Filed under: development, most wanted
So I have fantastic news. And no I’m not talking the Microsoft drops Yahoo thing, but that was stellar in my book. :)
You all probably know that SupraSphere has a desktop client that is really robust and powerful as a web browser in addition to a multilayer communication system. I’ve been involved in testing it for getting close to a year, but in that time a lot has happened. In lieu of my last post, it’s pretty safe to say we’ve reached a huge landmark.
Meanwhile, server side, there has been a new development. Oh I can barely contain myself! The web version is out! What does this mean for us, and more importantly what does this mean for you? On our side, we are involved in heavy testing in a closed beta format. On your side: the wait is almost over!
~Andria
Filed under: development, sphere
I really love traveling, and in fact, I’m in the process of getting ready for a trip in a few days. Aside from packing, I do something for every place I plan to go: Google maps. Sure, I’ll be flying, but I still like to know how far away it is, what destinations are on the road getting there, and on some level, it’s humbling to zoom out and feel really small. Perhaps we can blame it on the satellite imagery. When I was little, I did the same with a road atlas and a highlighter. Now, over the years of wear and tear on that atlas it’s barely legible, but to some extent I can look back at where I’ve been.
When it comes to designing software, it’s good to be able to look back and see where we started from, and look ahead to where we are going. So in this facet, the planning and development stage of software design can be compared to a road trip. Sure, there are road blocks, there are detours, and sometimes, there are faster routes to take. At times, the destination seems so far away, almost unreachable. But, reaching landmarks makes everything worthwhile, and when you pass a few on the road or in development, the end goal becomes that much closer!
SupraSphere is the brainchild of David Thomson, and he started dreaming up a fully unified messaging and communication environment in ‘98 or ‘99. In a figurative sense, let’s put that as our starting off point. Where has the project been since then? Where are we now? And, are we there yet? :)
Programming started in 2001, right after David started collaborating with two friends of his, who both were pursuing a PHD in cryptography; Adam Klivans at MIT and Rocco Servedio other at Harvard. The first usable development version was released in 2002.
December of ‘03 was a monumental landmark, as the first installation took place into a private hedge fund. It is used as trading floor workflow and is a sort of posting board for news items. So anytime a portfolio manager wants to send in a trade into the trading floor, they use SS software to manage it. However, it should be noted that this implementation of SS is quite different than the client that is in development now.
Although it seems an eternity, two years development time could seem like driving through Iowa. SupraSphere continued to progress and evolve. However, another landmark was reached in June of 2006, when Andy Singleton and David started working together and brought the project to Assembla, of which Andy is the president. Development then became that much easier to organize and orchestrate with Assembla’s turn-key project management and development hosting.
That very same month I met a very good friend of David’s who became a mentor to me. in October of 2006, I met David for the first time on a hike up Foss Mountain in New Hampshire, and somehow we ended up talking about software and other computer related ventures. We became fast friends and soon thereafter he showed me a *very* bare bones SupraSphere running on his laptop. I was fascinated by it, and asked him if I could be a part of it somehow.
In April or May of 2007, in my inbox I received an invitation to the desktop client. I installed it, and David and I have been working on SS and Suprablog ever since.
Now, where are we headed after all those milestones and monumental landmarks? I think we are almost there, almost at our desired destination. Won’t you come along for the ride?
Filed under: development, open source
So it seems I’m in a bit of a quandry: I write blog posts about SupraSphere, but we need development support. Now, how could I garner support by writing a post?
Well, as most know, I am completely obsessed with Ubuntu Linux. It’s very stable (including the bleeding edge beta for 8.04) and the ease of use is phenomenal. A few days ago I directed quite a number of people to this very blog from the Ubuntu forums. My thought was *maybe*, just maybe a developer would stumble upon my review of VirtualBox and have their interest piqued about the project. Much to my dismay, this did not unfold as I wished it had. That being said, my next step is announcing the project itself on the Ubuntu brainstorm. Why? If you’ve been following Suprablog, I’m sure you gather that we primarily use the Linux operating system, and to be specific, Ubuntu. Therefore, it’s natural that we would think of integration deep within Ubuntu as if boundaries didn’t exist.
So, why would SupraSphere and Linux make a good team? The truth is, SupraSphere could and should become a key piece of Ubuntu and the evolving Linux Desktop story. The reason is that it has key conceptual attributes that will allow Linux to innovate and leapfrog other approaches. These attributes are these four general areas: services-oriented desktop (web os/desktop), end-to-end security, database filesystem, and virtualization. We have Launchpad, which has incredible community support for a multitude of smaller projects. Now, imagine using Launchpad and SupraSphere hand in hand; improving in a top-notch security environment and being able to communicate and access information/documentaion in providing the best open source projects out there. Sounds like a dream come true for other developers, no?
Running SupraSphere is in fact like running a virtual desktop. It can store all of your files, bookmarks, rss feeds, contacts, and email all in one place, where you can search across them. It has extremely secure messaging and authentication (beyond SSH and SSL even). You can tag across all message types. You can search and view your desktop remotely. It’s the ideal system to fit in with the virtualization trends that are emerging. We already have four distinct and separate user interfaces that all share messaging protocols and the same data store: Eclipse RCP, plain servlet, RAP ajax UI, openlaszlo, and even a prototype XUL interface.
That said, there are of course problems. We don’t even have a .deb or .rpm packaged version of our system. While we have some connections within the Eclipse, Mozilla, Sun/Java, and Apache communities, we have little or no exposure within the the Linux ecosystem, especially within the Ubuntu community. We feel very strongly that if Ubuntu were to embrace the ideas within our project, it would put Ubuntu above and beyond any other distribution, and help lead the way to Linux Desktop bliss.
Please help. Now is the time. With Java and Linux becoming closer, with MySQL now a part of Sun, SupraSphere can tie in numerous different communities and projects, and propel the Linux desktop way ahead of the competition.
If you have experience with Linux (especially Ubuntu), Java, or Ajax, please contact us to volunteer your efforts.
Email us at: developers [at] suprasphere [dot] com
Filed under: open source
For once, I am writing a more personal post, which in some respects flows easier for me, but in this instance is quite difficult. I’d like to provide some background as to why I write this blog.
Starting way back, when I was about three or four, my mother brought me and my sister to the Windsor Public Library, and signed the both of us up for a children’s computer class. Because I was so young, I remember very little, but what I do remember was playing the Jeopardy computer game on a Mac and completely loving the experience.
As I grew older, both my father and grandfather at one point owned the IBM Wang monochrome desktops. Whenever my father was not home, I would try to “hack” into it by guessing at passwords: shamefully I never succeeded in “cracking the code” but my father did divulge the correct password after he got a new computer.
When I got my first computer I was so happy, a Macintosh LC all for myself! I did loads of schoolwork on that, and attempted at programming simple games which resulted in my mother removing of the mouse and keyboard from the computer because I wanted to stay up all night. I succeeded in making a Tetris game and a Pong-like game.
That is how it all started, but my priorities changed when I reached middle school and high school. Because of my drawing skills, I was drafted into the fine arts program at NFA, and thought about becoming an architect. At the last minute when enrolling for college, I went decided to go for a dual-degree; Information Technology and Architectural Science
Now that we’ve dived into my personal history of being a geek, surely you can begin to see why I write this. One thing that was always hard for me was writing about things I either knew little about or where I did not find any interest in the subject. Obviously, I love SupraSphere.
Honestly, I write this blog because I truly believe in the project, in all the people working to make David’s dream a reality, in “uniting the internet” by creating something way more intuitive and logical than ever thought of before. It is an incredible opportunity for me to be able to have a part in this amazing undertaking, one that I’m sure many would like to take part in.
So, in essence, this is almost a “call to arms” to help make the internet revolve around us individually. How can you help? With the release of the web-version just around the corner, I petition you to submit either here in comments or at suprablog@gmail.com ideas you have for SupraSphere. Also, we have made the project Open Source for developers! If you are a developer and want in, please do join us!
~Andria
Posted on May 7th, 2008 by Andria LeBaron
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