Hi Ruben, thanks for taking the time talking to us, you just launched the first commercial development-as-a-service platform for JavaScript and HTML5.

What is the aim of Cloud9 IDE?

Ruben: We want it to be the premier online development environment for JavaScript and HTML5 developers. Cloud9 aims to be more than an IDE by providing the entire infrastructure a developer needs to start, run and debug a project without hassle.

Why did you choose JavaScript and HTML5 as your focus at launch?

Ruben: A revolution in web, mobile, and server technologies has JavaScript and HTML5 replacing Java and Flash, thus putting them in the limelight for up-and-coming languages that will dominate the market. Given that JavaScript is the fastest growing language in the world, the market base for mobile apps and JavaScript that is run directly from the server is multiplying by the second. While JavaScript and HTML5 are our primary focus, we will also add support for other programming languages, such as Ruby, Python and PHP.

How is it that Ajax is the first to come out with a browser-based IDE, ahead of IBM and everyone else?

Ruben: Until now, it was never possible to create a responsive, browser-based IDE that is as advanced as what can be done on the desktop. But with advanced, open source browsers like Chrome and Firefox, and their incredible advancement--over 3000x times faster!--over the past decade, bandwidth has increased throughout the world and is enabling larger projects to be shared and synchronized across multiple devices.

What motivated you to create the project?

Ruben: We saw the need for a cloud-based IDE for which web development and JavaScript were the core focus. We wanted to create an alternative to Eclipse variants and other Java or C++ IDEs, where extending and customizing applications is done in either Java or C++, and is generally very difficult to use. We figured that if you develop web applications to run online, why shouldn't your application development be online too?

How does Cloud9 application development compare to that of traditional IDEs?

Ruben: A developer can perform similar tasks as in traditional IDEs. However, the solutions offered are especially made for JavaScript and other web languages; therefore application development is easier and up to twice as fast with Cloud9. Versus, traditional IDEs, integration with many application-oriented cloud services also improves the developer's efficiency and lowers the TCO. Ultimately, Cloud9 allows developers to focus on development and removes the hassle of having to bother with system administration.

Is the Cloud9 project open source and, if so, how do you make money?

Ruben: The Cloud9 application, including the editor, is open source and available on GitHub. A large and growing community that has formed around the project is adding new features on a daily basis. We offer subscriptions to the PaaS version of Cloud9 on http://cloud9ide.com and offer subscriptions for the use of the infrastructure as well as several commercial extensions, like the upcoming app store. We offer our Cloud9 PaaS free to open source projects.

What is the current state of the project?

Ruben: We are launching the fully commercial PaaS version, featuring debugging, collaboration, and mobile access.

Where does Ajax.org leave off and Cloud9 begin?

Ruben: Ajax is a group of technologies combining HTML and CSS to mark up and style information. The resulting document object model (DOM) is accessed with JavaScript to dynamically display information and allow the user to interact with it. Ajax.org is the company that creates Cloud9. Cloud9, in effect, builds on top of Ajax.org's UI technology to offer a cloud-based IDE.

What are your top priorities for implementation?

Ruben: Our goal is to deliver the ability to test and deploy your code in the cloud with a user-friendly IDE, using the latest browsers. Other priorities include easy hackability for JavaScript developers, local and remote file and repository integration, and debugging support for Chrome / NodeJS.

How did the Mozilla Skywriter project come to be merged with Cloud9?

Ruben: When we met with the Skywriter team, we realized that we were both looking to provide tools to build responsive apps that draw just the part of the file that the user is looking at - we use the browser DOM, while they had employed HTML5 Canvas tags that aren't yet supported on all browsers. As we also had compatible open source licenses, we both saw synergies in merging the projects.

Can you describe some of these synergies?

Ruben: For one, we already had a server-side component, so this relieved the Mozilla team from creating their own. Skywriter brought three full-time developers and several outside contributors to the Ajax.org Cloud9 Editor (ACE) project. The merger will attract even more developers, and further accelerate ACE's development.

IBM's Orion project is also aiming to create a browser-based IDE. Do you see yourselves working with them?

Ruben: While we are happy with the user experience we provide and the work we're doing with Mozilla, we are exploring possible synergies with the Eclipse project. We are currently in ongoing discussions with IBM on ways to sync our APIs, and we'd love to take advantage of their Java support at some point.

What are the key differentiators between Eclipse and Cloud9?

Ruben: Unlike Eclipse, Cloud9 lets you edit and run your code anywhere, anytime, using any browser or your iPad. Being cloud-based, it fits the work style of modern developers, especially for team collaboration and community-based projects (as with the Cloud9 project itself). Another distinction is Cloud9's native integration with many cloud services. Together with our Apple-like user experience, Cloud9 is quite simply the tool to use when you're creating apps using dynamic web languages, instead of Java.

Is there a growing interest in browser-based web development tools?

Ruben: Aside from our own Cloud9, we had the Mozilla Bespin (Skywriter) project in 2009, and now the Orion project from the Eclipse Foundation. There are many people passionately pro or against the idea, which is a great signal that there is interest on a larger scale. We had an amazing run with our beta, earning hundreds of registrations a day. The future is looking good for browser based IDE's, and Cloud9 in particular.

What is your pricing model for Cloud9 IDE?

Ruben: We have daily and monthly pricing models for commercial projects, all based on developer workspaces (a developer working on five projects will have five workspaces.) The charge per user for a single workspace is $ 0.46 (€0.33) per day, or the user can have an unlimited number of workspaces for a charge of $ 54 (€39) per month.

And open source workspaces are free?

Ruben: Yes. The software developer (or manager in the case of projects with multiple developers) sets up an account in the usual manner, and can then set up open source projects under that account. The user account is always private, but the open source workspace will be open to the public, which will be free to view and fork the projects.

Do multiple projects require multiple accounts?

Ruben: No. When leading a team of developers, you can set up an "Organization" from your Cloud9 dashboard, and then assign team members to various projects with read or write access. There is no additional charge for organizational mode, and you'll receive convenient consolidated billing.

For more info, please go to: http://www.cloud9ide.com and follow them on twitter @Cloud9IDE