JUST BEFORE IRISH daybreak, Jyri and crew demonstrated Jaiku running on Google App Engine (GAE). Although there are detractors with that infrastructure, it's a development environment that enables anyone to develop Web services that can scale up to millions of users using Google's massive server infrastructure. If you want to be acquired by Google, why not program to their stack? If programmers embrace Google’s Python-only playground this summer, there could be serious implications for Amazon's competing service. The GAE confronts the highly successful EC2 infrastructure that Twitter borrows from Amazon, but the two services are distinct. With GAE, developers can focus on the business logic, with infrastructure and back-end services (i.e., authentication, storage, and related Google services) built-in and accessible within the Google network infrastructure via APIs. This translates into easy productivity gains for some programmers, but you have to know your Python.
Jyri made the announcement at the Google Campfire in Mountain View, recorded by Robert Scoble on his Nokia N95, a device that easily runs the mobile Jaiku client. When Jaiku fully deploys on the GAE, invitations will be wide open, channels will elegantly support the Tipperary Institute virtual learning environment and Irish digerati will fork into crowds that fit nicely into separate parts of double decker buses. I'll be in the part where I can see my Dopplr friends while reading threaded conversations about best value travel destinations.
The first 10,000 registrants for GAE get the services and 500MB of storage for free. According to the Campfire notes, early users will also get enough CPU and bandwidth to sustain around 5 million page views per month. More storage and bandwidth will be available for purchase at a later date. As of right now, there are still spots open for registrants, so go claim yours.
Jaikido blog -- "We're moving to the Google App Engine."
The Google App Engine favours Python.
Ciaran Ryan -- "Jaiku is moving and opening"
Michael Arrington -- "Google Jumps Head First into Web Services with Google App Engine"
Stacey Higginbotham -- "Google Puts the Cloud on Tap for Developers"
Brady Forest -- "App Engine: Host your apps with Google"
