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(add attracting people) |
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=== Notes from meeting 9 July 2009 === | === Notes from meeting 9 July 2009 === | ||
| − | The basic aim of project silk is to deeply integrate online content into the | + | The basic aim of project silk is to deeply integrate online content and communication into the desktop user experience. |
| − | desktop user experience. | + | |
== Goal and Concept == | == Goal and Concept == | ||
| − | |||
The goal of Project Silk is deep coupling of the web with the user experience while overcoming limitations of the browser. "Freeing the Web From the Browser", so to say. Project Silk takes the opposite direction of Google's Chrome OS, instead of making the browser the Operating System, we integrate the content and the communication deeply into the desktop and application | The goal of Project Silk is deep coupling of the web with the user experience while overcoming limitations of the browser. "Freeing the Web From the Browser", so to say. Project Silk takes the opposite direction of Google's Chrome OS, instead of making the browser the Operating System, we integrate the content and the communication deeply into the desktop and application | ||
| Line 13: | Line 11: | ||
== What the user gets == | == What the user gets == | ||
| − | |||
* the Social Desktop, have your friends on the desktop | * the Social Desktop, have your friends on the desktop | ||
* Public transport | * Public transport | ||
| Line 29: | Line 26: | ||
* CIA world fact book | * CIA world fact book | ||
* the newspaper containment in our plasma-netbook shell | * the newspaper containment in our plasma-netbook shell | ||
| − | * Travel help: an small application that asks where you're going, and then pulls in information from various locations, much like a dynamic travel guide. This information is then cached (you might not find an Internet connection directly!). Pieces of information that would be useful: maps of the city you're visiting (thanks openstreetmap), phone numbers (the local country code, taxis, doctors, hotels, restaurants, ...) | + | * Travel help: an small application that asks where you're going, and then pulls in information from various locations, much like a dynamic travel guide. This information is then cached (you might not find an Internet connection directly!). Pieces of information that would be useful: maps of the city you're visiting (thanks openstreetmap), phone numbers (the local country code, taxis, doctors, hotels, restaurants, ...) As a bonus, there would be the option to compile a three page summary pdf to print so you don't have to open up your netbook / laptop all the time. |
| − | + | ||
| − | As a bonus, there would be the option to compile a three page summary pdf to print so you don't have to open up your netbook / laptop all the time. | + | |
| − | + | ||
== Components == | == Components == | ||
| − | |||
* a webkit-based Konqueror | * a webkit-based Konqueror | ||
* libweb | * libweb | ||
| Line 43: | Line 36: | ||
== webkit-based Konqueror == | == webkit-based Konqueror == | ||
| − | |||
During Akademy, there was much discussion and also already some code to make the webkit kpart ready for prime-time. A fully working, modern and integrated browser is one of the most important pillars of Project Silk. Konqueror will be using webkit, making it fully working with all major websites. Work on this is under way, but it needs to fly under the radar until it has enough momentum. Info about webkit in Konqueror: | During Akademy, there was much discussion and also already some code to make the webkit kpart ready for prime-time. A fully working, modern and integrated browser is one of the most important pillars of Project Silk. Konqueror will be using webkit, making it fully working with all major websites. Work on this is under way, but it needs to fly under the radar until it has enough momentum. Info about webkit in Konqueror: | ||
http://techbase.kde.org/Projects/WebKit | http://techbase.kde.org/Projects/WebKit | ||
| Line 71: | Line 63: | ||
Backends for the service APIs (public transport, online shopping, ...) we offer in libweb should be written in scripting languages for so far possible, so we can easily distribute and update them through GHNS, much like the comic plasma applet does with its per-site comic scriptlets. | Backends for the service APIs (public transport, online shopping, ...) we offer in libweb should be written in scripting languages for so far possible, so we can easily distribute and update them through GHNS, much like the comic plasma applet does with its per-site comic scriptlets. | ||
| − | |||
== Silk integration components == | == Silk integration components == | ||
| − | |||
* tagging and indexing of visited webpages in the desktop search / nepomuk | * tagging and indexing of visited webpages in the desktop search / nepomuk | ||
* akonadi resources for interesting services (google contacts, del.icious bookmarks, linkedin and facebook contacts, ...) | * akonadi resources for interesting services (google contacts, del.icious bookmarks, linkedin and facebook contacts, ...) | ||
* wikipedia runner for KRunner (done :-)) | * wikipedia runner for KRunner (done :-)) | ||
* web identity configuration (central openID config, easy configuration of webservices (think of a button for GMail which then creates an akonadi resource, pulls in email and shows that in Lion Mail on the desktop, or similar, instead of pointing the IMAP config to the GMail server), controls the settings for microblogging, blogging, facebook, google. | * web identity configuration (central openID config, easy configuration of webservices (think of a button for GMail which then creates an akonadi resource, pulls in email and shows that in Lion Mail on the desktop, or similar, instead of pointing the IMAP config to the GMail server), controls the settings for microblogging, blogging, facebook, google. | ||
| − | |||
* a flickr browser | * a flickr browser | ||
* microblogging app / applet (done) | * microblogging app / applet (done) | ||
* Plasma dataengines and applets | * Plasma dataengines and applets | ||
| − | |||
== Why is Silk better than a webbrowser == | == Why is Silk better than a webbrowser == | ||
| − | |||
* offline usage and caching, even if limited | * offline usage and caching, even if limited | ||
* richer UI (usage of modern graphics capabilities) | * richer UI (usage of modern graphics capabilities) | ||
| Line 97: | Line 84: | ||
== Research Topics == | == Research Topics == | ||
| − | + | * What does already exist, where? | |
| − | * What does already exist? | + | |
* In how far can we make use of existing API, existing service protocols? | * In how far can we make use of existing API, existing service protocols? | ||
* How do we promote Freedom with Silk? | * How do we promote Freedom with Silk? | ||
* What business models does it allow? | * What business models does it allow? | ||
* Where can we get corporate buy-in? | * Where can we get corporate buy-in? | ||
| + | * Where does real-time collaboration stand here? | ||
== How do we tackle Project Silk == | == How do we tackle Project Silk == | ||
| − | |||
The idea is to fly under the radar for some time. libweb will be started in a gitorious repo (richmoore has one). We try to get known people on board, but keep it silent on blogs and the web, the strategy would be "it's not top- secret, but no public fuzz for now either". | The idea is to fly under the radar for some time. libweb will be started in a gitorious repo (richmoore has one). We try to get known people on board, but keep it silent on blogs and the web, the strategy would be "it's not top- secret, but no public fuzz for now either". | ||
Once we have the first bits in place, we announce it as the next multi-year vision for KDE and try to get everybody on board with a big PR splash. (Flying under the radar for a bit will help -- announcing vapourware wouldn't be cool, if we show that we've already some momentum, it'll work much better. Silk is very much a movement towards deep integration, not a one-off. We have the technologies in place to keep an edge over competitors, and we have the developer community in place to create small plugins to support a wide variety of (even local and niche) services. | Once we have the first bits in place, we announce it as the next multi-year vision for KDE and try to get everybody on board with a big PR splash. (Flying under the radar for a bit will help -- announcing vapourware wouldn't be cool, if we show that we've already some momentum, it'll work much better. Silk is very much a movement towards deep integration, not a one-off. We have the technologies in place to keep an edge over competitors, and we have the developer community in place to create small plugins to support a wide variety of (even local and niche) services. | ||
| + | |||
| + | == How can we get people on board? == | ||
| + | * Blog about the concepts | ||
| + | * Invite interested developers to a mailinglist | ||
| + | * Organize a Silk developer sprint | ||
| + | * Contact people who have been working on "webby" stuff in KDE | ||
| + | * Divide libweb and the SIL (Silk Integration Layer) into small subtasks | ||
| + | * Provide a git repo with the bits and pieces to get cracking | ||
== Why Silk? == | == Why Silk? == | ||
| − | |||
(Spider)webs are made of it. | (Spider)webs are made of it. | ||
The basic aim of project silk is to deeply integrate online content and communication into the desktop user experience.
The goal of Project Silk is deep coupling of the web with the user experience while overcoming limitations of the browser. "Freeing the Web From the Browser", so to say. Project Silk takes the opposite direction of Google's Chrome OS, instead of making the browser the Operating System, we integrate the content and the communication deeply into the desktop and application
Slogan: "Freeing the Web from the Browser", "A New User Interface (Face) for the Web"
During Akademy, there was much discussion and also already some code to make the webkit kpart ready for prime-time. A fully working, modern and integrated browser is one of the most important pillars of Project Silk. Konqueror will be using webkit, making it fully working with all major websites. Work on this is under way, but it needs to fly under the radar until it has enough momentum. Info about webkit in Konqueror: http://techbase.kde.org/Projects/WebKit
libweb provides the plumbing for applications to easily integrate content from the web by offering a KDE-style API. Think of Solid or Phonon, but for the web. libweb is not so much one library, but a collection of reusable components and sublibraries. It will be a library containing utility classes for integrating online content and services into KDE. Here are some ideas of things it could contain:
The challenge for libweb is to keep it smooth and well-structured. It would be too easy to just dump everything web-related in there, we need to think about how the whole thing should look like for developers.
Backends for the service APIs (public transport, online shopping, ...) we offer in libweb should be written in scripting languages for so far possible, so we can easily distribute and update them through GHNS, much like the comic plasma applet does with its per-site comic scriptlets.
The idea is to fly under the radar for some time. libweb will be started in a gitorious repo (richmoore has one). We try to get known people on board, but keep it silent on blogs and the web, the strategy would be "it's not top- secret, but no public fuzz for now either". Once we have the first bits in place, we announce it as the next multi-year vision for KDE and try to get everybody on board with a big PR splash. (Flying under the radar for a bit will help -- announcing vapourware wouldn't be cool, if we show that we've already some momentum, it'll work much better. Silk is very much a movement towards deep integration, not a one-off. We have the technologies in place to keep an edge over competitors, and we have the developer community in place to create small plugins to support a wide variety of (even local and niche) services.
(Spider)webs are made of it.
KDE TechBase 