Understanding the Different Flavors of Windows

I've been a Linux and OSX user for as long as I can remember but windows has always been a standby.  Even in today's height of Apple popularity, it is often necessary to have at least one Windows machine at our office.  For testing our PDF to mobile forms conversion platform, we find it a necessity. This lead me to seek out some data for what MicroSoft is offering nowadays and I found this great write up.

Windows 8 and many accompanying devices are launching this month and if you're going to be making a purchase,  I highly recommend you understand the differences between the versions of Windows.    Microsoft announced months ago that it will have a minimum of three consumer versions (please no jokes about the promises to fix all the bugs too ;-).  

While there are some small variations between Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro, the biggest differences lie between those two — which have a full-featured Start Screen and desktop environments — and Windows RT, which is a mobile environment that runs only Windows Store apps and built-in software.

The story is courtesy of Wired here.  Very worthwhile read.

(Almost) Free Flex Course and Tutorial

Since parting company with Adobe in November 2011, I have wondered what to do with my Flex and AIR expertise.  My new company (Technoracle Advanced Systems Inc.) is focusing in a new direction and we have an alpha produce that can translate PDF forms into mobile forms that run on any device.  Anyone wanting to leverage their Adobe LiveCycle ES investment to run on mobile might want to take a close look at what we are doing.  

While focusing on this, I have also been working on a conveyance of state of the art knowledge of CS 6.  I feel that this knowledge accumulated in Flex and AIR is worth sharing and is a good value from Mac Pro Video.    If anyone is seeking a series of tutorials for Adobe CS6 Flash Builder, I have begun recording a 15-20 part series in how to use this technology.  it will be released in a series of video courses over the nest few months.  Beginning with Flash Builder 101, the introduction, the courseware will eventually end in developing complex mobile applications that use accelerometers, dynamic maps, GPS and more.

MacProVideo has commissioned a series of video tutorials, each covering around 20 unique lessons.  As an Adobe MAX Master for two consecutive years, I like to imagine that the courses I have developed are worth of being in the top 0.5% (requirements for MAX Master).  The result has been to put these into production.

Here are are the links to the first courses.  The curriculum has a lot fo thought put into it in order to make it the most effective way to learn the technology in the least amount of time.

The Intro to Flash Builder 101 is available at http://www.macprovideo.com/tutorial/flash-builder-101-intro-to-flash-builder.  If you are familiar with setting up applications and building Hello World, this may be a bit primitive but things progress faster from here.

Flash Builder 102: Working with Layout Containers continues the learning path to get to the basics of how to architect and design your application's layout.  The complete instructions to build a functional word processor are also included.

Flash Builder 103: Building a Fille Browser Application advances the learning curve very quickly and shows how to add images and deploy the built-in graphical themes that get you quickly design and building an attractive UI (User Interface). You’ll also learn how to set up the FileBrowserDataGrid object – the heart of this powerful app.  This will show you how to work with the File Systems on both desktop and mobile applications.

The next batch of 3 more videos will build on this knowledge and take it further.  Please note that while the company offering the courses is named "Mac Pro Video", the courses are designed too be effective for both PC and OSX versions of CS6.

Also - for the first 100 people who buy this, I will include source code for mobile applications if you email me at duane at technoracle-systems for com.   This is an offer limited to November 15 and not endorsed officially by  Mac Pro Video, just a special promise from me ;-)