Comments on: Devo http://abcdefu.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/devo/ i couldn't think of better name for this blog... Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:31:13 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Simple. « chimney http://abcdefu.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/devo/#comment-1391 Simple. « chimney Fri, 08 May 2009 16:59:26 +0000 http://abcdefu.wordpress.com/?p=186#comment-1391 [...] Devo was very inspired by quicksilver. Having just bought a Mac (and loved quicksilver), I desperately wanted something like quicksilver in the browser. This meant that Devo had to be more like a catalog of everything in the browser. In fact, it was initially named Catalog (yeah, I suck at picking names). So, it had to import your browser history and bookmarks which was such a pain before Places came along. I also wanted it to know the extensions installed on the user’s Firefox, etc., etc. It was going to be one huge catalog. Obviously, it failed. It was too complex. A few months later, I decided to start afresh (my idea of it had changed from a catalog to a command launcher by then) and this time, I had a real deadline — the Extend Firefox contest. The time-boxing forced me to work on only the core features (mind you, this does not happen naturally as an effect of time-boxing. I think I picked the right core features). Hence, the success of Devo was inevitable.   These days, Ubiquity keeps adding features and growing broader so much so that I doubt even Atul understands all the code in Ubiquity. But what does something like Ubiquity or Devo really need to work? It doesn’t need a natural language interface. It doesn’t need an API or a mechanism for command subscriptions. Skins are like diamonds on your teeth (read: just bling bling). It doesn’t even need to support multiple arguments! The only things it needs to be useful is a straightforward command executor (just the Google and Wikipedia commands alone would do). And that’s simple. And that works.   In my other projects (Things.webapp and “Open Digg”), I’ve made the same mistake. I didn’t focus on the simple core and choose instead to attempt the complex and unnecessary. [...] [...] Devo was very inspired by quicksilver. Having just bought a Mac (and loved quicksilver), I desperately wanted something like quicksilver in the browser. This meant that Devo had to be more like a catalog of everything in the browser. In fact, it was initially named Catalog (yeah, I suck at picking names). So, it had to import your browser history and bookmarks which was such a pain before Places came along. I also wanted it to know the extensions installed on the user’s Firefox, etc., etc. It was going to be one huge catalog. Obviously, it failed. It was too complex. A few months later, I decided to start afresh (my idea of it had changed from a catalog to a command launcher by then) and this time, I had a real deadline — the Extend Firefox contest. The time-boxing forced me to work on only the core features (mind you, this does not happen naturally as an effect of time-boxing. I think I picked the right core features). Hence, the success of Devo was inevitable.   These days, Ubiquity keeps adding features and growing broader so much so that I doubt even Atul understands all the code in Ubiquity. But what does something like Ubiquity or Devo really need to work? It doesn’t need a natural language interface. It doesn’t need an API or a mechanism for command subscriptions. Skins are like diamonds on your teeth (read: just bling bling). It doesn’t even need to support multiple arguments! The only things it needs to be useful is a straightforward command executor (just the Google and Wikipedia commands alone would do). And that’s simple. And that works.   In my other projects (Things.webapp and “Open Digg”), I’ve made the same mistake. I didn’t focus on the simple core and choose instead to attempt the complex and unnecessary. [...]

]]> By: abi http://abcdefu.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/devo/#comment-995 abi Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:39:16 +0000 http://abcdefu.wordpress.com/?p=186#comment-995 @jamie Awesome. I'm one of the contributors to Ubiquity. =) @jamie Awesome. I’m one of the contributors to Ubiquity. =)

]]> By: jamie martin http://abcdefu.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/devo/#comment-994 jamie martin Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:34:05 +0000 http://abcdefu.wordpress.com/?p=186#comment-994 Aw I was using this but I've uninstalled it for Ubiquity http://labs.mozilla.com/2008/08/introducing-ubiquity/ Good work though. Aw I was using this but I’ve uninstalled it for Ubiquity

http://labs.mozilla.com/2008/08/introducing-ubiquity/

Good work though.

]]> By: Firefox Extensions : Devo « The Giornale http://abcdefu.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/devo/#comment-993 Firefox Extensions : Devo « The Giornale Tue, 26 Aug 2008 06:38:10 +0000 http://abcdefu.wordpress.com/?p=186#comment-993 [...] ** first, download the Devo Firefox extension from here. You might have to sign up for an account though, coz Devo is an experimental plugin and downloading experimental plugins require users to login. It’s a free account though, and it’s worth it if it’s just to get hands on this. Or, of course, if you really don’t want to, you can download it straight from their site, click here. [...] [...] ** first, download the Devo Firefox extension from here. You might have to sign up for an account though, coz Devo is an experimental plugin and downloading experimental plugins require users to login. It’s a free account though, and it’s worth it if it’s just to get hands on this. Or, of course, if you really don’t want to, you can download it straight from their site, click here. [...]

]]> By: Devo for Firefox: Awesome - spatialviews http://abcdefu.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/devo/#comment-990 Devo for Firefox: Awesome - spatialviews Fri, 22 Aug 2008 20:42:39 +0000 http://abcdefu.wordpress.com/?p=186#comment-990 [...] see the Devo Firefox addon from chimney came in as a runner up in the extend Firefox 3 contest (one of the winners if I had my say!). Wow, [...] [...] see the Devo Firefox addon from chimney came in as a runner up in the extend Firefox 3 contest (one of the winners if I had my say!). Wow, [...]

]]> By: Catalog « chimney http://abcdefu.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/devo/#comment-976 Catalog « chimney Sat, 02 Aug 2008 01:02:38 +0000 http://abcdefu.wordpress.com/?p=186#comment-976 [...] Jump to Comments NOTE: Catalog has now been re-done as Devo. Check out Devo (works on Firefox [...] [...] Jump to Comments NOTE: Catalog has now been re-done as Devo. Check out Devo (works on Firefox [...]

]]> By: Devo & Enso | Rex Flex http://abcdefu.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/devo/#comment-971 Devo & Enso | Rex Flex Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:57:24 +0000 http://abcdefu.wordpress.com/?p=186#comment-971 [...] found another program called Devo that solves this problem.  Well, sort of… I’ll get to that later.  It’s [...] [...] found another program called Devo that solves this problem.  Well, sort of… I’ll get to that later.  It’s [...]

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