Visualized Algorithm

"Improved Sorting Algorithm" page allows you to see visually how various sorting algorithm works. Very cool way to see how something works.

Another take is a 4004 chip sim which simulates the running of a chip on schematics. Not quite what I want: I want to visually see the main components of the computer (registers, cache, memory and core processor elements (like ALU)) and see my program run. Better yet, I want to debug my program and see where things are flowing within my computer!

Open Development instead of Source

What hit me today is that why limit openness to just the source? Why not requirements, architecture, design, test plan, etc.?

On the other hand, as one of my former bosses pointed out, what makes one company special from others is its unique understanding of the customer requirements. So in that sense, a set of requirements is what makes a company core trade secret.

Copyright 2006, DannyHSDad, All Rights Reserved.

C a must for programmers?

Here's "Ten reasons why every programmer should learn C."

As almost exclusively C programmer, it makes me proud to confirm my 19+ career but it isn't end all language. Easy to code simple stuff but abstractions are hard to do and programs are hard to debug and maintain (thanks to pointers). There is no easy answer.... yet.... (grin)

Copyright 2006, DannyHSDad, All Rights Reserved.

Wii's got potential

I purchased Wii's (one for use and another for ebay) this past weekend and the little I tried seemed to have potential. Some reviewers thinks so, too:

• Controllers a little bit dorky, but Wii has got potential
• In the Wii-PS3 Playoff, Nintendo Upsets Sony on the Fun Factor
• Nintendo Wii, the Surprise-Winner of the Console War?
• Getting Everybody Back in the Game
• Why Wii Won
  

Copyright, 2006, DannyHSDad, All Rights Reserved

Easy Programming is the vogue

"Rolling your own applications: Thanks to a handful of startups, building your own software program will soon be as easy as snapping together Legos, Business 2.0 columnist Om Malik reports." It sounded too good to be true and it is: It's about building web based applications.

Unfortunately, it's not what I have in mind: easy to code and easy to see why it works the way it works and easy to see how to improve or fix problems. And it should work on computer as well as on the web (but a web program has limitations, in my opinion).

Copyright 2006, DannyHSDad, All Rights Reserved.

PS3: finally selling in Japan

"Japanese brave the elements for Sony's PS3: The latest PlayStation goes on sale in Tokyo. "I'll play it all through the weekend. No time for meals," says one gamer."

So after the long wait, it is finally on sale and available (even here in the US: search for Japanese PS3 on ebay).

On a related note, USA Today has 4 recommendations for the new systems:Wii, Xbox 360, PS3 and just wait and see.

Will I buy one? Maybe next year? I'd wait until the prices stabilizes and more games are out and I hope to buy a region free version. We currently have Japanese PS2, Game Cube, US PS1 and various handhelds (GBA, SP, DS lite (2)). We'll probably end up with Wii this year....

Copyright 2006, DannyHSDad, All Rights Reserved.

Take the Data with You? Why not the tools?

"WEB 2.0: Google CEO: Take your data and run" seems like a good idea but all wrong.

If it was all personal data, then it makes sense. But as soon as companies get involved, it ain't so simple. What if you have mixture of work and personal stuff in gmail?

But even more importantly, if I go to work, I can't take any data nor written code with me when I quit [I'm sure if was at google, I would be treated the same way]. Which is fair enough.

However, I believe that programming tools that programmers write on their own [or even on company time] should be owned by the programmer not the company. As long as the programming tool does not contain any propriety code/data, it should belong to the programmer since it helps him to be a better programmer. [I kind of like the idea of using emacs for this reason: I can customize it, knowing that I can take those changes with me onto my next job.]

Copyright 2006, DannyHSDad, All Rights Reserved.

Alice: Potential Programming

Last night, I've downloaded their tool and tried few of their demo's and I'm impressed. So much that I've ordered two Alice books: Learning To Program With Alice and Alice: An Introduction to Programming Using Virtual Reality. Will blog more as I [and my sons] try it out...

Copyright 2006, DannyHSDad All Rights Reserved.

VMX Builder Tutorial

"VMX Builder: Create virtual machines in minutes" seems like a simple way to build your VM using VMware tools. I don't have Linux up and running quite yet: I've installed Fedora Core 6 but haven't tried internet connection yet wired or wireless. Linux is such a pain when it comes to hardware driver....

OpenMoko: yet another Linux phone

"A truly open Linux phone with GPS debuts: Openmoko opens up the airwaves" sounds like a fun product to work on. /. as usual has already torn it apart.

Besides, how to make money is whole different problem I haven't figured out yet...

Update: LinuxDevices has a good article with slides from the presentation.

Copyright, 2006, DannyHSDad, All Rights Reserved

Programming via Animation: Alice

"Sims lend a hand to budding programmers: Alice authoring software gets video game makeover" seems very ineresting. The latest version of Alice is 2.0 and 1.5 years old.

I'll try it out [if not my sons, first]....

Open Source means less original code?

/. has "No More Coding From Scratch?" where open source code [and all other code] are mined to be reused in projects and not much new code would be written.

I don't know about that: as long as technology changes, new code will have to be written esp. since translating from one language to another is non-trivial and even if it was possible, such code is rarely easy to maintain.

Copyright 2006, DannyHSDad, All Rights Reserved.

Wish for cloth stapler

I wanted to fix my pants and wished for something as simple as stapler but put cloth together that will withstand washings [not get rusted nor be gooey like glue gun nor be hard like super glue]. I did some search and found mini stitcher which isn't what I'm looking for: I don't need a miniature sewing machine. I want something quick and simple like a stapler [so sewing machine is out, although I may buy one just to get my job done], yet not unlike steel staples.

Copyright, 2006, DannyHSDad, All Rights Reserved.

i-tired: internet's downsides

It seems that people are getting burned out: "Social sites becoming too much of a good thing: Many young folks burning out on online sharing" And some people are disappointed that Internet didn't turn out what was promised 10+ years ago: "Pornography, gambling, lies, theft and terrorism: The Internet sucks: Where did we go wrong?"

So the internet isn't the answer too all things and there are negative sides to the Web: what's new? Internet is just another tool which can be used for good or evil. It's all matter of how you use it.

Copyright, 2006, DannyHSDad, All Rights Reserved.

Parakey: Firefox "creator" starts new project

"The Firefox Kid: Blake Ross helped make Firefox one of the biggest open-source success stories ever. Just wait until you see what he's up to now".

Parakey is intended to be a platform for tools that can manipulate just about anything on your hard drive—e-mail, photos, videos, recipes, calendars. In fact, it looks like a fairly ordinary Web site, which you can edit. You can go online, click through your files and view the contents, even tweak them. You can also check off the stuff you want the rest of the world to be able to see. Others can do so by visiting your Parakey site, just as they would surf anywhere else on the Web. Best of all, the part of Parakey that’s online communicates with the part of Parakey running on your home computer, synchronizing the contents of your Parakey pages with their latest versions on your computer. That means you can do the work of updating your site off-line, too. Friends and relatives—and hackers—do not have direct access to your computer; they’re just visiting a site that reflects only the portion of your stuff that you want them to be able to see.

The article is a good read on what ideas are being put together for Parakey. Sounds to me they are moving in the right direction of making computer easier to use. However, easy to use has been so widely abused that I don't know what to expect until I see it. Interestingly, they're working on yet another language: JUL or Just another User-interface Language.

Meanwhile, I want to create my own language to make programming easier. Unlike JUL or XUL or other user interface oriented languages, I want to focus on easy to program, debug, maintain and test. I hear that Ruby has somewhat of that kind of framework but Ruby is a server side web programming language.

Copyright, 2006, DannyHSDad, All Rights Reserved.