16 Essential Web Development Online Tools

May 17th, 2012

Introduction

There are so many useful online tools nowadays, I found myself have a few of them up my sleeve that I have been using because they are straight forward, quick and do exactly what they meant to do precisely and correctly. Most of the web development online tools are great time savers, and some even able to enhance the quality of your work and help you to produce high quality websites. One drawback though, when there isn’t Internet connection you would not able to use them; in the other hand, if you are in client site, or remote area with Internet access, you will able to use them without any prior app installation.

In this post, I have gathered 16 essential web development tools and they are being categorised into Javascript, CSS, Image Optimisation and misc. Pretty sure they would be of a great helpers for your workflow.

CSS

Simpless

Simpless

Oh well, this isn’t an online tool. It’s a free offline LESS code compiler. If you’re using LESS, this is a great tool that auto detect the changes and compile it. Available for Mac, Windows and Linux.

CSSWrap

CSSWrap

A pretty cool CSS text to path generator.

LayerStyles

LayerStyles

Tired of remembering all the new CSS3 new properties and prefixes? Layerstyle using the interface of photoshop layer style and allow you to configure drop shadow, inner shadow, background, border and border radius easily.

BearCSS

BearCSS

BearCSS generates CSS template based on the uploaded HTML document by picking up all the HTML elements used.

Javascript

Bookmarkleter

Bookmarkleter

Bookmarkleter converts your javascript into a bookmarklet. It does all the compression and url encoding for you.

JSLint

JSLint

JSLint is a debugging tool for Javascript. It looks for potential problems of your code and return a message describing the problem and the location within the source.

ShowIF

ShowIF

This is a simple if…else tools that allow user to set the conditions based on the client’s environment (browser, OS, resolution…) and perform certain action if it matches the conditions.

Image Optimization

JPEG Mini

JPEG Mini

Reduce the file size of your photo by up to 5x, while keeping thier original quality and JPEG format.

PunyPNG

PunyPNG

PunyPNG is an impage compressor for designers and developers. It can dramatically reduces the file size of your images without any loss of quality.

SpritePad

SpritePad

A quick and user friendly online CSS sprite generator that supports drag and drop of images and it will generate the CSS code you need.

SpriteMe

SpriteMe

SpriteMe is a different way to create CSS sprite. It’s a bookmarklet that detects images currently on your website and make the CSS sprite accordingly.

Miscellaneous

Browsers

Browsers

Useful browser sandbox. It allows you to run any browser instantly without the needs to install it on your computer. However, currently, it only supports Windows platform. Mac and linux are on its way.

SpurApp

SpurApp

SpurApp uses different method to test the usability and design layout by utilising different technique such as grayscale, intersections, spacers, contrast, blur, mirror etc to show you the flaw of your design that you might have overlooked.

Pingdom

Pingdom

Pingdom test the load time of your website, analyze it and find bottlenecks.

Loads.in

Loads.in

Loads.in calculate the loading time of your website.

HTML5 Test

HTML5 Test

The HTML5 test score is an indication of how well your browser supports the upcoming HTML5 standard and related specifications. Even though the specification isn’t finalized yet, all major browser manufacturers are making sure their browser is ready for the future.

Did you like this? Share it:

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Web Development | No Comments »

Cloud Computing Tools: Improving Security Through Visibility and Automation

May 16th, 2012

Of course, not all cloud management tools work equally well with all cloud providers, nor do they all allow customers to manage their internal and external clouds as a single unit. Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) providers such as Amazon, for example, typically don’t allow customers to tweak the network and storage infrastructure beneath the operating system, forcing customers to trust that level of security to the vendor.

And while some customers will trust outside certifications, such as Amazon Web Services’ Level 1 compliance with PCI DSS, others will choose to stick with a private cloud within their own firewalls, or create cloud environments at an external site using their own networks and keeping storage under their control.

Many enterprises are reluctant to move critical cloud applications out of their own data centers and into the public cloud due to security concerns. Yet the same automated, consistent provisioning that is essential to managing either public or private clouds (as well as to the process of thinking through a cloud deployment) can also offer the fringe benefit of improving security.

Furthermore, compared to internal IT infrastructures, the public cloud requires more attention to components such as network firewalls, load balancers and network address translation to hide the public IP addresses most cloud providers assign to servers. But whatever the model, the automated, consistent processes required for large-scale cloud deployments not only increase the efficiency, reliability and performance of these environments, but also improve security.

Benefits of Thinking It Through

With physical servers, staging and setup is a manual, one-off job; however, with virtual machines(VMs), creating templates or policies for various types of servers forces organizations to "think about it more and plan for it," says Matt Conway, CTO of online backup vendor Backupify. "If you need to recreate [a type of server] quickly, you must script it and automate it."

Read More:

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/255574/cloud_computing

_tools_improving_security_through_visibility_and_automation.html

Did you like this? Share it:

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Cloud Computing | Comments Off

Cloud Computing a Game Changer for Your Company? 5 Questions to Ponder

May 16th, 2012

Consider these 5 essential questions to ask to assess how far along you are on the journey to becoming a strategic cloud business:

  1. How service oriented are we? Clouds are collections of services, and if built or purchased without oversight or a plan across the enterprise, could end up being duplicated and far more expensive than the traditional on-premises systems they were meant to replace. Applications need to be broken down into callable services that can be delivered within and across businesses – a fundamental foundation known as service-oriented architecture. “Absence of a SOA strategy is likely to result in the uncontrolled proliferation of unstructured services across the enterprise,” Nadhan explains.
  2. Are we capable of managing a variety of clouds? Let’s face it, no one is going to settle on one type of cloud to do everything across the enterprise. Typical enterprises will likely to be managing their own private or hybrid clouds, as well as procuring services from third-party services. And there will be multiple outside services from multiple providers. Issues that arise include vendor lock-in, retrieving data in a usable format, and finding the appropriate cloud platform for the expected workload and location, says Theile. “Depending on the business you’re in you may use partnerships and or competitive concerns as a decision factor in your multi-cloud strategy,” he says. In addition, the movement to these various cloud formations is part of the business transformation strategy.
  3. Do we have an information strategy? Cloud can help companies take advantage of Big Data, but that data “must be secure and compliant with various regulations,” says Nadhan. “Such considerations are fundamental to the Information strategy which also addresses the timely availability of the right information at the right time presented in the right fashion.” Information security, of course, is a very important consideration for many companies, and often has been a show-stopper for cloud engagements. Theile also raises a number of key security issues that need to be addressed: “Do your systems administrators have access to corporate strategy around locations and data privacy requirements?” HIPAA or other regulatory concerns also need to be part of the equation in cloud engagements. Well-developed role-based security is also critical, he adds.
  4. Do we have a cloud governance strategy? This is a matter of the control businesses have over their cloud services, says Nadhan. Who decides what services are employed? How are these services paid for? Who sets the standards for these services? “Cloud computing governance is vital to ensuring streamlined operation, interaction and ongoing evolution of the ecosystem of services and solutions pertinent to the business,” says Nadhan. An essential part of governance also addresses the lifecycle of services, from creation to retirement. “Unfortunately, most of us in the trenches don’t think about whether the images we create today should be reviewed six months from now,” Thiele points out. “Ensuring you have a solid life cycle approach will help you develop a more efficient use pattern and reduce the risk of inappropriate resource use.”
  5. How is policy management across our clouds addressed? This is fundamental to the way cloud services interact with business processes. “Your architects and engineers might be terrific, but are you sure they are the best ones to determine the value of having a common and simplified set of tools for managing policy and governance across your images and across different clouds?” Theile asks. “Policy considerations can take into account everything from privacy to security, to performance and lifecycle depending on the platform you choose.”

Source:http://www.forbes.com/sites/joemckendrick/2012/05/14/cloud-computing-a-game-changer-for-your-company-6-questions-to-ponder/?ss=strategies-solutions

Did you like this? Share it:

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Cloud Computing | Comments Off

Mobile Web Development Still Has Traction

May 15th, 2012

We’re all well aware that mobile web development has gone through a complete metamorphosis over the last five years. We went from tiny screens with limited browsers to elegant multitouch displays with advanced web experiences. But even if you look at a shorter timeline — two years or so — you’ll see that major improvements in mobile web development are still in progress. This space continues to produce exponential shifts.

In the following interview, “Programming the Mobile Web” author and Fluent Conference speaker Maximiliano Firtman (@firt) discusses some of mobile development’s short-term leaps. He also looks at where mobile’s envelope pushers will take us next.

At this point, what are the essential mobile development skills?

Maximiliano Firtman: It depends on if we are targeting native or mobile web development, but usually an understanding of the mobile space is important. There are many differences between devices, so developers need up-to-date information on operating systems, versions, browsers, screen sizes, screen densities, multitouch, etc. That’s why mobile usability and high-performance coding techniques are a must.

Related to that, what are the key mobile development tools?

Maximiliano Firtman: Emulators and simulators, while not perfect, are essential tools. Tools that debug and quickly deploy apps to real devices are also important. And the devices themselves are important for measuring performance and testing hardware-related features, such as touch, the accelerometer, GPS accuracy and even color palettes.

The first edition of your book, “Programming the Mobile Web,” came out in July 2010. What are the major changes you’ve tracked in mobile web development since then?

Maximiliano Firtman: Since 2010, we’ve finally deprecated some old technologies such as WML and even XHTML MP. Today, HTML5 is king, while in 2010 we were talking about Apple or Webkit extensions.

In addition, the mobile web is no longer just for mobile websites. We can now also develop native web apps and even ebooks with EPUB 3. So, the platform is growing.

Source:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/oreillymedia/2012/05/08/mobile-web-development-still-has-traction/

Did you like this? Share it:

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Web Development | Comments Off

Oracle’s Expert Says Android Ripped Off Java Patents

May 15th, 2012

image

Google’s Android operating system infringes on two patents owned by Oracle, according to Stanford professor John Mitchell, an expert witness hired by Oracle in the ongoing court battle over Android and its use of the Java programming language.

With its case, Oracle claims that Android steps on two Java-related patents — U.S. Patents 6,061,520 and RE38,104 — and, yes, Mitchell agrees. The Stanford academic took the stand on Wednesday during the patent phase of the trial that pits Oracle against Google, and he was paid by Oracle.

During the trial — which is now into its fourth week — Judge William Alsup has chided both Google and Oracle for calling paid witnesses who seem predisposed to completely agree with their arguments.

Oracle sued Google in August of 2010, claiming that the search giant violated both its copyrights and its patents in building a new version of the Java platform for Android. Rather than license the Java platform from Sun, Google created its own virtual machine — known as Dalvik — for running applications written with the Java programming language.

On Monday, the jury decided that Google infringed on Oracle copyrights covering the overall structure, sequence, and organization of 37 of Java’s application program interfaces (APIs) — software that lets Java programs talk to the Java platform on PCs, smartphones, and other devices. But it was unable to agree on whether Google’s use of the copyrighted material constituted fair use under the law. Google immediately moved for a retrial, arguing that you can’t decide on infringement without deciding on fair use, but Judge William Alsup has yet to address this.

In the meantime, the trial has proceeded into its second phase, which addresses Oracle claims that Google also violated its patents.

U.S. Patent RE38,104 — aka ’104 — describes a “method and apparatus for resolving data references in generated code.” Basically, it covers a way of improving the software compilation — i.e., the process of translating programming code into an executable application. It uses “symbolic references” to identify data during compilation rather than numeric memory locations. Google argues that Dalvik does not use symbolic references, whereas Oracle says otherwise.

The second patent –’520 patent — describes a “method and system for performing static initialization,” a way of consolidating classes of files so that virtual machines execute less code than they otherwise would. Oracle claims that Google uses “simulated execution” with Dalvik, whereas Google says it merely parses files.

Taking the stand on Wednesday, John Mitchell spent the better part of the afternoon taking questions from Oracle’s lead counsel Mike Jacobs and walking the jury through extensive diagrams and software code in an effort to show that Google has indeed infringed on these two patents. Mitchell also discussed a number of tests he ran on the Android code prior to the trial, saying that these prove infringement.

Although Mitchell is paid by Oracle, the jury has been instructed to view his testimony as fact. Google will cross-examine Mitchell on Thursday, and after Oracle rests its case, it will have the chance to call its own paid expert witness.

To prove infringement, Oracle must show that Google was “willfully blind” of Sun’s patents when it developed the Dalvik virtual machine. Earlier on Wednesday, Andy Rubin, who oversees the Android project, took the stand, and Jacobs asked if he was aware of Sun’s Java patent portfolio. “As an engineer, you shouldn’t study someone else’s invention when you’re trying to come up with your own,” Rubin said.

Jonathan Schwartz, Sun’s former CEO, testified during the copyright phase of the trial, but Oracle has asked that the judge prevent him from taking the stand during the patent phase. With his previous testimony, he said that although Sun didn’t like that Google had built Android, he — as CEO — did not believe Sun should take legal action against the search giant.

On Wednesday, in an attempt to challenge Schwartz’s testimony, Oracle called Jonathan Sutphin, a former Sun executive who reported to Schwartz. Oracle lawyer Mike Jacobs asked him whether Sun ever made a definitive decision not to sue Google. “Not that I’m aware of,” Sutphin answered.

Google’s Robert Van Nest countered by showing that Schwartz was the ultimate decision maker at Sun, not Sutphin. “Other than the board, he was the highest-ranking official at the company?”

“Yes,” Sutphin answered.

While at Sun, Schwartz published a blog post espousing his support for the new platform. Oracle has pointed out that this is just a blog post, not a legal or official document. But in questioning Sutphin, Google’s Van Nest pointed out that typically, public companies must notify the SEC of public statements from their CEOs and that Sun had done so with Schwartz’s post. The implication was that the blog post was official.

source:

http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/05/oracle-google-patent/

Did you like this? Share it:

Tags: , , ,
Posted in IT News | Comments Off

Why HTML5 Projects Are a Great Fit for Latin America IT

May 14th, 2012

HTML5 300x300 Why HTML5 Projects Are a Great Fit for Latin America IT The emerging HTML5 standard will make it a lot easier to deliver more graphical and attractive Web pages to more and more devices (especially mobile devices). That makes it a big boon for Web developers, and also a great fit for Nearshore developers with an eye for good design and local tastes.

HTML5 Defined

HTML5, which most browsers already support, is the next step in the evolution of the hypertext markup language that controls how information is presented in Web browsers. It will make it easier for users to access audio and video by integrating audio and video support into the browser, rather than requiring the user to download and install plug-ins. The HTML page essentially becomes a container for other containers, which contains other containers, and so forth; JavaScript can easily access those containers, modifying, updating, and moving them around.

Another capability of HTML5 is that it gives developers greater control over presenting information from different sources on the same Web page. Conceivably, if you have multiple Web apps running on different servers or different sites, you have the capability to select bits of information and then reintegrate and display that information together using HTML5.

Use Cases

Why is that important? On the consumer side, for example, you would have the ability to present a news, entertainment, gaming, shopping or social site to mobile consumers that aggregates content in a new way from multiple sources. On the business side, you could create a Web site for, say, corporate real estate managers that gives them instant updates on demographic, zoning, traffic flow and other information to comparing potential retail sites.

You need graphic designers as well as programmers – two different kinds of skills – that need to work well together when creating a web application.

Such capabilities are especially valuable when they’re available on mobile devices, and this is another area where HTML5 shines. Rather than forcing developers to write a native application for every mobile platform (i.e., Apple vs. Android vs. Blackberry) HTML5 can automatically recognize variables such as screen size and automatically tailor the display to the device. With mobile devices rapidly becoming the “screen of choice” for business users and consumers, that’s a huge benefit.

You need graphic designers as well as programmers – two different kinds of skills – that need to work well together when creating a web application. Good user experience and graphics design requires a cultural component — that is, an awareness of the visual images and metaphors that will be instantly recognizable to the end-user of the web app.

The ability and willingness for a Nearshore developer to assemble a team that has both kinds of talent is critical. The good news is that, if they can create such a team, the Nearshore cultural affinity with the U.S. makes Nearshore developers well-suited to these demands, compared to other places around the world.

source:

http://nearshoreamericas.com/html5-projects-good-fit-latin-america/

Did you like this? Share it:

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Web Design | Comments Off

Creating semantic Web sites could be smooth as Silk

May 11th, 2012

You can now build and view a Silk Web site that combines lots of information into one single spot, sparing you and others from searching different places for all that data.

Moving from private to public beta today, Silk is an online application that tries to tap into the "semantic" Web by collecting and displaying information from the Internet, from your own documents, and from other sources. As the folks at Silk describe it, the idea is to let people select "the data they want from the mass of information available, and to view and arrange it in ways that make sense to them."

You can create your own Silk-based Web site and view sites already built by others.

Here’s how Silk works.

You first set up your Web site with your own Silk domain name. You then start populating it with pages containing data from any source you choose, such as other Web sites or your own documents and spreadsheets. You then add tags to each page to identify it and connect it to all the other pages on your site. You can also insert widgets to add tables, charts, maps, and other objects.

Of course, building the site is most of the battle as you have to hunt for and gather up all the information you need to add. But after your site is up and running, you can invite other people to add even more information to it, turning it into a collaborative group effort. The more people you invite, the bigger and more comprehensive your site can become.

In one sense, a Silk site is similar to a Wiki in that it unites information from different sources and can grow through the combined efforts of several creators and contributors.

If building your own site is not your thing, you can view sites created by other people.

One Silk site I like is devoted to the Simpsons, offering everything you ever wanted to know about the popular cartoon characters from Springfield. You can browse specific pages on different characters to pick up certain details. For example, the page on Bart provides his full name, date of birth (he’d actually be 30 in real years), his relationships with other characters, and some of the episodes in which he’s appeared.

As with any Web site, all the information is linked together so you can easily jump from one Simpsons character or episode or other tidbit to another.

People have been touting the semantic Web for years. But it’s still a concept that has yet to fully bloom. Silk is in the same boat. Yet the potential is there to be able to provide a great amount of information in one place. The folks behind the application have more tricks in store. So I expect we’ll be hearing more about Silk as it continues to grow.

Source:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-57431882-2/creating-semantic-web-sites-could-be-smooth-as-silk/

Did you like this? Share it:

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Web Development | Comments Off

What developers can expect at Google I/O 2012

May 9th, 2012

 

Google’s annual developer conference sold out in 20 minutes. Here’s what all the fuss is about

Since when does a vendor-sponsored developer conference sell out 5,500 seats in just 20 minutes? That’s what happened when tickets for Google I/O 2012 went on sale this week. It beat last year’s record of an hour, which had also raised eyebrows.

One easy answer is that Google I/O sells out because of the swag. Tickets aren’t cheap, but each attendee gets a gift bag with a street value that typically exceeds the price of entry. Last year’s goodies included a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet and a Chromebook. Previous years’ attendees received Android smartphones.

This has led to lots of grumbling that too few ticket buyers are "real developers" anymore. Others claim the event’s rising ticket price and limited supply have made it undemocratic or "too corporate." That hasn’t been my experience. In years past, Google I/O has attracted a diverse range of developers. That’s largely because the conference features some of the best developer content available from across Google’s increasingly diverse developer ecosystem, from the Web to Android and beyond.

The conference itself doesn’t take place until late June, but there’s lots to look forward to. Here are a few ideas of what we can expect from this year’s show.

Android marches forward
Google’s mobile OS will of course feature heavily. The question is whether the search giant will roll out a new version at the show. Rumors place a possible launch date for Android 5.0, code-named "Jelly Bean," within that timeframe.

That’s worrying to some. Last year’s conference was all about Android 3.0 "Honeycomb." Google released the next version, code-named "Ice Cream Sandwich" (ICS), in the interim. And yet, as of today the mobile carriers have rolled out ICS to just 1 percent of Android smartphones. Even the flagship Android tablet from last year’s Google I/O goodie bag has yet to receive the update. If Google launches another Android version in June, ICS will have effectively been passed over by the industry.

Still, the show must go on. If smartphone and tablet makers skip ICS for "Jelly Bean," that’s one fewer version to add to the so-called Android fragmentation problem.

More than the OS, however, what could really use some attention is Android hardware. The Android smartphone market is poorly diversified. Too many devices have similar specs, and makers have been slow to adopt Google’s more cutting-edge ideas, like near-field communication (NFC). I wouldn’t be surprised if Google I/O brought us a new Nexus smartphone that raised the bar for Android hardware (and gave Apple something to worry about). Android tablets, too, could use a jump-start. So far, they’ve competed poorly against the iPad. Google can’t afford to let this market fizzle now. A new reference tablet with an improved screen and an emphasis on multimedia doesn’t sound like a bad bet.

Enter the Web platform
Technically speaking, the HTML5 spec isn’t even finished yet. But already Google, Mozilla, and others have been distancing themselves from using the term "HTML5" for the current Web standards. The term they’re using now is "the Web platform." You’ll hear it a lot at Google I/O, guaranteed.

I covered one developing aspect of the Web platform in last week’s column about the Web Components project. I expect we’ll see those technologies fleshed out further in Google I/O sessions this year.

There are other new Web technologies on the way as well; Google is playing a significant role in developing many of them. One example is Web Intents, a framework that enables interoperability between Web applications. Google I/O conference sessions generally offer good coverage of such upcoming Web technologies.

Naturally, there will be updates to Google’s Chrome browser to accompany all of this. By the time the show opens in June, I expect many of the improvements currently found in Chrome Canary, Google’s bleeding-edge browser branch, will have made their way into the mainstream branch. Among them is another 25 percent improvement in JavaScript performance over the current builds.

Getting serious about games
Game development will probably get a fair amount of coverage at Google I/O. Entertainment, in general, has been an area of growing emphasis for Google. Notice how it relaunched the Android Market as Google Play, a new store that combines apps with e-books and multimedia.

Games have long been among the top downloads for Android. Now Google aims to make games a showcase for the Web platform, too. Notice that it launched the Google I/O conference website with a browser-based puzzle game. That means there will be Google I/O sessions showcasing browser features of particular interest to game developers. These include the latest HTML5 features, but also Chrome-specific features such as hardware-accelerated graphics rendering and Native Client (NaCl).

The cloud and beyond
You can also expect the perennial developer sessions on Google’s more prosaic services, including AdSense and AdWords. There will be talk of cloud computing, including Google Apps and App Engine, as well. Those services may even receive upgrades timed with the conference.

I expect one of the bigger focus areas for this year’s show, however, will be Google+. Although it has struggled to build an audience, don’t underestimate how important Google+ is to the search giant’s strategy. The fledgling social network is critical, not just to Google’s competition with Facebook, but to its search and advertising businesses, as well. To that end, I expect to see further revamps of the Google+ APIs announced at the show, as well as increased integration with other services, both from Google and third parties.

But you may well ask, what’s the point? If tickets have already sold out and I can’t attend the show, what’s the use of knowing what will be presented there?

The good news is that Google plans to stream the keynote and many sessions live. The remainder of the sessions will be recorded and made available online later. Even if you can’t take advantage of any free gifts given out at the show, you can still take advantage of its most valuable aspects. It is, after all, a developer conference — an important one.

This article, "What developers can expect at Google I/O 2012," originally appeared at InfoWorld.com. Follow the latest news in programming at InfoWorld.com. For the latest business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.

source:
http://www.infoworld.com/d/application-development/what-developers-can-expect-google-io-2012-189722?page=0,1

Did you like this? Share it:

Tags: , , ,
Posted in IT News | Comments Off

Apple’s Tim Cook wins where Steve Jobs failed: On Java

May 8th, 2012

Tim Cook has pulled a startling coup, getting Larry Ellison to start cooking — if not eating — his own dog food.

The headlines make it sound like Oracle, the inherited owner of Java, has generously stepped in to help protect Mac owners from infections like Flashback. There’s an important backstory, though, that hasn’t hit the headlines.

Although Steve Jobs tried for years to get out from under the Java ball and chain, last week Tim Cook finally coerced Oracle into supplying updates for its own software. It only took 700,000 infected systems to convince Oracle to handle Java on OS X itself.

Steve Jobs dropped Java for the Mac in October 2010, removing it as part of the standard OS X install. The Mac OS X Developer Library post for Oct. 20, says, "The Java runtime ported by Apple and that ships with Mac OS X is deprecated. Developers should not rely on the Apple-supplied Java runtime being present in future versions of Mac OS X." At the same time, Apple stopped accepting apps for the Mac App Store that relied on the Java Runtime Environment. Apple had never supported Java clients in its iOS.

On Oct. 21, 2010, the MacRumors forum said that Jobs replied to a concerned Java developer, claiming, "Sun (now Oracle) supplies Java for all other platforms. They have their own release schedules, which are almost always different than ours, so the Java we ship is always a version behind. This may not be the best way to do it."

Of course, Jobs knew at the time he was blowing smoke — or perhaps a reality distortion field set in. With a few notable exceptions, Java’s owner has never supplied versions "for all other platforms." Back when Java started, Sun supplied a version of the runtime for Linux because, as the "father of Java" James Gosling says, "there was no one else to do it." Every other distributor — Microsoft, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Apple — rolled its own version, based on Sun’s reference code.

Java 1.0 for Mac OS 9 was released in 1996, the year Apple bought NeXT and Jobs returned to the Apple fold. Jobs knew full well that Apple was developing its own version of Java, just like all the other platform providers.

Microsoft started taking its version of Java far afield, adding its own extensions to the language, and Sun sued in 1997 to get its trademark back. A bitter, extended, and very public court battle ended in January 2001, with Microsoft paying Sun $20 million for its transgressions and Sun taking control of Java updates. Until this last week, Sun had released Java versions only for Linux and Windows. All the other platforms made their own.

The fact is that Jobs had been trying for years to get Sun, then Oracle, to take over Java releases for OS X. Back in 2007, Jobs is quoted as saying, "Java’s not worth building in. Nobody uses Java anymore. It’s this big heavyweight ball and chain." In 2010, when Jobs dropped Java like a hot cup of coffee, he tried to shame Oracle into supporting it. Since then, Java’s been a neglected stepchild in the Mac world, completely shunned in iOS.

As Gosling says, "In the early days, they [Apple] were insistent on doing the port themselves. They put terrific energy into it. They did a good job. But then, as OS X took hold and Apple was able to convince developers to target their nonportable/proprietary environment, Apple’s fundamental control-freak tendency took over and they put less and less energy into Java."

Oracle is now distributing Java SE 7 Update 4 for Mac OS X, and that will become the default version on Java.com starting May 1. Henrik Stahl, senior director of Java product management at Oracle, says, "Oracle’s JDK and JavaFX release supports OS X Lion on any 64-bit capable Intel-based Mac. … There are community efforts based on OpenJDK to build JDK 7 [and JVM on 32-bit machines] for other configurations, easily found using your favorite search engine. We applaud these efforts! :-) "

Oracle has announced full plans to embrace OS X Lion and later with new updates to the Java Standard Edition and Java Development Kit. (The JDK includes the Java Runtime Environment, JRE, which in turn includes the Java Virtual Machine, JVM. And you thought Microsoft’s terminology was confusing!)

It’s not clear if Oracle will be updating the Java runtime for earlier versions of OS X. That’s particularly troubling because Dr. Web, the site that originally broke the story on the Flashback infections, now says that 25 percent of all Flashback infections come from Macs running OS X 10.5 Leopard, and 63 percent more are from OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Only 12 percent of all infections are in OS X 10.7 Lion, and those are the only machines that will be patched with Oracle’s Java SE 7 Update 4. Leopard and Snow Leopard users are left to the "community efforts." If either Apple or Oracle is concerned about the hundreds of thousands of customers left swinging in the wind, there’s no indication I can find.

In contrast, Apple’s two recent Java patches covered Lion and Snow Leopard. They didn’t cover Leopard.

It seems that Jobs’ desires have finally been fulfilled, with the Java monkey now on Oracle’s back. Cook was at the helm — perhaps actively involved? — when it happened. Apple’s now able to wash its hands of all Java’s faults going forward. Oracle has responsibility for its own product. All it took was 700,000 infections.

source:

http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-04-2012/120430-oracle-takes-lead-on-java-updates-for-os-x.html?page=1

Did you like this? Share it:

Tags: , , ,
Posted in IT News | Comments Off

8 Web Development Tips for Newbie’s

May 7th, 2012

Internet acts as a communication bridge among millions of people on globe. Sharing ideas and thoughts and discussing things on forums on internet is the norm these days. And with this transition more and more people are opting towards web development.

Small businesses are using web development techniques to augment their business and compete with the big dogs out there. That is why every day more and more websites are posted online. And with the improvement in the technology, web development is becoming more easy and convenient.

So rather than spending large sums of money on advertisement and creating brand goodwill, it is recommended to go with reliable web development services like SimpleSEOGroup.com. These web development services help you attract traffic on search engines and design your website in such a manner that the end user gets the best web experience.

Before you hire services for web development, you need to carefully determine the needs and requirements for your business, keeping in mind the changes that you will be incorporating in your website as your business prospers. In the following paragraphs you’ll get to know some important tips for web development in order to have smooth running of your website.

Research on SEO Company

Make sure that the web development service providers have the necessary expertise and knowledge of the field. Take feedback from people who have hired their services.

User-friendliness

Make your web design template as user friendly as possible. You need to retain maximum traffic on your page. Your web development company should be able to make tailored made designs and templates best suited for your website.

Optimal Use of Keywords

Target the traffic by using perfect keywords. Your web development company should be skilled in using the keywords and using proper keyword density. Use different keywords on different pages in order to get as much targeted hits as possible.

Flexibility of Plan

Another important tip is the ability to change with time and facilities like backup and support help to create a positive customer experience on the web. You have to be assured of the quality of services and things will work exactly like you have planned.

Accessibility

Make sure that the users find everything conveniently. Individuals won’t spend much time searching your page if they can’t locate it; if they won’t find it easily, they’ll simply leave and move on to some other site.

Users Interaction and Response

Give feedback and contact us link at easy to look space. So that whenever the individual has a query, he can contact you easily without any hassle.

Eye-pleasing Graphics

Don’t overdo with high and bright graphics, keep it simple and pleasing. Most of the users on the internet are not familiar with using high tech websites and templates.

Updated

Keep your website up to date and add the latest gadgets on your website. It should have the latest content and developments so that the individuals find what he is looking for. Monitoring is another important aspect of good web development. Keep an eye on the latest changes in the search engines searching criteria and the trend in keywords. You should also be prompt in replying to customers’ queries and orders.

It is no doubt that hiring web development services brings innumerable benefits for your business. It is a cost effective solution to help you move ahead in the world of business and gain recognition on international forum.

Source: http://www.tutorialchip.com/articles/8-web-development-tips-for-newbies/

Did you like this? Share it:

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in IT News | Comments Off

« Older Entries