This video for the Adobe Developer Connection just launched showing step by step how to build a video project in under 4 minutes.
The source code can be downloaded here. There are about 30 projects in total with complete source code you can download.
A future episode of Duane's World TV will also feature this segment and interviews from the European Broadcasting Union meeting in Geneva, CH.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
AIR 1.1 is out!
Version 1.1 of the Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) is now publicly available. Adobe has released a FAQ sheet to bring developers up to speed on what has changed. Here are the main topics:
1. AIR has been translated and can now be localized into ten additional languages (English only for 1.0). The new list of languages now includes Japanese, French, German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Italian, English, Russian, and Brazilian Portuguese. I presume this probably also translates into where the most AIR activity is so if you want your language supported, get active. DISCLAIMER: I am just guessing.
2. Coinciding with the above language support, the AIR APIs and file formats have been updated to enable AIR-based applications to be localized and International keyboard input is now supported. I haven't had time to play around with this yet but will try to get some code samples together in the days to follow.
There is also added support for localizing the name and description attributes in the application descriptor file. This means that the app name etc. will be available in the localized language. Also introduced is support for localizing error messages, such as SQLError.detailID and SQLError.detailArguments, in the SQLite database and the addition of a Capabilities.languages property to obtain an array of preferred UI languages as set by the operating system. Note that the <mx:html> button labels and default menus, such as context menus and the Mac menu bar, have been localized to all supported languages as well. C'est une nouveux dialog en Francais ici!
3. AIR 1.1 is GB18030 certified. GB18030 is the registered Internet name for the official character set of the People's Republic of China (PRC) superseding GB2312. This character set is formally called "Chinese National Standard GB 18030-2005: Information technology -- Chinese coded character set".
4. Security Upgrades. A new certificate migration feature is available that allows developers to migrate their applications between different digital signing certificates. Read the documentation on how this works.
Developers - If you use Flex Builder 3 to build Adobe AIR applications, you will need to manually update the SDK. Instructions on how to perform a manual update are described in the Flex Builder TechNote. You can find out more about Flex 3 and the Adobe AIR 1.1 release on the Adobe Developer Connection site.
While AIR 1.1 is a dot release, it represents a significant step forward in AIR capabilities, and its development required a significant effort from the core AIR team and from teams around the company. The Adobe AIR team deserves a huge round of applause.
1. AIR has been translated and can now be localized into ten additional languages (English only for 1.0). The new list of languages now includes Japanese, French, German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Italian, English, Russian, and Brazilian Portuguese. I presume this probably also translates into where the most AIR activity is so if you want your language supported, get active. DISCLAIMER: I am just guessing.
2. Coinciding with the above language support, the AIR APIs and file formats have been updated to enable AIR-based applications to be localized and International keyboard input is now supported. I haven't had time to play around with this yet but will try to get some code samples together in the days to follow.
There is also added support for localizing the name and description attributes in the application descriptor file. This means that the app name etc. will be available in the localized language. Also introduced is support for localizing error messages, such as SQLError.detailID and SQLError.detailArguments, in the SQLite database and the addition of a Capabilities.languages property to obtain an array of preferred UI languages as set by the operating system. Note that the <mx:html> button labels and default menus, such as context menus and the Mac menu bar, have been localized to all supported languages as well. C'est une nouveux dialog en Francais ici!
3. AIR 1.1 is GB18030 certified. GB18030 is the registered Internet name for the official character set of the People's Republic of China (PRC) superseding GB2312. This character set is formally called "Chinese National Standard GB 18030-2005: Information technology -- Chinese coded character set".
4. Security Upgrades. A new certificate migration feature is available that allows developers to migrate their applications between different digital signing certificates. Read the documentation on how this works.
Developers - If you use Flex Builder 3 to build Adobe AIR applications, you will need to manually update the SDK. Instructions on how to perform a manual update are described in the Flex Builder TechNote. You can find out more about Flex 3 and the Adobe AIR 1.1 release on the Adobe Developer Connection site.
While AIR 1.1 is a dot release, it represents a significant step forward in AIR capabilities, and its development required a significant effort from the core AIR team and from teams around the company. The Adobe AIR team deserves a huge round of applause.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Settled - the argument over which technology is best
Another week, another ten billion blog posts from people telling each other (is anyone really listening?) which technology is best. I have been watching this pattern for a long time but today I got really riled up over one that made some distorted claims about Flash.
Regardless, today's experience gave me an epiphany. Which technology is best? Simple - the one that people can use. Wasn't that like an IBM ad from two decades ago?
What made me realize this?
1. I sent over a PPT file to some guys from Microsoft. I work for Adobe but I honestly love Powerpoint. Powerpoint is a great tool and easy to use - people use it. Sure I could have sent over PDF but I didn't. I have seen Apple employees give talks using PPT instead of Keynote too.
2. I re-read part of Microsoft's XML Paper Specification and realized it is published in PDF. Right tool for the right job.
3. The guy complaining about Flash works for a company that used Flash on the front page of their company's website. I think Microsoft also still has some of the best Flash experiences on their site too.
4. I was asked internally to answer a set of customer questions about Flex vs. AJAX. I responded stating that I don't see why there even has to be a competition. Adobe loves AJAX, so do I.
Technologies that people use rock! People use technology that is the easiest choice to do the job. People use technologies they are familiar with. My mom still won't use a cell phone but has adopted the internet. People use whatever interoperates with the status quo. Without this, none of the other arguing would even be read since we would be outside doing something else instead of sitting in front of computers all day.
Hmmm - never mind.
Have a good weekend!
Regardless, today's experience gave me an epiphany. Which technology is best? Simple - the one that people can use. Wasn't that like an IBM ad from two decades ago?
What made me realize this?
1. I sent over a PPT file to some guys from Microsoft. I work for Adobe but I honestly love Powerpoint. Powerpoint is a great tool and easy to use - people use it. Sure I could have sent over PDF but I didn't. I have seen Apple employees give talks using PPT instead of Keynote too.
2. I re-read part of Microsoft's XML Paper Specification and realized it is published in PDF. Right tool for the right job.
3. The guy complaining about Flash works for a company that used Flash on the front page of their company's website. I think Microsoft also still has some of the best Flash experiences on their site too.
4. I was asked internally to answer a set of customer questions about Flex vs. AJAX. I responded stating that I don't see why there even has to be a competition. Adobe loves AJAX, so do I.
Technologies that people use rock! People use technology that is the easiest choice to do the job. People use technologies they are familiar with. My mom still won't use a cell phone but has adopted the internet. People use whatever interoperates with the status quo. Without this, none of the other arguing would even be read since we would be outside doing something else instead of sitting in front of computers all day.
Hmmm - never mind.
Have a good weekend!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
ISO puts OOXML on hold?
(Disclaimer: I am not pushing any opinion, just trying to wade through the facts).
There is a confusing issue happening with OOXML, the Microsoft-proposed ISO (apparently) standard for XML Office Documents. In the past, many people feel it has been rushed into the standards process and represents a sham in the standards development industry. I disagree slightly with this view as most SDOs have very transparent and accountable processes in place. ISO's processes are documented. Microsoft has the same ability to use the rules and processes as others do. I have not seen any concrete evidence that they have violated the standards process, only vague accusations. If you have any concrete examples, please leave them here as comments with links.
Nevertheless, on Slashdot this story appeared yesterday:
"schliz alerts us that ISO, in response to the four appeals (Venezuela, India, Brazil, South Africa) filed in recent weeks, has put the OOXML standardization process on hold. Here is ISO's press release, which says that ISO/IEC DIS 29500 will not be published for at least "several months" while the appeals process goes forward."
This was followed by a somewhat cryptic update:
"Update: 06/11 10:13 GMT by KD : Reader Alsee points out that the fourth officially recognized appealing country is Venezuela, not Denmark as originally stated. The protests of Denmark and Norway are being disregarded, as they do not come from the administrative heads of their national organizations."
Now I am confused too. The official ISO release clearly states:
"Four national standards body members of ISO and IEC – Brazil, India, South Africa and Venezuela – have submitted appeals against the recent approval of ISO/IEC DIS 29500, Information technology – Office Open XML formats, as an ISO/IEC International Standard."
A letter in Danish (http://osl.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/AFD/ISO_klage_maj08.pdf) seems to be made incorrectly (officially I think you have to use English, Russian, or French to communicate in the United Nations or ISO) yet carried with it the weight of the nation. The official Danish Standards organization (and hence ISO voice) did not make the complaint - it was made and sent to that organization. Having dealt with Danish SDOs before, I know they take this stuff seriously so I have sincere feelings that the heart of the Danish SDO might be on side on this case (Disclaimer: my opinion, not fact). Note that officially, ISO does not recognize the author of the letter, OSL - an open source group. As translated and reported on Groklaw,
"(The letter in question) states that ISO rules were broken, there was no consensus in Denmark, and that the Fast Track process "has been formally annulled for 2 months now - since the 29th of March, where the specification should have been sent to the national standardization organizations. The basis for a fast track procedure is no longer present, and I therefore expect ISO to pick up the case again." Read on for the full letter, and for clarity, it's a letter of protest, not an appeal from the standards body. However, it's a letter from a member of the technical committee who participated in the BRM and who raises serious concerns."
I cannot find an official response from ISO to this letter anywhere. So what about Norway? Norway's protest seems to be more official at least according to Scuttlemonkey's post on slashdot:
"I am writing to you in my capacity as Chairman (of 13 years standing) of the Norwegian mirror committee to ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 34. I wish to inform you of serious irregularities in connection with the Norwegian vote on ISO/IEC DIS 29500 (Office Open XML) and to lodge a formal protest. You will have been notified that Norway voted to approve OOXML in this ballot. This decision does not reflect the view of the vast majority of the Norwegian committee, 80% of which was against changing Norway's vote from No with comments to Yes."
The alleged letter is documented at http://blog.abrenna.com/formal-protest-against-norways-yes-to-ooxml/. If an acting chairman's letter, written in English, is not official I have no idea why.
So where lies the truth and what will happen? I researched ISO's process of dealing with protests. It is at http://isotc.iso.org/livelink/livelink.exe/fetch/186605/customview.html?func=ll&objId=186605&objAction=browse&sort=name. Ironically, this page does not seem to conform to web standards and I need some plugin to view the content. In short, Roger Frost, ISO's Manager of Communication, has stated publicly in the release the following:
"In accordance with the ISO/IEC rules governing the work of their joint technical committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, the appeals are currently being considered by the ISO Secretary-General and the IEC General Secretary who, within a period of 30 days (to the end of June), and following whatever consultations they judge appropriate, are required to submit the appeals, with their comments, to the ISO Technical Management Board and the IEC Standardization Management Board."
I guess we all have to wait and see. Prediction? This stall will have no effect on the overall status of ISO approval of OOXML. Microsoft has claimed it will add support for the Open Document Format (ODF) and that should quell some of the opposition. There has been a lot of resources and energy wasted on this debate. Regardless of the outcome, here are my predictions:
1. The fact ISO approves or does not approve OOXML will have little effect on it being put into future versions of Microsoft Office.
2. No one who is anti-Microsoft will not suddenly be pro-Microsoft just because of approval from ISO.
3. Real standards are, in part, ipso facto adoption and use. ISO's stamp does provide some additional credibility but due to the press about this, I doubt will have any serious impact on people's opinions who have been paying attention. Those who have not paid attention may get suckered by the "yes - it is a standard" spiel however the reality is that Microsoft Office is a standard today, with or without ISO stamps.
4. The real issue is that several governments have made statements governing software purchase which limits purchases to standards. If MS office supports ODF, will it be legal to be purchased by most governments? Probably yes. Will they use the ODF format or OOXML for document persistence? You take a guess.
Comments? I'd love to hear other arguments.
For those who have not been following along, OOXML is a format for Microsoft Office (like Microsoft word or *.doc format except in XML and zipped). It has been proposed as a standard at ISO and "fast tracked" to become an ISO standard. ISO itself has rules in place which state that only one official standard shall exist for each category or domain/purpose. Apparently the purpose and scope of OOXML is sufficiently different from the Open Document Format (an OASIS standard and open format supported by IBM, Sun and many others such as OpenOffice.org). ISO has approved the standard as noted here:
Nevertheless, on Slashdot this story appeared yesterday:
"schliz alerts us that ISO, in response to the four appeals (Venezuela, India, Brazil, South Africa) filed in recent weeks, has put the OOXML standardization process on hold. Here is ISO's press release, which says that ISO/IEC DIS 29500 will not be published for at least "several months" while the appeals process goes forward."
This was followed by a somewhat cryptic update:
"Update: 06/11 10:13 GMT by KD : Reader Alsee points out that the fourth officially recognized appealing country is Venezuela, not Denmark as originally stated. The protests of Denmark and Norway are being disregarded, as they do not come from the administrative heads of their national organizations."
Now I am confused too. The official ISO release clearly states:
"Four national standards body members of ISO and IEC – Brazil, India, South Africa and Venezuela – have submitted appeals against the recent approval of ISO/IEC DIS 29500, Information technology – Office Open XML formats, as an ISO/IEC International Standard."
A letter in Danish (http://osl.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/AFD/ISO_klage_maj08.pdf) seems to be made incorrectly (officially I think you have to use English, Russian, or French to communicate in the United Nations or ISO) yet carried with it the weight of the nation. The official Danish Standards organization (and hence ISO voice) did not make the complaint - it was made and sent to that organization. Having dealt with Danish SDOs before, I know they take this stuff seriously so I have sincere feelings that the heart of the Danish SDO might be on side on this case (Disclaimer: my opinion, not fact). Note that officially, ISO does not recognize the author of the letter, OSL - an open source group. As translated and reported on Groklaw,
"(The letter in question)
I cannot find an official response from ISO to this letter anywhere. So what about Norway? Norway's protest seems to be more official at least according to Scuttlemonkey's post on slashdot:
"I am writing to you in my capacity as Chairman (of 13 years standing) of the Norwegian mirror committee to ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 34. I wish to inform you of serious irregularities in connection with the Norwegian vote on ISO/IEC DIS 29500 (Office Open XML) and to lodge a formal protest. You will have been notified that Norway voted to approve OOXML in this ballot. This decision does not reflect the view of the vast majority of the Norwegian committee, 80% of which was against changing Norway's vote from No with comments to Yes."
The alleged letter is documented at http://blog.abrenna.com/formal-protest-against-norways-yes-to-ooxml/. If an acting chairman's letter, written in English, is not official I have no idea why.
So where lies the truth and what will happen? I researched ISO's process of dealing with protests. It is at http://isotc.iso.org/livelink/livelink.exe/fetch/186605/customview.html?func=ll&objId=186605&objAction=browse&sort=name. Ironically, this page does not seem to conform to web standards and I need some plugin to view the content. In short, Roger Frost, ISO's Manager of Communication, has stated publicly in the release the following:
"In accordance with the ISO/IEC rules governing the work of their joint technical committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, the appeals are currently being considered by the ISO Secretary-General and the IEC General Secretary who, within a period of 30 days (to the end of June), and following whatever consultations they judge appropriate, are required to submit the appeals, with their comments, to the ISO Technical Management Board and the IEC Standardization Management Board."
I guess we all have to wait and see. Prediction? This stall will have no effect on the overall status of ISO approval of OOXML. Microsoft has claimed it will add support for the Open Document Format (ODF) and that should quell some of the opposition. There has been a lot of resources and energy wasted on this debate. Regardless of the outcome, here are my predictions:
The Sex Pistols need your Money! What about Music 2.0?
Fresh from the horse's mouth - the Sex Pistols (or whoever owns their IPR) have launched the first ever Pistols website. I wonder how the people who have the "other" official Sex Pistols site feel? The site has tons of stuff for sale and some cool content, but it reminds me of Johnny's honest quote about why they re-united for a tour in 1996 - "We want your money."
What about Music 2.0 - isn't it going to save the artists?
The recording industry is still floundering in its inability to grasp the reality of the Internet. I made a blog post about this on Mix2r.fm yesterday and wonder what the new model will be. I guess more bands are going to be touring and releasing more of their merchandise from their closets (good for us). The Sex Pistols official site lists a special DVD coming out June 30 titled "There'll Always Be An England". I'm gonna order mine - if Johnny needs my money I'll lend him a quid any day but the DVD is well worth it (Disclaimer: I have not seen it yet). Johnny - next time you're in Vancouver pints are on me!!
So what do you do if you are someone famous (or formerly famous) like John Lydon, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock, et al. to earn money today? Your royalty cheques are getting smaller, labels are dropping your content, you've got songs starting to appear on "Best of" CDs. What I'd like to see is some of these guys start to realize that they can monetize the respect the fans have for them by means other than merchandise or unique performances. I'd like to see some of them start to offer their services on sites like Mix2r.fm. I'd love to be able to offer Glen Matlock $1,000 to play bass on a track on my new CD and since this can be done virtually, he can probably pull it off in minimal time and upload his track to mix2r.fm. I'd like to see more open source music donated by some of these artists but also stub recordings with abilities for users to donate money back if they use it. Why doesn't Johnny sample his voice and allow people to mix it into their music for a suggested price? I'd pay!
Anyways, I want to order my official copy of the DVD before they're gone and I have to rip one via BitTorrent because some nitwit miscalculated how many copies they can sell. ;-)
What about Music 2.0 - isn't it going to save the artists?
The recording industry is still floundering in its inability to grasp the reality of the Internet. I made a blog post about this on Mix2r.fm yesterday and wonder what the new model will be. I guess more bands are going to be touring and releasing more of their merchandise from their closets (good for us). The Sex Pistols official site lists a special DVD coming out June 30 titled "There'll Always Be An England". I'm gonna order mine - if Johnny needs my money I'll lend him a quid any day but the DVD is well worth it (Disclaimer: I have not seen it yet). Johnny - next time you're in Vancouver pints are on me!!
So what do you do if you are someone famous (or formerly famous) like John Lydon, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock, et al. to earn money today? Your royalty cheques are getting smaller, labels are dropping your content, you've got songs starting to appear on "Best of
Anyways, I want to order my official copy of the DVD before they're gone and I have to rip one via BitTorrent because some nitwit miscalculated how many copies they can sell. ;-)
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Peter Way - R.I.P.
One of my best friends from high school died in a motor cycle accident. Peter was full of life and loved all. I cannot express in words what this loss means.
Sleep well sweet prince...
Sleep well sweet prince...
22nd Century at the Railway Club
Here are some photos from our recent gig at the railway club. Special thanks to Sarah Wark for taking these! We also uploaded some new songs to Mix2r.fm.
Tim, Glen & me playing Let Me Be
Banging out a Punk-metal version of "Echo Beach".
Covering 'Surrender' - Cheap Trick.
Tim, Glen & me playing Let Me Be
Banging out a Punk-metal version of "Echo Beach".
Covering 'Surrender' - Cheap Trick.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Duane's World TV - Episode 3 live
Episode 3 is now live. In this episode, I talk about Search Engine Optimization. Some of the tips are talked about on a previous blog post however a lot of the information is new including an interview with the gurus at 6s Marketing.
Note that the tricks of search engine monitoring are linked specifically to the Google personalized search page but do apply to regular page rankings as well. Why else do you think Adobe got #1 rankings for such terms as "SOA White Paper" and "Enterprise Developer Relations"?
Note that the tricks of search engine monitoring are linked specifically to the Google personalized search page but do apply to regular page rankings as well. Why else do you think Adobe got #1 rankings for such terms as "SOA White Paper" and "Enterprise Developer Relations"?
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Adobe MAX 2008 Information
MAX 2008, or more formally "Adobe MAX 2008", is going to be huge this year given we sold out last year.
MAX 2008/2009 has been announced and will be held in the following cities:
MAX 2008 North America
San Francisco, California
November 16 - 19, 2008
MAX 2008 Europe
Milan, Italy
December 1 - 4, 2008
MAX 2008 Japan
Tokyo, Japan
January 2009
MAX is an experience unlike any other, presenting opportunities for designers, developers and architects to connect with the people who matter. MAX 2008 will be the ultimate MAX and track sessions are being sought now.
SUBSCRIBE:: MAX 2007 Sold Out!
Subscribe now to the list so you don't miss out. Last year we capped it at 4,200 and had to turn people away. Subscribe today.
GET INVOLVED:: Suggest a Session
For MAX 2008 we are accepting ideas and suggestions. Use the link above to suggest something.
Sponsor:: Give to the Community
MAX has a limited number of high level sponsorships available. As always, these tend to go fast. Use the sponsor link above to let MAX 2008 know you want in.
MAX 2008/2009 has been announced and will be held in the following cities:
MAX 2008 North America
San Francisco, California
November 16 - 19, 2008
MAX 2008 Europe
Milan, Italy
December 1 - 4, 2008
MAX 2008 Japan
Tokyo, Japan
January 2009
MAX is an experience unlike any other, presenting opportunities for designers, developers and architects to connect with the people who matter. MAX 2008 will be the ultimate MAX and track sessions are being sought now.
SUBSCRIBE:: MAX 2007 Sold Out!
Subscribe now to the list so you don't miss out. Last year we capped it at 4,200 and had to turn people away. Subscribe today.
GET INVOLVED:: Suggest a Session
For MAX 2008 we are accepting ideas and suggestions. Use the link above to suggest something.
Sponsor:: Give to the Community
MAX has a limited number of high level sponsorships available. As always, these tend to go fast. Use the sponsor link above to let MAX 2008 know you want in.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Duane's World TV Show Episode 2 out today!
Show two airs today. It features multiple guests and outtakes from my trip to India and also has step-by-step instructions to build a Flex - Yahoo Map using the new AS3 SWC in Code and Tunes. The show's focus is on "Community in Software Development". Hope you enjoy. Please leave any feedback below.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Developers Tools and Examples for Flash Player 10
Yesterday, Adobe announced Flash Player 10 with tons of really new features (yes - Linux too). But - there didn't seem to be any way for developers to get into the action yesterday.
Luckily, Lee Brimelow (The Flash Blog) sent me this link to an excellent video explaining how you can use MXMLC (Flex Compiler Shell) to write some samples that use the new capabilities of Flash Player 10.
If you really get stuck - consider going to the Flash Player 10 public forum.
Luckily, Lee Brimelow (The Flash Blog) sent me this link to an excellent video explaining how you can use MXMLC (Flex Compiler Shell) to write some samples that use the new capabilities of Flash Player 10.
If you really get stuck - consider going to the Flash Player 10 public forum.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Moscone, Norovirus, JavaOne - The Truth Please
I made an earlier blog post here discussing my experience with a norovirus and passing out on stage. Like most people who attended JavaOne, I never really questioned the mainstream press story until people started posting comments on my blog that seem to contradict the official story. Now I want to call out and ask for people who have had similar experiences to add comments to this blog if they want to request a more thorough investigation of what really happened.
I have also contacted a couple of reporters and asked them to look into this further. Here are the things that concern me:
1. The Contra Costa Times and others reported that the SF Department of Health became aware of the norovirus problem on Wednesday, May 7. Why were JavaOne attendees not warned until Friday at 3:00 AM and why was food allowed to be served Wed, Thurs and Friday if it was suspected that it was a food issue?
2. The official statement from Jim Soos was that no one was hospitalized, however Greg H. (he left a comment on the earlier post) was. Besides, how would he know if we went to hospitals anyways? If a spokesperson doesn't know, they had no business making such statements as fact. Understandably, Jim is probably now aware that at least one person was hospitalized and maybe didn't know at the time he spoke.
3. Most of the official press reported that only 3 non-Moscone staff got sick. Obviously more than 3 non-Moscone workers contracted it as there are myself and 4 others just on the earlier blog post. If you had it or the symptoms please leave a comment on this blog. I want to find out how many people really got sick. This official number of "3" is now wrong. The number comes from David Perry, spokesperson for Moscone who stated:
4. What the hell was Moscone doing serving us food? Here is what a statement to ponder (courtesy of San Francisco Chronicle):
I want to point out that I don't blame any one group. I love Sun (a lot of friends there) and I want to be at every JavaOne conference in the future. I will be back at Moscone for other conferences this year and actually know many of the staff there who are very polite and pleasant. I don't know Jim Soos but imagine he must have a tough job.
What I really want to do is to find the truth. If you know something, please add it here.
I have also contacted a couple of reporters and asked them to look into this further. Here are the things that concern me:
1. The Contra Costa Times and others reported that the SF Department of Health became aware of the norovirus problem on Wednesday, May 7. Why were JavaOne attendees not warned until Friday at 3:00 AM and why was food allowed to be served Wed, Thurs and Friday if it was suspected that it was a food issue?
2. The official statement from Jim Soos was that no one was hospitalized, however Greg H. (he left a comment on the earlier post) was. Besides, how would he know if we went to hospitals anyways? If a spokesperson doesn't know, they had no business making such statements as fact. Understandably, Jim is probably now aware that at least one person was hospitalized and maybe didn't know at the time he spoke.
3. Most of the official press reported that only 3 non-Moscone staff got sick. Obviously more than 3 non-Moscone workers contracted it as there are myself and 4 others just on the earlier blog post. If you had it or the symptoms please leave a comment on this blog. I want to find out how many people really got sick. This official number of "3" is now wrong. The number comes from David Perry, spokesperson for Moscone who stated:
David Perry, spokesman for the Moscone Center, said 67 of people infected were staff working at the weeklong conference and 3 were attendeesSee full story here
4. What the hell was Moscone doing serving us food? Here is what a statement to ponder (courtesy of San Francisco Chronicle):
The source of the virus has not yet been identified, but generally the norovirus is passed when an infected person spreads microbes either by preparing food or sharing plates or utensils, said Jim Soos, assistant director of policy and planning at the San Francisco Department of Public Health.So Moscone knew about it as early as Wednesday, but continued to serve us food Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Hmmm - was any testing done to make sure the food was safe? Were we warned that maybe the food might be the cause? No - nothing but silence! This is not right IMO.
I want to point out that I don't blame any one group. I love Sun (a lot of friends there) and I want to be at every JavaOne conference in the future. I will be back at Moscone for other conferences this year and actually know many of the staff there who are very polite and pleasant. I don't know Jim Soos but imagine he must have a tough job.
What I really want to do is to find the truth. If you know something, please add it here.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Which scripting language is most popular?
This is a totally unscientific bit of research to answer a question about the popularity of various scripting languages posed to me by Mike Chambers. After a quick search, it appears that there was no reliable data available. I deferred to a far less than scientific methodology to find out which of the four big languages (ActionScript, JavaScript, Perl, and VBScript) I am following are leading in different categories.
I realize that there are some languages left off this list. This is because I am lazy (something which I have admitted to before).
Here is the survey as of May 2008:
Monster.com jobs keyword search
The scientist must consider that first off, it only shows that JavaScript got over 5000, not the exact number. In all fairness, I never did a search on “Flash,” which includes ActionScript Skills. I figured if I had done this, I probably would have had to also search for “AJAX,” which obviously includes JavaScript. Here are the results in order of ranking.
*Javascript > 5,000
http://jobsearch.monster.com/Search.aspx?re=130&cy=us&brd=1&JSNONREG=1&q=javascript&rad=20&rad_units=miles
Book searches on Amazon also appear to be totally unscientific. Given that Perl has been around the longest and was powering most of the first Internet bubble, it is no surprise it topped the rankings. ActionScript came in a dismal last place.
Perl 20,317
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=perl&x=0&y=0
JavaScript developer 75,500
http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=%22javascript+developer%22&btnG=Google+Search
Ajax Developer got 94,300
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&pwst=1&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=%22ajax+developer%22&spell=1
I realize that there are some languages left off this list. This is because I am lazy (something which I have admitted to before).
Here is the survey as of May 2008:
Monster.com jobs keyword search
The scientist must consider that first off, it only shows that JavaScript got over 5000, not the exact number. In all fairness, I never did a search on “Flash,” which includes ActionScript Skills. I figured if I had done this, I probably would have had to also search for “AJAX,” which obviously includes JavaScript. Here are the results in order of ranking.
*Javascript > 5,000
http://jobsearch.monster.com/Search.aspx?re=130&cy=us&brd=1&JSNONREG=1&q=javascript&rad=20&rad_units=miles
ActionScript 778
http://jobsearch.monster.com/Search.aspx?re=0&cy=us&brd=1&jsnonreg=1&q=actionscript&rad_units=miles&pg=1&vw=b
http://jobsearch.monster.com/Search.aspx?re=0&cy=us&brd=1&jsnonreg=1&q=actionscript&rad_units=miles&pg=1&vw=b
VBScript 856
http://jobsearch.monster.com/Search.aspx?re=0&cy=us&brd=1&jsnonreg=1&q=vbscript&rad_units=miles&pg=1&vw=b
http://jobsearch.monster.com/Search.aspx?re=0&cy=us&brd=1&jsnonreg=1&q=vbscript&rad_units=miles&pg=1&vw=b
* Did not give exact number
Note that “Flash” gave 3,552 results:
http://jobsearch.monster.com/Search.aspx?re=130&cy=us&brd=1&JSNONREG=1&q=flash&rad=20&rad_units=miles
http://jobsearch.monster.com/Search.aspx?re=130&cy=us&brd=1&JSNONREG=1&q=flash&rad=20&rad_units=miles
which was more than “AJAX” at 2,835
http://jobsearch.monster.com/Search.aspx?re=0&cy=us&brd=1&jsnonreg=1&q=ajax&rad_units=miles&pg=1&vw=b
Amazon.com Books
http://jobsearch.monster.com/Search.aspx?re=0&cy=us&brd=1&jsnonreg=1&q=ajax&rad_units=miles&pg=1&vw=b
Amazon.com Books
Book searches on Amazon also appear to be totally unscientific. Given that Perl has been around the longest and was powering most of the first Internet bubble, it is no surprise it topped the rankings. ActionScript came in a dismal last place.
Perl 20,317
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=perl&x=0&y=0
JavaScript 7,338
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=javascript&x=0&y=0
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=javascript&x=0&y=0
VBScript 2,913
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=vbscript&x=0&y=0
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=vbscript&x=0&y=0
ActionScript 666
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=actionscript&x=0&y=0
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=actionscript&x=0&y=0
I decided to supplement this search with additional searches on “Flash” and “AJAX” to capture more of the current AS and JS crowd books.
Flash garnered 266,572 results
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_i_0?ie=UTF8&rs=&keywords=flash&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aflash%2Ci%3Astripbooks
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_i_0?ie=UTF8&rs=&keywords=flash&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aflash%2Ci%3Astripbooks
while AJAX got around 15,000
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=AJAX&x=0&y=0
Google results “(term) developer”http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=AJAX&x=0&y=0
For this search, the terms were enclosed in quotes making it a string search. Otherwise I suspected all the pages that merely contained the Script type="JavaScript” element and attribute set would have come up falsely strong. In fact, most pages that have Flash use JavaScript to load them and do detection of Flash Player version etc. The results here show that there are still lot of people discussing Perl Developers however ActionScript did come in second.
Perl developer 352,000
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22perl+developer%22&btnG=Search
Perl developer 352,000
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22perl+developer%22&btnG=Search
ActionScript developer 99,400
http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=%22Actionscript+developer%22&btnG=Google+Search
http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=%22Actionscript+developer%22&btnG=Google+Search
JavaScript developer 75,500
http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=%22javascript+developer%22&btnG=Google+Search
Flash Developer got just over 1,000,000
http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=%22flash+developer%22&btnG=Google+Search
http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=%22flash+developer%22&btnG=Google+Search
Ajax Developer got 94,300
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&pwst=1&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=%22ajax+developer%22&spell=1
and Flex Developer got 214,000
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=%22Flex+developer%22&btnG=Search
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=%22Flex+developer%22&btnG=Search
So what does it all mean? Not much really - it is an unscientific approximation of which scripting language might be more popular.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
OASIS SOA Reference Architecture call for review
To OASIS members, Public Announce Lists:
The OASIS Service Oriented Architecture Reference Model (SOA-RM) TC has recently
approved the following specification as a Committee Draft and approved the
package for public review:
Reference Architecture for Service Oriented Architecture Version 1.0
The public review starts today, 9 May 2008, and ends 8 July 2008. This is an
open invitation to comment. We strongly encourage feedback from potential users,
developers and others, whether OASIS members or not, for the sake of improving
the interoperability and quality of OASIS work. Please feel free to distribute
this announcement within your organization and to other appropriate mail lists.
More non-normative information about the specification and the technical
committee may be found at the public home page of the TC at
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=soa-rm. Comments may
be submitted to the TC by any person through the use of the OASIS TC Comment
Facility which can be located via the button marked "Send A Comment" at the top
of that page, or directly at
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/comments/index.php?wg_abbrev=soa-rm.
Submitted comments (for this work as well as other works of that TC) are
publicly archived and can be viewed at
http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/soa-rm-comment/. All comments submitted to
OASIS are subject to the OASIS Feedback License, which ensures that the feedback
you provide carries the same obligations at least as the obligations of the TC
members.
The specification document and related files are available here:
Editable Source:
http://docs.oasis-open.org/soa-rm/soa-ra/v1.0/soa-ra-pr-01.doc
PDF (Authoritative):
http://docs.oasis-open.org/soa-rm/soa-ra/v1.0/soa-ra-pr-01.pdf
HTML:
http://docs.oasis-open.org/soa-rm/soa-ra/v1.0/soa-ra-pr-01.html
Abstract:
"This document specifies the OASIS Reference Architecture for Service Oriented
Architecture. It follows from the concepts and relationships defined in the
OASIS Reference Model for Service Oriented Architecture. While it remains
abstract in nature, the current document describes one possible template upon
which a SOA concrete architecture can be built.
"Our focus in this architecture is on an approach to integrating business with
the information technology needed to support it. The issues involved with
integration are always present, but, we find, are thrown into clear focus when
business integration involves crossing ownership boundaries.
...
"The Reference Architecture has three main views: the Business via Service view
which lays the foundation for conducting business in the context of Service
Oriented Architecture; the Realizing Services view which addresses the
requirements for constructing a Service Oriented Architecture; and the Owning
Service Oriented Architecture view which focuses on the governance and
management of SOA-based systems."
OASIS and the Service Oriented Architecture Reference Model (SOA-RM) TC welcome
your comments.
The OASIS Service Oriented Architecture Reference Model (SOA-RM) TC has recently
approved the following specification as a Committee Draft and approved the
package for public review:
Reference Architecture for Service Oriented Architecture Version 1.0
The public review starts today, 9 May 2008, and ends 8 July 2008. This is an
open invitation to comment. We strongly encourage feedback from potential users,
developers and others, whether OASIS members or not, for the sake of improving
the interoperability and quality of OASIS work. Please feel free to distribute
this announcement within your organization and to other appropriate mail lists.
More non-normative information about the specification and the technical
committee may be found at the public home page of the TC at
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=soa-rm. Comments may
be submitted to the TC by any person through the use of the OASIS TC Comment
Facility which can be located via the button marked "Send A Comment" at the top
of that page, or directly at
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/comments/index.php?wg_abbrev=soa-rm.
Submitted comments (for this work as well as other works of that TC) are
publicly archived and can be viewed at
http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/soa-rm-comment/. All comments submitted to
OASIS are subject to the OASIS Feedback License, which ensures that the feedback
you provide carries the same obligations at least as the obligations of the TC
members.
The specification document and related files are available here:
Editable Source:
http://docs.oasis-open.org/soa-rm/soa-ra/v1.0/soa-ra-pr-01.doc
PDF (Authoritative):
http://docs.oasis-open.org/soa-rm/soa-ra/v1.0/soa-ra-pr-01.pdf
HTML:
http://docs.oasis-open.org/soa-rm/soa-ra/v1.0/soa-ra-pr-01.html
Abstract:
"This document specifies the OASIS Reference Architecture for Service Oriented
Architecture. It follows from the concepts and relationships defined in the
OASIS Reference Model for Service Oriented Architecture. While it remains
abstract in nature, the current document describes one possible template upon
which a SOA concrete architecture can be built.
"Our focus in this architecture is on an approach to integrating business with
the information technology needed to support it. The issues involved with
integration are always present, but, we find, are thrown into clear focus when
business integration involves crossing ownership boundaries.
...
"The Reference Architecture has three main views: the Business via Service view
which lays the foundation for conducting business in the context of Service
Oriented Architecture; the Realizing Services view which addresses the
requirements for constructing a Service Oriented Architecture; and the Owning
Service Oriented Architecture view which focuses on the governance and
management of SOA-based systems."
OASIS and the Service Oriented Architecture Reference Model (SOA-RM) TC welcome
your comments.
Yes - I did pass out on stage at JavaOne.
Thank you for all the emails. I apparently contract the norovirus that was running rampant through JavaOne this year. While I spent most of the night vomiting (and worse), I did feel okay in the morning. I went to a medical clinic totally unaware the virus was around and they diagnosed it. I later found out via the news that a norovirus was the culprit.
I felt okay so I decided to go ahead with my final presentation on SOA, Standards and Java at 1:30 on Friday; however my co-presenter Steve Jones of Capgemini noticed I wasn't looking too good. To make a long story short, at the end of the code demo part I keeled over and apparently blacked out on stage in front of quite a few hundred people. I guess it is a good way to avoid Q&A. Goods news is we actually got the presentation done first.
The media picked up the story later that day:
CBS - http://cbs5.com/local/norovirus.moscone.outbreak.2.720481.html
SF Chronicle - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/10/BAB910JRM3.DTL&type=health
CNET - http://www.news.com/8301-13577_3-9940042-36.html?tag=cd.blog
Thank you to everyone who wrote in. I am still sick but okay enough to blog. Will update later.
I felt okay so I decided to go ahead with my final presentation on SOA, Standards and Java at 1:30 on Friday; however my co-presenter Steve Jones of Capgemini noticed I wasn't looking too good. To make a long story short, at the end of the code demo part I keeled over and apparently blacked out on stage in front of quite a few hundred people. I guess it is a good way to avoid Q&A. Goods news is we actually got the presentation done first.
The media picked up the story later that day:
CBS - http://cbs5.com/local/norovirus.moscone.outbreak.2.720481.html
SF Chronicle - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/10/BAB910JRM3.DTL&type=health
CNET - http://www.news.com/8301-13577_3-9940042-36.html?tag=cd.blog
Thank you to everyone who wrote in. I am still sick but okay enough to blog. Will update later.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Duane's World TV Show Launches today!
Duane's World, a new TV show focused on how technology impacts people lives and full of interviews and coding samples and tips, launched today. There are 12 episodes planned for 2008. The first show starts with a small talk on Web Services and SOA, continues with an interview with the guys from Nitobi, and concludes with a lesson on how to use the Flex Builder version 3 WSDL import wizard to build a full web service client. Andre discusses AJAX, Flex, and AIR development including fighting for Red Bull drinks with Mike Chambers and playing jokes on Grant Skinner.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Stupid JavaOne 2008 fun!!!!
I was bored so I decided to climb inside a large plastic ball and ask some guys to chuck me around. Does this thing or these guys look dangerous? See the movie below. LOL!!!
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Yes Virginia - Adobe does listen to Slashdot
Today I saw a comment on Slashdot (my all time favorite online community) that made me realize just how far Adobe has come.
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=539834&cid=23263596
Yes - it is true. In fact, we regularly peruse Slashdot to find out the latest, brutally honest opinions from the hardest to please tech-heads. I doubt we'll ever satisfy everyone but to recap, Adobe is definitely on the right track. PDF to ISO, The ActionScript Virtual Machine (VM behind Flash PLayer) open sourced via SourceForge, the Open Screen Project, The Flex Compiler open source project and BlazeDS are just a few examples of Adobe putting community and developers ahead of corporate greed. So what does this mean?
What's next? Flash on the iPhone? Please already!!!
;-)
“The mere idea of higher ups at a previously assumed Big Evil Company paying attention to discussions on Slashdot (with critiques here often ruthless, multifaceted, and heavily biased towards consumer interests) is pretty shocking, and heartening.
If this signals a major shift in Adobe's operating culture, I think it's cause for celebration.”
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=539834&cid=23263596
Yes - it is true. In fact, we regularly peruse Slashdot to find out the latest, brutally honest opinions from the hardest to please tech-heads. I doubt we'll ever satisfy everyone but to recap, Adobe is definitely on the right track. PDF to ISO, The ActionScript Virtual Machine (VM behind Flash PLayer) open sourced via SourceForge, the Open Screen Project, The Flex Compiler open source project and BlazeDS are just a few examples of Adobe putting community and developers ahead of corporate greed. So what does this mean?
- Anyone who complains that Acrobat Reader is bloated is free to (try to) write a new PDF reader that works faster.
- Anyone who thinks the Flash Player is too slow is welcome to help.
- Anyone who wants a bug fixed in the Flex SDK can fix it for themselves and others.
- We all get to work together to build a cool technology stack that works for us.
What's next? Flash on the iPhone? Please already!!!
;-)
The Open Screen Project rocks the RIA world!!!!
Today Adobe announced the Open Screen Project, a major step forward to drive rich Internet experiences across televisions, personal computers, mobile devices and consumer electronics. The Open Screen Project is supported by technology leaders ARM, Chunghwa Telecom, Cisco, Intel, LG Electronics, Marvell, Motorola, Nokia, NTT DoCoMo, Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics Co., Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and Verizon Wireless, and leading content providers including BBC, MTV Networks and NBC Universal. The ASP removes barriers to adoption for all companies including:
- Removing restrictions on use of the Flash (SWF) and Flash Video (FLV/F4V) specifications
- Publishing the device porting layer APIs for Adobe Flash Player, enabling third parties to more easily embed it in devices
- Publishing the Adobe Flash Cast protocol and the Action Message Format (AMF) protocol for robust data services
- Removing licensing fees – making the next major releases of Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR for devices free
- Working with partners to enable the client technology to be updated over the network to maintain consistency as we continue to innovate
- Working with partners to enable open access to web content and rich Internet applications by users across devices and networks
- Removing restrictions on use of the Flash (SWF) and Flash Video (FLV/F4V) specifications
- Publishing the device porting layer APIs for Adobe Flash Player, enabling third parties to more easily embed it in devices
- Publishing the Adobe Flash Cast protocol and the Action Message Format (AMF) protocol for robust data services
- Removing licensing fees – making the next major releases of Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR for devices free
- Working with partners to enable the client technology to be updated over the network to maintain consistency as we continue to innovate
- Working with partners to enable open access to web content and rich Internet applications by users across devices and networks
Monday, April 28, 2008
Web 2.0 Expo San Fransisco Materials
I will be shortly uploading the materials from the following two talks at Web 2.0 Expo:
1. Flex and AIR Boot Camp
- 25 code projects with source code [Download]
- instruction guide to present these [Download]
- PPT Slides (Feel free to use and re-label) [Download]
- Flex/Air Cookbook - Feb 2008 [Download]
- Bootcamp projects in MS Word with additional instruction [Download]
2. Ontologies for the Enterprise
- PDF version of slides. Note that you must check with John Sowa and Adam Pease before re-presenting these slides. [Download]
3. Specific Flex or AIR source code
- AIR Apple Shaped Application - no chrome, runtime morphing [Download]
- AIR Backwards Countdown Timer - counts backwards until specific date [Download]
- AIR FullScreen - app to mimic PPT presentation w/integrated demos [Download]
4. Misc Stuff I promised a few people
- 6 songs from my Band 22nd Century (zipped) [Download]
Please feel free to take the materials and use them to present. I'll post the URL's here once done.
1. Flex and AIR Boot Camp
- 25 code projects with source code [Download]
- instruction guide to present these [Download]
- PPT Slides (Feel free to use and re-label) [Download]
- Flex/Air Cookbook - Feb 2008 [Download]
- Bootcamp projects in MS Word with additional instruction [Download]
2. Ontologies for the Enterprise
- PDF version of slides. Note that you must check with John Sowa and Adam Pease before re-presenting these slides. [Download]
3. Specific Flex or AIR source code
- AIR Apple Shaped Application - no chrome, runtime morphing [Download]
- AIR Backwards Countdown Timer - counts backwards until specific date [Download]
- AIR FullScreen - app to mimic PPT presentation w/integrated demos [Download]
4. Misc Stuff I promised a few people
- 6 songs from my Band 22nd Century (zipped) [Download]
Please feel free to take the materials and use them to present. I'll post the URL's here once done.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)