I've always been fascinated by the potential of the web as an API, an idea I first encountered through Michael Mahemoff's work with microformats and CORS. While technologies like Web Intents explored similar concepts, they proved more complex. The core idea remains powerful: enabling direct client-side interaction between websites to bypass the complexities of server-side integrations. Although CORS is widely supported, its complexity hinders adoption. With the rise of client-side generated sites, the need for decentralized integration is stronger than ever. Tools like Comlink, by abstracting the complexities of postMessage and MessageChannel, make it easier to expose and consume client-side APIs. I demonstrated this with a simple example integrating a pubsubhubbub endpoint with a push notification service. This approach offers several advantages, including simplified data transfer, offline capabilities, and secure, controlled exposure of functionality. Looking ahead, I envision a future where every website exposes a consistent, discoverable API, enabling a more interconnected and modular web experience.
I've released a new, open-source Microformat parser for .NET, available on Codeplex! This stream-based parser uses a flexible XML configuration to define how microformats like hCard and rel-tag are extracted from HTML/XML, allowing for easy adaptation to spec changes. The provided C# code example demonstrates the simplicity of using the framework to read and process microformat data. Feedback and contributions are welcome!
I've launched two new beta features for Topicala: Topicala Popular and Topicala People. Topicala Popular helps you discover trending content online, similar to Digg or Delicious, by tracking site visitors via an embedded image. Topicala People helps you find people online using hCard microformats. You can get your information on Topicala People by wrapping it in hCards and either including the Topicala image or pinging our server. These features will soon integrate directly into Topicala's main search. Try them out and let me know your feedback!
I've been exploring Windows Live Writer plugins and hit a snag: the API doesn't let plugins access the post's text. This severely limits plugin functionality, preventing things like automated tagging or microformat integration. I've raised this issue on the Windows Live Writer forum and with Microsoft's Joe Cheng, emphasizing the need for text access to enable a wider range of plugins. I encourage other developers to voice similar concerns to Microsoft.
I'm exploring the idea of a "Questions and Answers" microformat to add semantic meaning to questions and their corresponding answers within text. I propose using <span class=qa><span class=question>Where does paul kinlan live?</span><span class=answer>liverpool</span></span> as a potential structure. This could be beneficial for search functionality, allowing search engines to index question-answer pairs instead of entire pages. I'm looking for feedback on whether this is a valuable concept, worth pursuing, or if it has already been discussed elsewhere.
