Spent much of the afternoon refactoring some WebObjects components in CAREO to let me better reuse them as bits of themey goodness. Stuff like Search Results, which is currently a single Page wrapped in the PageTemplate, will become 2 separate components: a reusable component to display search results from any query, and a standalone page to wrap that reusable component to reproduce current behaviour. The big push for this is the SciQ zones, which will have all kinds of search results all over the place, with a need to customize the design of each page.
Here’s some of the XML databases we’re looking at here, in no particular order:
Exist Current front-runner. Cheap (free), implements XPath, with nice ties into XML-RPC and JSP. Implements the XML:DB interface too. Seems fast, but wondering how it will scale up, or react in a “real” environment (outside of the test apps that ship with it). Rob is investigating this now, and has a copy of our entire metadata repository stored in it as native XML files. It has a cool file structure metaphor, so it’s like SSH’ing into a box to browse files and run queries. NOTE: I had originally incorrectly stated that Exist implements XQuery. I meant XPath. XQuery is listed as a possible future feature for Exist, but it is not currently supported.
I just upgraded to Java 1.4.1, and all seems great. jEdit is much more responsive, and the SCROLL WHEEL WORKS! YAY! It’s SOOO much faster than 1.3.1 was, and this is without the hardware accelerated SWING (I’ve got a pokey Powerbook G4/400, and the video card isn’t up to snuff for that).
It’s interesting that although 1.4.1 was rumoured to be a from-the-ground rebuild in Cocoa, the Services menu still doesn’t seem to work from within java apps. Hrm…
I just added a “Blogs I Read” link in the sidebar on this weblog. It links to an automatically generated list of the 82 blogs I’m subscribed to. I can’t figure out how it’s sorting them, because they’re certainly not in the order they’re listed in NetNewsWire. I’ll have to write my own XSL to do it right, it seems.
I just implemented a component to address a specific need for the SciQ project. They need to have the ability to have dynamic “magazine-like” pages within CAREO, so I whipped up the Template direct action method. This goes one major step beyond the previous Page direct action, which just spewed out text stored in the database.
Template will allow full access to the theming engine, allowing you to embed other CAREO components within the magazine pages (like, for instance, search results or repository objects).
Info on how structured/unstructured searches may help/hinder different types of users from finding anything useful. Could have implications for something like a Learning Object Repository…
Abstract: This research examines the pattern of Web information seeking in four groups of nurses with different combinations of domain expertise and Web expertise. Protocols were gathered as the nurses carried out information-seeking tasks in the domain of osteoporosis. Domain and Web novices searched breadth-first and did little or no evaluation of the results. Domain expert/Web novices also searched breadth-first but evaluated information more thoroughly using osteoporosis knowledge. Domain novice/Web experts searched in a mixed, breadth-first/depth-first pattern and attempted to evaluate information using general criteria. Domain expert/Web experts carried out depth-first searches, following deep trails of information and evaluated information based on the most varied and sophisticated criteria. The results suggest that there are distinct differences in searching patterns related to expertise. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are provided.
I’m working on a new theme for CAREO that is defined completely via CSS. No tables, no image spacers, no HTML hacks. This will provide yet ANOTHER layer of theming for CAREO - at the CSS/presentation layer.
It’s going to mean risking breakage on older, crappy browsers (like Netscape 4.7 etc… - which is still the institutional standard on campus here), but it’s an OPTIONAL theme, which can be used only if desired. That’s kinda the whole point of theming - you don’t even have to know the other themes exist.
I just implemented a “Discuss” feature in CAREO, that will let you (or anyone else) discuss a learning object. Currently, it’s quite simple (by choice, after taking to heart some of Joel’s thoughts).
It allows threaded discussions, sorted by date, and anonymous posting (we’re going to be using it for K-12 stuff, so we can’t make tracking user info mandatory).
It’s a bit quirky at the moment (like when you save a post, it takes you back to the main menu. It shouldn’t do that. I know that. I’ll fix that ASAP - but it WORKS!).
Just scanned the Rendezvous neighborhood in Safari, and it looks like Tim Bray is in the building (welcome to Calgary, Tim!). Must be meeting with Netera - Antarcti.ca has been doing some UI prototype work for them.
Cool, but it looks like he doesn’t have any actual websites on Vikram. Oh, well…
I’m guessing conferences like WWDC2002 will be a wee bit of a stress test on Rendezvous… Thousands of developers, all with Airport and Rendezvous, plugging the LAN. Could be interesting.
