RSSGoogle opens its Web application engine to 10,000 developers
By Scott M. Fulton, III | Published April 8, 2008, 12:16 PM
The engine that powers the company's online applications suite will soon be accessible by a select number of developers, for testing their own Web services at their own pace...on Google's servers.
In a highly anticipated move given the fact that it had publicized that something would emerge today for a company retreat billed as "Campfire One," Google this morning announced it is granting developmental access to its application servers, to the first 10,000 developers who apply.
The Google App Engine is what enables the company's own online applications to run portably from any Web browser. Google's intention is to completely open access to that engine to developers who use its SDK, whose initial release for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux took place this morning.
"Google App Engine lets you run your web applications on Google's infrastructure," reads this morning's company description of the service. "App Engine applications are easy to build, easy to maintain, and easy to scale as your traffic and data storage needs grow. With App Engine, there are no servers to maintain: You just upload your application, and it's ready to serve your users."
While the initial SDK is generally released, though, for now Google is limiting developers' access to its servers to the first 10,000 applicants. Interested parties are requested to sign in using their Gmail accounts, where they can ask to be put on a waiting list. Though the service will be "open," it won't be entirely free: Unpaid accounts will be limited for now to 500 MB of persistent storage and five million page views per month, and Google will not be unveiling its paid service tiers until after the App Engine service exits beta.
For now, test applications will be hosted under the appspot.com domain name.
App Engine could be the next big shot in the arm for Python, the open scripting language that mixes Java-like classes with PHP's economy of grammar. Google provides the development environment for App Engine -- most fittingly, it too is an online app. Developers need Python 2.5 pre-installed on their systems, though of course, that's free as well. (Microsoft's IronPython, of course, doesn't count, nor do the current alpha versions of Python 3.0.)
With Python on the development system, a programmer can build a simple scripted app that's deployed to clients' browsers. Those deployed apps communicate with Google's servers using CGI, and it's Python that provides the standard classes necessary for the CGI transfers to take place. Because Web-based server/client apps are asynchronous by nature, Python's event handlers were chosen to send messages to the server, and yet continue to manage the app while waiting for a response over the Web.
If you've ever developed a Windows application using 1990s architecture, which was heavily dependent on COM, then you recall how DLLs were used as libraries that could be contacted by container applications. Back then, the communication process was presumed to be synchronous; since both the container and the library were installed on the same system, the container could literally pass control to the library, and count on that library to provide a response before resuming control for itself.
For Web applications, you can't make such assumptions; imagine if Microsoft Word's container window had to communicate with the Word engine via telephone. Who knows how long you'd have to wait for a response? While modern Web applications are geared to look more like client-only apps, since the wait times are so much shorter, they still exist. And in microseconds, they're still pretty sizable. In .NET architecture, the runtime component (CLR) can be tasked with managing the application during the waiting period; but Python architecture is more limited, on purpose.
"To allow App Engine to distribute your application in this way [using Python], the application runs in a restricted 'sandbox' environment," reads Google's current documentation on the subject. "In this environment, the application can execute code, store and query data in the App Engine datastore, use the App Engine mail, URL fetch and users services, and examine the user's Web request and prepare the response."
The trick with this kind of architecture lies in determining how much local information about a deployed app must be stored on the client side, and how much can or should be retained on the server.
Not sure why this announcement is causing such a backleash here... I don't trust Google more than any other enterprise but are you guys living in fairy land? What are YOU giving to the people?
As someone mentioned elsewhere. The motto of BN forums is truly becoming "Ignorance is bliss."
Anyway, just tried this out, went thru the docs and tinkered for a while. This is phantastic! If you don't want to use it then don't but them opening their resources up for anyone to run dynamic apps (for free...) is wonderful and really has the power to change the net over time directly and indirectly. I expect a lot of really cool stuff to come out of this (plus GApps integration etc etc...)
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|I give 15% of my yearly income to charities. What do you give? a few coins in a cup?
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|Given a choice between Google and Microsoft, I'll take Google any day!
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|That's your choice. Just remember that Google permanently saves anything you do so they can target you with ads. With other portals, they only save for a few months. But it's your choice.
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|Just remember that Google permanently saves anything you do
I'd really love to see where you got that from.
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|When they were asked for info about the new child porno laws a few years ago, it came out that they save all info. In this case, the feds weren't even asking for people's info just sites visited. Of course, they refused on moral ground which they ignored when it came to China. Can't be to moralistic when it comes to flying in their fancy jets custom made for them. Also, screw the poor as they fly over them.
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|When they were asked for info about the new child porno laws a few years ago, it came out that they save all info.
Wrong. They had the data because they don't immediately delete everything (They merely mark it as "able to be overwritten"...kind of like what your hard drive does.) Big difference.
Of course, they refused on moral ground which they ignored when it came to China.
In the US they were able to refuse because the law was on their side. In China, they could not because there was no law on their side. Google does not make policy, do you *really* want them to?
Can't be to moralistic when it comes to flying in their fancy jets custom made for them
Why? Rich people can't have a steady moral compass?
Also, screw the poor as they fly over them.
WTH???
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|They save your data and not like a simple delete from hard drive waiting to be overwritten. You prove me wrong by presenting evidence they don't.
Also, during the request, the news, that is real news not the sh** on here carried stories about Google permanently saving data to better target people with ads for their click program.
PC? values have to be a part of technology because technology is neutral and can be used for good or bad so one can look at the value set of people in the tech business and the two that own Google had custom built Boeing jets made for them and have not given a dime to help others less fortunate. Again, if you can show one shred of evidence then I'll apologize to you.
You know that I am willing to look at myself and accept criticism of myself. Can you do the same? Prove it and I'll check back when I get back from Ireland.
If it weren't for this site having free programs to try , I wouldn't waste my time. You have your fanatics of this OS or that one and then you have your "I am superior to you type and I am beginning to think you fall in that category.
While these two get rich off of click ads (which is showing decreased revenue by their last financial report) and do nothing for the poor, gates gives billions through his foundation to make a difference. The only difference is that these two and Jobs of Apple wants to make is market share.
So here is my points and then I'm done posting on this site:
1) No OS is secure
2) You can't separate values from business or technology.
3) Anyone who is not objective about the programs they use or the OS they use is just setting themselves up to get screwed.
4) Smartphones are just as easy to break into without having any physical contact with that phone.
PC, I make a public gesture and state that I will try and break into your system. I won't use or look for any info but to make a point and that is that you're not as smart as you think. At least I am willing to look at myself and be critical. I'll post enough on this site to prove I broke in.
Finally, People here know nothing of me and that is by intent. No one knows what business i was in before retiring and it was a legit business so feel arrogant but i assure you yours and others system on this site present no problem for me. After you, I'll teach those idiots with the IPhone how to break into their phones without having to even touch them and post the info here. To make this even more interesting I will enter the Betanews site and give the names of the owners and where their money comes from. I will also enter Apple OS and Linux OS systems of some on this site to show once and for all no system is safe by itself.
BTW- After I post the results, don't even bother contacting law enforcement because no info will be released that compromises anyone and because I do consulting work for the USGS and know people at the FBI. This is going to be fun to show that most of you follow the principle of ignorance is bliss.
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|Dude...
You're the one making the accusations, you get to back them up. :) Simple as that.
As for your "haxpertise", I've seen *so* many people claim that BS it doesn't even phase me anymore.
Sell it somewhere else, man. I ain't buying.
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|no problem PC ..buy or don't buy, it doesn't matter in the end. The only thing that matters is whether or not I am one of those BSer's or not and only I know that so how you feel makes no difference.
As far as what I have said, Your statment against is what needs to be backed up and I'll leave you to do the research. If you decide to do research and you do know what research means I hope then look at the real news archives and not the silly and slanted news on this website.
Everything that I have said is backed-up by the real news but I'll leave it to you to do your own research because what you believe doesn't change reality so it doesn't matter to me.:)
So have a nice day and when I get back from Ireland, let the games begin:) And we will find out if I am bullsh** or not. If I am, everyone gets a great laugh at my expense but if I'm not I get a great laugh at a lot of people's expense here.
Have a nice 2 weeks before We see:)
Oh, fair is fair and if anyone wants to try and hack my machine they are welcome to try without any worry about consequences. Just don't use those lame emails, Only a child or someone senile falls for that.
BTW- in a gesture to the people here, those that live in San Francisco or off the Pacific West coast be alert as evidence is indicating a possible serious earthquake and we all know you can't rely on this government to do anything to help.
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|I can see Google's ad - "Wanted. Good Developers that have no scuples and are willing to steal copyrighted material from libraries, Publishing houses or scan books. You must also be willing to take pictures of people on their own property. Finally, you must be willing to make deals with the dictatorship in China but not help our own government even on something as simple as seeing how well new laws are working. You must be motivated by greed and fancy jets and not giving back to society"
Like you said, following Apple's lead. For all the bashing of MS, no one in the tech field has given more back to society to help those less fortunate than Gates. Definitely not Jobs or the two who started Google.
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|Following Apple's lead, always a good business move.
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|What Apple has to do with this?
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|Scott M. Fulton, III, you are a total retard, sir. You are getting paid for promoting MS/ .NET, aren't you?
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|Gee RT, I hope you bring the same level of venom to Google and Apple and Open Source or are you just one of those MS haters that can't see any good in anything they do?
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