John Haro’s Blahg

posts from a technologist and ne'er-do-well
 

IPhone App to Sidestep AT&T? Probably not.

David Pogue of the New York Times writes about Line2, an app for the iPhone that can let you make 'free calls' over WIFI and 3G without using minutes on AT&T.  I've had 3 people so far email me a link and ask me what I think so.

I think its Google Voice, except that Apple so far seems to have decided not to swoop in and kill it.  I feel (especially since it is clearly getting attention) that it could get killed.  But then there is this other side of me that wonders... what if Jobs personally let this stick around just to totally f*** Google on Google Voice.  The "rivalry" between Apple and Google seems has reached a fever pitch (possibly just in the imagination of the press) and would'nt it be fun to think that Jobs is sitting there saying "I'm going to let this one ride just because its NOT Google".

If that or something like it were the case, it could also be a signal of a power shift between AT&T and Apple.  Early on there was no way that AT&T would want to have a phone that allowed you to avoid paying AT&T money.  Nowadays maybe AT&T will go with the flow (a.k.a. whatever Steve wants) to try and keep exclusivity with the iPhone 4.0 release.  

Will I use it?  Probably not.    And I have to pay another $15 for this service on top of the money I already give to AT&T?  At least Google Voice is 'free'.  Who wants to talk on the phone anyhow?  I'd consider getting a MMS only plan

Filed under  //   Apple   Google   technology  
Posted March 25, 2010
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Strange Tales of Software Development: Version Control

Many moons ago, in the days when "client-server programming" on Windows 3.1 was what the cool kids did, I had "some success" on my regular project and so would often get to jump in on other project teams to coach and even do some coding.  Since I always wanted to learn and do everything, this was a huge reward for me as a developer.  One team I got to jump in on was having a lot of trouble with their version control system.  They were using Visual Source Safe (at this time, it was a pretty hot, if you can believe it).  

They HATED VSS.  Despised it.  Could not stop complaining about it.  They were constantly losing code changes, accidentally deploying bugs that one developer or another would have SWORN they had fixed.  Some of the developers started to suggest that they go back to the old way of version control, which was more or less like this:
"Hey, I'm about to edit that file on the file server... Don't do anything until I tell you I'm done". And the ever popular "Who deleted my file!!".  
I knew full well, that was NOT the answer.  I had coached others on the use of version control and had not seen the types of problems this team were having.  So, I decided to sit down with one of the developers and talk to him about how he worked, and how he used VSS.  He seemed to get the mechanics of it just fine.  He understood check-in and check-out, getting the latest version and so on.  So I asked him to show me what he was currently working on and he opened up the file explorer to show me. I immediately saw where all the problems were coming from.  He had a large number of folders labeled "Copy of BlahBlah" where he would check out a file, copy it, make changes to the copy, make another copy, make changes to that copy, and so on until he was satisfied that he was done.  At that point he would check out the files again and copy his changed files over the check-out version and then do the check-in.   Turned out, in many cases he would even work on files for several days beofre 'checking it in'.  During which, any number of other developers had worked on the same file or files and he would then effectively erase their work, re-introducing 'fixed' bugs, removing new features and so on.  Once I made sure he and the rest of the team (just in case) understood not just the mechanics, but the whole POINT of version control, problems abruptly ended (or were replaced with the other well known problems VSS had, mechanically).
This person, who was a really nice guy, had his PHD in Mechanical Engineering.  See the theme here?  You can learn, or even get your doctorate, in the mechanics of anything, but real software development is about creativity and common sense.  Its hard to coach common sense, but if you happen to have an ounce of it you should do your best to share.

 

Filed under  //   software development  
Posted March 20, 2010
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The MS Office Slow Collapse Courtesy of the Google Apps Marketplace

via googleblog.blogspot.com

My prediction: Google will take over small business applications, mid sized business applications, and find ways to knock Microsoft out of of the 'enterprise'. Microsoft had better turn the ship more quickly, its going to get left behind.

Posted March 10, 2010
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D&D Pick A Path To Adventure

Posted March 10, 2010
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embarcaciones nava

via flickr.com

Posted March 7, 2010
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Will Android fragmentation destroy the platform?

via engadget.com

I've said many times before, that I think the answer to this questions is YES. I'm not anti-android, i just foresee the challenges that prevented widespread linux adoption or the difficulties that make releasing *good* versions of Windows so seemingly unlikely.
If I had purchased a Droid I would have been pissed when the Nexus (os 2.1) came out right after, and I'd be even more pissed when Google started offering cool new apps that didn't run on my brand new Droid.
As a mobile app developer, you have to seriously consider this fragmentation before you invest time and money in developing your application. This fragmentation means a fragmentation of your customer base.

Filed under  //   Apple   Google   technology  
Posted March 7, 2010
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iPhone ego clash costs Adobe Flash at Virgin America

via theregister.co.uk

I think you should build a compelling experience purely in open standards based technology (HTML). Then if you really want to, you can put a flash layer over it. But the only reason i can think that you'd really want to is to support 'old browswers'. So... the future for flash websites is to become part of the past.
**thanks for the link http://www.byteengine.net/

Posted March 2, 2010
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Aperture 3 Faces Matches Me With the Fiery Gates of Hell

Filed under  //   Apple   humor  
Posted February 15, 2010
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