While we’ve been building out our new redundant infrastructure for energysys.com, I’ve been using the Get Console iPad app quite extensively, in combination with the Redpark C2-RJ45 console cable. The latter seems expensive to me, and the lack of protection of the RJ-45 pin is disappointing given it will probably be thrown in a bag with other cables, but it does the job.
General
Choosing DigiCert over Verisign
Our current SSL certificate is provided by Verisign, and we’ve had it for three years now. It’s coming up for renewal, and we wanted to add extended validation(EV). The cost on the web site made me pause, but you can’t go wrong with Verisign can you? Besides, it had to be worth contacting them to see if we could cut a deal, as we wanted to go to EV, and probably get another certificate too. Hmmm…
The cloud: Why not, not why
When I do presentations of energysys.com, and I show how good it is and how it can transform a company’s business, I’m often asked whether it can be installed locally, and why we’re delivering our solution in the cloud. The answer to the first question is “no”, but the second question requires a more considered response. Why, indeed, do we deliver our solution for production reporting and allocation in the cloud?
Why saving is so last century….
When Palm, Inc produced the Palm Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) way back in 1996, they were revolutionary in many ways.
First and foremost, they simply worked. Pop your Palm in the bundled cradle, press the button, and your calendar, contacts and other information were in sync with your desktop, and you had a complete backup.
Secondly, the Palm really was small enough to slip in the pocket. The Psion Series 5, which came along in 1997, was a brick in comparison, though the fact it had a keyboard was sufficient to convince many of its merits. Personally, I found the Palm’s weird, shorthand notation for text entry to be easy to learn and extremely fast.
Java Returns to the Mac
As I discussed in my recent blog post, Oracle and Apple have reached an agreement that ensures the continuation of Java on the Mac. In essence, Apple are going to drop the majority, if not all, of their code into an OpenJDK project, and this will allow Oracle to supply future versions of Java on Mac OS X.
The Dyson Airblade is impressive
If you live in the UK (I’m not sure how far these little beasties have travelled) then you’ve almost certainly encountered one of Dyson’s Airblades in a toilet or rest room near you. In the past, not that many years ago, hand dryers were weak and wimpy affairs, which seemed designed to do little more than push the water up your arms so that the sleeves of your shirt or jersey would absorb the moisture. No real drying went on. Then came Dyson, with his big engine and novel “no rubbing” design.
Java on the Apple Mac [UPDATED]
The recent announcement by Apple that the “Java runtime ported by Apple and that ships with Mac OS X is deprecated” has caused some concern and rather extreme responses. As a company that has recently invested heavily in Apple hardware for our development team, it might seem that we have fallen victim to the latest idiosyncratic or autocratic move from Apple and Steve Jobs. However, while I do think the story has implications, I don’t think it’s particularly troubling or consequential, except to those for whom the announcement is reinforcement of whatever particular world view they support (for example, is it proof that Java is dying, or evidence that Apple doesn’t understand the enterprise, or developers?).
Oracle versus Google
James Gosling clearly joins the wider development community in condemning Oracle’s decision to pursue Google over alleged wilful patent violation. It’s hard to argue with such esteemed commentators, and I do share an aversion to software patents, though less so to closed source (and I do understand they’re linked). However, I do think that most of the arguments reflect a particular world view, and it’s definitely not one that Oracle shares.
Why I was wrong about the iPad…
I was in London on the day they launched the iPad in the UK, the queue wasn’t long, and… what can I say? I’m now the proud owner of an iPad. Despite the apparent impulsive nature of the purchase, I had actually thought fairly long and hard about it and decided that Apple’s newest baby really could represent a game changer in every sense.
Does the BCS meet the needs of its members?
I’ve been a member of the BCS for a long time, and attended the meetings of some of the special interest groups over the years. My company has spent some time with SFIA and SFIAplus models as a potential basis for staff development and CPD. Incidentally, the abbreviation SFIA stands for Skills Framework for the Information Age, and I think you’d get extra points if you identified when the Information Age began (I’m not sure, but it’s possible that it may already be over?). Through all that, I’ve steadfastly maintained my belief that standards in the software industry have to improve, that CPD is essential, and that there’s a value in establishing something like a chartered status for those who demonstrate attainment of appropriate experience and expertise. I also maintained the thought that the BCS was the best vehicle we had for delivering all of this. Sadly, I’ve been consistently disappointed.
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