Web Ubiquity

Mozilla Introduces a new service withing Firefox that allows users to easily combine data from different webapges in useful ways.Mozilla Labs released an extension for Firefox this August which promises to combine the multitude of Web services with natural languages.they call it Ubiquity.Ubiquity is basically a command-line interface for the browser that lets you use natural language 'commands' to execute various functions acroos various websites without having to waste time with such things such as opening new tabs,typing URLs,etcetra.This makes it possible for users to do things ina more natural,intuitive fashion.For example,if you come across a website with some text you want to e-mail to a friend,the usual way would be to select the text,copy it,open a new tab for your e-mail,enter the URL,type in your login credentials,compose a new message,paste the text in and then send the e-mail on its way.
With Ubiquity,just select the text on the page,use the command,"email this to Waleed".hit Enter and you have got an e-mail,with all fields populated and ready,waiting for you to send it on its way.Ubiquity is smart enought to figure out that "this" refers to the selected text,and "Waleed"is a saved contact.This functionally currently only works with Gmail only.However,integration with other service and clients is work in progress and is not too far off into the future.Ubiquity even allows the user to insert maps into e-mails.For example the command "Map 1 Microsoft Way,WA"will present you with a map of the location in the Ubiquity overlay.You can now insert an image of the map right into the e-mail.This is much better than sending a long,confusing Google Maps URL that many people might not even know what to do with.
Ubiquity is the brainchild of Aza Raskin,who heads the User Experience section at Mozilla Labs.In a blog post introducing Ubiquity to the world,Raskin writes,"With search users type what they want to find.With Ubiquity,they type what they want to do."Other people in the development team include Abimanyu Raja,Atul Varma,Blair McBride and Jono DiCario.
You can translate selected text to another language (translate),check the time anywhere in the world (time),open multiple selected links in new tabs (links2tabs) or even draw a chart using the API-based Google Charts on a selected table row (chart)-all without ever having to open another tab or leaving the browser.Ubiquity is simple,but could take some getting used to.Although people who are familiar with programs such as Quicksilver,Launchy and the like will feel more comfortable with it.The Ubiquity overlay is invoked by a key combo,which is CTRL+SPACE by default,but can be change by the user.There is discussion over integrating Ubiquity's functionally into Firefox's Awesome Bar (the new address bar in Firefox 3) to make it easier for more people.
Ubiquity 'commands' are what make things work.A search on Wikipedia can be performed using the "wikipedia" command.Built with Javascript (aided by jQuery),most commands use AJAX to complete their tasks asynchronously.Commands ranging from "charts"to a motivational "fix-all problems"exist.You can find more commands to subscribe to at the Ubiquity Herd,which is a special site set up so that all users can contribute to verify the reliability of any given command.Ubiquity is currently is experimental prototype stages and is undergoing active development daily.However,the current version 0.1.1 is stable enough for public consumption and users are encouraged to give it a go and let the developers know of any problems and suggestions.The ultimate goal of Ubiquity is to be able to make the browser smarter.Connecting natural language with how we interact with the browser seems intuitive and does away with the hassle that's inherent with the divided nature of the Web.
Raskin writes an example of what the future of Ubiquity could look like in his blog.By simply telling the browser to "get me a flight on Thursday to Toronto,returning next Thursday and e-mail the itinerary to the Toronto office,"we can have it to everything.This would have otherwise involved a considerable amount of processes and time.While this command may seem a bit farfetched to some,which the right implementation of command chaining (which currently does exit in preliminary form),the goal is quite possible.With exciting new technologies and innovations emerging every other day,the internet is an increasingly interesting platform not just for developers,but also for regular users.The need for making things simpler is stressed by the fact that as technology advances while more and more day-to-day activities 'shift' online,the Web can often be intimidating in its vast usefulness as a great tool.Many people who are not familiar with the internet will definitely find this utility handy and the ability to 'use' it employing a form of communication they are already comfortable with natural language.