Archive for July, 2009
It may be the most important thing Novell has done for software shops in decades.
The SUSE Appliance Program consists of a Web-based appliance construction tool called SUSE Studio Online, a mini-Linux called SUSE Linux Enterprise JeOS (Just Enough Operating System), support for Amazon’s EC2 cloud, plus marketing support. It’s aimed at Independent Software Vendors (ISVs).
Software appliances are cool because they provide everything an application needs to run. Installation can be a matter of a few keystrokes.
“This is about helping an ISV access a new market through a new software appliance distribution method,” senior program manager Matt Richards told ZDNet.
“This is about making it faster and easier for ISVs to sell more of their existing product with little additional modification required.”
You might call it SUSE Application Delivery for Dummies (above).
With the Appliance Program a software vendor can quickly create an “evaluation package” of their software that actually runs, either on a client’s hardware or in the cloud. The Program also makes it easier for a vendor to offer Software as a Service (SaaS).
“Software is difficult to install ” added Nat FreemanFriedman, chief technology and strategy officer for Novell’s Linux Business Unit. . “ISVs who distribute software have a challenge whenever customers have problems. This lets them bundle applications pre-installed, tested, stacked, with the operating system, on a CD or a stick. They get a lot of value from that.
Novell said it currently has about 3,600 applications certified on SUSE Linux Enterprise, and many will be joining the program. Its press kit includes testimonials from HP, IBM, VMWare, SAP, Ingres and Adobe, as well as smaller outfits like Adaris Technologies aqnd ZManda.
So is this a game-changer? How long do you think it will take Novell’s rivals to match it?
Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Open Source
SuperF4 is a light weight, open source Windows utility that kills running apps dead. Just hit Ctrl+Alt+F4 and whatever program is in the foreground will terminate instantly. You won’t get a warning or a prompt to save your work. It’ll just close.
Sure, you could do something similar by firing up the Windows task manager, locating the running process and terminating it. But SuperF4 accomplishes this much, much faster. You can also press the Windows key + F4 to turn your mouse cursor into a skull and crossbones. The next program you click on will be terminated.
[via Freeware Genius]
Close any running app instantly with SuperF4 for Windows originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Intuit’s sponsored open source community at code.intuit.com once again shows a commercial software vendor using open source to drive more business and increase the stickiness of its platform.
The project that runs Wikipedia has added improved mapping extensions that let you embed Yahoo or Google Maps within your Wiki pages. Special markup is translated to API calls, which keeps out JavaScript that would be required if creating maps directly.
Once the Maps extension is installed, anyone editing a MediaWiki page can include the familiar Wiki syntax with curly brackets. For example, use this code to display a point:
{{#display_point:coordinates=55.7557860, 37.6176330}}
Or use the city name (or address) and have the geocoding performed automatically:
{{#display_address:address=Moscow, Russia}}
Since this is an extension, it is an optional addition to MediaWiki. Therefore, don’t expect to be able to use maps on Wikipedia or other sites unless you know the administrator has installed the extension.
So far you can choose from three mapping providers: Google, Yahoo and OpenLayers (which uses underlying maps from many providers). This might remind you of the JavaScript wrapper library Mapstraction (our Mapstraction API profile), which provides a single syntax to access a dozen mapping APIs.
Hat tip: slashgeo
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In the 90s, a big company from up north was extremely successful with a dialect of the programming language BASIC (acronym for Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code). One of the reasons it was so successful was that the language was easy to learn and use.
Bringing an easy to learn and use language to the mobile world and the Android platform is the goal of the Simple project. Simple is a BASIC dialect for developing Android applications. It is particularly well suited for non-professional programmers (but not limited to). Simple allows programmers to quickly write Android applications by using the components supplied by its runtime system.
Similar to its 90s relative, Simple programs are form definitions (which contain components) and code (which contains the program logic). The interaction between the components and the program logic happens through events triggered by the components. The program logic consists of event handlers which contain code reacting to the events. In reality it is even simpler than this description.
Let’s see how simple it really is. We will quickly write a program simulating the famous Etch-A-Sketch on an Android device. Tilting the device will move the pen, shaking the device will clear the screen. The Simple runtime system gives us three components to provide most of the needed functionality:
- the Canvas component – for drawing
- the OrientationSensor component – to detect tilting
- the Accelerometer component to detect shaking
Let’s take a look at the source code for this application:
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 |
Dim x As Integer Dim y As Integer Event OrientationSensor1.OrientationChanged(yaw As Single, _ Event AccelerometerSensor1.Shaking() |
The code defines two global variables (lines 1 and 2) and two event handlers, one to handle changes in the device’s tilt (lines 4 to 17) and another to handle shaking of the device (lines 19 to 21). The code in the first event handler makes sure to only react to tilting above a certain degree (lines 6, 8, 11 and 13), and if that is the case then it further ensures that the pen does not run off the drawing surface (lines 7, 9, 12 and 14). And finally a point is drawn at the pen position (line 16). As for the other event handler, the only thing it does is clearing the drawing surface in case of shaking (line 20).
Last part missing is the form definition. It defines the form and its properties (lines 24 to 27), followed by the components it contains (lines 28 to 33).
| 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 |
$Properties $Source $Form $Define EtchSketch $As Form Layout = 3 BackgroundColor = &HFFFFFFFF Title = “EtchSketch: Tilt to draw – Shake to clear” $Define Canvas1 $As Canvas $End $Define $Define OrientationSensor1 $As OrientationSensor $End $Define $Define AccelerometerSensor1 $As AccelerometerSensor $End $Define $End $Define $End $Properties |
That’s it. The only thing left to do is to compile and deploy the application to an Android device. And voila, here is a screenshot of the application running:
For a definition of the Simple language see the Simple Language Definition (download, 199 KB PDF). For more information on writing Simple applications see the open source project page at code.google.com/p/simple. You can also find information there on contributing to the project, and we encourage you to join our discussion list to provide us feedback.
Programming made Simple!
By Herbert Czymontek, Software Engineering Team
Filed under: Web services, Google, Social Software, iPhone, Mobile
Google Latitude is a great tool for sharing your location with your friends, and it works on a number of different mobile devices. Until recently, though, the iPhone was left out of the Latitude loop. Because of Apple’s restrictions on iPhone apps running in the background, iPhone users didn’t have access to Latitude’s full set of features. Google and Apple have worked around that problem now, and Latitude options on Google’s mobile site are rolling out now.
The iPhone Latitude experience is pretty smooth. Adding friends, approving requests, and changing privacy settings were all extremely easy. Privacy is adjustable for each contact you add: you can show your specific location, just your city, or nothing at all. Latitude can also update your location automatically or manually, depending on your preference.
Sure, you can be sour that Latitude is web app and not a native iPhone app, but it’s a really well-done web app. Besides, a Latitude iPhone app would likely have been rejected by Apple for overlapping functionality with Apple’s built-in Maps app (which happens to serve Google’s maps).
[via CNET]
Google Latitude looks great on the iPhone originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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You may already have access to your user’s location and not know it yet. If you use Google’s Ajax API loader to access Maps, Search or Feeds, you’re one line of JavaScript away from knowing the user’s country, city, or even a nearby latitude/longitude point.
The code is described at the bottom of the documentation, almost as an afterthought. However, there is a complete description of the ClientLocation object that contains the data and an example.
It is perhaps easier to use than the 3 IP geolocation methods I described in a previous post. Though, this is a JavaScript-only API, meaning it cannot be accessed server-side.
If you’re worried about sharing your location, privacy should not be more of a concern than usual. Google’s service, like those mentioned in the earlier post, uses your computer’s IP address. The series of four numbers (like 208.75.242.38) is publicly available and usually can only pin-point you at city-level accuracy.
That said, as with other geolocation services there’s certainly some funny stuff possible, but I’m sure you’ll use it for good, right? Right?
Hat tip: Brian Cray
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Filed under: Audio, Fun, Security, Apple
There have been more than a few complaints about iTunes over the years on DownloadSquad. We’ve said it sucks, we’ve called it one of the five most annoying programs around. It’s been blasted for pushing other Apple apps we don’t want and requiring us to re-download the whole 80Mb installer every times Apple farts out a new patch or wants to block some smartphone.
Within the last 24 hours, AVG has taken iTunes abuse to another level. Actions speak louder than words, after all, and an antivirus deciding to classify iTunes components as trojans? That’s hard core.
AVG reports two core files – iTunes.dll and iTunesRegistry.dll – are infected with Small.BOG. As Inquisitr points out, that name doesn’t appear in any other major antivirus provider’s databases. Now, it’s possible that AVG picked up on something nasty going on before every other provider in the world. It’s much more likely, however, that this is a giant screw up.
And of course, that’s exactly what AVG is reporting. If you run both programs, it’s your call. If you hate iTunes, go ahead and let AVG burn it to the ground. If you’d rather not screw things up, make sure you choose not to quarantine the files and update your definitions right away. Based on what’s been posted in the AVG forums, the new defs correct the problem.
[via Inquisitr]
We love to hate iTunes, and apparently so does AVG originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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(click to enlarge graph)
Thursday at OSCON, Leslie Hawthorn gave an update on the state of the 2009 Google Summer of Code program. One of the points that she shared with the audience was the 93% student success rate as of midterm evaluations, which were submitted July 13th. Congratulations to our students, mentors, and admins for all their hard work! Based on our mentor survey, most of our students are doing well, with a few students already finishing their project!
For the rest of the students, the summer is not over yet and there is still lots of coding left to do. I hope that this year will be our most successful to date! Read the statistics about previous years here.
By Ellen Ko, Open Source Team
“Look out, lobbyists: Here come the open-source zealots”
That’s the lead from a New York Times blog post concerning the open source industry lobbying effort now underway in Washington.
In my post I made the point that the heavy lifting here is being done by one company — Sun Federal — and that this is less about the issue of open source vs. proprietary systems as it is Washington business as usual.
Ashlee Vance dismisses it all as “zealots.”
The word zealot, descended from an ancient sect of Jews who fought both the Roman occupation and Jews who collaborated with the Romans (you know, the People’s Front of Judea, above) is meant to refer to people with an excessive amount of fervor, militants, the intolerant.
Not of our class. Outsiders. Revolutionaries. The mob.
The attitude of newspaper reporters like Vance dismissing people offering to save government money through new business models and development schemes as akin to a mob about to storm the castle has now gone beyond the pale.
Frankly, I find his attitude intolerable.
We are no longer talking about something that is unproven, or risky. The open source model is a decade old. It has already saved enterprises, small businesses, and individuals literally billions of dollars. It has empowered programmers, it has built new fortunes. It’s not communism, but capitalism at its very best.
Taking this good news to Washington so I, as a taxpayer, can join in the savings is celebration-worthy, not an excuse for snark.
It’s the reporters who are out of step with these business values, like Vance, who ought to be watching their backs. While his employers are busy trying to force us to buy their product (and probably eliminating his audience) Jon Stewart is now what Walter Cronkite was 35 years ago.
This should not surprise. The newspaper industry is completely out of step with the Internet, with open source, with business reality. When you’re trying to change the copyright laws and make people buy what they already deem worthless, maybe the latest business innovations do sound like a pitchforked mob at the gates.
But it’s not the bureaucrats whom the bell is tolling for, Mr. Vance. It’s people like you. If they’re gonna drown, put a hose in their mouth…