ySchool social experience module r&d

[Jestan Nirojan]

Hi JK,

I have done a little research on social network frameworks for ySchool social experience module.

so far, I have checked Apache Shindig, Apache Wave (Google Wave), Apache Rave and OneSocialWeb frameworks.

I think Apache Shindig can be best suited to develop ySchool social experience. Followings  are the findings 

about Apache Shindig, I could collect.

 

Apache Shindig

-----------------------

Apache Shindig is open social app platform to hosts social apps (Java Script Gadgets) which 

can be integrated with any website/web page.Shindig makes hosting social apps in new sites easy.

Shindig platform provides following modules 

    

Gadget Container JavaScript: 

Core JavaScript foundation for general gadget functionality. This JavaScript manages 

security, communication, UI layout, and feature extensions, such as the OpenSocial API.

Gadget Rendering Server:

Used to render the gadget XML into JavaScript and HTML for the container to expose via the container JavaScript.

OpenSocial Container JavaScript: 

JavaScript environment that sits on top of the Gadget Container JavaScript and 

provides OpenSocial specific functionality (profiles, friends, activities, datastore).

          

OpenSocial Data Server: (available in both Java and PHP, but Java is the most actively developed)

An implementation of the server interface to container-specific information, including the OpenSocial REST APIs, 

with clear extension points so others can connect it to their own back-ends. 

The server will connect our own social network's back-end using the OpenSocial Service Provider Interface (SPI) implentation,

 which has to implement

• Retrieving people information
• Storing and retrieving activities
• Storing and retrieving persistent data
• Sending messages

Architecutre:

There is presentation explains the architecture, please check this presentation 

Pros

1. Easy to start with open social specification REST API.

2. Proven security model (authentication,authorization ect).

3. Gadgets are easy to integrate social features to the web pages, than writing from scratch.

4. We can partially implement OpenSocial Service Provider Interface.

. more ???

Cons

1. Fairly complex architecture to understand.

2. We have to deploy a separate WAR file to run the Shindig server.

3. Lacks of documentation and examples.

4. Developing an custom gadget requires more work? (Shindig gadgets are based Google Gadgets)

. more ???

References

http://shindig.apache.org/

http://docs.opensocial.org

https://sites.google.com/site/opensocialarticles/Home

Source code and examples    

https://github.com/apache/shindig  

can we proceed with proceed with Apache Shindig? please advise.

thanks and regards.

-Nirojan

[Jestan Nirojan]

I have missed Elgg, 

Thilakan was doing a R&D on Elgg?, he can share the findings with us :)

thanks and regards.

-Nirojan

[Jestan Nirojan]

I should have mention, why I have selected Apache Shindig? (That part is missed in first post, sorry for that).

Followings were the reasons

1. Apache Wave is in incubator, no active development is going on, its going to have a major rewrite soon.

2. Apache Rave is a social mash-up engine based on Apache Shindig it self.

3. OneSocialWeb is social network extension for open fire xmpp server.

4. I was looking for a Java based framework and I didn't check about Elgg.

[Thillakan Saba]

Hi Nirojan,

Thanks for reminding me ;-).
I haven't done much on this. I just setup a demo for Elgg and got lost
in other social network frameworks
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributed_social_network) :).
Probably, I may look into this during this weekend. If you have got
time and interested in exploring Elgg. I am happy to leave it with you
:)

Regards,
Thillakan

--
Regards,
Thillakan

[Jeyakumaran Chandrasegaram]

Shindig seems ok .... do we have the privacy based grouping feature? i am happy with the partial social experience ...