Document Preview in DSpace, using Google Docs Viewer

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I've made a modification that allows a DSpace repository to embed a "preview" of the document into the page, so the user never has to leave, just to get to the good stuff.

Adding a Preview link to the item's bitstream.

Then showing the document with Google Doc's Viewer. It essentially becomes a very easy way to make your content more easily accessible, as files that are MS Word or Adobe PDF don't require the visitor to have those programs installed to view them, and load instantly on the page.

How it works

The Google Docs viewer essentially works the same as the user downloading the document to their computer and having the Adobe Reader display the file for them, however, it uses Google Docs to download the document, and then render the PDF before their eyes in real-time so that they can immediately see the document on that page.

It involves modifying ItemTag.java to add the link and a preview box, adding four javascript functions, and used some jQuery. Going forward, I'm thinking that this builds off of Stuart Lewis' idea of having a preview anything. As this is generally a response (for documents) to:

Perhaps we should make this is into a pluggable system for DSpace 1.6 where you can register classes that can render file types, and then make a configurable option to register viewers to filetypes?

UPDATE: The code is available in a writeup at the DSpace Wiki: Document Preview with Google Docs Viewer

Installing Google Plugin for Eclipse Galileo

This was interesting, a fresh install of the Google Plugin for a freshly installed Eclipse Galileo on a (near) freshly installed Ubuntu Karmic, and it was miserable.

My first attempt:
Ubuntu -> Add Software -> Eclipse (Galileo) -> Install
Eclipse -> Install New Software -> Google -> Plugin, SDK, ...
...Fail!
org.eclipse.wst.sse.ui is missing error.
Luckily, others have noticed, and this steps you forward
http://code.google.com/eclipse/docs/faq.html#wstinstallerror

Second attempt, same as the first, with the help from FAQ, then a new error:
An error occurred while installing the items
session context was:(profile=PlatformProfile, phase=org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.engine.phases.Install, operand=null --> [R]org.eclipse.ant.ui 3.4.1.v20090901_r351, action=org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.touchpoint.eclipse.actions.InstallBundleAction).
The artifact file for osgi.bundle,org.eclipse.ant.ui,3.4.1.v20090901_r351 was not found.

Whats this: equinox, p2, ant.ui ??
I don't understand this, but with new eclipse comes new update manager (p2). And this is not going well.

Satisfies me attempt:
Uninstall Eclipse, delete /home/user/workspace, cry for 15 minutes, get coffee.
Synaptic Package Manager, click to install/reinstall pretty much everything that says [eclipse] or [gwt].
I selected: libgwt-user-java, libgwt-dev-java, eclipse, eclipse-*..., eclipse-plugin-cvs, reinstalled libequinox-osgi-java.

And then when I go into Eclipse->Install New Software, I select Google Plugin, restart, install the rest of the Google stuff, and I'm in business.

If asked, I don't know what to answer, whats harder, learning a new language, or learning to install the new language.

UPDATE:

These are the repo's I used.

http://download.eclipse.org/releases/galileo

http://download.eclipse.org/webtools/updates/ -- I'm not sure this one was needed.

http://dl.google.com/eclipse/plugin/3.5

chrome's interpretation of notHTTPS

Chrome's pretty sweet. So this will not be an unbiased report or critical assessment of Google's browser.


This page signed its own https certificate, which I believe is not a genuine method of going about https. But I'm glad the department spared the 3 copies of vista it could have cost us otherwise.

So strike-out https, pretty sweet.

Chrome has other tricks I'm crazy about, especially ripping tabs out at any time, and them making their own window. Use case in which I ran in to this today. I was editing a page and it had syntax/aesthetic errors, so I ripped out the rendered page, had the editor open in another, used the "stack windows side-by-side" and worked right through it.

Having the single search bar/address bar, that gives suggested hits from google search suggest, google services (docs, calendar, picasaweb, ...), and browsed history make looking for things especially quicker.

However, there are several caveats, and gotchas to using chrome, the main one is that, you'll still need either IE or firefox as well. The reason is that pages continue to be made that support only a few browsers, and by being new, no web developers are developing pages FOR chrome. The best case would be following web standards, and we're all happy.

Status of Google Translation of a language

Google is working on making translation available for many languages, so how your language fairs...

Google Translation Console

Google: New Service

Google New Service

Something completely new, unpublished, and by Google. However, its most likely just a template... :(

Also, what is this..

and...
Google Apps for Ohio State?

Open Wireless

As a society, our technological abilities so much limited by technology and its technical limitations, but rather policies in place.

In honor of the irony of what has made America what it is (our beloved capitalist society) and some of things that got the ball rolling (public works, TVA) it turns out that America at the core is not capitalism, but just a really bad implementation of a decent idea (our democracy), but so far its been the best we could do.

Enter {beloved technology}*, and their wild commitments to pushing technology, and their rapid growth, and their astonishing advancements to technology, and this all leads to bettering humanity and the world at large. (perhaps, atleast in terms of technology)


So that prototype phone, sounds like an open network needs a device to access it.

*=Google

omg omg... I'm so happy.. Google Rocks

Google stock has reached astronomical highs this week. They did lose some 7% earlier this week after missing their profit goal by 2%, but that is actually my fault. No really. Google builds their entire platform around growth, that why they can afford to drop a billion dollars on YouTube, or offer the FCC $4.6B or was it $6.4B these small numbers get confusing, I mean whats a decimal point multiplied a few billion? Oh... wow... Wow!!

Anyways, this is a story about me, and my personal relationship to Google. {By the way, I'm the only person who reads this blog. The fact that GoogleBot reads it too, kinda makes me smile sometimes.} So today, I was busily working, or busily reading, or busily almost working, or busily almost reading. I was busy, so I never had a chance to read my rss feeds in firefox. Big Mistake.

After getting home today, and pacing around the block a few times, and having a drink, because after all its healthy nowadays to have a drink every day, I log into the computer and see "what is up". This fun activity involves web browsing, putting readers to sleep, and... and... reading the google blog. My bad, The Official Google Blog. Or as I call it,
The Word, according to Google.

Umm, today Google went nuts, or at the least, their publishing and marketing groups went nuts. Their blog had at least three new story, and they were all awesome. Sorry Ramen noodle guy, but these were really good stories. I watched the video of Eric Schmidt talk to governors about the role of technology in our lives and education... Pretty fascinating. So alot, alot, alot of good features for researchers, and this awesome video for Gmail, and that was what I would call overload. And I came up with an idea for my own addition to the Gmail video.. Hopefully something becomes of it.

Last night reading 1

A thought pops in my head, Google rocks, and Wikipedia is an awesome way to organize our information, would they mesh well? That idea's already been taken, and the domain, is owned by Google. Next...

So while on Wikipedia, I'm looking up Gin and Tonic to see why they go together so handily. The answer has something to do with the British East India Company and Q-9. Right after filling my head with random facts, I see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_consumption_and_health and I am finding myself questioning this article.

Alcohol, in moderation, is good for one's health?

My pre Goog411w/maps adventure through DC

Ohh My God

I've become a very frequent user and advocate of Goog411, and I have felt the need for a map alongside the information. For an example of this follow this sort of dialogue:
Goog411: What city and state?
Me: Washington DC
G: {Washington DC}, What category?
Me: Swedish Embassy
G: {Swedish Embassy} Top 2 results, 1)Embassy of Sweden Library, 2)Embassy of Sweden
Me: Number two
G: Embassy of Sweden, located on K Street Northwest and W.

=
=
Here's where a map is great, I'm a total n00b to DC, I've been through the town a couple of times and I understand the Metro very well, in fact, I love DC's metro, but thats besides the point, I'm on foot. I know the Metro, I know landmarks, I know where The White House is, I know where The Washington Monument is, I know where Foggy Bottom is, I know where Georgetown is, I know where Adam's Morgan is. Maybe I'm a little beyond the total n00b, but still very fuzzy.

The map said K St NW, I was at A or B, which means K was A,B,...,J,K blocks away. I'm starting from the US Capitol, because the Forth of July celebrations are delaying on account of rain. It also said something undecipherable like W. K and W don't unnecessarily meet. Letters go from north and south, and numbers go from east to west. Details said the address was 2900 K St, and when I went A,B,... all the way to K, I found I was at First Street also. This 2900 is the same as 29th. It was a very long walk.

So long and sketchy, that I met a prostitute soliciting her services along the way. Goog411 with maps might have helped choose a better way to get there. So I'm looking forward to using it.


Official Google Blog: 1-800-GOOG-411: now with maps

Ride the 4th my DC Metrorail map

Google Map of DC Metrorail


If your already my technologisk then I am, this is merely a lame attempt at making the Metro system incorporate into easy use. Those mobile users out there can go to WMATA.com and see this, and it perhaps has times of when the next train comes in. This one I came up with allows you basically so see where stations are so if your using google maps for your planing anyways, this could help you see where things are. ..this still needs alot of work, but its perhaps usable to someone in its current condition. I mean its already helped me find the closest station.