Memo: XMLHttpRequest object tutorials

When I first tried a simple Ajax to create a MP3 device catalog last year, I used Apple's demo site that helped me to get started:

• XMLHttpRequest Object Demo (by Apple)

I found these articles by IBM this year and read partially:

• Mastering Ajax, Part 1: Introduction to Ajax
• Mastering Ajax, Part 2: Make asynchronous requests with JavaScript and Ajax
• Mastering Ajax, Part 3: Advanced requests and responses in Ajax
• Mastering Ajax, Part 4: Exploiting DOM for Web response
• Mastering Ajax, Part 5: Manipulate the DOM
• Mastering Ajax, Part 6: Build DOM-based Web applications

I will read later:

• 60 More AJAX Tutorials

YouOS - Web2.0 Online Platform

YouOS is an Ajax-based experimental "Web operating system" creates by guys at MIT. It is a window-based operating system with GUI that runs on browser so you can access your desktop from any computer anywhere. YouOS tracks a user's state across user sessions, so after you log off, you can log on from anywhere and your desktop and applications will be in the same state where you left them.

Amazingly, there are already nearly 200 applications you can install on YouOS account - rich text editor, email client, chat, RSS reader, also a couple of different web browsers! It's funny that the OS runs on browser and has its owen web browser. The screenshot show my other blog site displayed on YouBrowser. I dunno if it is really useful to view web within web though.

Ajax Software - Free Adobe and Microsoft alternatives?

More and more online Ajax applications are coming. Online word processor, spreadsheet, and now, an image editor. This screenshot is taken from Snipshot where you can edit your images uploaded or imported from web such as flickr. (I used their sample photo to demo.) This online application allows you to edit images with basic tools like crop, rotate, resize, basic image adjustments.

List of other online "Office" appz:

• Writely (Word)
• Google Spreadsheet (Excel)
• ajaxXLS (Excel)
• ajaxWrite (Word)
• think free (Office all)
• ajaxSketch (Illustrator)

Social Shopping List

It seems like an another big wave of Internet trend has been around (but hope this is not like the late-90s dot-com crap), the social-networking sites have been massive success (though I hate MySpace), "tagging" has been everywhere, and I started hearing news about new startups all the time.

Today, I've read about this "a collaborative shopping community" called Stylehive, whose office is located here in San Francisco. Though this site has so much more to be improved, the idea and look-and-feel of the site are something I can relate.

Browsing the tags like manolo makes me want them really want them. Bad for me, but this fits perfectly as we live in the material world.

(This blog entry was originally written on June 16 for my other blog and copied it on Blogger on Sept.27)

Yahoo! Tech

Yahoo! has launched a new tech products site, called Yahoo! Tech. This site is just like CNet but this utilizes fancy Web2.0 technologies like Flash and Ajax-enabled dynamic components, with nicely designed UI that makes user-experience painless.

What makes this site so Web2.0 is that the serach filter and sort functions that allows users to select manifactures/brands, price ranges, and other choices with slider, and allows to rate the products they own.

I'd say this site is one of the best demo to show off what they are doing with Yahoo! Design Patter Library.

(This blog entry was originally written on May 3 for my other blog and copied it on Blogger on Sept.26)

PNG-24 on Windows IE

JavaScript to make IE on Windows allow alpha transparency in PNG images (24bit PNG with 8bit of transparency).

<!--[if gte IE 5.5000]>
<script language="JavaScript">
function correctPNG() // correctly handle PNG transparency in Win IE 5.5 or higher.
   {
   for(var i=0; i<document.images.length; i++)
      {
   var img = document.images[i]
   var imgName = img.src.toUpperCase()
   if (imgName.substring(imgName.length-3, imgName.length) == "PNG")
      {
   var imgID = (img.id) ? "id='" + img.id + "' " : ""
   var imgClass = (img.className) ? "class='" + img.className + "' " : ""
   var imgTitle = (img.title) ? "title='" + img.title + "' " : "title='" + img.alt + "' "
   var imgStyle = "display:inline-block;" + img.style.cssText
   if (img.align == "left") imgStyle = "float:left;" + imgStyle
   if (img.align == "right") imgStyle = "float:right;" + imgStyle
   if (img.parentElement.href) imgStyle = "cursor:hand;" + imgStyle
   var strNewHTML = "<span " + imgID + imgClass + imgTitle
   + " style=\"" + "width:" + img.width + "px; height:" + img.height + "px;" + imgStyle + ";"
      + "filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.AlphaImageLoader"
   + "(src=\'" + img.src + "\', sizingMethod='scale');\"></span>"
   img.outerHTML = strNewHTML
   i = i-1
      }
      }
   }
window.attachEvent("onload", correctPNG);
</script>
<![endif]-->

Google Maps Mobile Beta

Cool. I just installed a copy of Google Maps Mobile Beta on Nokia 6670 to test.

This sounds like the Google Maps that everybody knows on web, but actually is a stand-alone application that runs on mobile phone, so you don't have to wait for mobithe map to load via slow GPRS connection.

To make it clear, the map on mobile web is now called "Google Local" and differetiate it from the app. It's frustrating to navigate if your phone doesn't equip with Wifi. (Mobile URL: http://mobile.google.com/local)

Anyway, on this Google Maps, You can view the map in satellite view, just like the desktop web version, and also, the feature I like is that you can search some local restaurants and it gives you an option to make a call directly.

A list of the supported devices is here. The device and the provider I am using is Nokia 6670 and Cingular by the way.

If you 'd like to test it on desktop browser, go to Java demo page.

(This blog entry was originally written on Apr.25 for my other blog and copied on Blogger on Sept.26)

My Notebook

Sometimes I feel very behind and struggle to catch up with new technology... Yet, at the same time, those people who overuse (or abuse) the "buzzwords" without knowing what the hell they really mean make my eyes roll. I know the only Ajax they really know is the cleanser. Anyway, maybe I should take some notes when I learn something or find interesting. So I will treat this blog space as my own notebook or scrapbook.

Yea, I don't have any intensions to entertain people.