Inside DEMOfall 08

Not in my whole journalistic career have I seen PR people as aggressive as the ones here at DEMOfall 08.

It's quite jarring and must be a startup thing. Many of the conference participants launched products and/or companies at the conference, which concludes today in San Diego.

I had walked about 2 feet into the vendor pavilion before a young woman approached, put her hand on my shoulder and said, "Hello, Joe. What do you cover for eWEEK?"

WTH? Did she have laser surgery to create eagle eyes? Because she had to read my name tag from about 20 feet away before approaching me. As soon as she completed the demonstration, a PR person from another company grabbed me for yet another presentation.

Surprisingly, or perhaps not, many of the most aggressive PR people worked for companies presenting during DEMOfall's afternoon session. I don't mean to be critical, by the way. Their determination was commendable, and I respect the effort. Besides, I refuse to use the F word to describe PR professionals, as I know many other journalists do.

DEMO Does the Enterprise

The afternoon presentations were products for businesses.
Quantivo has technology that, if it works as promised, is the Holy Grail for business intelligence. Near as I can tell, Quantivo is able to process unstructured data and gain meaningful analysis from it. I got a much better demo at the Quantivo booth than was given onstage.

The company claims to be able take data from pretty much any source, analyze it and derive trends. Quantivo executives understand that most enterprises won't just chuck BI solutions for which they invested millions of dollars; the service is designed to complement installed solutions. During the demo presentation, I was told how the software/service can detect trends that are unintuitive, such as that people buying diapers also buy beer.

There are many shortcomings to the traditional, structured database approach. Example: A business doesn't know what question to ask to get the answer about a business trend. If the business knew the answer it could ask the question.

Microsoft is hot-and-heavily into BI solutions, but the company is constrained by structured data. Microsoft managers don't like to talk about this limitation, as I've learned from interviews trying to get them to discuss structured versus unstructured data analysis. I heard this afternoon at the Quantivo booth that three different people from Microsoft stopped by asking about partnering.

source: microsoft-watch.com

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Microsoft Zune adds wireless downloads, features

Come next week, owners of Microsoft Corp's portable music player Zune will be able to download music wirelessly and tag and buy songs they hear on the device's built-in FM radio, Microsoft said on Monday.

The software company is introducing a host of new features on September 16 for the Zune, its answer to Apple Inc's iPod digital music player, which dominates the market and has sold more than 100 million units since its 2001 launch.

Microsoft will also introduce Zunes with storage capacities of 16 gigabytes and 120 gigabytes, with two new color schemes -- blue on silver and black on black.

The news comes one day ahead of an Apple event, where the maker of the Mac, iPod and iPhone is expected to roll out a new iPod Nano and may give an update on iPhone sales.

The new Zune feature, called "Buy from FM," lets customers tag and purchase songs they hear on FM radio stations using the FM tuner and the device's wireless capability.

The 16-gigabyte Zune will be priced at $199 and the 120-gigabyte Zune has a price tag of $249.99. Microsoft already sells Zunes in 4GB, 8GB and 80GB sizes.

Source : reuters.com

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Seven: One Windows, One Role

Microsoft's "out-of-box experience" priority means no roles for Windows 7.

I had hoped that Microsoft would take a role-based approach to Windows 7. But, there won't be roles, according to a Saturday blog post by Steven Sinofsky, senior veep of the Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group. He gave some pretty good reasons.

In the post, Steven explains that customers well received Windows Server 2008's role-based approach. "The desktop PC (or laptop) is different because there is only a single PC and the roles are not as well defined. Only in the rarest cases is that PC dedicated to a single purpose," Steven writes.

"In nearly every study we have ever done, just about every PC runs at least one piece of software that other people do not run," he continues. "So we should take away from this the difficulty in even labeling a PC as being role specific."

Steven regards the PC for the unique device that it is. Most products are created to do one or two things. The PC is unusual in that it's like a Swiss Army Knife that can do many things pretty well.
Steven is best known for his role working on Microsoft Office, where with versions 95 and 97 a role-based installation process didn't work well. He explains:

"We thought we could have a setup wizard ask you how much you used Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access, or a taxonomy that asked you a profession (lawyer, accountant, teacher). From that we were going to pick not just which applications but which features of the applications we would install. We consistently ran into two problems. First, just arriving at descriptors or questions to 'categorize' people failed consistently in usability tests...Second, we always had the problem of either multiple users of the same PC or people who would change roles or usage patterns. It turns out our corporate customers learned this same thing for us and it became routine to install everything.'"

For Seven—as I assume for previous Windows versions—Microsoft is very concerned with what Steven called the OOBE, or out-of-box experience. "For Windows 7 we are working closely with our OEM partners to make sure it is possible to deliver the most streamlined experience possible," he writes. "This goal would run counter to introducing a 'profiling' or wizard help [to] gauge the intended (at time of purchase) uses/usage of a PC."

He's right that the out-of-box experience is crucially important. First impressions can make or break the emotional connection to a product or brand. Microsoft's big problem with Windows Vista is one of bad first impressions. Consumers brought home shiny Vista PCs, only to find that their existing scanners, printers and other devices wouldn't work. There were no drivers, and for some hardware there still are none. Businesses ran into a rash of application compatibility problems. Both customer groups dealt with increased complexity, like User Access Control prompts or changes to the user interface.

"Our context for the out-of-box experience would be that we don't want to introduce complexity there, where customers are least interested in dealing with it as they want to get to the excitement of using their new PC," Steven asserted. He's right. Microsoft doesn't want to do that.

Still, I'm taken aback a bit, because of Windows Vista SKUs. Microsoft's five major versions absolutely assign functional roles and monetary value to them. Business for small and midsize operations; Enterprise for large businesses; Basic for low-cost computing; Premium for most consumers; Ultimate for everything in the box.

With these assigned roles come feature decisions that don't fit well with many customers. Large businesses wanting Vista Enterprise must purchase through Software Assurance. Small businesses looking for BitLocker encryption typically would need Ultimate, since most wouldn't want or meet the volume-licensing requirements.

source: microsoft-watch.com

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10 Promising JavaScript Frameworks

Popular JavaScript frameworks/libraries like jQuery, MooTools, Prototype, and YUI (to name a few of the most popular JavaScript frameworks out there) definitely have a solid foothold in the JavaScript framework arena.

But for the more adventurous developers looking for new or alternative frameworks/libraries – there are some excellent frameworks outside the popular ones that’s worth checking out.

It’s always good to consider all of your options before settling on a JavaScript framework that’s right for you and/or your team – and though there’s definitely a lot of compelling reasons to stick to the big names – it won’t hurt you any to at least try the alternatives.

This article showcases 10 alternative and capable JavaScript frameworks/libraries to explore. Links to some of their demos (when available) are included in the entry so that you can see the framework in action.

1. SproutCore

SproutCore distinguishes itself by emphasizing its usage for bringing desktop application functionalities on the web. It’s got a healthy amount of easy-to-follow guides to get you going quickly and its own Google Group for your questions and for interacting with other SproutCore developers.

SproutCore demonstrations: Photos, Sample Controls

2. Spry

Spry is Adobe’s Ajax framework. One of the many distinctive features of Spry is its tight integration with Adobe products (such as Dreamweaver, Flash and AIR). Just like any Adobe product, there’s already a ton of documentation to help you get started with Spry quickly.

Spry demonstrations: Photo Gallery, RSS Reader, Form Validation Widgets

3. JavaScriptMVC

JavaScriptMVC is a featured-packed JavaScript framework. JSMVC applies the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern to JavaScript, separating business logic from the presentation layer - resulting in increased modularity and ease-of-modification for either one of the components. It has a built-in automated testing unit (because "JavaScript testing sucks") and even emails you when a user encounters an error.

JavaScriptMVC demonstrations: Error Demo, History Demo, Todo Demo

4. qooxdoo

qooxdoo is an Ajax application framework that uses object-oriented JavaScript. It’s a framework that allows you to build a web application using JavaScript without worrying about HTML, CSS, and the DOM. It’s also a fully-featured graphical user interface toolkit (much like YUI) giving the developer built-in support for keyboard navigation, tabbed interfaces, and drag and drop capabilities - among other components.

Qooxdoo demonstrations: demo browser, Feed Reader

5. midori

midori is a light-weight JavaScript framework. At it’s uncompressed state, it weighs in at only 45 KB (in comparison – jQuery in it’s minified state is 54KB). But just because its light doesn’t mean it’s lacking in complex JavaScript functions – midori offers common functions you’d expect from an JavaScript framework such as cross-browser Ajax functions, the ability to use CSS selectors (as opposed to midori-specific syntax) for matching elements in the DOM, and animated effects.

midori demonstrations: drag and drop, popups, toggle

6. Archetype JavaScript Framework

The Archetype JavaScript Framework is a robust JavaScript framework that shares a lot of things in common with Prototype. Archetype has a dependency management system which initializes needed components for particular web pages(what components and CSS file to load – for example). Archetype also emphasizes code readability and coding best practices by being hard-lined about HTML/CSS/JavaScript separation (i.e. "unobtrusive JavaScript") .

Archetype demonstration: Slidy Presentation

7. June Framework

The June Framework was inspired by the Core library and uses the Module design pattern. For those using MS Visual Studio 2008, you’ll love the documentation that comes with the June Framework because it utilizes Visual Studio’s intellisense format (code hints/auto-completion while you write).

June Framework demonstrations: setOpacity, highlight, getKeyName

8. UIZE

UIZE (pronounced "you eyes") is another JavaScript framework the emphasizes the creation of full-on rich internet applications (RIA) as opposed to basic effects and widgets/components on a web page. It already comes packed with "ready-to-go" widgets such as a date picker, a table sorter, progress bar, and color picker.

UIZE demonstrations: Slideshow With Wipes, Marquee and Image Port

9. SimpleJS

SimpleJS is a simple and lightweight, but feature-packed JavaScript framework with Ajax helper functions and animation effects. It uses a "plugins" system much like jQuery and MooTools to extend the framework. It’s the perfect solution for developers who don’t need much outside of basic Ajax functions and effects.

SimpleJS demonstration: you can view the demos in the left side bar of the website under "Functions".

10. Fleegix.js

Fleegix.js has an excellent "events system" that helps you listen, manipulate, and fire off DOM event (such as mouseover’s, onclick, etc.). It includes a function for serializing JavaScript objects into JSON format (fleegix.jason.serialize) and – because every other JavaScript framework has it – an awesome effects module to help you add rich, animated JavaScript animation onto your web page or web application.

source: sixrevisions.com

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VirtualBox 2.0 released!

The brand new version 2.0 comes with major enhancements such as 64-bit VMs, stronger networking capabilities and a native Mac OS X interface.VirtualBox is a family of powerful x86 virtualization products for enterprise as well as home use.

Not only is VirtualBox an extremely feature rich, high performance product for enterprise customers, it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL). See "About VirtualBox" for an introduction.

Presently, VirtualBox runs on Windows, Linux, Macintosh and OpenSolaris hosts and supports a large number of guest operating systems including but not limited to Windows (NT 4.0, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista), DOS/Windows 3.x, Linux (2.4 and 2.6), and OpenBSD.

Users of xVM VirtualBox 2.0 software will now benefit from new support for 64-bit versions of operating systems like Windows Vista and RedHat Enterprise Linux, in addition to all other major host operating systems. The software also offers a new user interface for the Mac platform, improved networking for the Mac OS X and Solaris OS, as well as improved performance, especially on AMD chips.

Download : virtualbox.org

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AutoCollage 2008 for Vista SP1 and XP SP3

AutoCollage 2008 is a project developed by Microsoft Research Cambridge and made available for download as of September 4, 2008.

The tool is no longer just a research prototype, as it has been made available for purchase via the Microsoft Store (UK) and the Windows Marketplace (US).

At the same time, Microsoft Research Cambridge is offering end users a taste of AutoCollage 2008 via a 30-day downloadable trial version. Designed to enable end users to put together collages of digital photo collections, AutoCollage 2008 is in fact the first example of an incubation project offered to the general public by Microsoft Research Cambridge.

"The most significant feature that differentiates AutoCollage is that it offers exceptionally sophisticated blending technology for photographs, powered by state-of-the-art computer vision techniques," explained Alisson Sol, development manager at Microsoft Research Cambridge. "It’s great that we can give everyone the opportunity to play with and use this compelling technology, and we’re looking forward to seeing what collages they come up with."

According to Microsoft, AutoCollage 2008 does much more than simply blending images into a collage. The tool builds a seamless canvas using the photographs made available while avoiding duplicates and ensuring that no one image comes into focus all by itself. The Redmond company indicated that AutoCollage started along back in 2005 in Microsoft Research Cambridge, UK, in 2005, after which it was moved to the Cambridge Incubation team. Microsoft researchers from China and Redmond collaborated with the Cambridge team on the development process. AutoCollage 2008 is designed to integrate seamlessly with Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows XP Service Pack 3.

Download:
Microsoft Research AutoCollage 2008 1.0

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Windows 7: Boot time under 15 seconds?

When Microsoft was developing Vista, or Longhorn, as it was known way back when, company officials were fond of making promises about ways that Microsoft would improve on Windows XP with its next-generation Windows release.

With Windows 7, Microsoft’s goal seems to be to provide as few promises as possible against which the final product can and will be compared and measured. That said, over the Labor Day weekend in a post by Distinguished Engineer Michael Fortin — who leads the Fundamnetals feature team in the Core Operating Systems Group — Microsoft did dangle one tangible tidbit about Windows 7. From the post:
“For Windows 7, a top goal is to significantly increase the number of systems that experience very good boot times. In the lab, a very good system is one that boots in under 15 seconds.”

(The reason I put a question mark in the headline of my post is because Fortin doesn’t actually go so far as to say that Microsoft is promising to hit the rarefied “in the lab” boot-time measure. But the implication is definitely there.)

The August 29 post goes on to discuss how Microsoft is aiming to reduce the number of system services in Windows 7, “as well as reduce their CPU, disk and memory demand” as part of the quest to improve overall system performance with Windows 7. Windows 7 will include more enhancements to pre-fetching, which was introduced initially as part of Windows XP, according to Fortin’s post, and more parallelism in driver initialization — two more ways Microsoft is counting on speeding up initial system boot times.
Microsoft also is working with PC makers to show them ways to improve Windows 7 system performance, as well, Fortin blogged. He wrote:

“(W)e’d like to point out there is considerable engagement with our partners underway. In scanning dozens of systems, we’ve found plenty of opportunity for improvement and have made changes. Illustrating that, please consider the following data taken from a real system. As the system arrived to us, the off-the-shelf configuration had a ~45 second boot time. Performing a clean install of Vista SP1 on the same system produced a consistent ~23 second boot time. Of course, being a clean install, there were many fewer processes, services and a slightly different set of drivers (mostly the versions were different). However, we were able to take the off-the-shelf configuration and optimize it to produce a consistent boot time of ~21 seconds, ~2 seconds faster than the clean install because some driver/BIOS changes could be made in the optimized configuration.”

The much-touted official “Engineering Windows 7? blog has provided a lot of words about how Microsoft developers think about building an operating system and how/why certain trade-offs are made. But specifics on Windows 7 features? Sounds like Microsoft won’t be sharing anything substantial on that until it releases a broader test build of 7, which is expected around the time of the Professional Developers Conference in late October.

source: blogs.zdnet.com

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