Less is more for Ruby on Rails, inventor says
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The developer of Ruby on Rails looks to remove certain features from the Web application framework in order to keep it nimble and easy to use.
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On the SpinDrop blog, Dave Dash talks about a hole that he felt in his bug fixing for a project, something that he felt like the application had simply left out - a framework.   My client noted that these scripts were made from another contract programmer, and then a light-bulb went onâ¦ frameworks (whether it be symfony, ROR, Django, CakePHP, etc) help iron out and standardize these tasks.   He lists some of the basics of what a framework can help with, including storing data (both in the database and in things like $_SESSION) and a big one - form validation. Sure, you can do these things outside of any of the named frameworks out there, but they can make them simpler for any application written within them.
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A Scottish engineer has figured out how to tame microscopic wires, making it easier to build smaller microprocessors, which will eventually lead to smaller supercomputers.
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SAN FRANCISCO Advanced Micro Devices has brought forward a demonstration of its version of a new approach to processor design, with a chip that is expected to offer faster computing and relatively less power consumption.
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Fluery still roots for JBoss...Edward Tufte mostly likes iPhone interface...mysteries of Linux's /proc files...multicore compression...Actually *using* mammoth telephotos
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An Intel open-source project called LessWatts.org hopes to improve the power efficiency of the Linux operating system and applications.
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Mike Naberezny has start up a new resource to try to bridge some of the gap between PHP and Ruby and to help developers of either to get a bit more insight into the others' side - Rails for PHP Developers (based on the book published by the Pragmatic Programmers).   Rails for PHP Developers is a new site for PHP developers who are also interested in Rails and Ruby.  PHP and Ruby are great complementary tools that are sometimes seen as adversarial, which is really unfortunate.  We use both and we'll be writing regular articles to help cross-pollinate ideas and promote collaboration between the communities.    There's already some good content there - useful perlisms in ruby, a look at PHP object attributes and some information about the release of the site itself.
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Newest Efficeon processor also offers higher frequency using less power.
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SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - Chip designer Arm Ltd.'s new Cortex family of processor cores will help designers of mobile and embedded devices build powerful systems that use less memory, the company said Tuesday at its developer conference.
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(InfoWorld) - The inventor of the term AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), urged attendees at The Rich Web Experience conference in San Jose, Calif. Friday to emphasize user experience when designing products. Jesse James Garrett, founder of the Adaptive Path consulting firm and coiner of the term AJAX, stressed that users want a personal relationship with products they use. His emphasis on user experience echoed, to a degree, those made by Kevin Hoyt, Adobe Systems platform evangelist, during Hoyt's own presentation on Thursday. The brain mechanisms engaged when using an interactive product are the same mechanisms engaged when interacting with other human beings, Garrett said. "In other words, we relate to technology products as if they were people," he said. Garrett cited the iPod as an example of product that has presented an experience for the user. Even though it was not the first digital music player and has not had the most features, the iPod has been successful because of the experience it delivers, according to Garrett. Flickr is an example of Web company that has presented an experience, establishing itself as a hub for digital photography, Garrett said. AJAX, he said, has been about delivering rich experiences. He attributed the success of AJAX to the success of Google Maps. "I don't know if the concept of AJAX [would have] really taken off if it hadn't been for an example as compelling as Google Maps. With software development, there is a shift toward developing the user experience component first and working backward toward other components, Garrett said. Previously, developers started with a core of data and then dealt with business logic and then the user experience. Development of the Web, meanwhile, has reached an interesting point in time, Garrett said. Just as TV came into its own as a medium after 10 years, having first followed the paradigms of radio and theater, the central principles of the Web are starting to be understood after 10 years, he said. "For us on the Web, I think we're in a similar place in the evolution of the medium that we all work in," he said. But tools vendors have not seized the opportunity to make their Web development tools more compelling for developers, Garrett said. Noting the proliferation of AJAX toolkits and frameworks, Garrett said there would be a time when the good ones are separated form the bad ones. "I think there is an inevitable period of time that we're just going to have to ride out," Garrett said. Commenting on Web 2.0, Garrett said YouTube is the poster child for Web 2.0. "YouTube as a site has almost no value as a site if not for its users," said Garrett. "The value that people get out of it is the value that other people put into it."
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"Rubinius is a project to watch", so says Charles Nutter in his post Rite, Rubinius, and Everything &mdash; I think he's right.  Evan is hard at work making things work better in rubinius.  He's now got continuations working (I think this makes him the first alternative implementation of Ruby to do so), and says he should have serializable continuations soon (see his post on it here).  W00t!
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Well, this is some news I've been wanting to share for a while, but I've had to wait until everything was ready.  During the summer, I spoke at RubyConf*MI, one of the first regional Ruby Conferences (I think San Diego held the only one earlier than the Michigan folks).  At the time, they filmed all the presentations.
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Chip maker plans for smaller, faster, less power-hungry processors.
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Mike Potter (from Adobe) has issued an invitation for all PHP and Ruby developers attending the MAX Conference to track each other down, as well as him.   I think this would be a perfect time for these groups of people to get together, showcase what you're working on, and talk about the problems that you're facing.  We're working out the details of MAXUP, but if you're going to MAX, plan on arriving on the Sunday so that on Monday we can get together and showcase and talk about the work that's going on with Flex and languages other than Java and ColdFusion.   He suggests using the entry's comments to help coordinate the meetings. The Early Bird pricing is still in effect for the conference, so there's no time like the present to reserve your spot.
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As both Andrei Zmievski and Clay Loveless mention in new blog posts from each, things in the PHP framework scene are getting a bit out of hand.   Andrei's comments:   I know you might be lusting after Rails for some reason and want to have the fame, the glory, and the dancing girls of DHH, but are we not going to be satisifed until Sourceforge is filled with the object-oriented diarrheal remains of our overblown egos and delusions of grandeur?   And Clay's thoughts:   Build a cool app. Forget about your own personal stamp on the framework world; you missed the boat on that one. But, if you want to make a mark, the world is wide open for new and cool applications. Pick an existing framework, start building your app, and contribute fixes back to that framework's community as you find shortcomings in your needs for your app.   They're both in agreement, and on more that one point. They recommend the best course of action for anyone out there with "the itch" to really work with a framework - fine one of the already established ones and dive right in. It might not be your own code, but you can contribute your own functionality and thoughts into the project and establish your own little niche.
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The latest issue of php|architect magaizne has been released today - September 2006.   Highlights in this issue include:  "Is PHP 5 really slower than PHP 4?" by Andi Gutmans and Dmitry Stogov "State of the PEAR" contributed by Aaron Wormus, a walkthrough of the history of PEAR "Know Your Stuff" from Philip Olson, looking at the PHP Manual "Desperately Seeking Susan" by Tom Gidden, a look at the basics of creating a search engine and, of course the Security Corner (Ilia Alshanetsky) is back with part two of the look at configuration in PHP   ...and much more.   You can either pick up this issue by itself (about $4.20 USD) or as a part of a shiny, new subscription (about $35.00 USD).
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Medical software developer uses Web services to answer the call to do more with less.