Software application development
This blog is intended to provoke discussion and exchange between like minded software application developers, engineers, architects, project managers - and keen hobbyists too.
Monday 14 January 2008, 12:34 PM
The development double-helix answer to Vista upgrade headaches
Being an Apple devotee but still a techy at heart I find it more painful than most to discuss the topic of Vista upgrades (or maybe we all share the same pain regardless huh?) – so I’ve been doing a little reading on application DNA to see if getting a hold on the “development double-helix” (hey – I should market that) might hold the answer, or least part of it.
Certain breeds of Vista upgrade or migration testing solutions (and in particular those that can accommodate testing of non-MSI applications) appear to favour the option to build new virtualisation modules that will fingerprint application DNA and highlight those applications that are suitable for virtualisation under Microsoft’s Softgrid. This seems like a logical move – as many will know, MSI is the standard file format for distribution of apps in a Windows environment (kind of like the same thing as RPM for Linux), so a stripped back to the core approach makes sense.
Vaguely sceptical as I am as to whether these “Vista migration for enterprise” companies are secretly funded by dark forces emanating from the northwest corner of Washington state, the case for assessing application compatibility before migration is a strong one which ever way you cut it.
One player in this space is AppDNA with its AppTitude 2.0 product which claims to be the first automated application compatibility testing solution to provide support for applications that aren’t in the Windows Installer format (non-MSI).
I’ll spare you the details on speed, cost and customer, customer, customer etc… and make mention of the fact that I found interesting. This product analyses an entire software application portfolio and highlights those applications which are poor candidates for virtualisation and so produces a report on the issues arising. In addition, it can identify the interdependencies between applications to give the CIO grouping control.
So, with this kind of solution in mind I’m starting to hear more and more about what you might even call “application forsensics” (damn, I should market that too!) as start to look at fingerprinting capabilities. Migration solutions need to be able to examine details of the file and registry components across all applications, including non-MSI executables, meaning that companies planning Vista OS migration can assess the extent of any incompatibility issues and plan remedial action accordingly.
AppDNA stood out to me when I started looking into this subject, but if you know of others (or think that what I’ve detailed here is weak) then do let me know. The leaders in this segment will (I think) be able to boast the ability to analyse both install and runtime issues, work at a layer of granularity below that of any human testing and (as mentioned several times) work at a non-MSI level. Will those factors allow us to develop the perfect Vista application migration panacea? Don’t count on it.
Thursday 10 January 2008, 7:36 PM
Does BA re-boot its planes?
Grrr… is it just me? Or have you people also been sat at 34,000 feet enjoying your ‘Worcester Sauce’ flavour pretzel bites and G&Ts while tuning into the new BA video on-demand service only to be told that the system needs to be re-booted so that little Jimmy in seat 67F can watch Finding Nemo properly?
“It should only take about 20 minutes,” said the Cabin Service Director.
Do you really think they should have rolled it out with so many potential flaws?
… and another thing, BA Highlife magazine this month says the Top Gear Polar Challenge is installed – and it’s not. Integration please BA.
… and while I’m ranting, if a “random” computer service is used to select passengers for the BA on-board questionnaire, is that a good thing? I’ve done about twenty in the last year or two. They must know by now that I think their bacon sandwiches in the lounge are superb and the toilets are a bit messy.
Sorry – I like BA, they fly nice safe planes and are all nice people. Never write a blog with jet lag like I just did.
Tuesday 8 January 2008, 3:41 PM
CES Las Vegas Software Selection – Slim Pickings?
What is it about events in Las Vegas? Every vendor out there loves ‘em. Nicotine stained casinos, eternally long lines of wasted buffet food, long connecting corridors between never-ending meeting room locations. Give me Florida, London or anywhere on the Continent anytime. Still, size matters and Vegas has size in spades -- and money talks I guess.
Anyway, there’s plenty of news out there on the web for those who did or didn’t attend CES Las Vegas this week. But it’s hard for a software application development journalist to dig into many of these announcements as CES is, for the most part, rather more about showcasing products in their final form rather than explaining how they work.
For example, emanating from the partners of the Microsoft Auto platform PR engine room, Fiat unveiled an EcoDrive concept that enables drivers to minimise their impact on the environment by collecting data through a Blue&Me infotainment (if you will) USB gate and allows them to measure and compare their CO2 emissions via a web-based software solution. For this show that’s about as much as you can expect to learn – for more on how Blue&Me is a modular, updateable, voice-driven system typical of the type of work that is putting ever more technology into next-gen cars, you’ll have to do your own homework.
The Gibson Robot Guitar received a “Best of Show” honour on Sunday. All I could find out about this was that it is one of the most, “Trend setting, exciting and promising products of the year.” I’m sorry I asked.
Of more substance was news that Yahoo outlined a new mobile ecosystem strategy designed to allow developers and publishers new options to develop applications that can be planted on Yahoo pages and accessed on many different mobile handsets (as opposed to the software ‘stack’ approach behind Google Android or the customised device approach that Apple has opted for). The company’s Yahoo! Go 3.0 mobile home page is currently in Beta and early previews of its Mobile Developer Platform have put more meat on the bones for Jerry Yang’s vision to realign Yahoo’s position on the web.
So will CES continue to reside in Las Vegas (or as I once heard a flight attendant refer to it – “Lost Wages”) in all perpetuity? The Las Vegas Sun reports that exhibitors are becoming embittered over the rising cost of show attendance and all its associated costs. Will we see CES 2009 in Orlando with a special software engineering stream? Don’t push it.
Thursday 3 January 2008, 2:48 PM
Call for papers now open: scam or substance?
As expected this week, as soon as we had shrugged off our new years hangovers, the 2008 software development conference season publicity programme kicked into gear. Whether you are thinking of heading to Boston, Moscone, Vegas or Orlando – no doubt you’ll be getting your “call for papers” e-mails pretty soon.
After a good number of years touring and reporting on these symposia I am beginning to question the validity of some of the presentations. Most shrewd attendees expect to be fed a corporate smorgasbord at the keynote/plenary sessions and Microsoft’s PDC opener from Mr G is compelling stuff whether you like his company or not.
But, after the unquestionably valuable hands-on lab workshops and demonstrations, when it comes to the break out technical and business sessions I have noticed an encroaching number of so-called “consultants” who present and “share” their technical expertise in front of an audience that may have had no more than a couple of paragraphs briefing on the session’s content before they decided to attend. All too often, these are not direct employees of the main vendor, but presenters lured by the prospect of a chance to showboat their latest “innovations” while they network in the main hall areas and feverishly shell out business cards.
Red Hat’s position within the Linux and Open Source community almost certainly elevates the company above my previous cynical comment, but the company’s Boston Summit in June has already announced that call for papers closes on Feb 8. Will all the presenters be there from a philanthropic point of technological evangelism? Or will one or two be lured by the promise that, “Each presenter will receive a complimentary conference pass good for all sessions, keynotes, events and conference-sponsored meals.”
Sceptical? Moi?
Wednesday 2 January 2008, 6:59 PM
169.IP address issues
(Sub headline: Blogger on the beach: fighting the rising tide of cyber dependency)
I actually started the thought process for this blog while holidaying in a beachside cabana in Bermuda. Hugely impressed by the fact that the main hotel reception’s wireless signal could just about reach out as far as it did I began sending snaps home and watching the football results online with some glee.
Foolishly – however, after two days of connected bliss - instead of just closing up my Mac PowerBook G4 and putting it to sleep. I opted to shut down and turn it off completely. Upon restart, could I get the machine to talk to the wireless signal as strong as it was? I could not.
Now, I may not be a networking specialist, but I have travelled far and wide with this machine and reset AIRPORT and NETWORK PREFERENCES a billion times and always managed to get re-connected. As a cold sweat warmed up and my case of cyber dependency took hold I played and played with the settings getting an IP address assigned to me with no problem, but it would not allow me to connect the dots and complete the picture.
Back home now, Mr Mac decides that my home signal is fine and all is peachy. Thinking back, I may have come unstuck like this once before. As I understand it, this situation may be down to a 169.IP address being assigned by the DHCP server. In a public area where I could not simply ask the hotel to reboot their router for me as one guest among many I was stuck. I could not find a way to manually override things from my end, so if anyone knows more than I do I’d love to hear about it.
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