Client Killed the Server Star

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Most modern websites still place a large burden on the server, constantly sending it requests and asking it to do heavy computations. In the brave new world, the client is king and the server is its faithful shadow. In this talk, we'll look at how cutting-edge technology like Gears, HTML5, and Google App Engine can be used to create websites where the caching, storage, and computing is done primarily in the browser/desktop and the server is used merely as a backup store. Presented at Webstock 2009. Original version (not PPTed): http://tr.im/clientkilledserver

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Client Killed the Server Star

http://tr.im/clientkilledserver

@pamelafox

Web 1.0: The dumb client

Web 2.0: So Happy Together?

Web 3.0: The Server Sidekick

Why? The future is...

Server = Servant

• Communications Hub

• Sync state change between clients

• Cached, Broad Queries (Not Fine-Grained)

• Batch communication

How?

App Engine

• Memcache

• Request/Response

• Datastore

Client = Master

• Resource Storage

• Data Storage

• State Management

• Heavy Computation

• Dynamic Graphics

• Bitmap Manipulation

How?

HTML 5

<!DOCTYPE HTML> <html>   <head><title>HTML 5</title></head>   <body>Hello World!</body> </html> 

Gears

LocalServer   Database   WorkerPool    Blob     Desktop  Geolocation

Wrappers

• Dojo (HTML5/Gears Database)

• ActiveRecord (Gears/AIR/HTML5/JSON/Server DB)

• HTML5/Gears (Manifest)

• Excanvas  (Canvas/VML)

• RaphaelJS  (VML/SVG)

Resource Storage

Only ask the server for resources when the app's been updated.

Resources = JS, CSS, HTML, IMGs, etc.

• HTML 5: Application Cache, Manifest 

• Gears: LocalServer 

HTML 5: Manifest

Point to manifest file in HTML:<html manifest=”foo.manifest”>

Create foo.manifest:

CACHE MANIFEST# v1# This is a comment.http://www.foo.com/index.htmlhttp://www.foo.com/header.pnghttp://www.foo.com/blah/blahsomethingElse.jpg

Demo 

HTML 5: ApplicationCache

Use ApplicationCache object and window.applicationCache:

var appCache = window.applicationCache;if (appCache.status == ApplicationCache.UNCACHED) {  alert("Not cached yet");}appCache.oncached = function() {  alert("Cached now!");}

Also available:update, swapCache, onchecking, onerror, onnoupdate, ondownloading, onprogress, onupdateready, oncached, onobsolete

Gears: LocalServer

Use ResourceStore to grab array of files:

var pageFiles = [location.pathname,'gears_init.js'];

var localServer = google.gears.factory.create('beta.localserver', '1.0');

var store = localServer.openStore(this.storeName) || localServer.createStore(this.storeName);

store.capture(pageFiles, function(url, success, captureId) {  console.log(url + ' capture ' + (success ? 'succeeded' : 'failed'));});

Demo 

Gears: LocalServer

Use ManagedResourceStore to use manifest file:

var localServer = google.gears.factory.create('beta.localserver');

var store = localServer.createManagedStore(STORE_NAME); store.manifestUrl = 'manifest_v1.json'; store.checkForUpdate();

manifest_v1.json:

{ "betaManifestVersion": 1,    "version": "v1",    "entries": [ { "url": "managed_store.html",                   "src": "managed_store_v1.html" }, ...]}

Demo 

Gears: LocalServer

• FavIcoop 

Data Storage

Persist data locally, both in DBs and hash tables. Issue complex queries on the client, not on the server.

• HTML 5:o localStorage o Database 

• Gears: Database 

HTML 5: localStorage

Store strings in keys using Storage object & window.localStorage:

function doSave() {   var filename = document.forms.editor.filename.value;   var data = document.forms.editor.data.value;  localStorage.setItem('file-' + filename, data); } 

function doOpen() {   var filename = document.forms.editor.filename.value;  document.forms.editor.data.value = localStorage.getItem('file-' + filename); }

Also use: removeItem, clear, window.onstorage

Demo 

HTML 5: Database

Open DB with window.openDatabase, then use Database object:

var db = openDatabase("MyDB", "1.0", "Example", 200000);

db = openDatabase("NoteTest", "1.0", "HTML5 Database API example", 200000);

db.transaction(function (tx) {   tx.executeSql("INSERT INTO WebKitStickyNotes    (id, note, timestamp, left, top, zindex) VALUES    (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)",    [note.id, note.text, note.timestamp, note.left, note.top, note.zIndex]); });

Demo 

Gears: Database

Open DB, then execute SQL statements

var db = google.gears.factory.create('beta.database', '1.0');

db.open('database-demo');

db.execute('create table if not exists Demo (Phrase varchar(255), Timestamp int)');db.execute('insert into Demo values (?, ?)', [phrase, currTime]);

var rs = db.execute('select * from Demo order by Timestamp desc');

Demo 

Gears: Database• Bloggears 

• AutoDesk Draw 

• MySpace Messages 

Also: RTMilk, GMail/GDocs/GReader, Zoho, WordPress, AJAX Helper 

State Management

Store session data on the client. Server is stateless.• HTML 5: sessionStorage 

HTML 5: sessionStorage

Use window.sessionStorage with Storage object:

<form action="step3.html" method=post onsubmit="save(n2)">    Adjective: <input name=n2>    <input type="submit" value="Next..."> </form>

function save(element) {  sessionStorage.setItem(element.name,element.value);}

Also use: getItem, removeItem, clear, window.onstorage

Demo 

Heavy Computation

JS is surprisingly fast at non-DOM operations. Proof: TSP Solver , Clustering, Spatial queries

But if in-page JS isn't fast enough or locks up the UI, offload the task into a worker.

Use for: Encryption, DB tasks, Syncing, Farming

• Web Workers 

• Gears: WorkerPool 

Web Worker Spec

Create a worker and send messages to it:var searcher = new Worker('searcher.js');function search(query) {  searcher.postMessage(query);}

Respond to messages in worker JS:importScripts('io.js');onmessage = function (event) {  postMessage(get('search.cgi?' + event.data));};

Gears: WorkerPoolCreate worker IDs in WorkerPool, send/receive messages:workerPool.onmessage = function(a, b, message) {  insertRow('Async Result:' + message.body);};var childId = workerPool.createWorkerFromUrl('worker.js');workerPool.sendMessage(2501234, childId);

// worker.jsvar wp = google.gears.workerpool;wp.onmessage = function(messageText, senderId, message) { wp.sendMessage(identity(message.body), senderId);};

function identity(stuff) { // do hard math with stuff} 

Demo 

Gears: WorkerPool

Sudoku 

Prime Calculation 

Mandelbrot (with  & without )

Others: GMail, MySpace

Dynamic Graphics

Render graphics or manipulate bitmaps in JS. No servers or plugins needed to generate them.

Both 2d and 3d graphics can be done in browser.

• HTML 5: Canvas • SVG

HTML 5: CanvasCreate <canvas> element:<canvas id="canvas" width="150" height="150"></canvas>

Then call functions on CanvasRenderingContext2D:var canvas = document.getElementById("canvas");var ctx = canvas.getContext("2d");ctx.fillStyle = "rgb(200,0,0)";ctx.fillRect (10, 10, 55, 50);ctx.fillStyle = "rgba(0, 0, 200, 0.5)";ctx.fillRect (30, 30, 55, 50);

Also use: scale, rotate, translate, transform, createGradientPattern, bezierCurveTo, putImageData, filLText, etc.

Demo 

HTML 5: Canvas

Polygonzo 

MontageMaker 

Car Navigation 

More: Box2dJS , Yahoo Pipes, 3D w/ 2D 

Get Involved!

HTML 5/Web Worker:• Join mailing list.• Subscribe two twitter updates (@whatwg).• Experiment with features using nightly builds:• IE 8 beta, Opera Labs , MineField (FF), Webkit 

Gears:• Join the project.• Discuss in group.• Make real apps!

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