I typically do product briefings over the phone, or via WebEx. However, for those select few technology companies who are based in DC, I try to find time to get out to them in person. This was the case with JackBe, an Ajax-oriented start-up that has a lot of buzz around it. In essence, they Ajaxed before Ajaxing was cool. JackBe is moving in some new directions. While they still offer a dynamic client, based on I typically do product briefings over the phone, or via WebEx. However, for those select few technology companies who are based in DC, I try to find time to get out to them in person. This was the case with JackBe, an Ajax-oriented start-up that has a lot of buzz around it. In essence, they Ajaxed before Ajaxing was cool. JackBe is moving in some new directions. While they still offer a dynamic client, based on Ajax, and development tools, they are moving back towards the infrastructure as well. In short, providing middleware between the source systems and data which allow the user to mashup the services and information in anyway that makes them more productive. Why don’t we call this “mashware” for now, see if it sticks? For instance, say you have a killer mashup for taking a stock feed service and mashing up with a RSS freed to correlate the rise of stock prices using the number of times a stock is mentioned in blogs. To build this, you need to manage the stock feed service; the RSS feed, and have the capabilities link both and add your own processing to make the correlations. The “mashware” would handle the feeds and the other interfaces, you would customize the view for yourself that makes the most sense for your own personal use. In short, each user would have the power to create their own applications that are right for each user. Can you say “agility and reuse?” As mashups and SOA learn to get along better, and we learn that SOAs won’t have the value without dynamic use; these types of approaches will make more sense going forward. Software Development