Chapter 5: From mashup technologies to universal integration: Search computing the imperative way

Mashups, i.e., web applications that are developed by integrating data, application logic, and user interfaces sourced from the Web, represent one of the innovations that characterize Web 2.0. Novel content wrapping technologies, the availability of so-called web APIs (e.g., web services), and the increasing sophistication of mashup tools allow also the less skilled programmer (or even the average web user) to compose personal applications on the Web. In many cases, such applications also feature search capabilities, achieved by explicitly integrating search services, such as Google or Yahoo!, into the overall logic of the composite application. In this chapter, we first overview the state of the art in mashup development by looking at which technologies a mashup developer should master and which instruments exist that facilitate the overall development process. Then we specifically focus on our own mashup platform, mashArt, and discuss its approach to what we call universal integration, i.e., integration at the data, application, and user interface layer inside one and the same mashup environment. To better explain the novel ideas of the platform and its value in the context of search computing, we discuss an example inspired by the idea of search computing.