If you like HTML5 and happen to also like music and cool visuals, check this out - http://bit.ly/ahBt4b
At Union Square Ventures we have backed a couple of companies that use browser plugins at the core of their services (Adaptive Blue, Zemanta). We have always been concerned about the potentially lower sign-up rates from requiring someone to install a plugin. The installation process on Firefox required an onerous restart (even for updates to already installed plugins!). In fact, our concern has been so significant that we have passed on a few opportunities that had plugins as central to their strategy. I believe that this could change dramatically in the near term. First, Chrome has an extension architecture that does not require a restart and allows for dynamic updates to plugins. Second, people seem to have no problem with installing apps on their phones. So what’s missing is a change in terminology - let’s call plugins browser apps - and a marketplace. The latter can help not just with discovery but also with ratings and safety. Now before anyone can even start to mention HTML5 - yes it’s great, but a plugin, I mean app, can still do more because it is user centric, not site centric. For instance, extension.fm can deliver its experience only because it sees music on all sites I go to!
I’ve been sitting on this anonymous Tumblr Question for a while now:
…I won’t go into the definition of the term as Wikipedia already provides more general and historic details about it.
Don’t know about you but my short answer is: before an Evangelist does, he is.
When I look…
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
At the time of writing, we’ve reimplemented most of Digg’s functionality using Cassandra as our primary datastore. We’ve supplemented Cassandra-based indexing using full text, relational and graph indexing systems. We’re getting used to dealing with eventual consistency.
We’ve been working on Cassandra itself too. We’ve made massive performance improvements: increased comparitor speed, added better compaction threading, reduced logging overhead, added row-level caching and implemented multi-get capability. We’ve also implemented native atomic counters using Zookeeper (you can probably guess why were motivated to add that feature :)
We’ve tested and improved the operational capabilities of Cassandra, upgrading its Rackaware capability, added slow query logging, improved the bulk import functionality and implemented Scribe support for improved logging. We’ve also done a ton of operational testing.
http://about.digg.com/node/564
Sounds fun. Did I mention I love Amazon SimpleDB?
Portugal. the Man, All My People.
Many people have asked me why I started developing ExtensionFM on Chrome before Firefox. Firefox has about 25% market share while Chrome has only 5%. Below are ten reasons why I believe Chrome is the better browser right now and easier to develop applications for.
Let me first say that I have had a love affair with Firefox for the past five years. I started using it in the summer of 2005 when I was, ironically enough, an intern at Microsoft. I want Mozilla to succeed. It is important to have a ‘non-biased’ company in the browser space. But right now, they are getting their butts kicked by Chrome (and its Webkit cousins).
Here are 10 reasons (with 1 bonus) why Chrome has surpassed Firefox.
RT @cashmusic: The new @familyoftheyear EP, Through The Trees is out now, available directly from the band at http://familyoftheyear.net/
RT @extensionfm: New Release: Auto-updating sites and the music activity stream - http://bit.ly/9nNu6R
