Engadget 1985

Where were you in 1985? Take a look at what was hot and new on Engadget 's 1985 edition. Formatted as a BBS with 256 color images (even through they are JPEG's). Walk down memory lane. It is interesting to see what survived, what thrived and what died.

Firefox Continues to Gain on Internet Explorer in July

Computerworld has an article that seems to disagree with the observations I am making about the real world. I am suspect of its accuracy. This company providing the data may have found a creative way of looking at it to buck the trends and get themselves citied as a reference. If they just reported that Firefox was continuing to take market share from Internet Explorer then no-one would bother looking twice at them. Same reason Computerworld may be reporting it.

Here are my web log statistics for all to see. I am using the default analysis provided by 1 & 1. Keep in mind that users who visit www.bsdg.org are more technically savvy then most since it is a developer related website. Since they know how to upgrade browsers they seem more likely to have done so.

For the month of July, 2005:

(click for regular view)

Rank	Browser	Hits	Percentage
1	Mozilla	31494	59.02%
2	Internet Explorer	14963	28.04%
3	Google Robot	5440	10.20%
4	Netscape (based on Mozilla)	957	1.79%
5	Safari (Apple)	182	0.34%
6	Opera	78	0.15%
7	IBM Almaden Robot	50	0.09%
8	Java	49	0.09%
9	Alexa Robot	48	0.09%
10	Konqueror	47	0.09%
11	HTTrack	20	0.04%
12	Wget	18	0.03%
13	WAP Mobile	8	0.01%
14	Lynx	1	0.00%
15	PHP	1	0.00%
16	Scooter Robot	1	0.00%
17	WebCopier	1	0.00%
Basis: 53358 results from 64813 unique visits of which 11455 unknown/could not be evaluated.

When compared to June's values for the top six browsers. . .

1	Mozilla	18757	46.40%
2	Internet Explorer	15945	39.44%
3	Google Robot	4189	10.36%
4	Netscape (based on Mozilla)	993	2.46%
5	Safari (Apple)	191	0.47%
6	Opera	123	0.30%

Basis: 40424 results from 52172 unique visits of which 11748 unknown/could not be evaluated.

We see Firefox climbed from 46.40% to 59.02%. A very significant increase in shares, and totally against what others were reporting.

It is also worth noting that Opera is not represented accurately as it defaults to reporting itself as Internet Explorer. So realize Opera is higher then reported and Internet Explorer is lower.

I love I keep getting a visitor using Lynx every month. Is there any interest in seeing which OS my visitors are using?

Tags: [Browsers] [Web] [Traffic] [Firefox]

REALbasic Win 550 Download

A while back REAL Software offed a free license of REALbasic Win 550 Commercial Standard for all the VB6 programmers that Microsoft didn't want anymore. A real good move on thier part in my opinion. Only problem is they don't have that version available for download anymore as they have upgraded to version 2005, which looks like a really nice improvement.

So if you recieved a key, but need to download again what rae you to do? Well, I found TwoCows still has 5.5.3 for Windows available for download. If you lost your license key you can retrieve it too.

If you are looking for an alternative to VB or just want a multiplatform basic programming tool then give REALbasic a shot. The professional version will compile to Mac OS X, Linux and Win x86 and includes DB support. If you got the free standard license you can upgrade to the professional 2005 version for $299.95, which is a $100 savings, or if you want to stick with the standard version of 2005 for $49.95, which is half price.

Update: I just recieved an email from Jonathan Johnson of REAL Software. He provided me with the location to download earlier versions of REAL basic: ftp://ftp.realsoftware.com/ and sure enough there is REALbasic 5.5.5 and a lot of related downloads.

Tags: [Programming] [Basic] [VB] [REALbasic]

Esoteric programming languages

Wikipedia has a list of Esoteric programming languages. It is quite a long list of bizarre, creative and unique programming languages that most people have never heard of. One of the first things you will notice when comparing them to popular languages is most of them are not in English. Some useful, some pointless, but a 173 of them in total. It would seem that if this collection gains much notoriety that some of these languages may cease to be esoteric.

• Whitespace is a language I looked at before. In my opinion it falls into the useless language category, although it could useful in a covert way. It makes use exclusively of white space: Tabs, Spaces and Newlines. It requires too much code to do anything useful since it is limited to only 3 characters in the syntax.
• var'aq is the Klingon programming language, and a personal favorite of mine. This one could actually be useful, if you knew Klingon. Might be a good excuse to learn it. Not sure of any advantages over other languages based on its current implementation, but if they continue development you never know.
• Whenever is an in English, but lacks the ability to control the absolute order in which the lines of code execute. It is for programmers who want to go with the flow. Could possibly be useful for a really creative application.
• l33t is another language not written in English, but it is close. It is written in l33t 5P34k (elite speak). This one is not useful as it only uses the sum of the numbers within each word so too much code is required to accomplish anything. Hello world has 27 long lines of code.
• Java2K is a probabilistic (instead of deterministic) language in that each function only has a certain probability to do whatever the programmer intended it to do. It would appear to have little to do with Java, which isn't an esoteric language.

If you were to create a language what would it do? What would you call it? Would it be useful? What would it be used for?

Delphi Timeline

What can we expect from future releases of Delphi besides great improvements to the IDE and inclusion of other languages / compilers? On the TDAG mailing list Tom Nesler questioned what significant things we might see in the future of Delphi. This is what I would expect (FYI: I am not privy to any inside information to make these predictions.)

Major improvements for future releases of Delphi and my expected Delphi version / time frame:

• Compact Framework (Delphi 2006 or preview now)
• .NET 2.0 and Generics (Delphi 2007)
• Aspect-Oriented Programming (Delphi 2008 I am hoping)
• .NET 3.0 (Delphi 2009 or after Microsoft finally releases it)
• Native 64-bit code compiler (if .NET doesn't prove adequate)
• 3D version of VCL for holographic displays (Delphi 2010)
• MCL - Mental Component Library - for integrating directly into the brain (Delphi 2100)

As long as Delphi is for the Windows platform then .NET is its future. If .NET doesn't pan out as adequate then we may see a 64-bit native compiler. Right now .NET for WinForm applications is not mature, but if the next few releases of it do not fix that then a major overhaul to the native compiler would make sense.

For that same reason it is probably unlikely that we will see Aspect-Oriented Programming until Microsoft changes their tune about the importance of it. IBM is a huge advocate of it on Java, where it is seeing a lot of advancement and adoption. Usually Microsoft drags their feet on supporting new standards, and then when they do they "embrace and extend" giving the impression they invented it (like Web Services).

So what else would you expect to see in future versions of Delphi? What would you like to see?

UPDATE: Actual Roadmap published!

Tags: [Programming] [Delphi] [.NET] [AOP]

Help the FastCoders

Thanks to Nick for pointing out the FastCode group needs some community support. Just in case you are not aware, this is a group of dedicated Delphi and Assembly programmers who compete to create the fastest versions of the RTL. Borland sponsors the group with prizes and then incorporates some of the best code into the new versions of the RTL.

It turns out they are in need for some new machines and are looking for donations. I know Borland will work with them as best as they can, but this is a great chance for the community to show our support and let them know we appreciate what they do. Visit their home page and scroll down about one screen's worth and click the donate button to contribute via PayPal. If everyone donates a little then no one has to donate a lot, and it also sends a message that we, the community, appreciate them.

Tags: [Programming] [Delphi]

Meetings are the Productivity Killer

A general computer related quote, and a tirade on meetings:

If computers get too powerful, we can organize them into a committee -- that will do them in. - Bradley's Bromide

And we all know why committee's would be their downfall -> meetings. Just like at the end of WarGames, instead of having the computer play itself at Tic-Tac-Toe we could instead have them attend meetings. Maybe they could have done that with the Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation - get one of them to call a meeting to discuss assimilating the humans.

I have a litany I have adopted for meetings. It is originally from Dune. I am sure many of you will recognize the quote:

Meetings are the productivity killer. Meetings are the little-death that bring an end to productivity. I will face my meeting. I will permit myself to through it. And when it is over, I will turn the innter eye to see its result and hunt for any productivity there. Only I shall find what I bring. - Bene Gesserit Litany Against Meetings

Not all meetings are bad, but they certainly are not all productive either.

I was reading Paul Graham's excellent essay on "What Business can Learn from Open Source" where he said:

The problem with the facetime model is not just that it's demoralizing, but that the people pretending to work interrupt the ones actually working. I'm convinced the facetime model is the main reason large organizations have so many meetings. Per capita, large organizations accomplish very little. And yet all those people have to be on site at least eight hours a day. When so much time goes in one end and so little achievement comes out the other, something has to give. And meetings are the main mechanism for taking up the slack.

I've heard a number of consultants who worked at HP comment that the consultants did all the work because all the full time employees spent all their time in meetings. Having been a consultant at HP I was surprised at how many meeting rooms they had, and how often they were all full.

Paul goes on in the next paragraph to say something the really reminded me of my first work with an hourly wage:

For one year I worked at a regular nine to five job, and I remember well the strange, cozy feeling that comes over one during meetings. I was very aware, because of the novelty, that I was being paid for programming. It seemed just amazing, as if there was a machine on my desk that spat out a dollar bill every two minutes no matter what I did. Even while I was in the bathroom! But because the imaginary machine was always running, I felt I always ought to be working. And so meetings felt wonderfully relaxing. They counted as work, just like programming, but they were so much easier. All you had to do was sit and look attentive.

I love his analogy of "machine on my desk that spat out a dollar bill every two minutes no matter what I did". I remember standing the bathroom one day figuring out how much money I was getting paid to stand there. I had been developing software for years before this point, but never on an hourly wage. Something about getting married made me think I wanted something more stable. Years later after having been laid off a few times I realized that employment was actually less stable.

There is a Dilbert comic that is a favorite of mine. I am pretty sure it was one of the many that was placed on T-Shirts, mugs, etc. Ratbert gets hired at Dilbert's company, but has no idea what to do. Dilbert tells him just to sit at the computer and move the mouse if anyone walks by. Ratbert dutifily does just that and everyone thinks he is a great employee. Then he says "How did anyone look busy before computers were invented?"

Tags: [Programming] [Meetings] [Productivity] [Computers]

Programmers are Playwrights

Your computer and programming related quotes:

All programmers are playwrights and all computers are lousy actors. - Unknown

I would further add that all computer users are sitting in the audience. I do wonder if IT Computer Support types are directors or critics? I would imagine there are some of both. The directors are fighting against the parakeets to get the actors to do what they want, and have some success. The critics on the other hand just complain and point out nuances, hoping their "feedback" will result in a change for the better. Thinking about computers this way makes me glad I am a programmer - even though the computers are lousy actors, it is nice to have some input into what happens.

Tags: [Programming] [Computers]

Using State Transition Tables

At last night's meeting Randy Buchner delivered a great presentation on Using State Transition Tables. You can view it online or download the PPT. You can also view his state diagram. Thanks Randy!

Tags: [Programming]

Borland and Delphi

There is some debate in the Delphi community. As previously covered, Dale Fuller has stepped down from the position of CEO. This is because of two quarters of poor profits. I believe it is sad since he has done so much good for the company (like fixing that whole name thing and putting the company back in the black). Now the rumor mill is going strong talking about splitting Delphi out into its own company.

Lino thinks Delphi being a separate company as a good thing, and he raises some great points. Jake on the other hand disagrees with him, and also raises some good points. One of the Anonymous comments to Lino's post raised the interested question about name. He suggested that Delphi should remain Borland Delphi, while the ALM & SDO company changed back to Inprise. Since Delphi has been Borland Delphi for longer then the ALM & SDO acronyms have existed that seems logical. Borland should already know that a name change can be very bad for your business.

Beyond the whole name thing, a major downside I see is the talent behind Delphi. Who gets to keep Danny and Allen's brains? I can't imagine either company wanting to part with them, not to mention all the other wonderful people behind Delphi. Where would Delphi be without David I? For that matter where would Borland be without him? Could anyone look through the list of Borland Bloggers and decide which should stay with Borland and which should go with Delphi? Granted Delphi and Borland has shown great resilience to brain drain in the past, but it still isn't considered a good thing.

An alternative that I would suggest is that Borland form a Delphi business unit. A lot of companies have multiple business units that are actually for all legal purposes a separate company. It would be a wholly owned subsidiary of Borland. It would have the resources it needs to build, promote and support Delphi within its own corporate hiarchy, and if certain individuals were needed in the parent company (or vice versa) then they should split their time as needed. Sure this isn't as nimble as if they were a completely separate company, but it solves the talent and branding issues. Besides I think Borland has more then adequately proven their ability to shift gears and change directions quickly.

Tags: [Programming] [Borland] [Delphi]

Free Team System training in Boise!

Thanks again to Rich!

Visual Studio Team System Technical Training

When:	09/08/2005 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Technical Preview Presentation
Where:	Microsoft Boise CW Moore Bldg; Basement Conference Room A 250 S. 5th Street Boise , ID 83702 Directions
Registration:	Registration is free. However, seating is limited so please secure your spot today. and enter course code: 304061
Contact:	Jason Mauer

Agenda and Session Details

Microsoft is entering into the software lifecycle tools market with the release of the new Visual Studio Team System product. Visual Studio Team System (VSTS) expands significantly on Microsoft's demonstrated successes in delivering highly productive tools, by offering businesses tightly integrated and extensible lifecycle tools to increase the predictability of their software development process. VSTS offers developers, architects, testers and project managers a seamless way to communicate and increase the effectiveness of software development and the successes of projects.

We have put together a free, day-long comprehensive technical training to help our customers understand the power and value of Visual Studio Team System. This session will cover the core features of the product and the details around Developer, Architect and the Test editions.

Some agenda topics covered include:

• Designers – Class Designer, Logical Datacenter Designer, Application Designer
• Code Analysis, Methodologies and Source Control Management
• Unit Testing, Web Testing and Load Testing
• Build Server, Reporting, Work Item Management, Integration

Breakfast and Lunch will be provided.

Tags: [Microsoft] [Programming] [Training] in [Boise], [Idaho]

Sybase to assimilate Extended Systems?

Thanks to Rich for the tip about Sybase and Extended Systems. The Idaho Statesman is reporting that Extended Systems may lose 20 jobs if it's sold. They are planning to keep 160 of the 180 employees working in the Boise, Idaho office.

Usually mergers of competitors are good for the share holders, but not anyone else. The people who loose their jobs of course is unfortunate. Since Extended Systems is local I know a few people who work there, and I wish them the best. Also the market place is a looser. Many times I have seen excellent products retired because they were competing with a product of the parent company. Sometimes there will be some statement that the features were integrated into the other product, but I rarely find this to be the case.

We actually had a couple Extended System representatives out to a recent meeting to show us their Advantage Database. That is a very impressive product. While Sybase (who is also planning to come make a presentation at our group next month) also has some nice databases I would certainly hate to see Advantage disappear. Especially their innovative .NET DataReader that provides bidirectional data access (a very cool feature) and their free single user licensing of Advantage.

Extended Systems is also a great supporter of Delphi and the Delphi community. Sybase has made a good showing as well in this regard, but not as strong as Extended Systems. Again it would be unfortunate for the community to loose one of its strong supporters, even if it is being absorbed by another supporter.

As an optimist I hope this works for the best. Maybe the 20 that are offered to leave will take the opportunity to move their life in a new and better direction. I know that when I was laid off from my job a few years ago it turned out to be a huge blessing and my life has been much better since then. And here is hoping that Sybase will double their support of the Delphi community maintain and improve the Advantage database product.

Tags: [Database] [Boise] [Delphi]

CPU's and IDE's

Coding Horror (a great blog) has named the Athlon 64 the Developer's Choice CPU for code compiling.

For compiling .NET code, the Athlon 64 is 33% faster than a Pentium 4 of the same speed. That's a significant productivity boost for a developer. Time spent compiling is time wasted staring at the build output window. Compiling doesn't typically take long enough to force me to ALT+TAB away and start doing something else, so there's no real incentive to multitask.. and those wasted seconds add up throughout the day.

And that's assuming we're comparing apples to apples, eg, CPUs of the same clock rating. If we remove that restriction, you could buy the cheapest Athlon 64 available and still get better .NET compiler performance than the fastest Pentium 4 available. That's cash in your pocket twice: once for the purchase of the less expensive CPU, and again as you spend less time writing the same code.

In another post he follows up with the following:

As a developer, you will not find a CPU that compiles code faster. In fact, it's not even close. So what are you waiting for? You'll certainly need something to counteract VS.NET 2005's higher system requirements.

Maybe with a Athalon 64 X2 4800+ CPU Visual Studio will finally compile as fast as Borland Delphi. . . . .

The 2005 version of Delphi is already out (with the 2006 version due about the same time as VS.NET 2005 I am guessing), and as has been observed it takes quite a while to load, especially compared to the lightening quick Delphi 7. But where I noticed another big difference is in runtime performance of the IDE. Delphi 2005 is much quicker for opening and closing projects and project groups then Visual Studio 2003 is for performing the same operation on projects and solutions. Frankly I spend a lot more time compiling, opening and editing my code then opening and closing the IDE, so I much prefer the spending the time once up front opening the Delphi 2005 IDE then spending it time after time with the Visual Studio .NET 2003 IDE.

So the real question is, will running Delphi on a Athalon 64 X2 4800+ CPU actually compile so fast that the program will compile before you finish writing it? I wouldn't be surprised.

Tags: [Programming] [Delphi] [CPU]

Successful Strategies for Commenting Code

particletree has some Successful Strategies for Commenting Code and I really love their introduction

Commenting your code is like cleaning your bathroom—you never want to do it, but it really does create a more pleasant experience for you and your guests.

One of the more complete language agnostic code comment documents I have seen. Worth a look!