Firefox's Web Push Notification System Announced 132
eldavojohn writes "Describing Notifications as 'somewhere between email and IM,' Mozilla has announced this push technology as a way to receive notifications from websites without having to keep them open in your browser — as well as receiving them on your mobile device. A JavaScript API reveals early interface ideas by the team. This core concept is not new — both Google and Apple have their own push notification systems for Android and iOS respectively. However, 'It's important to note that this push notification system is distinct from the existing desktop notification mechanisms that are already defined in pending standards. The desktop notifications that websites like GMail and Seesmic Web display to Chrome users, for example, will only work when the website is left open in a tab. Mozilla's push notification system moves beyond that limitation.' Mozilla is attempting to take push notifications to the entire web for any website to use."
Interesting Concept (Score:5, Insightful)
It's like we're fighting with ourselves though. "I really love these web apps, but I really wish they weren't web apps"
more spam please! (Score:5, Insightful)
Yay! A new spam vector!
Re:more spam please! (Score:4, Insightful)
Riiight. Because no one will ever find a way to abuse it. No, that never happens.
Re:more spam please! (Score:5, Insightful)
Riiiight. Because it couldn't at all be possible to have a settings page like this:
From which sites do you wish to permit push notifications?
slashdot.org
news.google.com
cnn.com
No, your browser would have to accept (and display!) every single notification ever sent to you. Makes perfect sense.
And for each little notification bubble, why couldn't there be a little button? "Don't allow any more notifications from this service." Done.
It's like saying you just have to deal with spam emails. No, you don't. That's what spam filters, whitelists, etc. are for. This sort of service sounds like it would be whitelist-based to begin with, so anyone who abuses the service can easily be blocked.
Sorry, this post cannot be displayed.
Please make sure you enable cookies, javascript, popups, and ads from yet.another.spamming.and.tracking.domain.from.google.com .
Will it even work? (Score:5, Insightful)
Will it work:
If it can't, then we're going to be able to use it how again?
Re:What a great idea: Syndication! (Score:2, Insightful)
A pull notification system is more efficient only if there are updates more frequently than polls. If the updates are very infrequent it gets to be more efficient for pushing. And pushing shouldn't require you to keep a connection open to each site, it should just require you to keep one port open where all push notifications would go. The server would open a connection to that port in order to send the push. Unless pushes are frequent then you might maintain an open connection blah blah blah. At least every push system that I've ever worked with works in this way. Usually results in less traffic since there's never a poll that goes "hey ya got anything yet?"
First, you'd have to define efficiency.
As a non-mobile user, I don't give a flying fuck about how much power or system resources my polls cost me, and I don't give a fuck about the server end (because I'm selfish, because it should be able to handle it, etc.). Efficiency is nothing more than the delay between something existing and me getting it. Polling once a minute is more than fine for everything except emergency notifications, and those all (should) have a dedicated, separate communication channel.
I'd much rather poke a server on demand, or have an explicit polling interval set, than have a pipe into my ass that lets the server poke me even after I've closed the page. Whether or not the connection is left open or not is irelevant - the security, privacy, and don't fucking bother me implications are the same as long as they can reestablish the connection.
I already have to allow cookies and javascript from shady fucking servers and browse around 10 different sites for airfare before the site I actually want to use shows me their real rate. I don't want to have to allow a "Rate Advisor" to push notifications to me minutes/hours/days after leaving their site just so I can get the true price ("Wait! Come back and book now to save $$$ on your trip to Shitland!!).