Strange Loop

Real-time: HTML5 and node.js

Waiting hundreds of milliseconds for an Ajax request from the browser to server and back... that's so 2009. Welcome the (near)real-time, peer-to-peer-capable web of 2013, where round-trips of communication can take as little as a few dozen milliseconds, nearly indistinguishable from instant, and sometimes don't even need a server at all.

We're going to take a look at HTML5's main real-time capabilities: WebSockets and WebRTC. We'll enable these with a powerful but simple node.js back-end. And together, we'll build a multi-user, live-simultaneous-interaction app that helps sort out where these technologies will fit best into our application toolbox.

Kyle Simpson

Getify Solutions

Kyle Simpson is a JavaScript Systems Architect from Austin, TX. He focuses on JavaScript, HTML5, web performance optimization, and "middle-end" application architecture. If something can't be done in JavaScript or web stack technology, he's probably bored by it. Kyle runs several open-source projects, writes books, and speaks at meetups and tech conferences. He also helps drive the local startup/enterpreneurial community through events, coworking activities, etc.