Android Market in many ways is a great feature of the Android platform allowing users to download apps from a vast repository and taking care of the issues that would make it difficult for small-time developers to release their apps in any other way. I also think the Android Licensing system is a good move [...]
Archive of posts filed under the Opinions and Observations category.
Android To Do List – Organisa Lite v1.0 is out
Version 1.0 of my first Android App called Organisa Lite has been released onto the Android Market. The app is a to do list / task management tool with facilities to export and share workspaces as well as update the Android calendar with the important dates and notes added. For more information, see mobile.intelligent-architectures.co.uk
Could the world of software be drifting away from everything else?
The Oracle lawsuit against Google for infringement of various software patents has sparked huge debate about software based litigation and indeed prompted many to question the overall nature of the software industry in relation to the context of the world in which we live. At the crux of all major issues relating to the advancement [...]
Oracle claim Google Android infringement of Java Intellectual Property
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-10961705 A worrying development that raises concerns about the way in which Oracle might proceed to treat technologies that use Java. Presumably they are objecting to usage of similar programming patterns (or android compatible versions of Java API classes) that exist in the Java language?
A bird in the hand…
Lately I’ve been thinking about different types of software businesses and the strategies they use to make money. You might initially think: well that’s simple – write software, sell software, make money. In actual fact the manner in which software companies do turn a profit varies incredibly. Some ‘startups’ make all their money out of [...]
The Android SDK – a quick run-down of the features and quirks involved in developing android applications
Firstly, in comparison to most other big tech companies google are great at helping developers get the most out of their APIs and software development kits. They obviously try quite hard to make developing applications using their technologies as straightforward as possible. However some of the features they do implement such as virtual testing environments, while [...]
Is leaving an online legacy a good thing?
Although this may be somewhat morbid subject matter, it is an important issue relating to todays socially networked and internet centric culture in highly developed countries. To begin with you might think that the fact that your online presence is likely to outlive you is a somewhat comforting one – after all most people would [...]
Staying on the ball at work… keeping your mind fresh
It’s important to be aware of your productivity at work and the factors that can affect it. I thought I’d share some tips I find particularly useful as a software developer to be aware of, although these can apply to countless other jobs. Any work can be potentially mentally taxing, but software development can be [...]
Hacking spam bots and web crawlers
Unless you’re someone that actually writes and benefits from these things, you could look at the vast quantity of unsolicited rogue bots and web crawlers as a huge nuisance. However even if you are on the receiving end of such unrelenting software, you could also view it as an opportunity to turn the situation on [...]
EU plan to make technology more ‘open’… Is legislating on technology realistic?
http://news.slashdot.org/story/10/07/01/160239/EU-Plans-To-Make-Apple-Adobe-and-Others-Open-Up It seems the EU are interested in introducing legislation to make big tech companies open up their technologies by using standard formats and interoperable interfaces. On one hand this vision of the future seems like a bright one, but on the other there is a big question as to whether it is really realistic [...]
Virtual Machines – the open source way
Today I spent a few minutes checking out VirtualBox which is Sun/Oracle’s open source Virtual Machine (VM) system which is free for home use. Once downloaded you can visit http://virtualboxes.org for a large number of OS disk images which are relatively easily installed. I did have to edit the XML file it puts into your [...]
Mobile Devices – niche products versus. the features checklist
By now really, much as I have a dislike for gimmicks, I cannot deny that mobile devices are a ubiquitous part of everyday life. Nearly everyone in the UK has a computer on their person, and that computer is likely to have a powerful processor, an updatable Operating System, numerous pieces of software, several databases, [...]
The importance of communication
The last few days has provided an interesting lesson in the importance of communication when designing systems and developing business ideas. By now I’ve had chance to discuss some of my own ideas with a variety of people and its proved very useful both from my point of view clarifying what I’m attempting to achieve [...]
Google you’ve changed!
Interestingly Google have not only altered their look recently, they’ve changed some aspects of the core functionality too. Unfortunately for me this means some of my web-sites don’t seem to get listed as highly as they used to and my inevitable bias is telling me that this change is bad! In fact, I can’t help [...]
Apple really love a lock-in
Picture the scene – you’re at your favorite bar or pub, everyone’s cheery and the drinks they serve are superb. Last orders has been called and you don’t want the night to end: along comes the manager and guess what – he’s declaring a lock-in, fantastic! But then consider this rather different scenario – you’re in a [...]
OZ – the vastly different programming language
I finally took some time recently to inspect a language I’d been intrigued by for a while. That language is OZ, the implementation of which is called the Mozart Programming System. It is a self described multi-paradigm programming language. This concept both arouses curiosity and suspicion in me. My curiosity being that there is a possibility that [...]
Relationship between the government and the software industry
So a general election has been called in the UK and party political campaigns are well underway, which has made me think about many issues related to how I will use my own vote. In the back of my mind though there is a subset of these issues that is entirely related to my line [...]
Gap between industry and academia in computing
While it’s a subject that follows on from my previous post and could be debated at great length, I just thought I’d comment on a perfect little example. Firstly I must start by saying the computing industry and computing research are inevitably inextricably linked and in many areas research leads to breakthroughs used in industry, [...]
Bad programming practice inherent in student assignments?
I’ve been contemplating with some disillusionment the practice of ignoring poor quality program design inherent in the assignments of many computing courses. When we are asked to focus on one particular skill just to ‘get the job done’, it seems that we’re losing something in ignoring the bigger picture, especially when you consider that there [...]
Appropriate web marketing and ‘the flashy web’
My recent launch of a new web site has led my mind down the path of considering marketing approaches on the web, particularly for ‘high-tech’ businesses. There is a current trend amongst professional business web sites in that many fall either side of the style / function dichotomy. The biggest and best organisations tend to [...]
