Comments on: Prism http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/ User Experience Design at Mozilla Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:10:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Moazzam Khan http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/#comment-68191 Moazzam Khan Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:30:33 +0000 http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/#comment-68191 Hi, This seems like an interesting idea (like the widgets in Vista). What would be great is if Prism let developers write custom desktop appplications. I had a client who wanted something to manager his contacts. I wrote a PHP script for him and installed a PHP package compact server. The application icon was a batch file which would start the server and launch Firefox to run the it. What would be interesting is if you could model an interface in Prism and then let it communicate with a remote server. What Prism seems to be moving towards, is running web sites as desktop application so this could be another feature in it. Adobe AIR has some of what I mentioned as far as I can tell but it runs only on Windows and Mac. I would like to be able to run the applications on Linux and other operating systems too. If Prism can also make the same interface work for mobile devices, then that would also save developers time as they won't have to redesign the UI. For complex applications at least, I foresee changes will be required for the UI but they can be minimal. Hi,

This seems like an interesting idea (like the widgets in Vista). What would be great is if Prism let developers write custom desktop appplications.

I had a client who wanted something to manager his contacts. I wrote a PHP script for him and installed a PHP package compact server. The application icon was a batch file which would start the server and launch Firefox to run the it. What would be interesting is if you could model an interface in Prism and then let it communicate with a remote server. What Prism seems to be moving towards, is running web sites as desktop application so this could be another feature in it.

Adobe AIR has some of what I mentioned as far as I can tell but it runs only on Windows and Mac. I would like to be able to run the applications on Linux and other operating systems too.

If Prism can also make the same interface work for mobile devices, then that would also save developers time as they won’t have to redesign the UI. For complex applications at least, I foresee changes will be required for the UI but they can be minimal.

]]> By: go compare.com http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/#comment-64236 go compare.com Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:53:04 +0000 http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/#comment-64236 isriya, i think they are quite similar. isriya, i think they are quite similar.

]]> By: powerlin518 http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/#comment-41731 powerlin518 Sat, 22 Mar 2008 11:51:56 +0000 http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/#comment-41731 ok,good! ok,good!

]]> By: Ted http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/#comment-32137 Ted Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:55:50 +0000 http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/#comment-32137 This product seems to be similar to Desktopize Bubbles. I think they work with each web app company interested in offering this as a feature and the web app company they provides appropriate icons. Unfortunately their apps seem to crash more than I can handle. However, one feature I do like is that when you hit the close button it minimizes the app to the system tray. This product seems to be similar to Desktopize Bubbles. I think they work with each web app company interested in offering this as a feature and the web app company they provides appropriate icons. Unfortunately their apps seem to crash more than I can handle. However, one feature I do like is that when you hit the close button it minimizes the app to the system tray.

]]> By: Brad Fults http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/#comment-24026 Brad Fults Tue, 11 Dec 2007 17:57:38 +0000 http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/#comment-24026 I agree that the future will bring nicer huge icons from web app developers. The challenge is setting up a clear path for them so something ugly doesn't get forged in haste. The suggestion of using a link element is appropriate; probably with type="image/png" and rel="alternate icon" or rel="large icon". It would probably be best to consult the HTML WG on this. I agree that the future will bring nicer huge icons from web app developers. The challenge is setting up a clear path for them so something ugly doesn’t get forged in haste.

The suggestion of using a link element is appropriate; probably with type=”image/png” and rel=”alternate icon” or rel=”large icon”. It would probably be best to consult the HTML WG on this.

]]> By: Bill Burcham http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/#comment-19399 Bill Burcham Thu, 08 Nov 2007 21:14:09 +0000 http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/#comment-19399 Alex, inasmuch as the charter is "Integrate Web Applications into the User’s Desktop Experience", has there been any discussion of integrating the clipboard a la the Web Application Clipboard proposal ('05): http://lesscode.org/2005/10/21/baby-steps-to-synergistic-web-apps/ http://lesscode.org/2005/11/02/half-a-baby-step/ http://lesscode.org/2005/11/02/half-a-baby-step/ Along the lines of what Ray Ozzie's team demoed last year it'd be too cool if Prism had native, platform-specific support for bridging the Web Application Clipboard to the OS one (e.g. Windows, OS X). Microsoft "Clip Book" app screencast: http://rayozzie.spaces.live.com/editorial/rayozzie/demo/liveclip/screencast/pctoweb/pctoweb.html Alex, inasmuch as the charter is “Integrate Web Applications into the User’s Desktop Experience”, has there been any discussion of integrating the clipboard a la the Web Application Clipboard proposal (’05): http://lesscode.org/2005/10/21/baby-steps-to-synergistic-web-apps/
http://lesscode.org/2005/11/02/half-a-baby-step/
http://lesscode.org/2005/11/02/half-a-baby-step/
Along the lines of what Ray Ozzie’s team demoed last year it’d be too cool if Prism had native, platform-specific support for bridging the Web Application Clipboard to the OS one (e.g. Windows, OS X). Microsoft “Clip Book” app screencast: http://rayozzie.spaces.live.com/editorial/rayozzie/demo/liveclip/screencast/pctoweb/pctoweb.html

]]> By: Abhishek http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/#comment-19380 Abhishek Thu, 08 Nov 2007 19:33:52 +0000 http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/#comment-19380 Another milestone in technology and I bet its gonna be as famous as Firefox or who knows? even more Great Job Mozilla! Another milestone in technology and I bet its gonna be as famous as Firefox or who knows? even more
Great Job Mozilla!

]]> By: Talley Mulligan http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/#comment-18332 Talley Mulligan Sat, 03 Nov 2007 09:53:53 +0000 http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/#comment-18332 I definitely understand the need to visually distinguish freed webapps from one another so users can associate them with what they do in subsequent sessions (i.e. after they've forgotten which icon/logo relates to which service). However, I find the preoccupation with icons that are likely to be (at least) conflated — thanks to a combination of relative unfamiliarity with the favicons themselves (peripheral awareness thereof), re-contextualization of the webapps and their icons (from browser to desktop), upscaling mis-interpolations, and user memory challenges — a smidge strange when compared to the "Get Info" or "Set Permissions" style UX for the proposed Convert to Application dialog. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely agree that the icons are important, but I'd like (expect, actually) to have a more "sequential" workflow that conceptually reinforces the nature of the act when deploying a webapp to my desktop. From my point of view, converting an ever increasing number of compelling webapps to the desktop presents some new challenges and will take some getting used to for normal folks. By no means am I advocating a full blown wizard, but with all the UX refinements coming in 3.0 this feels like a missed opportunity that otherwise might go far in terms of leading the user to the promised land. I agree with the earlier comments that it would be wise to enable developers to define large icons that wouldn't require the upscaling chicanery (as cool as it is). Regarding the number of running processes comment, I agree that whacking all Prism converts when killing the single XUL process could be an issue. Perhaps it might be worth considering letting the user decide whether to deploy with dependencies or not (the way Amnesty Singles handles it, for example) in the conversion dialog. I'm excited about the project and anxious to learn more, especially in light of projects like Google's OpenSocial coming of age. Keep up the good work! I definitely understand the need to visually distinguish freed webapps from one another so users can associate them with what they do in subsequent sessions (i.e. after they’ve forgotten which icon/logo relates to which service). However, I find the preoccupation with icons that are likely to be (at least) conflated — thanks to a combination of relative unfamiliarity with the favicons themselves (peripheral awareness thereof), re-contextualization of the webapps and their icons (from browser to desktop), upscaling mis-interpolations, and user memory challenges — a smidge strange when compared to the “Get Info” or “Set Permissions” style UX for the proposed Convert to Application dialog. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely agree that the icons are important, but I’d like (expect, actually) to have a more “sequential” workflow that conceptually reinforces the nature of the act when deploying a webapp to my desktop. From my point of view, converting an ever increasing number of compelling webapps to the desktop presents some new challenges and will take some getting used to for normal folks. By no means am I advocating a full blown wizard, but with all the UX refinements coming in 3.0 this feels like a missed opportunity that otherwise might go far in terms of leading the user to the promised land.

I agree with the earlier comments that it would be wise to enable developers to define large icons that wouldn’t require the upscaling chicanery (as cool as it is). Regarding the number of running processes comment, I agree that whacking all Prism converts when killing the single XUL process could be an issue. Perhaps it might be worth considering letting the user decide whether to deploy with dependencies or not (the way Amnesty Singles handles it, for example) in the conversion dialog.

I’m excited about the project and anxious to learn more, especially in light of projects like Google’s OpenSocial coming of age. Keep up the good work!

]]> By: Pranav Prakash http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/#comment-18307 Pranav Prakash Sat, 03 Nov 2007 02:01:50 +0000 http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/#comment-18307 Only today morning, did i downloaded the Prism prototype for Linux. I am on Fedora 7 (Moonshine). The Gmail application is crashing, every time, it is executed. A lot of things need to be done. All the best, team. :-) Only today morning, did i downloaded the Prism prototype for Linux. I am on Fedora 7 (Moonshine). The Gmail application is crashing, every time, it is executed. A lot of things need to be done. All the best, team. :-)

]]> By: Reinhard http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/#comment-18256 Reinhard Fri, 02 Nov 2007 13:14:12 +0000 http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2007/10/24/prism/#comment-18256 Great Idea! Will Prism not just be able to remember passwords, but do the log-in? Great Idea!
Will Prism not just be able to remember passwords, but do the log-in?

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