++ i will never know.. in Java it’s called Web Start (6 years old now)
in .NET it’s called Click Once (been there since .net 2.0)

why you need to mash java + flash + c++ i will never know..

]]> By: Andre de Cavaignac http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1508085 Andre de Cavaignac Fri, 20 Jul 2007 04:38:43 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1508085 All of this just makes it way too complicated. You don't need C++ programming skills to "maintain a connection" with a server, and you don't need Java and Flash together to put up a rich client side app that talks to a server. People have been doing it forever. First there were Java Applets (that still exist), then ActiveX. Today, if you want to do this on a Windows machine, try .NET ClickOnce deployments. They work great, auto-update, have full web connectivity.... I don't see the "problem" that Adobe AIR and these other platforms are out to solve. Its been solved by the platform provider (or is Microsoft not a valid development environment in this Web 2.0 world??) All of this just makes it way too complicated. You don’t need C++ programming skills to “maintain a connection” with a server, and you don’t need Java and Flash together to put up a rich client side app that talks to a server. People have been doing it forever. First there were Java Applets (that still exist), then ActiveX.

Today, if you want to do this on a Windows machine, try .NET ClickOnce deployments. They work great, auto-update, have full web connectivity…. I don’t see the “problem” that Adobe AIR and these other platforms are out to solve. Its been solved by the platform provider (or is Microsoft not a valid development environment in this Web 2.0 world??)

]]> By: Mike Olbinski http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1508077 Mike Olbinski Fri, 20 Jul 2007 04:34:22 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1508077 I dunno, I messed with it and I don't particularly like the buddy list...of course, I didn't explore too far, but not having it sorted by groups and stuff doesn't work for me. I didn't get into the other tools, like the blog or photos. I have my own blog I guess. I dunno, I messed with it and I don’t particularly like the buddy list…of course, I didn’t explore too far, but not having it sorted by groups and stuff doesn’t work for me.

I didn’t get into the other tools, like the blog or photos. I have my own blog I guess.

]]> By: arby http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1508066 arby Fri, 20 Jul 2007 04:15:22 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1508066 Just tried the application Its really cool. The fact that they can close the browser and have the client on the desktop, that's mind blowing! Just tried the application
Its really cool.
The fact that they can close the browser and have the client on the desktop, that’s mind blowing!

]]> By: patricia http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1508058 patricia Fri, 20 Jul 2007 04:04:00 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/19/velvet-puffin-finds-another-way-to-bridge-the-web-and-desktop/#comment-1508058 i don't know. it sounds like twitter. i don’t know. it sounds like twitter.

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