Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Category: Technology Page 12 of 14

Biggs On: Why Microsoft Is Dying

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On June 4, 2012

In Biggs On, Technology

Despite the fact that I make my living providing Microsoft solutions using .NET, many know that I have never been a big fan of Microsoft. I stated that because I want to be upfront about my past feelings and that I am going to try not to let those feelings influence this topic. I am going to discuss this based on my interpretation of the evidence I see in the industry today. I think that Microsoft is no longer a leader but frantically playing catch-up instead.

Windows OS – It took Microsoft 7 versions to finally get Windows right (with Windows 7) and now they are going to screw it all up with Windows 8. While I have heard that the latest beta build of Windows 8 is much more stable, people are still struggling with its interface. It’s not very intuitive on a desktop which is what I had been saying since the beginning. It’s the Microsoft curse that every “even” version of Windows is garbage. Unfortunately for Microsoft the OS is the only thing they have left in the PC market that may be generating revenue, though unfortunately for us Windows is the only OS we can buy for a PC. Although, more and more people are switching to Apple.

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App Spotlight: SWTOR Tools

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On May 1, 2012

In App Spotlight

I found another app that I have been enjoying. This one is going to be for a pretty specific audience though. Obviously you will need to have an iPhone and/or iPad (I’m not sure if this is available for non-iOS devices) and you will need to be playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. If you are neither of these then you probably won’t find this app very useful. If, on the other hand, you are a total iPad geek (*raises hand*) and you love playing SWTOR, then I highly recommend spending the $0.99 on this app! The app includes updated information on all companions, classes, skill calculators and datacrons.

The screens for classes and companions is purely informational. There is an overview and descriptions of each advanced class, so its kind of handy if you are still trying to decide what to roll or what advanced class to pick. The nice thing about the screens for the companions is that it is one of the few sources I have found that actually list the companions in the order in which you will receive them. Obviously it also briefly summarizes the information provided in the codex. It will show you armor type, primary skills and which gifts they prefer.

The skill calculator screen is probably the best part of this app, and the place where I can waste most of my time just goofing around. You will get to choose any of the advanced classes and construct your build just like you would do if you were at TORHead’s skill calculator. The best part is you can save the build to reference again later and you can save multiple builds for multiple characters.

A recent update has made the datacrons screen much more useful. This screen not only will show up what datacron (or matrix crystal) exists on each planet but, when you tap on an item in the list it will provide a text explanation of where to find the datacron. I do wish there were video links because trying to find the datacron using text descriptions is confusing. I think the part I like most about the datacrons screen is that you can load a saved character (from the skill calculation screen) and you can check off which datacron you have for each of your toons.

My iPad has always predominately been a business tool (and a testing guinea pig for my own apps) but this app has made it a handy gamer tool (well, at least for SWTOR). I would really like to see similar apps for other MMOs, like World of Warcraft (I don’t find the armory app appealing because I don’t always have my authenticator with me if I want to log in when I am away from my computer).

SWTOR Tools should be available for download from the iTunes App Store for $0.99.

Enjoy!

App Spotlight: TurboScan (& NotesPlus)

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On March 30, 2012

In App Spotlight

Perhaps this will be a new category on my blog because I have been playing around with various apps, some are free, some you have to pay for (I’m also starting to write a few of my own). Honestly I rarely pay for an app unless I am certain that I will get the appropriate use out of it for even the $0.99 that I pay for it. However, when an app comes around that really gets the geek tingling, I feel like I should share it with others. After all, I think the best way news of an app is spread is through word of mouth. I hope, one day, someone will do this with an app I write.

A co-worker encouraged me to download an app called TurboScan. It is an iPhone app for now, though I can see there being an iPad version for the new iPad. Basically this app “scans” a document using the phone’s camera (so you will probably have the best results with the iPhone 4 or 4S). If you use the Sure Scan 3x feature, you have better results with the scan. Sure Scan 3x takes three pictures of the document and essentially creates the best possible scan of the document using a merge of the three photos.

I think this app is great. The quality of the scan is almost undeniable and you can sync it with iTunes File Sharing, Dropbox, Evernote, or email it as a PDF. This app becomes an excellent business tool when coupled with NotesPlus (v3), which I use all the time at work. I can scan in a requirements document, e-mail it to my iPad and load the PDF into NotesPlus where I can add additional annotations just like I would to the printed document.

TurboScan should be available to download from the iTunes App Store and costs $1.99. As I mentioned above, it is only available for the iPhone (as of the date of this post).

Check it out!

Humor Helps

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On March 1, 2012

In General Cogitation, Programming

As I have said in the past, I have been in the software development industry for nearly 10 years now. Currently I am working for a consulting firm which means I am often placed at various clients around the city in need of Enterprise Microsoft Solutions. I have worked for some pretty big clients and I have talked to some pretty important people at those clients. I have learned a very important and undeniable truth, humor helps.

I will not deny that it’s more important to be serious when its appropriate. You should not crack jokes in front of a Vice-President, CEO or any other high ranking personnel. However, I think its also important to allow the lighter side of your personality to come through and I believe this for two reasons: building rapport and dealing with stress.

It’s rare when I leave a client that I don’t have well over a dozen people coming to me to say farewell. I know one of my strengths is building a good rapport with everyone. I believe its my humor that helps build these relationship. How many times is it suggested that a joke be used as an ice-breaker? Humor is a natural ice-breaker, it helps quell nervous behavior. Granted I don’t walk into a client the first day and start making jokes, I think its important to warm up to people first and find out what kind of humor is appropriate. The wrong kind of humor will have the opposite effect.

Every workplace will go through periods of high stress. It’s inevitable. The curse of professionalism is the better you are at your job the more work you are expected to do in a shorter period of time. If you are going to survive the day you need to have a way to let go of the stress. When I notice my team is really stressed out, that is usually when I increase the jests. Similar to ice-breakers, the humor quells the nerves and helps relieve the tension, even if its only temporary. I say its far better to laugh in the face of stress instead of wanting to hang yourself.

Remember, humor is a tool and just like any tool, if used improperly can cause more harm then good. If you joke too much then people won’t take you seriously. If you say the wrong thing, make the wrong joke, that can have an even greater adverse affect. This is why I take some time to get to know the people I am working with first.

Cheers!

Soapbox: Programming Is NOT For Everyone

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On January 13, 2012

In Programming, Soapbox

I read an article on CNN where the author seems to think that Americans should learn to write computer code just as they learn to read and write. In fact the guy has started an online “academy” to teach people how to write code … For Free!! I’m sorry but I completely disagree with what this guy wants to do. The ability to write software is far too advanced of a skill to compare it to learning to read. In fact it’s insulting to suggest that programming is that simple. I obtained a four year degree to learn to develop software; granted a four year degree isn’t necessarily required, but thats only if you have a gifted background in computers and/or programming.

I do agree with the guy on one of the points. It would be a benefit, as a software developer, if people understood what went into developing a piece of software. If that were the only reason to offer this academy then I wouldn’t have a problem. Sadly that isn’t the case. Any putz can participate in the online tutorials and suddenly they are “qualified” to write software. The concept, in my opinion, is absolutely ludicrous and frightening.

I appreciate the authors concern that America is losing its competitive advantage but the last thing we need is a bunch of hillbillies thinking they can write robust and effective code. I hate to sound like an elitist but if a company is in need of a competent programmer, and they have to choose between someone with a four year degree and someone who took an online tutorial … Who do you think will get the job?

/end soapbox

For Newbie iOS Developers

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On January 5, 2012

In Apple, Programming, Technology

After talking to a good friend of mine who had several questions for me on how one would get started developing iOS apps, I thought my advice was worth putting into a post. After all, I’m still a bit of a newbie iOS developer myself. So I thought I would share my experiences for other aspiring developers while all of the steps are still fresh in my mind.

The IDE

There are going to be some costs up front, especially if you don’t own a Mac. The IDE for developing iOS applications is Xcode and it can only run on a Mac. There are some projects out there that have tried to create a windows IDE but I haven’t seen anything that was successful and wasn’t a painful process to setup. You can try running a Virtual Machine and install OS X but you might run into some hardware complications. Honestly, if you are serious about developing iOS apps, go out and buy a Mac.

iOS Developer Program

Once you have a Mac to use for development the next thing you want to get is Xcode. You can download Xcode from the Mac app store and you can either pay $4.99 or you can sign up for the iOS Developer Program and download it for free. The iOS Developer Program is an annual subscription of $99 a year. Obviously you get more amenities other than Xcode for free. If you plan on distributing your app via the app store and/or you want to deploy an app to any iOS device (including your own) you will need to sign up for this. Xcode does come with an emulator so if you want to hold off until you are more comfortable, that’s what I would recommend, but bear in mind the emulator cannot test any email or Internet/Wi-Fi functionality.

If you want to develop apps for the Mac or Safari, they each have their own developer programs and will cost you another $99 a year for each.

Recommended Readings

I know that the Internet is an abyss of developer forums, tutorials and blogs which may, or may not have sufficient information to get you started developing iOS apps. I initially started out by searching for iOS tutorials and most of the advice people had was to go out and buy a book, so I bought two. Here are the two books I bought, which I highly recommend:

Subscribing to the iOS Developer Program also gives you access to developer resources such as videos, libraries and forums. You can also get code level assistance from Apple engineers (apple developer link).

The App Store

I thought I would finish with some things to keep in mind when you go to post your app to the app store. When you submit your app it first has to be reviewed and this process can take up to seven days, depending on the complexity of the app. You are responsible for setting the price of the app; you will receive 70% of the sales revenue, Apple will take 30%. There are no additional fees for posting free apps, credit cards, hosting or marketing.

That’s all I have for now, I hope you found this useful. If more tips come to mind, I will do a part two or something. Good luck!

Cheers!

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