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The Man Who Set Twitter Free

Submitted by Dan Wilson on Fri, 2008/03/07 - 8:00am.
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DZone sits down with Aaron West, the man who set Twitter free of the browser. Aaron is a long time ColdFusion, Flash and Flex developer who created twitterAIR, the first Twitter/RIA integration based on the Adobe Integrated Runtime platform and he has a host of community contributions and accolades to his credit. In this interview, we get to know Aaron, find out how and why he built twitterAIR and hear his thoughts on the direction of Rich Internet Applications.

Dan Wilson: Aaron, you are clearly a guy on the cutting edge, how did you get started with IT?

Aaron West: My first introduction to computer programming was in middle school, but college was where I really got hooked on programming. I had 4 years of formal training writing software using C++ and COBOL. In terms of Web development, I’m almost entirely self-taught. My university studies did not include Web curriculum but my first job was as a ColdFusion programmer. I’ve been hooked on Internet development ever since and have not looked back. Everything I’ve learned about Web development has occurred over the years working as a Web development professional, and now as a development team manager.

DW: COBOL (shudders). They taught that in University? (shakes head)

AW: Yeah, I graduated college with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science & Information Systems. Since graduation, I’ve spent the last 8 years working in the Web development field in the healthcare, e-Learning, and automotive spaces. I have an extensive background in enterprise development including experience in server-side technologies like ColdFusion, SQL Server, MySQL, and Apache. I’ve also spent considerable time developing software using client-side technologies such as Flash, Flex, AIR, and of course the usual HTML, JavaScript, XML, and CSS

DW: Sounds like a good bag of tricks. Clearly you are a hands on guy who really into IT.

AW: For better or worse, my life is surrounded by technology. When not at work as a development manager, I continue to learn and hone my programming skills through personal and consultative projects. I am constantly working on projects that include ColdFusion, MySQL, Flex and AIR. I am also very much involved in the general Web development community. I’ve been the user group manager for the Nashville ColdFusion User Group for 2 years, and I’ve been an Adobe Community Expert (formerly known as Team Macromedia) for 4 years. I also run a blog, http://www.trajiklyhip.com/blog that focuses on Web development, technology, cool gadgets, Mac development, and productivity tips. Lastly, I’ve been known to speak at user groups and conferences on occasion, I’ve written several technical articles and whitepapers for various online publications, and I participated in the Deitel, Deitel & Associates book “Internet & World Wide Web Programming 3rd Ed.” as a technical reviewer.

As far as non-technical interests go, I enjoy playing golf, scuba diving around the world, reading about personal productivity, riding entirely too fast on my sportbike, and spending time with my wife and son.

DW: Fun stuff! What sort of music do you to listen to while coding?

AW: I’m mostly into rock and alternative, but I’ve been known to listen to most anything depending on my mood. I can get into the zone listening to anything, from opera to hip-hop to electronic/trance. Recent additions to my iTunes include the latest albums from The Afters, Puressence, Radiohead, Kanye West, and Band of Horses.

DW: I listen to a fair amount of trance while I am coding. I find it helps me concentrate. We should swap live mixes at some point. You are the author of twitterAIR. Can you talk about why you created the project?

AW: The idea came to me while attending the Adobe Community Summit at Adobe’s San Jose office in July 2007. I learn things by doing them and I wanted a pet project where I could focus on integrating features of Flex 3 and AIR. I had just discovered Twitter and wanted to be able to post updates to Twitter and read my friends updates from the desktop. I had heard Twitter had an ActionScript 3 API, so creating something in Flex and AIR that utilized features of Twitter seemed like a good idea.

DW: What technologies were involved in the making of twitterAIR?

AW: Flex 3 and AIR of course, and a bit of Web services utilizing XML content. Digging deeper into Flex/AIR, twitterAIR was created using custom skinning and chrome, embedded fonts, date localization and manipulation (RegEx), custom Flex components, data encryption, and AIR file-system API integration. I used the alpha and beta of Flex Builder 3 and AIR on my Mac laptop to write all the code and test the app.

DW: How does the AIR platform improve the twitterAIR application?

AW: Without the AIR platform there would be no twitterAIR really; the first version of twitterAIR was build on the Adobe Integrated Runtime. Beyond that, the extreme ease of creating multi-platform desktop software is ridiculously simple.

DW: Do you have future plans for twitterAIR?

AW: Absolutely. The most requested feature is to make twitterAIR resizable. Since it’s built using custom skinning, I plan to use Flex 3’s scale 9 slicing to accomplish this task. I also want to incorporate more of the twitter.com site features to keep me from having to visit their Web site. Another thing I'll be doing is removing my custom updater solution and adding AIR's built-in ability to update an application automatically.

DW: Where is the best place to download twitterAIR?

AW: I've created a badge installer on my Web site at http://www.trajiklyhip.com/twitterAIR. Once you have the application downloaded it will let you know if I release a new version.

DW: You've spent a lot of time working with the AIR platform with twitterAIR and with the various projects going on at work. What do you like most about the AIR platform?

AW: What impresses me the most is how much you can do with so little code, but this isn't really something unique to AIR but Flex. This, coupled with the fact you can create rich Internet applications on the desktop with existing development skills, are what make AIR so accessible. Let’s be honest, AIR isn’t bringing Flash to the desktop for the first time. Developers have been writing these types of applications for years. What’s different, is how super easy it is to create incredibly complex and rich applications. The real success of AIR will come not only because of it's ubiquity in being a multi-platform runtime, but also because of it's accessibility and ease of entry to the developers of 2008. Using the tools, code, and paradigms we're already used to developers actually want to get into rich Internet applications on the desktop. In some cases I've seen programmers almost salivating at the thought of extending their application's reach to the desktop.

DW: Easy is good! What did Adobe do differently with AIR?

AW: The AIR platform is extremely solid, with awesome developer tools. A big reason for this success is due to Adobe’s strategy of getting AIR into the hands of developers early. This has facilitated highly focused feedback that has allowed Adobe to integrate the opinions and desires of rich Internet app developers from across the globe.

DW: It seems like the emphasis in Technology is switching once again to a thicker client and a desktop based functionality. Users are demanding more in the way of features and we as developer have pushed browser based technologies to the breaking point. Where does the AIR fit in technology realm?

AW: The obvious answer is to say AIR is designed to create rich Internet applications for the desktop. The implications for business are so much greater than this though. What is most compelling to me are the hybrid applications that will be created. For instance, applications that already have a firm foothold on the Internet but that could benefit from a desktop-driven piece. Examples of this include eBay's new eBay Desktop and AOL's Top 100 Video application. These apps are extending their reach and established brands in new ways. What will be tough, is the adoption of desktop-driven, Internet-enabled applications - simply because we’ve been where we are for such a long time. Sure there will be small companies adopting the technology and building apps, but it will be really interesting to see what really large, highly visible companies come up with. In addition to eBay and AOL, Sony and Nickelodeon have adopted AIR into their business models. Big names like this are going to dramatically speed up the adoption of AIR.

DW: AIR is already in place at some level at Dealerskins, your employer. How will the AIR platform help you make your organization succeed?

AW: At Dealerskins, we’re already heavily invested in the Flash Player for delivery of our software to the automotive industry. Flash has been at the core of our product offering for over 8 years. Our strategy for adopting the Adobe Integrated Runtime first includes the creation of a few brand new applications designed to facilitate better internal processes and communication. We've created a company directory powered by AIR and SQLite and we're now working on a server alerting and notification application. We were early adopters for Flex 3 and AIR (using them in beta form), and we'll continue using them in 2008 by releasing some customer-facing applications. Flex 3 gives us a strategic advantage allowing us to provide high-caliber, easy-to-use interfaces our customers have come to expect from us. The difference with Flex versus what we were using before is the time it takes us to develop the applications, the technology we use for application creation, and the core services the applications tap into.

DW: While there aren't many significant players with released technology at this point, do you have your eye on other RIA technologies right now?

AW: There are several significant companies releasing applications powered by Adobe AIR including eBay, Sony, Nasdaq, AOL, and Nickelodeon. There's definitely other technologies that may compete with AIR, but AIR sets itself apart since it's powered by the ubiquitous Flash Player. Having spent 2 years of my life building desktop-driven Flash applications using the Flash authoring tool and Director, I have a keen sense of where we have been. Developing desktop applications wasn’t the least bit easy back then and it took a considerable amount of time to test, and deploy. With Flex and AIR, the past work flows are no longer relevant or needed. I’m simply amazed how far things have come in this arena over the last 4 years.

DW: What advice would you give to developers who are interested in learning and programming on the AIR Platform?

AW: Come up with a project idea that utilizes Flex 3 and AIR and execute the project plan. Then, get feedback from end-users and other developers, learn from your mistakes and make changes to the application over a few iterations. You’ll be surprised what you’ll learn. Furthermore, get involved in your local Flex user group (like the Nashville Flex User Group) and learn from other developers. Another good thing to do is to try and recreate an application you love.

DW: That is great advice. Thanks for taking the time to share on the AIR platform Aaron.

Readers, be sure and check out twitterAIR ( http://www.trajiklyhip.com/twitterAIR ) and the AIR platform by Adobe.

Interested in learning more about the Abode Integrated Runtime? Adobe has put together specific sites geared to developer skill sets.

You can see a sampling of AIR applications, showing the next-generation power of the AIR platform. The Anthropologie catalog demonstration is one of my favorite examples!

If you are doing something cool with RIAs and want to tell your story, drop me a line and let me know.

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