FILIPINO software-as-a-service (SaaS) specialist firm Morph Labs has developed a new capability for its Morph AppSpace virtual application environment that will allow developers to deploy and run highly-scalable Facebook applications in as little as five minutes.

AppSpace will run on “Ruby on Rails,” a popular open source framework for developing database-backed web applications. Based on the Ruby programming language, Ruby on Rails helps developers make web development faster, simpler and more efficient.

The new feature is designed for developers who want to offer applications to the Facebook user community, which now numbers more than 70 million worldwide. At this number, developers need to ensure that their application can scale appropriately.

According to Morph Labs’ material on the software, Ruby on Rails “provides a much-needed safety net for Facebook developers, many of whom find that their applications spread virally across the social networking site. It is estimated that a quarter of Facebook applications support more than 100,000 daily users and a third of application developers report up to $500,000 in monthly revenues.”

The capability is a new feature of Morph AppSpace— virtual software application environment that allows developers to deploy, host and manage their applications without requiring system administration.

“Once a developer has built your Rails application for Facebook, it’s a quick and simple procedure to deploy it to the world,” Morph Labs chief technology officer Guy Naor, said. “If your application goes viral, it only takes a click to expand your Morph AppSpace environment.”

Morph Labs has also created a guide for developers who want to understand how to build and deploy Facebook applications from scratch. It has provided a free developer version of the Morph AppSpace to allow testing and validation of the Rails applications. Once a developer is ready to launch a Facebook application, credits can be bought to upgrade the free software at the click of a button and, within minutes, the application is available to the world.

THE phone giant is not immune to economic concerns affecting the country after all. The rising inflation, coupled with the peso’s continued rise against the dollar, has started to take a toll on the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.’ (PLDT) businesses.

Universal Motors to put up new plant

COMMERCIAL vehicle manufacturer Universal Motors Corp. (UMC) is investing P205 million for the establishment of a production facility for five new models of commercial vehicles.

The Board of Investments (BOI) recently approved the grant of full incentives to the P6.148-billion expansion project of Semirara Mining Corp.’s coal mining facility in Antique.

EXPRESSING hopes that power rates in the country could be lowered to a comfortable level for industries, Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) chairman Meneleo Carlos on Wednesday expressed hope that local power generators would be able to provide reliable power supply at the least cost.

FILIPINO software-as-a-service (SaaS) specialist firm Morph Labs has developed a new capability for its Morph AppSpace virtual application environment that will allow developers to deploy and run highly-scalable Facebook applications in as little as five minutes.

PUBLICLY-listed Basic Petroleum Corp. has been granted by its management the go-signal to engage in negotiations for a joint-venture arrangement for cassava production in Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga City.

 Winston F. Garcia, president and general manager of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) was the eighth-highest paid government official in 2002—the latest report by the Commission on Audit showed—with P5.621 million.