On Mon, Feb 1, 2010 at 7:36 AM, Raffi Krikorian <ra...@twitter.com> wrote: >> c. The Streaming API isn't designed to play well with desktops / >> laptops / mobiles. > > (not to change the direction of the thread) just out of curiosity - why do > you think that's the case? we don't intend it not to play well, and want to > know what you think should be fixed.
My choice of words was wrong. I don't remember the exact language - I can find it if necessary - but when the Streaming API was released to production status, John Kalucki said that desktop developers should hold off on production use of Streaming but that it was OK to test with it. But Streaming is a steady, hopefully uninterrupted flow of tweets. Those have to be buffered / persisted for at least some length of time for them to be useful beyond just "displaying breaking news". Mobiles don't have the space and have limited memory and processing capabilities. And if they're going to be always on and always collecting / processing data, they have to be plugged in. I can see a case for building a desktop app with Streaming, provided you have a backup mechanism for data collection in case your desktop needs to be rebooted. But laptops are essentially the same deal as mobiles - they aren't always plugged in to a power source. >> The environment in which Twitter and the Twitter development community >> operate is changing rapidly. The *desktop* oAuth tradeoffs may have >> made sense a year ago. before the huge growth spurt in awareness and >> usage of Twitter in 2009. As I've noted, I think the *server* oAuth >> tradeoffs still make sense. I think we need to take the advice of >> Wayne Gretzky and "skate to where the puck is going to be." > > i just want to really emphasize that we all do energetically read these > email threads and try to learn as much as we can from them. this thread, so > far, has been great. I've said this before, but maybe not here. As a developer I've worked with a number of companies over the years, and I can't think of any that was easier to work with than Twitter. Part of it is the simplicity of the API - have a look at Google's or Facebook's some time. ;-) But a bigger part is that you do understand what our challenges are. It's not just oAuth and it's not just Twitter - mobile and desktop security is a big challenge. Microsoft has been unable to stop the spread of botnets on Windows, and only the relative rarity of Mac and Linux desktops has prevented them from becoming botnet targets as well. Google's idea of a locked-down netbook that can't be compromised without a screwdriver and a soldering iron is looking very good to me right now. ;-) -- M. Edward (Ed) Borasky http://borasky-research.net "I've always regarded nature as the clothing of God." ~Alan Hovhaness
