.:: a few thoughts on the subject by rob wright ::.

Stephen O’Grady has a good Q&A piece on the open source Java debate. I’m agree with both Stephen and Jonathan in that I don’t want to see a fork or compromised Java. I’m particularly sensitive to this because of my last Linux install. I think Ubuntu is the best because it is very easy to install and maintain, but it doesn’t support RPMs so I had trouble with the VMWare install. It was a real pain.

So obviously Linux is open sourced and because of that it is widely used, developed, and adopted; many Linux based devices are easily hacked. But even if you standardize on a distribution, it can be a real pain to install and maintain software. I do want to see even wider adoption of Java, but I don’t want to manage Java on Ubuntu, Java on Windows, Java on Simbian, Java on SuSE, etc. It’s just not worth it.

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• On Grids
  This is an introduction to the state of the art in Grid Computing in mid-2006. I start with some definitions and motivation, look at grid economics, survey the kinds of infrastructure that are out there now, and touch on future directions.
  (tags: grid timbray)

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The news is everywhere now, but there was a sneak-peek by Tor Norbye on the Java Posse about the annoucement at JavaOne. HerbertC’s Blog has the most details. Joe reveals in a later podcast that Herbert is the “compiler guy” in the project and a former Borland compiler guru.

I think it is a great idea to support VB as long as…

1. the development tool is on par with VB 6. I agree that there are many people that know the BASIC language, but it wasn’t the language that won the followers, it was the “visual” development environment. As long as the NetBeans/Creator tool works well and doesn’t require 1 GB of RAM, then I think it will be well accepted.
2. components are widely available. Sun and it’s partners should provide a similar catalog of components.
3. I can rapid prototype. I haven’t tried Matisse but I’ve always thought there should be an easy way to build a Java base UI. That’s why I liked JBuilder. Between 2001-2003, it was the best tool around…may still be.
4. Sun actively engages the VB developers. This is a whole new group of people that for a variety of reasons have never made the move to Java. My experience has been that these guys see Java as incredibly heavy. A lot of courting is due.
5. I really can use the Java APIs in VB code. This is huge as along as it works.
6. the code runs on Linux, Windows, and OS X. If true, then another way to win developers to the platform.
7. the install base of JREs continues to grow. Gotta have that JVM on every target machine.
8. deployment is simple. A huge painpoint for VB developers is DLL hell. i.e. the dependency on DLLs and the amazing inconsistency in versions and features of common DLLs. That was one advantage that Delphi had/has over VB, the ability to deliver a complete application in a single exe. So, I hope the team is working on the “Install Shield wizard.”

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• Connecting to SQL Server 2000 using JDBC
  (tags: JDBC sqlserver sql)
• HOW TO: Get Started with Microsoft JDBC
  (tags: JDBC sqlserver java)

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• Web 2.0 Reading List (Books), version 0.1
  from O’Reilly
  (tags: web2.0 books)

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• Engineering Management Hacks: “Extraordinary contempt and defiance beyond the normal call of engineering duty”
  (tags: innovation management)
• Java[tm] Technology on the Linux Platform
  notes on Java thread implementation on Linux
  (tags: java linux)
• Outlook as Organizer - GMail labels in Outlook
  (tags: gmail outlook)

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You may have noticed but the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue opened last week. Very cool. If you click on the link you’ll see a time-lapse series of photos showing the people in line. One of the coolest things about the series of photos is that there is a guy that proposes (5 AM time slot). Gotta love the Apple-geek Romeo.

(digg it)

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• Apple - CD stuck in Powerbook slot drive …
  (a) Held down the mouse button whilst powering on (this should force the drive to eject the disc) (b) Power on your powerbook whilst holding down command+option+o+f to get open firmware, then type eject cd and hit return. This should also force the drive
  (tags: apple powerbook)
• torrentocracy - blog - Streaming MythTV to your cell phone
  (tags: howto dvr mythtv)
• ACM Queue - A Conversation with Werner Vogels - Amazon’s CTO explains what’s behind its growth from online bookstore to e-commerce juggernaut.
  (tags: architecture design amazon)

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I recently ran into problems with sshd on SuSE 9.0.  In trying to access the machine remotely, I kept getting “access denied” when I entered the password for the specified user.  I found that commenting out the line “PasswordAuthentication no” in /etc/ssh/sshd_config and then restarting sshd via “/etc/init.d/sshd restart” fixed the problem.

(Note that it’s sshd_config, not ssh_config.)

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Very cool…

Free calls to all landlines and mobile phones within the US and Canada
“We just announced that SkypeOut is now free within the US and Canada to all landlines and mobiles until at least the end of 2006.”

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