Microsoft, You Have Made Vista Hard to Develop For!
Posted on May 5, 2008, under Development, Operating Systems, Software.
I have learned to like, even love some things about Vista. That is not to say I think it’s perfect. It’s far from perfect. It’s unfortunate that it took Microsoft this long to implement some of the great features, and they still did not have enough time to implement things well; which is what makes Vista suck in it’s own right. It’s incomplete, it’s buggy, things were not thought through or over thought.
The one thing Microsoft had going for it, was it gave developers tools to make applications for its operating systems. Microsoft did not alienate past versions, something Apple is not afraid of. All this, and more, contributes to why it is largely adopted by businesses, and why you can find an application for just about anything you need on Windows. I am afraid that Microsoft has lost sight of this with Vista.
Vista is not easy to develop for. We are extremely behind with the release of NetGrid Studio, and the outstanding issues are Vista related. User Access Control is not only a nightmare for users, but for developers as well. You have to use specific API’s to "elevate" an application whenever you need to do something that could cause harm, like accessing certain parts of the registry. Which means you have to make a specific build for Vista, and make it seamless to the end user so they do not have to download a "made for Vista" version.
Apple got it right, granted they are built off of Linux and arguably do not have as much of a security problem because they are not as widely adopted; but non-the-less they got it right. Something as monumental and important as security with an Operating System should have been priority #1 for Microsoft making it easy for users and developers. I have not enjoyed making sure our applications are compatible with Vista. And do not even get me started on the ridiculous process you need to take in order to get your application certified "Vista Ready". The whole thing just was not thought out an implemented correctly.
I am a Windows user, and as much as I praise the things Microsoft has done I am hard on them as well. They should have split the Windows division from their online, Office, and IE teams like they did when making the XBox 360. Cut out the noise, and make a better product.
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OK, Mahalo Vlog Idol Is Funny
Posted on April 29, 2008, under Media, Search, Tools and Services.
As Jason Calacanisis behind it and he is a master at promotion, I do not need to promote Mahalo, Mahalo Daily, or probably even Mahalo Vlog Idol. But just incase you live under a rock, basically they are spoofing American Idol looking for a replacement for Veronica Belmont. I know they are definitely having fun with it, but I have to imagine that they are really looking for a host and one of these contestants will be it. Either way it’s funny and entertaining, check it out.
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Why Is Yahoo Motivated All of Sudden?
Posted on April 24, 2008, under Search, Tools and Services.
Maybe Microsoft should threaten mergers of other companies, because to me it seems Yahoo has been on fire releasing something new almost every week since this whole merger game began. I just read about Yahoo and SearchMonkey.
I am not sure what is driving the sudden progress, management realizing they had a problem, or the merger. Just taking a look at the Yahoo blog you can see the progress. I like it, good things are coming from Yahoo, but I do not think it will get Microsoft off their back.
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Free-Codecs.com
Posted on April 22, 2008, under Media, Tools and Services, Windows.
I personally find codecs extremely annoying. For something like music and video that is suppose to be entertaining, fussing with codecs for fifteen minutes before you are able to be entertained really is a mood killer. This is the unfortunate side of technology, when something that should just work doesn’t.
Free-Codecs is a site that has compiled just about every codec you will ever need, and they have done so in a easy to install packages. They also have codec packs where you can install packages of commonly used codecs.
The site has really save me time and frustration, and I am sure it will do the same for you.
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How to Take Care of Your Passwords and Security Questions
Posted on April 16, 2008, under Security, Tools and Services.
It’s real easy telling which sites store your password, and which sites store a one way hash. At any web site, click on the "forgot password" link. If the web site gives you the option to reset your password, then chances are they are only storing a one way hash. If the web site emails you your password, then they are storing your password, and sometimes what is worse they might be storing it in plain text.
I always advise to use a a different password for each site, even if it’s a slight variation of one. All major browsers offer the option to remember your passwords for you, which helps if you have numerous logins like most people do. You can also use an application like KeePass, to generate and store your passwords for you. Multiple passwords is manageable, and makes it harder for someone other than you.
Your email password should be the strongest and absolutely unique, because your email is far too important to be compromised. Put data theft and identity theft aside, which are very important. But your email is where reset password links are sent, where passwords are sent, where verification links are sent. If you lose control of your email, you are finished. If you work within a company, everyone else’s security is only as strong as the weakest user. With online services becoming more and more popular, shared documents can be compromised very easily if someone still has the default password set for their account.
Your security questions are just as important to protect as your passwords, if not more important. These days social engineering has become very popular. Where someone who knows enough about you can fill out the form to recover or reset a password, just the same as you can. So here are some tips to use with security questions:
- Never use the same question for more than one service.
- Do not use one word answers. For example for the question "Your dogs name?" Don’t use "Fido" as an answer. Use "Fido my Jack Russell Terrier".
- Change your questions and answers often.
- Add a unique word, something to do with the web site or service to your answer.
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Learning to Not Re-Invent the Wheel is Hard For a Developer
Posted on April 8, 2008, under Flickr, Software, Tools and Services.
I have a backlog of things that I have been meaning to do for some time. In the spirit of cleaning house, I have started in on the list. One of the items that I have wanted to to for a really long time is get my photos organized in an online album. I have installed several PHP photo galleries on a spare domain, and they all worked OK. My logic was I had the server, I had the disk space, and I had the bandwidth. There was no need to pay for a Flickr account, no need to invest in a service I can do myself for free.
And then the hassles begin. Updating the software, staying on top of security patches, installing plugins for it to do what I want, themes to look the way I want. So needless to I signed up for a Pro account over at Flickr. At the end of the day, part of the reason this has been on my to do list for so long is because of the time it takes to get everything setup. Why reinvent the wheel, when Flickr does a very good job of providing a service I need. I now have more time to take care of other things, important things.
It’s the decision that every software developer has to make at some point in time. Being one that likes to crate things, make things better, be an inventor, and have creative control; it’s not always easy to make the right decision.
My online album is here, and will be ever updated as time goes on.
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I Will Buy a 3G iPhone
Posted on April 7, 2008, under Apple, Mobile, iPhone.
Lots of rumors circling about a soon to be launched 3G iPhone, and I must say I will be first in line. Why? For one reason, browsing. I hate web browsing on my current Windows Mobile solution, and I use it every day. There is no sign of when the Windows Mobile devices will be powerful enough to do what the iPhone does with web browsing. Android looks promising, but I fear that Google has a lot of challenges ahead of themselves and that revision 1 will be nowhere as mature as the current or future iPhone.
I am just done with the slow moving wireless industry. It’s the same thing that has happened with processors. There is no money in making the best right now. They need to sell incremental versions in order to bring in profits. It’s 2008, there is no reason why Apple is the only one raising the bar in the wireless industry. There is no reason we are just now starting to see unlimited plans, and yet they still are not truly unlimited. Apple is just as guilty at this as anyone else, but at least Apple is offering more now.
If people are more productive with their mobile devices, it means more is getting done, it means more options for web services, it means jobs, and so much more. Enough is enough.
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I Am Still Here
Posted on April 4, 2008, under Personal.
Hello everyone. Sorry for the personal post, but I wanted to explain my sudden leave of absence over the past month. I have had a very unfortunate/fortunate (depending on the way you look at it) event occur over the last month which has put an immediate halt on all things Code and Coffee/BlueCrestStudios. Without getting too detailed: I have been making a lot of life decisions over the last five years with someone else in mind. That person and I are no longer together, and I have learned that I have held myself back from pursuing my dreams and what I want to do with my life.
In the immediate future I will be making a major move in my life. I am %90 sure toward the Bellevue Washington area. I was up in that area in August, and have always had a draw toward the area due to it being a major technology hub in the world. I am looking forward to the move, can’t wait actually. I am really excited to finally be around people with the same interests, no offense to Indiana, and to get out and meet a bunch of people. So the house is on the market, and the gears are slowly moving. Anyone in that area care to reach out, please do. I am excited, but scared to move to a place I know absolutely no one.
More good things to come soon…
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This Month in 2000: AOL
Posted on March 10, 2008, under Tools and Services.
Courtesy of the Wayback Machine, it’s AOL in March of 2000.
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G-Archiver Is a Scam, Don’t Blame Shareware
Posted on March 10, 2008, under Development, Software, Tools and Services.
Originating from Jeff Attwood’s blog, Coding Horror about G-Archiver being a scam. The application, meant to backup your GMail account apparently emails your username and password to the developers GMail account. You can read more about it at Coding Horror, a great blog I and many follow, but what struck me was the backlash on shareware. It hit me a little personal, being a developer myself and relying on paid software to make a living. And honestly if anyone would have taken two minutes to take a look at the companies site, it would have rubbed them the wrong way and they probably would not have installed the software. Take a minute and research the company, just as you would before you purchase something.
This kind of lash out really rubs me the wrong way, for several reasons:
1) Yes, there are spyware ridden shareware applications out there, just as there is bad everywhere there is good.
2) As a company sometime you do not even list the application on the shareware site yourself, an affiliate does.
3) We have become a society expecting everything free; from ad blockers, movies and music pirating, everyone is looking for the free tool for them to use and in turn make money off with whatever they do for a living.
I am no angel, so please do not take this the wrong way. I am simply saying that there are software developers out there that put a lot of time, money, resources, etc, into making good software. Your purchasing the software helps the development of future versions with better features that make your life easier and more productive.
The same thing can be said about web sites that you turn over a username and password to. The majority of people use the same username and password for most all of their needs. You do not know what, if any, encryption or data storage methods these web sites are using. What kind of security they have on their servers. If any employee can get into the database and look up a username and password. This type of stuff can happen with web sites, you just do not know about it because you can not reverse engineer the source code on the server.
Don’t blacklist everything just because there is one bad egg.
