Apple developing Flash alternative named Gianduia

Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
As Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight duke it out over their plugin-based, HTML-alternative web platforms, Apple is using Gianduia, its new a client-side, standards based framework for Rich Internet Apps, to create production quality online apps for its retail users.



Apple introduced Gianduia last summer at WOWODC (World of WebObjects Developer Conference), an independent event scheduled near the company's own WWDC event in June. It is likely that more information will surface at this year's WOWODC and WWDC events.



Gianduia, named after an Italian hazelnut chocolate, is "essentially is browser-side Cocoa (including CoreData) + WebObjects, written in JavaScript by non-js-haters," according to a tweet by developer Jonathan "Wolf" Rentzsch. "Jaw dropped."



After watching the NDA demo Apple gave for the new framework at WOWODC last year, Rentzch also tweeted, "Blown away by Gianduia. Cappuccino, SproutCore and JavascriptMVC have serious competition. Serious."



A variety of frameworks for building rich apps using web standards



SproutCore is the JavaScript framework Apple uses to build the web interface for its desktop-like MobileMe web apps. Cappuccino is another third party JavaScript framework that works as a Cocoa-like API for web apps; it was used to deliver 280Slides, a web app designed to provide most of the functionality of Apple's Keynote desktop application. JavascriptMVC is also an independent open source project used to develop rich apps within JavaScript for web deployment.



Like Cappuccino, Gianduia takes a Cocoa-inspired name (Cocoa is itself a Java-inspired name) to describe its role as a way for Cocoa developers to bring their skills to rich online applications built using web standards, with no need for a proprietary web plugin like Flash or Silverlight.



While the emerging new support for Rich Internet App features in HTML5 is often pitted competitively against Flash, Gianduia, SproutCore and related frameworks demonstrate that sophisticated web apps are already possible using existing web standards and without web plugins.



Apple Retail has actually already been using Gianduia to create web app clients (which plug into the company's WebObjects-based services), for a variety of popular programs over the last several months, including its One-to-One program, iPhone reservation system, and its Concierge service for Genius Bar reservations and Personal Shopping (shown below) programs.







On page 2 of 2: Adobe running out of AIR.



Adobe running out of AIR



While Adobe's Flash was once considered an essential tool for supporting animation, interactivity, video playback, and rich app development on the web, a variety of advances are chipping away at every corner of the plugin's platform, delivering the potential for better performance and security while jettisoning reliance upon Adobe to deliver cross-platform playback tools and singlehandedly advance the web's future capabilities.



Video: Three years ago, Apple prompted Google's YouTube service to support the new iPhone and Apple TV using direct downloads of H.264 videos, rather than only serving H.263/Sorenson Spark files wrapped in Flash, a standard that Google had adopted toward the end of 2005. A flood of mass migrations toward H.264 video encoding have resulted, enabling Flash-free devices to play videos from an increasing number of sources including Brighcove, Vimeo, ABC, CBS, and Ooyala.



Animation and interactivity: While plugins like Flash and Silverlight excel at drawing graphics within an embedded zone of a webpage in ways that are far more difficult to do in standard HTML, HTML5 now offers a sophisticated Canvas element that can be used to support web games and other sophisticated graphics directly within the HTML itself. That means videos and graphics are part of the web pages' Document Object Model (DOM), and can be animated, manipulated and styled with Cascading Style Sheet transforms that can scale, rotate and move objects around the page or warp them into 3D planes. Flash objects are stuck in their own context, and can't easily integrate with the rest of the web page nor other embedded Flash objects on the page.



Morphing Cube

Poster Circle

3D Transforms

Interactive 3D Cube

Interactive 3D Boxes







Rich apps: Adobe's solution to Rich Internet Apps takes Flash and extends it into an application framework that provides a write once, run anywhere solution similar to Sun's client-side Java. Microsoft has similarly positioned Silverlight as its solution to building apps for both the web and its upcoming smartphone platform. In contrast, Apple's reliance upon JavaScript frameworks means that Rich Internet Apps created with SproutCore or Gianduia, or interactive media created using its alternative lightweight frameworks for building native-looking web apps for iPhone (PastryKit), iPad (AdLib) and interactive content within iTunes or Apple TV (TuneKit) do not require any proprietary plugins from Apple to work.



Performance: Additionally, as browser vendors enhance and optimize their JavaScript performance (as Apple, Google, Mozilla and Opera have been doing), those rich apps will all run better across the board. In contrast, content designed for Flash or Silverlight is dependent upon Adobe or Microsoft delivering timely plugin updates, and being interested in supporting various alternative platforms. HTML5 is already delivering comparable performance to Flash, despite being Flash having a nearly five year head start in optimizing its performance.



Security: Another advantage to JavaScript frameworks is that they use the browser's own JavaScript engine, code that is openly vetted for security issues and has well understood best practices. The rapidly changing, closed development of proprietary web plugins by Adobe and Microsoft open up tremendous potential for complex security vulnerabilities that are not easy for anyone outside of those companies to evaluate. At CanSecWest, security expert Charlie Miller was asked which browser is safest, to which he replied, ?there probably isn?t enough difference between the browsers to get worked up about. The main thing is not to install Flash!?
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 273
    min_tmin_t Posts: 74member
    first, change the name. we can't champion something we can't even pronounce. that's why the iceland volcano never went viral.
  • Reply 2 of 273
    ihxoihxo Posts: 567member
    I am all for it as long as it's standard based, and not require a plugin.
  • Reply 3 of 273
    sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member
    Flash is so ready to bite the dust. Closed, buggy, resource-hogging, insecure, and doesn't play well with DOM.



    Looking forward to a Flash Free Future!
  • Reply 4 of 273
    jpcgjpcg Posts: 114member
    Please make it available under a BSD Type licence! Then it could really be successful
  • Reply 5 of 273
    Plus I hear Apple will generously let developers keep 70% of all income generated from their hard work!







    But seriously.. Integrated iAd. You heard it here first.
  • Reply 6 of 273
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jpcg View Post


    Please make it available under a BSD Type licence! Then it could really be successful



    Apple has done really well with SproutCore so hopefully this ends up distributed in the same way. If it is as good as implied it can do a lot to sink the world of plugins.



    As to Apple using an open license I would guess that that depends upon what they want to accomplish with this new library. Personally I'd like to see an open license also as it would really drive people to the new web browsers and HTML5. On the otherhand Apple could see the lib as a competitive advantage for it's own web sites.



    Hey maybe we will know in a month or two.







    Dave
  • Reply 7 of 273
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by The Madcapper View Post


    Plus I hear Apple will generously let developers keep 70% of all income generated from their hard work!



    Anybody with even a remote background in business knows that AppStore is an excellent value. In fact it has made it possible for many people to start successful businesses, be successful and even hire a few people.

    Quote:





    But seriously.. Integrated iAd. You heard it here first.



    That might be so but I doubt it would be a requirement. In any event don't underestimate the ability to push ads as a way for people to gain economically from their programming efforts. The breath of apps on app store is directly related to the ability to get that payoff for work put into the app even if it is free!





    Dave







    Dave
  • Reply 8 of 273
    battiato1981battiato1981 Posts: 224member
    Gianduia ... rhymes with 'what's it to'ya'



    Love the food combo - hazelnut and dark chocolate. Very popular in Torino, where they lay a local claim to it. Combine with cappuccino and java (a bit redundant) and you've got yourself a serious food high.
  • Reply 9 of 273
    sippincidersippincider Posts: 410member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by battiato1981 View Post


    Gianduia ... rhymes with 'what's it to'ya'



    Love the food combo - hazelnut and dark chocolate. Very popular in Torino, where they lay a local claim to it. Combine with cappuccino and java (a bit redundant) and you've got yourself a serious food high.



    A name is like a joke. If it needs to be explained it isn't any good.



    Imagine the laughter here if MS had named something Gianduia. Imagine the cracks about Ballmer filling his off all the chocolate.



    Seriously folks, this is one bad name. Makes iPad look outstanding in comparison.
  • Reply 10 of 273
    crawdad62crawdad62 Posts: 99member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by min_t View Post


    first, change the name. we can't champion something we can't even pronounce. that's why the iceland volcano never went viral.



    Here! Here! Gianduia sounds like something I need to visit my Dr. about...... and maybe get a shot of penicillin.
  • Reply 11 of 273
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    HTML5 is already delivering comparable performance to Flash, despite being Flash having a nearly five year head start in optimizing its performance.



    In some areas, like HW resources, HTML5 is seriously ahead of Flash. This is why Flash is still "in development" for Android, why the minimum HW specs exceed nearly every phone on the market today and why it will require Android v2.2(?) to even work.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wizard69 View Post


    Please please delete the iPhone formatted web site!

    Seriosly it makes the site far less enjoyable on the iPhone. We have suffered enough.




    Please please delete your excessively large sig font. You can choose to view as Full Site instead of iPhone.
  • Reply 12 of 273
    ivladivlad Posts: 742member
    I am not sure Apple will do this. It is for building web-based apps. I can see them use this in MobileMe and all of their web-software, but giving this as alternative to flash will not fly high.
  • Reply 13 of 273
    walshbjwalshbj Posts: 864member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Please please delete your excessively large sig font. You can choose to view as Full Site instead of iPhone.



    He definitely has a point though, and it's gone unnoticed for a long time. In landscape mode the mobile site is unusable. It's really hard to believe anyone at AI has used the mobile version on an iPhone. I constantly have to scroll-adjust to get the banners off the text I'm trying to read. Having to switch to the regular site is a pain. They should fix it !
  • Reply 14 of 273
    bdkennedy1bdkennedy1 Posts: 1,459member
    I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Apple comes out with a professional version of iWeb for us web designers that hate code.
  • Reply 15 of 273
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by walshbj View Post


    He definitely has a point though, and it's gone unnoticed for a long time. In landscape mode the mobile site is unusable. It's really hard to believe anyone at AI has used the mobile version on an iPhone. I constantly have to scroll-adjust to get the banners off the text I'm trying to read. Having to switch to the regular site is a pain. They should fix it !



    I would argue that his point is unclear. He's calling for the deletion of the mobile site when the full site is still an option.



    I agree with your sig that the banners should remain at the top and bottom of the page, not constantly in the viewing area on the display when you remove your finger. After all, what is the point of having mobile page if not to have the content easily viewed and accessed despite having minimal screen space in which to do it? Maybe I'll start a poll...





    edit: I did start a poll...
  • Reply 16 of 273
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by The Madcapper View Post


    Plus I hear Apple will generously let developers keep 70% of all income generated from their hard work!







    But seriously.. Integrated iAd. You heard it here first.



    You get to keep 70% for applications. For ads, you get to keep 60%. Think of how much money you'll save on your taxes.



    Actually, the 70:30 split is actually very good - considering how much more revenue you're likely to have on the App Store for these 'mini-apps' compared to doing it yourself.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bdkennedy1 View Post


    I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Apple comes out with a professional version of iWeb for us web designers that hate code.



    I'll second that. Or even just a version of iWeb that's not so limited. Like the fact that you can't open your iWeb site with a different web editor.
  • Reply 17 of 273
    stonefreestonefree Posts: 242member
    I'd like to see Apple make a Dreamweaver like HTML5 development program. It would make a nice addition to their pro apps suite.
  • Reply 18 of 273
    dcj001dcj001 Posts: 301member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wizard69 View Post


    Apple has done really well with SproutCore so hopefully this ends up distributed in the same way. If it is as good as implied it can do a lot to sink the world of plugins.



    As to Apple using an open license I would guess that that depends upon what they want to accomplish with this new library. Personally I'd like to see an open license also as it would really drive people to the new web browsers and HTML5. On the otherhand Apple could see the lib as a competitive advantage for it's own web sites.



    Hey maybe we will know in a month or two.



    Dave



    Please please delete the iPhone formatted web site!

    Seriosly it makes the site far less enjoyable on the iPhone. We have suffered enough.





    One of the words in your giant signature is misspelled - Seriously.



    And correcting your error won't make it any better.
  • Reply 19 of 273
    robin huberrobin huber Posts: 3,949member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    I agree with your sig that the banners should remain at the top and bottom of the page, not constantly in the viewing area on the display when you remove your finger. After all, what is the point of having mobile page if not to have the content easily viewed and accessed despite having minimal screen space in which to do it? Maybe I'll start a poll...





    edit: I did start a poll...



    I voted. I agree that the persistent banners are really annoying, but the rest of it is fine. Much easier to read than having to constantly pinch and drag the full site to try and read its minuscule text on the little screen. Can't imagine why anyone would not want it as an option.
  • Reply 20 of 273
    cubertcubert Posts: 728member
    Holy crap!!! This is freakin' huge! Why have I not heard of this before?
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