HTML5

A test with Kaazing WebSocket Gateway – HTML5 Edition and… lego!

During the past week we tried out WebSockets to monitor and control devices on the field. In 2008 we presented at SVG Open Day an implementation based on SVG and AJAX that, using polling, monitor and control a lego MindStorm - http://www.svgopen.org/2008/papers/47-Real_time_monitor_in_SVG_a_use_case_in_Machining_Technology_HMI.

During these years technology is evolved passing to Comet and now to WebSockets. In 2010 we tested WebSockets but aren’t not so well support as are now. Kaazing Company – http://www.kaazing.com – has proposed on the market a WebSocket gateway really interesting and easy to integrate.

We’ve tried the HTML5 edition modifying the Lego Mindstorms SVG page built on 2008, that monitors and controls lego, with the Kaazing WebSocket library and jQuery. In the video above two examples.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF-qf1P4Q48

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJSZ-00CBQM

WebSockets are leveraging the messaging systems to the Web helping companies to move from desktop applications to more reliable and device independent web applications. These new kind of end user application can be used now also in the industrial world without compromise the user experience.

Looking for JavaScript IDE, try on the cloud!

In the last ten days two new development-as-a-service platforms are available on the Cloud. No more operating system to update and programs to install, just point to a web site and you can start programming and debugging JavaScript!

The idea is really interesting and appealing. I hope that in the future we can see also Visual Studio (C#) and Eclipse (Java, C++, PHP) in the Cloud.

If you want to try some of them go to:

• Cloud9IDE: http://cloud9ide.com/
• Orion HUB: http://orionhub.org

and let me know your comments!

Have fun!