Sold! Ebay first sale

We sold our product for a price are happy with. We did have to pay fees to process a credit card payment but still, we made do pretty well. We shipped it via UPS so that it can be tracked. We'll see how it all ends....

Visual Studio Corrupts Your Mind!

Charles Petzold's "Does Visual Studio Rot the Mind?" is similar to Rinky Dink Software: the tools try to be too helpful and ends up restricting us (and preventing us from excelling).

There are drawbacks of working with a blank slate of coding since one has to do everything (remembering the class/function names, correct parameters and correct syntax), but then anything is possible (including wrong functions/classes)!

Just looking at Stagecast shows the extreme of graphical programming only: even though the core was written in Java, one doesn't have the option of adding code or even changing the core functions (as far as I can tell).

For me, I want as much control as I want to put in (even if I have to program at the machine (bit) level) but I want to work at as high level as possible (like the back of the napkin sketching) so I can focus on the "fun" stuff rather than bit pushing. I thought expensive tools like i-Logix Statemate would fill that need but it only does the high end and could not deal with low level user changes (the bane of all CASE tools).

Kid's Programming Language

Morrison Schwartz has a language "KPL". The brief blurb on it made it seem like a cool thing for my sons to try but then it looks like more BASIC programming: the last thing I want them to learn.

My goal is to see them learn OO and Stagecast is a good start (a very visual programming language). I hope to get them on Smalltalk but I'll have to give Croquet a shot first and see if I can use it (rather than roll something on my own).

For those thinking about teaching programming languages to your children: Avoid structural languages like BASIC and C. And half baked Object Oriented Programming languages like C++ and Java. Stick with the real thing, like Smalltalk/Squeak (which originally was used to teach middle school children in the early 1970's). Anything less will mentally cripple your children's mind, in my not so humble opinion.

Rinky-Dink software

Dvorak's "Rinky-Dink Software Rant" hits it right on: software interface is too hard to use either because it has too many features or assumes the users are "dummy's guide" readers.

I don't have an easy answer myself: if I did, I'd have my own business doing something about it (or so I keep telling myself...).

Ebay selling

I've purchased things before on ebay but this weekend, I'm selling something for the first time! Starting price is $5 for something worth more than $100.

PHP

After reading "Andreeseen: PHP succeeding where Java isn't" got me curious enough to try the tutorial. If only I had all the time in the world to try everything I want to learn....

Forrester bets on Blu-Ray

As I have placed my bets on HD-DVD (sep 27), Forrester bets on Blu-Ray. And the race is on!

As for Xbox 360 vs PS3, I think that X360 will win the race (not because of HD-DVD, mind you). Microsoft is a software company. Sony isn't and probably will never be. Game console is all about software. I'm sure you, dear readers, can work out the equations.....

Tablet Computing

"Convertibles: the new laptop bling?" talks about Tablet PC might be the next big thing. (There's even a homeschooler/educator blogging about tabletpc and education: except it hasn't really started yet, as of today.) It was suppose to be the big thing 2 or 3 years ago, but we're still "just around the corner."

Anyway, I own two Tablet PC's neither of which I use. One because I was hoping to play with it but got too busy and now it's just too slow. The other one is brand new but I'm waiting to get a new harddrive before I install everything. I was also hoping to get my consulting business going but that hasn't happened yet. I have a so-called "perma-temp" job which keeps me busy during the day (and away from blogging and personal email).

I may bring it up once in a while....

Stagecast: real progress

I've gone ahead and ordered 2 copies of Stagecast. I'm not happy with it's lack of programming ability (as far as I can tell) but the tools it provides is more than enough to do many interesting things (more than I initially thought capable). My sons were really pushing the limits of the eval copies so I decided to buy now.

I really want to write a book on Games Programming in Squeak with a tool (or maybe just set of libraries) which can gap the text based "real" programming and sophisticated tools like Stagecast. Unfortunately, I have a day job so who knows when I'll even get started!

Needy Robots

Wired's article "Nintendogs Teach Us New Tricks" points out something I didn't think before: AI (artificial intelligence) and robots draw out the human meet-the-need instinct.

Things like Roomba and Grand Challenge show the potential for robots but they have very narrow focus and purpose. Robots like Aibo and Tamagotchi awaken our instinct to care right out of us.

Foundation of Ajax

Few weeks back I was wishing that there were books on Ajax but couldn't find any. Then few days later, out of the blue, the publisher of Foundation of Ajax wrote to me to offer the book for review for free and a chance to get the printed version. So, I read the first chapter and I was very impressed with how everything was described for someone who has some programming background but isn't familiar with all the technologies which comes together to make Ajax work. At least it was a good intro for me who knows some html (and lots of C/C++/Assembly and Java).

Unfortunately, I don't have the time to read the rest of the book since I want to look into other technologies. So I don't plan on finishing it...

Fun with Functional Programming

I read about "-Ofun" (via /.) and started reading up on Haskell, but I have to bookmark it as yet another thing I want to learn but may not have time for....

PDF: not having your way

I like "PDF annotator": it sounds like it allows some control to the user (with Tablet PC support). However, it is good only for adding comments rather than giving true control to the user: I can't see a PDF the way I want to view it rather than what the PDF author wants to see.

I read about FOP and was taken back: why do people want to fix a web page into PDF? I want more flexibility, not locked into a static view. I realize that authors want to control their written materials but in the world of music mashing ("mash-up" or "bootleg" or just "boot"), you want to mix and match other people's work. So extending mashing to video or even raw text or, programs or software source, makes perfect sense to me. PDF goes backwards: it locks in not only the text but even the formatting, too! The only thing the user can control is how much to zoom in or out!

[software mashing (swashing?): what a concept! What does that mean? You can't just jumble the source lines. At some block or functional level would make sense but you never know...]

AJAX vs XUL

The link above has some discussion of AJAX vs XUL I found interesting. I don't know what to think. XUL isn't quite what I'm looking for (AJAX is for sure not something I'm really looking for -- I'll write more about AJAX). Being multi-platform is least of my worries. Which is why Smalltalk appeals to me since I don't have to worry about the machine details.

In and Out, and redundancy too: thoughts of an insomniac

I have always desired to see that output become input. For example, when I print a number or draw a picture, I want to turn the result into an input for an equation or animate my drawing. With spreadsheet, I can print a result based on some equation but I'm not able to start with a number and help me create an equation which will calculate the number (I'm not sure if I am expressing my thoughts well, here).

What I want is a meta control: for example, if I want to print a page, I want the meta-control to allow me to copy the file to another computer or removable media (USB memory drive, etc.) or email the page to another person. (Web pages have links for printing and email and maybe even saving the page but that's at the discretion of the web host, not the user.)

With meta++, there would be some scripting language to allow control over the meta action to take place (like, go through my email addressbook and send to all the males on my list).

Side note: I guess the problem with object oriented scripting is that you need an object to work with but scripting is all action with no defined object.

I have many gripes with browsing: I want to be able to view a page or two in my own way: sometimes I want to tile the windows since I want to copy data from one page to another. I also want the ability to work with PDF and MS.Doc file as a web page. And some scripting or meta++ to manipulate the web(-like) pages. I also don't like the cookie system where they assume that I only need one -- I might share my session with my family or I may want to maintain multiple ID (to control spam or isolate the source of spam or just redundency).

And talking about redundency, due to overload of spam on mail servers, some emails seem to get dropped so having multiple email addresses (with different service providers like gmail and hotmail or AOL and earthlink) and being able to deal with multiple (like reply to sender will have 2 or more To: email address) would ensure that one of the copies would get to you. Another thing is if I want to share email with my wife, it's not so easy to make sure people who send or reply to us enter both names. Maybe if it was easy enough to switch ID's like the way Mozilla Thunderbird works, it may make sense to create an email address for both of us and switch between individual and dual email as needed.

There are tools like nbor which suppose to allow you to do "anything" but in a limited way. The other extreme are programming languages that really let you do everything but you have to start from scratch (OK, Smalltalk and other interpreted language allow you change stuff but that's not normal). Something like Mozilla (with XUL) may allow changes but not as easily as I have in mind above. I still think OOP is the way to go but has its limitation (where an object has to be specific rather than nebulous, like when dealing with scripting language).

Open web is the buzz

According to "Echoes of the boom" article, the hot trend is for open communication between users on the web. It's taking the Amazon and ebay feedback to the next level: using maps to collect and organize feedbacks.

Somehow the control is still with the web providers, not the users. I want to see the control given back to the users (which will mean the services will lose control and even loss of revenue). I don't have a clear idea yet but I would want to control the organizing myself directly rather than via some service provider. Not only data view but data control (processing) and even data input.

Much thoughts are going all over: true democracy is putting power back to the people not some election "officials," decentralization of computer power allows people to control their computing needs (but being removed with centralization of computing with systems like ClearCube).

Security as a weapon

"Web attack extorts by encryption" is both funny and sad: funny how security is used as a weapon (your data is encrypted and help hostage until payment is made for decryption key/program). Sad how encryption isn't normal part of computer usage. (I'll be first to admit that I don't use any encryption but then again I don't have much info worth encrypting.)

Having encryption to prevent the data to be stolen but also making backups are sure ways to protect from such extortion attempts. If it can be done without much thought (in the background) won't it be even better?

AJAX

news.com has an article on "AJAX". Asynchronous JavaScript And XML is suppose to allow desktop like interface on web pages. Unfortunately, it requires mismash of languages and tools to make it come together. The article points out few tools:

JackeBe
ClearNova
Midnight Coders

Here are more:

Wiki on AJAX
Mozilla's guide

So we'll see how much it will take off....

We, the passive Web

Wired's "We are the Web" sort of gets what's going on but really misses the mark. Visionaries like Ted Nelson and Alan Kay were thinking about how to harness emergent computing power for the common man/child (in the 60's -- about 40 years ago). They didn't predict all the things we have now, but their ideas laid the ground work for them. (The article misses the mark in otherways but I'll save it for later.)

I particularly love the vision which Kay had/has: computers should be easy to use and program by children. And it would be all shared via network. Unfortunate thing about the web today is that it is very passive: people mostly write passive text rather than active code. (The ones being written are viruses and worms and trojan horses: not productive use of internet and coding.) Kay is trying to make Squeak (Smalltalk) sort of be that way but isn't so obvious: most people have never heard of Kay or Squeak. Java and JavaScript are well heard of since 1995, but Smalltalk never got traction even though the latter has been around since the 1970's.

I believe that Smalltalk/Squeak still has the potential but the first step seems too hard: trying it out and see it work. I downloaded Stagecast for my sons and after going through the tutorial of about half a day, they were able to write simple games. Stagecast's free version has limits which they quickly reached. So, I wanted to get them to real programming with Squeak but I haven't been able to find such tutorial so I need to search more intensely or write my own.

I don't know how to make programming successful yet but I hope to make time to teach my sons and do some trial and error with them. Unfortunately we are busy trying to downsize our home (we have a contract for our current home and are looking for next home) and I was unemployed the whole month of Sept (will start a contract job next week).