Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
The Mindset of a Webble World Citizen:
Developing Applications in a Meme Media Environment
Micke Kuwahara and Yuzuru Tanaka
Meme Media Laboratory, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
{mkuwahara,tanaka}@meme.hokudai.ac.jp
Abstract.
Webble World is the latest generation of IntelligentPad implementa-
tions that is fully available online for any individual or organization interested
in using it. It is a meme media objects environment that allows users to develop
rich software applications for the web, even without any skills of programming,
but instead with simple basic mouse operations which is used to configure and
arrange these meme media objects, known as Webbles, in ways that may create
various types of complex behaviors and thus form full-fledged applications. It is
intended to be inviting and used by the general public as a whole, skilled pro-
grammers and their grandmas alike, as well as academics and corporations. It is
a framework for learning and improving, a knowledge federation where human-
ity can collect their shared skills in software application development.
But with this power comes the responsibility to build and develop, not just for
you and a few chosen, but for the entire world at all times. In order to support a
useful and open federation of meme media objects the developer must try to get
into the head of every possible future user of his component, and the users need
to see that Webble systems is a network of objects with little or no central con-
trol but instead a cooperation of independent parts. To fully appreciate Web-
ble World the user need to adapt a certain mindset, and it is that mindset this
paper will try to explore.
Keywords:
Meme Media Objects, Customize, Configure, Web, Share,
Distribute, Resource, Interact, Participate, Federation.
1
Introduction
The mission statement goes as follow; A platform available online via any common
browser running on more or less any common operative system. This platform allows
the user to do multiple form of interactions, ranging from search and use applications
and/or widgets that perform anything software applications usually and less usually
do, as well as to develop and build the very same with only the most basic of comput-
er operations. In this environment everything is an independent object that the user
can configure, assemble and manipulate at free will. Every application is built up by
these objects, arranged in a simple, yet effective hierarchic structure and ordered to
communicate in certain ways in certain directions. When done correctly, no classic
programming is needed and full-fledged software applications may be constructed in
