Monthly Archives: September 2009

Identi.ca Updates for 2009-09-29

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  • Apparently today I woke up as a braindead, clumsy zombie. So far no casualties at work due to transformation. Still I need braaaainns. #
  • Reached hypercaffeinated state, will code like crazy until the next refill. Fingers crossed that I make it before the code freeze. #
  • Alright! Now on to fleshing out 2 or 3 database calls. #
  • Thanks RIM for giving me more work thanks to your BlackBerry PIN nonsense. Cause you can’t be like all the rest of the world and use IMEIs. #
  • Wow. I fear this maybe a long, long day. #

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Looking Forward: Ubuntu’s App Store

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Ubuntu developers will be releasing the beta of the next major version of Ubuntu Linux: 9.10 sometime in the next two weeks.  Yours truly, plans on upgrading my main home system to help with the beta test.  With every release I’m expecting a rather incremental improvement.  However the real interest feature (which I doubt will show up in the Kubuntu side of things just yet), is the new Ubuntu App Centre.  On the face of things, it will be an improvement over the “over-techy” Synaptic and friends, that most Ubuntu users are used to.  Also it will look and feel more polished, so that will be a very welcome change.

The potential game changer comes into play with the possibility of buying software, for Ubuntu.  This buying does not imply that a deluge of proprietary software will sweep into Ubuntu.  But rather buying can also mean donating money to upstream projects, and that will help resolve the long standing issue of how to fund open source/libre software projects.  An option to buy software, would also create incentives for the software industry to create professional software for Linux.  What really excites me is this: I envision that the Ubuntu App Centre, doing for Linux gaming what Valve’s Steam has done for Windows gaming; providing a convenient platform for digital distribution and marketing which will be HUGE for independent gaming studios and small software houses.

Additional Sources: FLOSS Weekly episode on Ardour and the issues of funding FLOSS development

Identi.ca Updates for 2009-09-25

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  • Playing around with ExtJS, hopefully soon I’ll be able to make my web application sing. And I’ll have done my part to please the client. #
  • Enterprise app dev’s dilemma: I have this data. I have this database. Where should I schtuff said data? #

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Web Play Made Fun with ExtJS

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At work I’ve started working with ExtJS for the user interface for the web application I’m helping develop.  I’ve always had reservations about using Javascript.  Or rather I’ve always hated dealing with inconsistencies in DOM handling in browsers.  Whenever I deal with CSS, I always hate dealing with cross-browser checking.  Fortunately with increased popularity of Gecko-based browsers (Mozilla Firefox) and Webkit-based browsers (Google Chrome), I have to deal with headaches of a browser incompatibilities less often.  However writing pure Javascript can be a bit daunting, and a library like JQuery or ExtJS comes in handy.  So I’m still not sold on the concept of building everything in a RIA (Rich Internet Application) context.  However using a Javascript library sure makes my website coding-hacking more palatable.

Meet My Next Phone

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I’ve been a huge fan of the Maemo system, since I got my hands on a N810.  Now I can hardly wait to get my hands on an Internet tablet with phone capabilities: N900.  The price is a bit prohibitive, and I have no clue when I’ll be able to get one up here in Canada.  But the specs look amazing: http://maemo.nokia.com/n900/

I can not say how excited I am by this phone.  It matches up with what I’ve wanted from both a phone and a tablet.  While I really enjoy using my 5800XM, the OS it uses: Symbian S60v5 and its hardware makes the device lag a bit.  The N900 on the other hand, is built on an awesome platform (Maemo), has great hardware and processing power to do what I need it to do.  It will really be mobile computing device that you can use heavily, while carrying it in your pocket.  I wish Nokia luck with selling N900s like hotcakes. 🙂

Stumbling Forward

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Today proved a much more productive day, in terms of day-to-day small tasks.  No such luck with my long term project.  In fact I’m dealing with another setback, which makes me question why I even bother with this goal.  Everyday this seems to slip further from my fingers, and the less I care in general.  Maybe I’ll have better luck with my writing and game design.  So at the moment I feel like I’m stumbling forward through life.

District 9, Ki and Writing

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What a great weekend it was.  I got to do a bit of clubbing with friends.  The next day I also went to see District 9 with Karolina.  What an awesome movie, quite unconventional and enjoyable to watch.  Even people who don’t like science fiction will enjoy this movie.  Ended the night with supper at Ki, a really nice upscale Japanese restaurant.  Not something for daily dining, unless you happen to work as an exec at one of those financial institutions.  And I ended of the weekend with some hiking in Muskoka.  All in all awesome, but totally unproductive.

Good news though, I am almost caught up on my correspondences.  If I haven’t contacted you yet, I will do so sometime this week.  Also I re-read the rough draft of my novel, and I’ll be concentrating on getting the complete rough draft out in the next few weeks.