Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Development
    • IT Management
    • PC Hardware
    • Servers

    Yahoo BrowserPlus Challenges Adobe Air, Google Gears

    By
    Clint Boulton
    -
    May 28, 2008
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Amid speculation about its mysterious BrowserPlus platform, Yahoo May 27 released a sneak preview of the software for programmers.
      Developed over the last year by Yahoo programmers, BrowserPlus is Yahoo’s RIA (rich Internet application) for porting more desktop capabilities to Web applications.
      Users may leverage BrowserPlus to drag and drop content from the desktop to Web sites; crop, rotate and filter images from the computer; enable easier file uploads; and receive native desktop notifications, wrote Yahoo’s BrowserPlus team in a blog post May 27.
      When it is released to developers this year, BrowserPlus will be gliding into a market for RIAs, where Google, Adobe and Microsoft are all vying for their share of developers to help build out dynamic new Web applications. Killer apps built from these platforms will attract the most users, leading to revenue opportunities for the vendors.
      EWEEK looked into some of the key differences between BrowserPlus and Google’s Gears (renamed Gears) and Adobe’s AIR development platforms May 28.
      BrowserPlus is designed to be run from the browser, while AIR lets users download Web-powered applications and run them on their desktop. Currently, AIR provides a complete runtime of APIs, analogous to an operating system or virtual runtime; BrowserPlus adds key services as they become available and necessary to extend the Web.
      BrowserPlus also differentiates from Gears in the flexibility quotient because users grab Gears in one big download, while BrowserPlus calls Web services as Web pages need them. Gears also runs in the browser space, which can cause browser crashes. BrowserPlus runs mostly in its own process space to ensure more stability.
      Yahoo told eWEEK BrowserPlus stands apart from both AIR and Gears in its ability to update and add new services without a browser restart or reloading the Web page. This means Yahoo can introduce a new set of features quickly without the speed bump of platform updates and jarring browser or system restarts.
      BrowserPlus also touts its security, noting that Gears or AIR can’t deactivate flawed services the way BrowserPlus can. Any BrowserPlus service can be restricted from use immediately by Yahoo if a security risk is exposed. Moreover, updates can be released and made available to users just as quickly.
      Yahoo is offering a few demo applications, including a Flickr photo uploader, which mimics the features of the Flickr Uploader desktop client to create a tool for editing photos before saving them to the Web.
      The other two include a browser-based IRC client and a programming tool to issue a JSONRequest proposal as a BrowserPlus service to enable secure cross-site JSON requests.
      Yahoo said in its FAQ that it wants to put the platform in front of users to get feedback, but in the interest of ensuring Web security, BrowserPlus can only run on sites operated by Yahoo or its partners.
      “Once we’re confident that the system is safe for users when hosted on any site [even potentially malicious sites], and that users have all the proper controls over use of BrowserPlus on their computer, we’ll open it up,” Yahoo said.
      Speaking of open, BrowserPlus is not quite open source like Google Gears, but the company said it is working on it, noting that it will never charge developers who use the platform, and will incrementally open the platform for developers.
      BrowserPlus currently supports the following operating systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Mac OS X 10.4, Tiger (Intel only), Mac OS X 10.5, Leopard (Intel only). Browser support on the Mac includes Firefox 2 or greater, Safari 3 and Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 2 or greater on Windows.
      The BrowserPlus sneak preview is curiously timed-coming while Google is hosting its I/O developer conference in San Francisco this week.
      At the show May 28, Google rechristened Google Gears “Gears” and added support for Firefox 3 and Safari in celebration of the one-year birthday of the platform.
      Moreover, MySpace is launching enhanced functionality for MySpace mail using Gears. The social network is using the Gears Database API with Full Text Search to enable fast and easy search capabilities.

      Clint Boulton

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×