Mac OS Surpasses Linux as Primary Software Development Environment in North America - The Mac operating systems has surpassed Linux in popularity as a development environment in North America according to the recently released Evans Data North American Development survey.
Santa Cruz, CA (PRWEB) August 09, 2011
The Mac operating systems has surpassed Linux in popularity as a development environment in North America according to the recently released Evans Data North American Development survey. Although Windows remains overwhelmingly the most popular operating system for development with over 80% of developers using it, Linux has slipped to third place with only 5.6 percent using it as their primary development platform, while 7.9 percent now use Mac OS.
"Apple has made tremendous strides in the last few years with innovative products and technologies," said Janel Garvin, CEO of Evans Data Corp. "So it’s quite reasonable to see developers adopting the Mac and its OS as a development environment. Windows firmly remains king, but developers are obviously attracted to Apple’s devices, while at the same time Linux has lost some of its luster after years of only single digit adoption.”
Mac OS has not, however, displaced Linux as a development target. Still more than twice as many developers primarily target Linux as do Mac.
Other highlights from this comprehensive survey of over 400 professional software developers in North America, conducted June 2011 include:
The Evans Data North American Development survey is conducted bi-annually and is part of the Global Development Survey series. It explores a wide range of development topics including language and platform adoption, mobile development, cloud development, SOA, Database development and other technology adoption.
See complete Table of Contents for the latest edition here:http://evansdata.com/reports/viewRelease.php?reportID=1
Tags : Mac OS Surpasses Linux as Primary Software Development Environment in North America, Linux, Mac Os
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Mac OS Surpasses Linux as Primary Software Development Environment in North America
How Google Can Save Android from Patent Lawsuits
How Google Can Save Android from Patent Lawsuits - Android's open-source code and ready availability to manufacturers are boons to developing economies and high-tech corporations alike, from "community knowledge workers" in Uganda to companies like HTC and Samsung. Both corporations are under fire by Apple, though, which is trying (and succeeding) to ban their Android smartphones and tablets using patent law.
Meanwhile, well-funded "patent trolls" like Lodsys are going after indie Android app developers, for supposedly infringing patents they didn't even know about and can't defend themselves against. What is Google to do, as the Android world fractures around it?
Google Exec John Lagerling says that "we have very strong paths that we can take to protect the values of Android". He wasn't very specific about what those "strong paths" entail, but I have an idea that might help:
Indemnify all Android manufacturers and developers.
In a nutshell, Google should step up and take responsibility, by assuming the costs of the ongoing patent lawsuits and protecting all current and future Android device manufacturers. It should also revise the Android Market developer's agreement, so that instead of shaking down Android developers individually, a patent troll like Lodsys will have to deal with the titan itself.
A bold move? Expensive and potentially suicidal, maybe? It's not completely unprecedented: In response to Microsoft's vague patent threats a few years ago, business software vendor Red Hat indemnified all of its customers against lawsuits. The key difference, though, was that in Red Hat's case, nobody ever sued anyone. The company wasn't stepping up to bat for others, it was calling Microsoft's bluff.
Google's, and Android's, situations are far more dangerous. For all that Apple's patents may be spurious (Apple sued Nokia over the exact same patents last year), Samsung's devices really do bear an uncanny resemblance to the iPhone and iPad. And Google itself seems to have been aware from the get-go that Android would have lots of patent issues, and to have decided to go ahead anyway.
That's why Google needs to do this.
The tech titan needs to own up to what it's done. Google's right when it points out, in blog posts, the unfairness of the patent system and the way it destroys innovation. But at the same time, Google widely touts Android's open-source code and supposed openness, while keeping mum about inconvenient truths like HTC's royalty payments to Microsoft.
Should HTC have to pay Microsoft, for the privilege of using something that neither of them invented? No way. So instead of paying the patent trolls, companies like HTC and Samsung should instead be paying Google a fee for the privilege of using its closed-source, exclusive apps, like Google Maps and the Android Market. That fee could go towards the costs of a long-term assault on the broken patent system. Meanwhile, Google could increase its Android Market developer fees, and win some decisive battles against Lodsys in order to dissuade other trolls from setting up literal toll booths.
It's either that, or downplay Android's "openness" in favor of a warning label: If you write any apps or build any smartphones that use this, you will be attacked.
Tags : How Google Can Save Android from Patent Lawsuits
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New HostGator Joomla Install Guides and Videos Available at Joomla Hosting Reviews
People Installing Joomla for the first time know it is a challenging task. This is why Joomla Hosting Reviews created a series of simplified HostGator video install guides and step-by-step visual documentation. These install guides make installing Joomla a snap.
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) August 11, 2011
http://www.JoomlaHostingReviews.com has created several HostGator install guides to assist with installing Joomla. The guides cover installing Joomla using the standard web installer,Fantastico by cPanel, and the Hostgator QuickInstall App. Each guide includes both step-by-step documentation with screenshots and a video showing an actual Joomla installation with detailed narration. The video is hosted at Youtube for universal viewing. For those not familiar with hosting Joomla at hostgator check this HostGator Review.
Since Joomla is a database driven web application, Installation can be the most challenging part of creating a successful website. Some shy away because it seems too complex. Joomla Hosting Reviews saw the need while monitoring the Joomla community and decided to invest the time and effort in creating detailed helpful install guides. These guides are designed to be the simplest, most user-friendly articles available for the average user.
There are three methods of installing Joomla at HostGator. They are: the standard Joomla web installer, the HostGator QuickInstall App, and the Fantastico one-click installer.
The Standard Joomla Install Method. The traditional method of Installing Joomla at Hostgator is to use the standard web installer. The guide covers downloading Joomla, setting up the sever environment, then running the Install package. If you prefer watching a video, you are in luck. Joomla Hosting Reviews has added a video install guide. Illustrating this install method.
HostGator QuickInstall Joomla app. Developed by HostGator, the QuckInstall application simplifies installing joomla into a couple of steps. Just follow the guide and login to the HostGator cPanel to start.Fantastico a third party one-click installer, and the Fantastico HostGator Joomla Install guide shows you step-by step how it works. Fantastico has been providing installation support for many different web applications including Joomla.
Steven Johnson, Site administrator for Joomla Hosting Reviews said, “We literally spent months researching the most efficient ways to put together these tutorials so that they are easy to use and cover all essential points of a Joomla installation. We are hoping the Joomla and web hosting community will be much better off because of this work.” Regarding the latest redesign of Joomla Hosting Reviews, Steven said, “We’re are taking the knowledge we learned the hard way and passing it to others so they will save time and resources.”
Joomla Hosting Reviews, is owned and managed by Intown Web Design of Atlanta, GA. They are not related in any way with the Official Joomla Project or HostGator. It is a website that brings hosting and server help to the Joomla community.
They have worked with Joomla and web hosting for over six years and established themselves as a leader in user and expert reviews, advice and other helpful hosting information.Intown Web Design, located in Atlanta, Georgia focuses on web development for small to medium sized companies that are interested in functional, stylish, search engine optimized websites. The primary focus is Joomla but have experience in most other popular open source applications such as Drupal and WordPress.
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Google to Open-Source Android App Inventor
Google's App Inventor is a free online tool that lets you build your own apps, for smartphones running its Android operating system. It doesn't require any programming experience, so you don't need to type a single line of code; just fit pieces together like in a puzzle.
Android is open-source, which means that the programming code is available online for free, for anyone who wants to take it and make something with it. App Inventor, however, is not, meaning that those who use it are dependent on Google's good graces to keep it open.
The bad news for App Inventor fans: Google's good graces are running out. The company has announced that it will take App Inventor down within the next 90 days. But the good news is that it has also said it will make the programming code open-source, so that anyone can use it on their own. It will also give special attention to "support[ing] the educational use of App Inventor."
Educational use? What's that mean?
A lot of high school computer classes use App Inventor to learn the basic concepts of programming, like how an app works behind the scenes, without getting hands dirty with code. Judging by the comments on Google's announcement, a lot of teachers and students are upset by Google's decision to take App Inventor down. Perhaps Google edited in its intent to support schools after the fact.
Can I still get started using App Inventor?
Yes, but keep in mind that Google's official App Inventor site is going to shut down in the next few months.
What do I do then?
Google will have someplace where you can download the open-source code to App Inventor, along with instructions for how to install it on your own web server.
I don't have a web server, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't understand the instructions.
It's possible that somebody else likes App Inventor enough that he or she will create a new public version for others to use. That's what happened to Etherpad after Google bought it out; the Etherpad code was open-sourced, and pretty soon afterwards a bunch of public Etherpad sites opened up.
Can I use App Inventor to make and sell apps on the Android Market?
The App Inventor FAQ says no, you can't. But it's a well-known secret that you can perfectly well, as long as you know how to turn the file App Inventor creates into one that the Android Market will accept. Fortunately, there are a bunch of tutorials online that explain how to do this.
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Giant iPhone table features working camera, buttons
iPhone owners are a dedicated lot, but we doubt many would go to the lengths that Benjamin Bachmeier did to show his devotion. The German Apple fan took it upon himself to built a larger-than-life version of a white iPhone 4, complete with massive display and working buttons. He calls his creation iTableous, and it's almost certainly the coolest iPhone tribute we've seen.
The massive phone — which can make calls through Skype functionality — stands nearly 4' tall when upright, but is much more useful as a table when secured to its custom stand. The screen is made of a 1080p HD widescreen display and is protected by 8mm of high-strength Plexiglass. The guts of the white monolith are capable of running both Windows 7 and Mac OS X operating systems (through dual booting), and a massive 500GB hard drive ensures that the mega smartphone will have plenty of room for apps.
The phone's gigantic buttons serve purposes like volume and fan speed control, and the front-facing camera is a fully-functional 5.7 megapixel lens. Unfortunately, if you're drooling on your keyboard at the prospect of owning the goliath iPhone, you better have your do-it-yourself hat on, because Bachmeier isn't planning on making another. Though if you're feeling ambitious, a collection of in-progress pictures can be found on Bachmeier's website.
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Robo roaches dance to Gaga, not born this way
Is your knee-jerk reaction to cockroaches, "Kill them with fire!" or anything similar? You are not alone. But it's a given that some people won't share your roachy woes, and you can't find a better example than the group of high school kids in Cooper Union's summer internship program. The young interns experimented on 15 imported Central American roaches as part of their neuroscience research.
Copper Union physics professor, Robert Uglesich, says the students removed part of the cockroaches' antennae and replaced them with wires. The result? Robo roaches that can receive signals from a toy controller. Anyone else envisioning an army of robo bugs? But it doesn't end there — the roaches can also receive other stimuli such as music. And what else should cyborg cockroaches dance to other than Lady Gaga? The interns tested it out, and as expected, the Gaga tune translated into electric signals, making the roaches do a twitchy dance.
The point of all their experimentation is to design a way of communication with the brain that can be used to replace or restore lost brain function in humans. Think prosthetics that could alleviate health problems related to the human brain. And that's only one of the possible applications that could come out of the study. Outside of the scholarly scheme of things, the students seem to have developed genuine fondness for the roaches — they even named one of them Sir Walter Raleigh II.
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Natural Blondes
Blondes have more fun, or so they say. But there are a bevy of famous brunettes and redheads who were born blonde. Click ahead to see some stars who traded their flaxen locks for darker hues.
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