I think we are all missing the underlying point in this discussion. Maybe I'm ideological, but developing open source is a method to contribute the community and allow others to contribute back. It is not about competition, and it disappoints me that we sometimes enter into these discussions of using one open source solution over another, while we should be working to use them all together. I think the answer to the question of getting Jmol running on iOS and in browsers on Android isn't why use iOS or who will pay, but rather, how do we best work together to get a satisfactory solution in place using the open source tools available.
We are developing the ChemDoodle Web Components (open source HTML5/WebGL toolkit for scientific graphics and informatics) for a number of reasons, one being as a complement to Jmol (not to replace it). We have a strong focus on aesthetic graphics and we are doing our best to match all the functionality of Jmol. The GLmol project is also impressive, and we are currently working to include parts of it as LGPL plugins to the ChemDoodle Web Components so users only need a single library for their functionality without the dependencies of the cumbersome third party libraries that GLmol requires. To clarify Henry's quote about the ChemDoodle Web Components: "its core javascript functionality is open source) although a different model operates here (much of the advanced functionality is actually server side, and hence requires the user to have access to that server, and of course also be in online mode, ie it may eat up into any data plan you might have on eg your iPad)" While it is true that a lot of advanced functionality is server based, this is only true of very advanced algorithms, and all the great graphics and interaction are in the core library. The choice to use a server is for a number of reasons: 1. There is very complex functionality from our desktop software that we extend for free for academic use. 2. Some functionality is very cpu intensive and can be done much faster through AJAX and a fast server than directly in Javascript. 3. A lot of legacy code exists that would be very inconvenient to port to Javascript. Using AJAX allows us to use the same code with the ChemDoodle Web Components. We are trying to figure out the best way to include Jmol on the backend as well, so Jmol users will be able to access the same functionality. 4. The criticism that one will run through a data plan quickly is a bit exaggerated, you would literally have to load thousands of huge PDB files. The rest of the functionality will not consume a significant amount of bandwidth. The reason iPad 3 users are running through data plans quickly is because they are playing high definition movies. So, I think that with the tools available, we have the opportunity to work together to get the functionality users want on all devices with the tools that they are comfortable with. We are more than open to discussion if anyone wants to contact us, feel free to contact me directly. Finally, a few selfish plugs: The ChemDoodle Web Components running on iOS and Android - http://www.ichemlabs.com/1375 iChemLabs and Inkling partnership - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/03/15/prweb9281945.DTL ChemDoodle Web Components ranked higher than Angry Birds - http://www.netmagazine.com/features/20-webgl-sites-will-blow-your-mind Kevin Theisen President, iChemLabs ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This SF email is sponsosred by: Try Windows Azure free for 90 days Click Here http://p.sf.net/sfu/sfd2d-msazure _______________________________________________ Jmol-users mailing list Jmol-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/jmol-users
