PanoTools:
Re: "Brocap" integration - please test
Yuval Levy 2006-Mar-03 15:57:56
Thank you for your trust and support, Carlos.
> When I see a deal so good to be true, I start to wonder what's going on.
> You say that you will provide this service for free, you will develop
> the script for free, you will host the detection script and pay the host
> bill on xenaura.com charging us nothing on return and better yet, you
> will keep your eyes open updating the script whenever is needed to cope
> with new browsers also for free for the foreseeable future!
> Is this too good of a deal or what?
The operation is structured to keep cost low. This result in an estimated operating cost of less than 1 US$ for 10.000 detections.
The code is written for maintainability. There is an automated early warning system that alerts the maintainer when a new species of browser/plug-in appears on the radar screen. Updating the detection mechanism for a new version of an existing plug in is 15 minutes. Adding a totally new beast maybe 1-2 hours of work. This includes proper testing on the staging environment before being pushed to the production environment.
The code is written safe from failure. It is something learned from scuba diving where the air system is designed so that in case of a failure it let air flow out rather than block it in.
So it was an initial investment of a few man-weeks in thinking the system through, but now that it is in place the effort of maintaining it and running it is reasonable.
> I would have more peace of mind if you at least allowed as to donate
> something in return of your effort!
Thank you! Xenaura, Inc. has a paypal account, I will check into this.
Brocap generates value to us in a number of ways:
1. practical: it makes it possible for us to offer a better service to our real estate customers on VoxCasa.com
2. intelligence: the detection statistics provide valuable information about plug-in market shares. With this intelligence we can advise customers about the use of specific technologies and help them make informed choices.
3. reputation: Xenaura is currently introducing one specific solution for the Real Estate market. Based on our knowledge and code base we can provide targeted solutions for other markets. Brocap is just a building block of a whole vertically integrated system.
> Seriously, in face of was written here about the Brocap, what changes
> are you planning to do in the near future?
changes to Brocap itself
========================
* improve the failsafe mechanism in case the client has JavaScript disabled
* improve detection of machine class (currently Brocap has only four categories and the assignement of a machine to a class is still primitive)
* add reliable bandwidth detection (tests are running)
changes to the reference implementation (e.g. Birdcap)
======================================================
there are plenty of interesting ideas expressed here, and two working examples, one on Bernhard's site (It works at http://www.dativ.at/fotos/panoramas/index.html if you click on the Thumbnail) and one at VoxCasa.com
Such ideas include
* a control panel to let the user decide what viewing technology to use
* a search engine optimized implementation
* an iframe/asynchronous implementation
the reference implementation is there for site owner to test and play with it. It is not the ultimate solution. I have made one quickly for Bernhard as a proof of concept. I have another one working at VoxCasa.com. I expect that web site owners who adopt brocap will implement this kind of ideas on their sites. Or translate it from PHP to ASP, JavaScript or other languages in which it can be done.
Brocap itself is like a gearbox that can be fit into any car. Call the reference implementation on austria-360.at a Volkswagen and the implementation on VoxCasa a Honda. There can be plenty of customized brands and models. So far the idea is that we give the gearbox for free and you fit it into your brand and model of car. But if there is demand I can imagine offering custom built gearboxes (such as the simple one for austria-360.at or more complex ones) as paid consulting services.
Yuv
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