[uf-dev] Linked JSON Microformats (and the 'Micro Mash' viewer)

[Duncan Cragg]

Hello, uf-dev!
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I've been advised on uf-discuss to continue a thread of mine over here:

 http://microformats.org/discuss/mail/microformats-discuss/2007-October/010838.html

It started here:

 http://microformats.org/discuss/mail/microformats-discuss/2007-September/010769.html

Then went on to this:

 http://microformats.org/discuss/mail/microformats-discuss/2007-October/010833.html

Is there any interest over here in this kind of thing?
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Well, two things:

 - pulling out uFs into URI-referencable JSON resources
 - then linking those JSON objects up.

And calling it 'hyperdata' (as opposed to 'Hyperdata', the Semantic
Web version).

Or linked data (as opposed to Linked Data). You get the idea...
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Sidebar:

I'm currently working on a Javascript 'browser extension' for viewing
such linked JSON objects, which I call 'micros'.  Micros can be uFs or
other uF-like data.

Working name: 'Micro Mash'    =0)

Aim: to be able to create mashups declaratively, - i.e. without
writing any imperative code.

Uses Ajax to pull in micros and assemble them in the page down to some
depth into the graph. Uses script tags to allow cross-site mashing. If
the script sees a geo, it can decorate it with a map, if it sees an
hfeed, it can look like a feed reader, etc. Of course, hCard, etc
JSONs get rendered in DOM hCard, etc form, so Operator can see them.
Non-uF JSONs end up in POSH. Whole page wrapped in a nav decoration
(header, footer, sidebar, view controls, etc), also defined in JSON.

I'm working on JSON versions of hAtom and hCard (here at the FT we've
got news and companies, right?!). JSON elements can be selected via
JSONPath-like selectors, which jump inter-micro links transparently.

No server-side support needed (just vanilla Apache). All the funky
Ajax/DHTML driven by declarative programming of JSON, no raw
Javascript needed.

If you're interested I'll let you know when it's worth looking at.
I've already done an XHTML version, but I'm now porting it to pure
JSON.
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Cheers!

Duncan Cragg
The Financial Times Group (UK)
http://duncan-cragg.org/blog/
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