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Show HN: Firebase, a scalable real-time backend

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Re: Show HN: Firebase, a scalable real-time backend

#41

Post by ibdknox »

webjprgm wrote: post #40

A real-time client-side library that ties in to their database hosting service, basically. Also, if you want to have any non-realtime parts of your web app that do server-side processing of data then it looks like you have to use Node.js to talk to Firebase, as there's no REST API for it that I can see. I guess they don't mind because they're trying to get you to do all data processing in the client anyway. Definitel…

There are ACLs for handling security concerns, but it's fairly early in their conception so they aren't really documented yet.

Also, there is a rest API and I believe they're working on clients for other platforms so that nodejs isn't the only player in town.

Re: Show HN: Firebase, a scalable real-time backend

#44

Post by zokier »

IanDrake wrote: post #34
javert wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think that it's a lost cause. Mainly because calling these things "real-time" is technically incorrect. Real-time computing is already formally defined and well established. Given the definition of real-time, one could actually create a real-time web or a real-time search. So there is still cause for confusion--or, at least, technical incorrectness--if one uses that terminology.

Suggestions?

Low-latency seems kinda descriptive if I have understood the 'real-time web' concept correctly.

Re: Show HN: Firebase, a scalable real-time backend

#45

Post by pgroves »

IanDrake wrote: post #34
javert wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think that it's a lost cause. Mainly because calling these things "real-time" is technically incorrect. Real-time computing is already formally defined and well established. Given the definition of real-time, one could actually create a real-time web or a real-time search. So there is still cause for confusion--or, at least, technical incorrectness--if one uses that terminology.

Suggestions?

I'd like to see a term that emphasizes that what web developers consider real time is "so fast it looks instant to humans," rather than guaranteed low latency that another system can rely on (or whatever you consider the true definition of "real time" to be).

So maybe something like "blink speed." (Then we'd have blink speed apps on retina displays.)

Re: Show HN: Firebase, a scalable real-time backend

#47

Post by MrJagil »

I'm a non-coder.

A very simple guide to make a very simple, understandable web-app would be the killer feature for me.

There is a tutorial for a chat-app but that's way over my head(I of course get how to put in the code, I just don't understand it (REST, roots, references etc). If I could be shown how to make something insanely simple, and I actually understood how it worked, it'd lead me on to the next thing. A collaboration with codecademy might be the thing.

So much potential.

Re: Show HN: Firebase, a scalable real-time backend

#48

Post by javert »

IanDrake wrote: post #34
javert wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think that it's a lost cause. Mainly because calling these things "real-time" is technically incorrect. Real-time computing is already formally defined and well established. Given the definition of real-time, one could actually create a real-time web or a real-time search. So there is still cause for confusion--or, at least, technical incorrectness--if one uses that terminology.

Suggestions?

I've heard "auto-synchronizing" suggested, but I think that's probably too wordy to catch on. How about "immediate"?

Re: Show HN: Firebase, a scalable real-time backend

#49

Post by tlrobinson »

jamest wrote: post #23
asselinpaul wrote: post #21

What is the difference between this and let's say 'Meteor'?

Good question. Meteor is an application framework, like Ruby on Rails. Firebase is a database, like MySQL. We both think that application development is going to radically change in the future and we're both building products that promote a new way of developing apps. We're stoked about Meteor and see our products as very complementary.

Could Firebase be used as a database for Meteor? (i.e. replacing Mongo)

Re: Show HN: Firebase, a scalable real-time backend

#50

Post by chrishaum »

knewter wrote: post #27
pkrein wrote: post #4

I used Firebase to build thereelbox.com, and enjoyed it thoroughly. It took 2-3 hours from starting into the documentation to completed/nobugs/pushed to production. Credit for that speed goes entirely to Firebase. TheReelBox uses Firebase as a sort of API caching layer. This protects against rate limiting on the Rotten Tomatoes API, decreases request time by caching queries to the Fandango-via-YQL API, and eliminates…

Any reason you don't host those static files on a public 'web enabled' ec2 bucket? We do that for http://www.incubatebang.com and it costs us like $1.40/year for hosting

I love the design of your site! Did you have it done in-house?
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