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October 10, 2005
Flash + GoogleMaps
Both the Action Script (read Flash) XML.sendAndLoad and the JavaScript XmlHttpRequest functions/objects have allowed browser based clients to make direct socket connections to the server for quite some time now. The JavaScript way has a cool name (AJAX), but the Flash way is essentially the same and equally effective; both are capable of consuming the same XML API over the web. These kind of techniques have gained popularity, as most web developers know, from the endorsement of a big player like Google with their Maps and Gmail applications.
In particular it is interesting that a new ecosystem has evolved around the open XML API that Google Maps surfaces; notably there have been integrations with Craigslist and several other third-party sites. One recent integration that is interesting is the "NYC Subway Flash Overlay for Google Maps". It adds a Flash layer to Google Maps that unlocks a mechanism for enhancing the vanilla map images. This is very cool and yet another validation that open APIs on the web often lead to applications/systems that likely where not even originally intended by the publisher.
Posted by harris at October 10, 2005 10:52 PM
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Comments
Harris! Long time, no see! Where you living these days?
Posted by: Craig Campbell at October 13, 2005 07:06 AM