Abstract: User information is provided to web applications by embedding a widget in a web page served to a user's client from a web application server. The widget is a software component that is configured to retrieve user information from a user information web server repository in response to a request by a web application for user information. The widget is also configured to request user permission to retrieve user information from the repository and to request user verification of retrieved information prior to providing the retrieved information to the requesting web application. The user information widget is configured to authenticate a user prior to retrieving user information from the repository. The user information widget authenticates a user by requesting credentials from the user and verifying that the received credentials are valid for the user.

Abstract: An example method for sending a file includes sending a list of data nodes storing a first portion of the file and a second portion of the file to a master node of a destination distributed file system, computing a first checksum for a first portion of the file, computing a second checksum for a second portion of the file, sending the first checksum and the second checksum to the destination distributed file system, sending the first portion of the file to a first data node of the destination distributed file system, and sending the second portion of the file to a second data node of the destination distributed file system.

Abstract: User information is provided to web applications by embedding a widget in a web page served to a user's client from a web application server. The widget is a software component that is configured to retrieve user information from a user information web server repository in response to a request by a web application for user information. The widget is also configured to request user permission to retrieve user information from the repository and to request user verification of retrieved information prior to providing the retrieved information to the requesting web application. The user information widget is configured to authenticate a user prior to retrieving user information from the repository. The user information widget authenticates a user by requesting credentials from the user and verifying that the received credentials are valid for the user.

Abstract: A help service includes proxying a web application page between a user web browser and a web application server. The help service includes providing the web application page to a customer service representative (CSR) web browser and opening a live communication channel for human communication between a user and a customer service representative. In some embodiments, from within a user network, a user help request is generated from a user web browser and received from a help server. The web application page may be transmitted over the Internet to the CSR web browser. In some embodiments, the CSR web browser may operate as a COMET client, the user web browser may act as an AJAX server-side processor, and the user web browser may operate as a COMET client for receiving updates to the web application page.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to send and receive files are disclosed. An example method for sending a file includes sending a list of data nodes storing a first portion of the file and a second portion of the file to a master node of a destination distributed file system, computing a first checksum for a first portion of the file, computing a second checksum for a second portion of the file, sending the first checksum and the second checksum to the destination distributed file system, sending the first portion of the file to a first data node of the destination distributed file system, and sending the second portion of the file to a second data node of the destination distributed file system.