Google Charts

From: "DeLong, Eric"
Someone posted a link to Google charts last week.

I posted the link after following-up on the suggestion from Raul A Jager. I see Google charts as kind of a cool & disruptive innovation. Just add an <img> tag to an HTML page:

http://tinyurl.com/2pfjld

and let Google's Web service generate a chart for you.

Why is it a disruptive innovation? First consider heavy PC based charting engines that are packaged as ActiveX components. Rather than create a thick client using a PC based charting engine, you can simply embedded a reference to Google's engine in an HTML page, and let Google's Web service generate a chart for you.

It's also disruptive to a number of Flash based chart engines, which again are heavy on client-side requirements, and tooling needed to generate Flash executables. I can think of a couple pricey vendor charting solutions that could be impacted by this.

Then consider Google's simplified approach to offering the Web service. All parameters and data you send to the chart engine are simple URL query string parameters in the <img> source attribute. Consider all the tooling that IBM and Microsoft embed in their IDE's to support "web services", using XML and SOAP based protocols. It's as if Google snubbed their nose at complex Web service interfaces and just made it easy.

Nathan.