Sproutcore 1.0 Released

Sproutcore is an open-source HTML5 application framework for building fast rich cloud applications on the web. You might have seen Apple’s MobileMe using it…

MongoDB Shell a Browser Window

I’m going to be going to MongoSF. In looking for information, I found this neat little web app that’s actually a MongoDB tutorial and terminal all-in-one…

Text With Moving Background

I’d argue that’s it not actually text with moving background, but Gaya Kessler’s article makes for good reading and the end result it looks kinda cool.

Next Gen Flash UIs with Scaleform’s GFx 3.2

I had a chance to visit the Expo at the GDC last Saturday. One of the products on display was GFx 3.2 from Scaleform.

Although the demos given from the vendor were all in-game experiences, it’s still flash-based and pretty awesome. Check out the demo video here (the video link in the top-right).

Flash might not have a future in web sites, but it certainly has applications elsewhere!

YoxView Version 1.0 Released

LightBox-type plugins are a dime a dozen. YoxView is a little different though…

• Plugins to display images from Flickr/Picasa.
• Images are resized to fit inside the browser’s window
• Images can be pre-cached
• Multiple instances in the same page may be used, ideal for blog entries, for example.
• Fully configurable – each instance may have a different configuration.
• Multilingual and bidirectional – tooltips and button names may be in any language (language packs available!)
• Slideshow-enabled – play images automatically.
• Keyboard access – navigate through images using the keyboard.
• Search engine friendly – large images are indexed.
• Cross-browser – compatible with all major browsers.
• Extremely easy to integrate

2010 Scottish Ruby Confererence – 2 Weeks Away

The 2010 Scottish Ruby Conference is in Edinburgh March 26th – 27th. That’s the good news. The bad news? It’s sold out! 

Keynotes will be given by Jim Weirich and Tim Bray. I’ve been lucky enough to be taught (and entertained) by Edgecase’s Jim Weirich and Jo O’Brien in the past – don’t miss their ‘Tales of the Resistance; A Dialog on the Ruby Insurgency‘ session!

Stay tuned to the Scottish Ruby Conf web site, where they’ll hopefully, and rather kindly, offer the videos of the talks for free later on this year. Free, as in beer. Cheers, Scotland!

The Secret Origin of Windows

A quarter century ago, Windows wasn’t everywhere. In fact, some were doubtful it would ever ship at all. And Tandy Trower was there. Trower recounts the inside story of his experience in transforming Windows from vaporware into a product that has left an unmistakable imprint on the world, 25 years after it was first released.

FlexMonkey 1.0 GA and FoneMonkey Announcement

I have written about the FlexMonkey many times, I also wrote about the 1.0 beta announcement several months ago. Such long beta stage will certainly improve a quality of the final product. I think FlexMonkey 1.0 GA will be a excellent application which make life easier.

Why I switched to Pylons after using Django for six months

I started using Django in June for a side project. Two months ago, I decided to rewrite a website I manage in django. It was drupal-based, which had served us well, but it was, by now too old and inflexible. One of the things that disturbed me about it was that I had started tweaking the code. Not much, but enough that I was afraid to upgrade and lose those changes. Also, I wanted recaptcha on signups, openid logins, twitter integration and a bit of a feeling of modernity. I worked on it a few hours per week, in the evenings, but I didn’t make much progress until I switched to Pylons. By then, I had invested a month into the project, but kept getting stuck and moving forward only at immense effort.

JSON DB vs ODBMS

Document-oriented and object-oriented databases are philosophically more different than one might at first expect.