Scott Dietzen
The Ajax Experience
San Francisco · May 10 - 12, 2006
President and Chief Technology Officer of Zimbra
Prior to Zimbra, Scott was CTO of BEA Systems where he was the principal architect of the technology strategy for the WebLogic product family, which drove the company from $61 million in revenue for the year prior to WebLogic's acquisition to over $1 billion. He was also one of BEA's top spokespersons with customers, business partners, analysts, and the press. Scott came to BEA in 1998 via the $200+ million acquisition of WebLogic, a pioneer in Java and web application technology. He is widely credited with helping put together the J2EE standard, launching the Web application server category, launching the Java Community Process, and driving the web services collaboration with Microsoft and IBM. Prior to WebLogic, Scott was Principal Technologist for Transarc (acquired by IBM), a developer of distributed transaction and information sharing systems. In addition to working on Internet infrastructure since 1991, Scott has managed teams focused on sales, marketing, product management, and standards. He earned his Ph.D. and M.S. in Computer Science and B.S. in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University.
Presentations
Keynote: Lessons and Tips from the AJAX Frontline
By the time the bubble burst in 2000, the Internet – once a vibrant center for innovation – had become stagnant. In 2005, we were introduced to the new Internet – sometimes called Web 2.0 – where innovation and the end user experience ruled. This new, interactive Internet has allowed users to flock to social networking sites such as MySpace, to tag photos and websites using Flickr and de.lic.ous, and to do things on the web they had previously done only on a desktop: drag and drop an item, slide an item around the screen, and immediately view an application without downloading heavy software, among other things.
Until 2004, AJAX was known strictly as a bathroom cleaner; in 2005 that changed, as the powerful Web scripting language bounded onto the scene and helped developers create innovative, interactive Web applications. These applications, which require no software installation, have enabled developers and users to integrate the formerly separate “push” and “pull” Web experiences into one seamless experience. Additionally, AJAX-based development is being increasingly used to provide users with faster, more useful access to the information they need. For example, it is possible to mouse over a mailing address and see its physical location on Google Maps, or to mouse over a FedEx tracking number and view the status of a package.