Hello. I am Paul Kinlan.

We have been thinking about what properties of an HTML application make it an application rather than a webpage with logic. We have documented our thoughts here: http://code.google.com/chrome/apps/articles/thinking_in_web_apps.html (Thinking in Apps). This is only the start of our thinking and work on what hopefully will become a robust guide to patterns in web application development. Many of the things that define a great web page experience are also the same things that describe an application experience on the web, however we think there are some subtle differences, especially around the use of client side data storage, offline support and user experience.

I had a great time speaking at the Berlin GTUG, despite the unexpectedly hot weather. I presented on Web Apps, highlighting the differences between native and web apps, key principles of good app design, and some of the exciting new possibilities with HTML5, CSS3, and WebSockets. I wish I'd had more time to delve into frameworks for building great apps and do some live coding. Chris Chabot also gave a fantastic talk about Buzz. The venue, BetaHaus, was excellent, and I was impressed by everyone's English fluency. Thanks to all who attended!

I'm excited to announce I'll be speaking at the Berlin GTUG on July 15th, 2010, about building HTML-based applications. The talk will explore the differences between web pages and true applications, with plenty of examples. This will be my first time in Berlin, and although my visit is short, I'm looking forward to it! Slides and photos to follow.

I've finally posted the demo code from my Buzz talk at TwitterDevNest. Find it on GitHub: PaulKinlan/BuzzInOutDemo.

Back in February, I presented at TwitterDevNest about getting data in and out of Buzz. The slides are now available on SlideShare. I covered WebFinger, OpenID, Buzz feeds, Pubsubhubbub, and Salmon. I also promised to open-source the demo code, which I'll be pushing to Github later today (covering most of the topics except Salmon).

I've migrated my blog from kinlan.co.uk to paul.kinlan.me, now powered by Posterous. Hoping this simpler platform encourages me to blog more frequently.

I'm excited to announce the launch of FriendDeck, a new tool inspired by TweetDeck that enhances the FriendFeed experience. Built on Google App Engine and using jQuery, FriendDeck lets you create persistent searches to track topics in real-time, rather than just seeing your friends' posts. This is particularly helpful for monitoring developing events, as demonstrated by Neville Hobson's use of FriendDeck during the US Airways Hudson River landing. FriendDeck supports a simple query language for searching by keyword, user likes/comments/friends, URLs, domains, and FriendFeed rooms. It also allows posting to FriendFeed directly from the application. Each deck auto-refreshes every minute, and new features like inline commenting are coming soon. Check it out at www.frienddeck.com!

I've launched Twollo, a Google App Engine project that helps you find and automatically follow Twitter users who share your interests. Unlike MrTweet, which suggests popular accounts, Twollo focuses on connecting you with people based on shared interests. Just enter your interests, like "Google App Engine," and Twollo will automatically find and follow relevant users every hour. Recent updates include viewing and unfollowing Twollo-followed users, preventing re-follows, tracking reciprocal follows, setting follow limits per interest, language filtering, UserVoice feedback integration, and one-click profile removal. More details about Twollo and Google App Engine coming next week!

I'm moving my blog from Blogger to Wordpress! While I've used Blogger for years, it no longer meets my needs. This blog will remain online but the new blog, covering broader software development topics (not just C#), is where I'll focus my writing. Find it at http://www.kinlan.co.uk/blog/ .

I'm giving a talk on DSL Tools and T4 templates at the Liverpool Users of .Net User group on April 17th. The talk will cover an overview of DSLs, what Microsoft DSL Tools are (and aren't), how they can be used, and a walkthrough of creating a DSL Tool. The event is at AIMES and details can be found on Upcoming.yahoo.com. I'll share the slides afterward. Let me know if you have any good examples of tools built with the DSL Toolkit!