Turn on ye ole Javascript to add ratings in this low-budg app.

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Title:

Distributed Computing: Let the Client do the Work

Your vote:
Yes No
Organizer:
Brian Shaler, BitGravity
Description:
Traffic surges on the Internet can topple newly popular web services; it's a common side-effect of success called “Growing Pains.” Web services can provide more functionality while consuming fewer server resources by distributing the workload to end-users' computers using desktop applications and browser plug-ins.
Questions
Answered:
  1. What are "Growing Pains"?
  2. What kinds of growth rates do popular web sites experience?
  3. What is scalability?
  4. What is an API?
  5. Why does a web service need an API?
  6. How can web developers create desktop applications for their web services?
  7. What is a local database?
  8. What types of web, desktop, and browser plug-in applications can connect to local databases?
  9. What new features can client-based applications provide that web services cannot?
  10. What impact can a client-based application have on the performance of a web service?
Level:
Advanced
Category:
Type:
Solo
Event:
SXSW Interactive 2009
Chase Granberry
on 8/8/08
But can it handle Oprah yet?
Brian Shaler
on 8/8/08
Using the strategies and technologies in this presentation, web services would be able to withstand the "Oprah Effect" with significantly fewer hardware resources. Less computation is done on the server and requests are more cache-able. The effect is most apparent with user- or location-specific data.
Sean Tierney
on 21/8/08
This is an interesting proposal. AS4 has come a long way from what I understand and I imagine a lot of the sorting and filtering of result sets can be done client-side now for flash apps. sounds interesting for developers of RIA's.

Adam Fisk
on 21/8/08
I'm working on precisely this over at LittleShoot. LittleShoot allows sites to offload distribution to the p2p network with a bit of JavaScript but doesn't force installs. I meant to put a "P2P 2.0" panel together, but I seem to have missed the boat! Might still try...
Brian Shaler
on 22/8/08
Sean, this presentation will give examples using existing technologies because it is intended to show what people can do TODAY. For sorting and filtering result sets, there are several ways to utilize client-side SQLite databases (Adobe AIR, Google Gears, Mozilla Firefox extensions, etc).

There is little information on AS4 at the moment. It probably won't be implemented until at least Flash Player 11. The latest Flash Player 10 alpha is designed for AS3. However, if there is more information next spring, I can surely sneak it into the presentation!
Marcus Nelson
on 25/8/08
World class geekery! Looking forward to it!
Gary Douglas
on 29/8/08
I want it!

Please put "Bouncing Brian" in front of us so we can pick his brain on surviving Slashdot.
Chuck Shaw
on 29/8/08
I would be interested in hearing how others are using the client side to reduce impact on the server. Items such as browser agnostic techniques, including mobile browsers. Air Clients, .Net/Silverlight clients, etc.
Nike Air Force One
on 24/3/09
Cool
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Developed for SXSW by Lindsey Simon