Ben Galbraith, as quoted in  Johnson: Wrapping JavaScript in a loving Ruby embrace, and ARAX

 From InfoWorld:

Today, it is common for developers to use JavaScript in the browser. But with Microsoft’s planned release of Silverlight 2 later this year, developers could begin using Python and Ruby on the client as well. Ruby and Python already are being used for server-side development.

“What we’ve done through Silverlight is to make it possible to use Ruby or Python as an alternative to JavaScript for building the same types of applications,” said Brian Goldfarb, group manager for Microsoft’s developer division.  Developers could write code for Silverlight that is executed in the browser.

“All the browser needs to have is Silverlight installed and then developers can take advantage of these languages,” on the client, he said. Silverlight provides rich experiences with capabilities like video and graphics, Goldfarb said. It is viewed as rival to the Adobe Flash platform.

I can hardly keep these straight, although I’m thankful the names are so logical!

AJAX – asynchronous JavaScript and XML

ARAX – asynchronous Ruby and XML

APAX -  asynchronous Python and XML

APhpAX – asynchronous PHP and XML

Josh Chasin, The Now is Time

Josh writes: These two developments—the decline in the efficacy of the Page View and the increased demand for engagement—dovetail nicely in Internet metrics, because both argue for a reconsideration of time and space. Specifically, I contend that they argue for a shift in emphasis from Page Views to duration-based audience metrics.Maybe we need to think about online media consumption in two flavors: Time Spent, and Engaged Time Spent.

What if we could track the time consumers spend with each web property—whether comprised of pages, audio, video, IM or widget—in a way that allows for capturing multi-tasking behavior? Say I’ve got Facebook and CNN.com open on my screen, along with two IM windows and a ballgame. My engagement to any one of these things ebbs and flows, but I’m spending time with all of them simultaneously.

I’m laying all this out because I think this is where Internet audience measurement needs to go—tracking both total Time Spent (maybe we call it “Multi-tasking Time Spent”) and Engaged Time Spent. With these two metrics, advertisers and publishers could start thinking about things like Share of Time Spent; what percent of a website’s Time Spent is Engaged Time Spent, and how can they drive that figure higher?