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Less Penguin in my diet
- Details
- Category: Opinion
- Published on Monday, 24 October 2011 10:27
- Written by Christian Dunn
I have to agree with David Gewirtz that while Linux is substantially better and more stable for specific functions it fails in the business application and support test.
Recently I have rebuilt a Linux server that was failing backups due to corruption but I had to save the primary partition as it also ran Asterisk voip and to make it harder the backup applications (rsync) were using older package versions that had to be retained on the different servers.
In effect, without consistent updating across Linux environments this will be an ongoing issue.
Even though most Linux distributions come from Debian or Red Hat the various flavours, the various packages and the lack of an integrated automatic updating tool mean that there will always be a problem with different versions affecting upgrades.
Unfortunately in the enterprise this is not acceptable...
iOS 5 - The worm in the old apple?
- Details
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Monday, 24 October 2011 09:32
- Written by Christian Dunn
iOS 5 has now been released for iPhone 3GS, 4, 4S, iPad 1, iPad 2.
Yes iOS 5 is a much needed and long awaited update to iOS, just be realistic about your expectations, especially for owners of older devices.
Are there problems?
As a warning I have found many 3GS and iPad 1 devices perform very slowly after the upgrade. I would advise against upgrading until the next update is released to resolve these initial issues.
While upgrading devices a large number of users of various versions have found problems with their machine failing half way through, losing up to half of the applications or applications that will no longer work.
I have seen experienced engineers spend 2-4 hours to upgrade their devices to the new operating system.
**UPDATE** Since upgrading my 3GS is now barely usable. It can take over a minute to load the All Inboxes or Messaging windows and i am planning to completely wipe it. Stay Tuned...
Can I avoid it?
Not really. At some point you will have no choice. App heavy users may already experience the pain as many Apps now require iOS 5 to work.
So what do I get?
Notification Center (you will have seen this before in Android or Windows Mobile)
iMessage (text messages over the internet)
Newstand
Reminders
Twitter
Camera (improved)
Gallery (improved)
Safari (improved)
PC Free - Setup and backup using iCloud without a PC.
Mail font formatting improvements
Calendar improvements
Game Center improvements
Wi-Fi Sync (wirelessly sync your device over your network)
Multitasking Gestures for iPad 2
AirPlay mirroring for presentations
Accessibility features.
Need to move your iTunes library?
Members can check out the new Script section in Software.
Joomla 1.5
- Details
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Sunday, 25 September 2011 18:06
- Written by Christian Dunn
Chrisdunn.name is proudly produced with Joomla.
Developing this new site has been an experience in learning and developing in Joomla. With the ease of configuration common to blogging sites such as WordPress, Joomla is easy to get going with a basic template and some simple configuration. This makes it a worthy competitor in it's own right. Where Joomla takes this further is it's ability as a Content Management System and the scope of plugins available. Joomla can be easily modified to add attachments to articles, to run a helpdesk, run a forum, have multiple news feeds, manage mass email marketing and more.
It is worth being aware of the limitations with various web hosts. I am currently limited to version 1.5 because my host does not support PHP 5 so I can't move to version 1.7 yet or take advantage of a large number of plugins.
How would I rate my experience?
3.5 stars (I wish I could upgrade to 1.7)
So how would I choose?
If I was building a blog, especially for a low maintenance site without member logins and advanced customisation then I would use WordPress.
If I was building a site, especially with a long term plan to add retailing, helpdesk services, support forums and member specials and features then I would use Joomla.
And do you know what is best of all?
They are both free.
Check them out here:
http://www.wordpress.org
http://www.joomla.org
Become a Member
- Details
- Category: Site News
- Published on Friday, 23 September 2011 09:24
- Written by Christian Dunn
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Use the Member Login box to Create an Account
What you don't get is marketing emails or spam.
We don't use or resell your personal information for any other purposes.
Samsung v Apple - Broken patent law?
- Details
- Category: Opinion
- Published on Tuesday, 30 November 1999 11:00
- Written by Christian Dunn
In 1988 Apple sued Microsoft for copyright infringement on the Windows GUI. The case lasted 4 years and the final appeal wasn't heard until 1994. Halfway through the case Xerox sued Apple for infringement on it's GUIs in the hope that if Microsoft lost, they would be the beneficiary not Apple. Apple lost with the court ruling "Apple cannot get patent-like protection for the idea of a graphical user interface, or the idea of a desktop metaphor [under copyright law]...". Apple cited that this type of copyright would affect innovation. Over the next 15 years it became one of the most innovative companies in the world.
Apple is well known for using litigation and has been constantly involved in legal action, in one form or another, for this time. You will notice in the list of cases most major global IT manufacturers and there is a certain pattern to cases of copyright, patent law or trademarks.
Why is this important? Well this is the background for the latest case in Apple versus the world. 24 years after that original case Apple is suing Samsung this time under patent law, for a combination of features that include both GUI and physical components. You have probably heard about the results in a dramatic case in the US, where a jury has ruled in favour of Apple with Samsung having to shell out over $1 billion and they are now fighting over blocking sales of samsung products? Don't be confused this is not the end. There will be an appeal, and what you may have missed is that in South Korea there was a ruling of infringement by both parties and there are cases pending in other courts all around the world. What really got me in this case (although I am not a technical lawyer and am not pretending to be) is how Samsung was sued for components of the interface that are Android features. I don't believe Apple could have sued Google successfully with the previous precedent set but how can these even be considered in a patent case with Samsung.
Let's be honest, EVERYONE IS COPYING EVERYONE ELSE. That is called innovation. Five years ago my phone didn't have a camera, now both my phones have two. So who came up with that idea? Ten years ago my phone had a basic LCD display which allowed me to make calls and text messages. Today with iOS and Android I have millions of programs and features at my disposal and I read the paper on my android tablet. So whose idea was a screen? or a bigger screen without a keyboard? My iPAQ had this many many years ago. The first mobile phone I had was the size of a housebrick in the mid 90s but it was a rectangle and it had slightly rounded corners, so I am concerned Apple believes they have a patent on a rectangle with rounded corners... um.. isn't that every mobile phone? So really shouldn't everyone be paying someone, or maybe everyone should pay no-one we call it even, or better yet, competition. Maybe a patent on a new idea should only be valid for 2-5 years allowing items that are popular to flow into the mainstream by being adopted a few years later still giving the designer a head start? Otherwise we are going to have this perpetual problem. What if the first person to invent a flying car that actually flies then patents the concept? Does every other flying car company for the next millenium have to pay them?
I am more worried about someone actually figuring this out because our courts would be backlogged for the next 50 years with cases between every manufacturer suing for their patent for a screw in a certain place in a laptop or a power cord that actually detaches from the computer (wonder if anyone has claimed that yet?). Yes, technically I shouldn't be able to patent this as it is now considered 'common' but I reckon in 5 years having a phone with a big screen and one button could be considered 'common' so can we patent against the future? Or is this aridiculous war against ourselves that is wasting time and stifling competition and innovation. Sorry Apple, but you lost the first time and proved yourself wrong so why do you want a $1 billion dollars from Samsung. If you left them with it they could probably invent something really different? OR do you want to take it easy, conquer the world with iOS and sit back on your laurels, waiting to be sued for something you copied from them? OR, would you rather put the money you just paid those lawyers and the time you wasted in our courts and the money you will waste on the next case against you and actually design more things people really want? It has worked for you so far. Isn't imitation really the sincerest form of flattery and there will always be similarities and differences between the market leaders. We haven't even got to other vendors like Microsoft yet, if Apple now have the patent for rounded corners then Microsoft must be preparing to patent the rectangle with square corners for their new lego, Windows 8 and Windows phone interfaces with their large 'formerly known as Metro' interface. The similarities between these devices are the features consumers want and differences between all of these devices and operating systems are called innovation and competition and the best thing of all, there will never be a winner, and that's how it should be.
So maybe someone needs to tell the patent office?
Why i won't get an iphone 5
- Details
- Category: Opinion
- Published on Tuesday, 30 November 1999 11:00
- Written by Christian Dunn
Let me start by saying I carry an iPhone 4s, a Samsung Galaxy S2 and an iPad.
So how do I use them?
I love the user friendly interface on the iPhone. Email is great, easy to use (apart from attachments) and I have anywhere up to 10 accounts at a time all clear and easily navigable. The phone is simple but flexible. I prefer it for basic phone functions such as Email, Phone Calls and Messaging. I love the calendar if a bit tight on screen (although the bigger iPhone 5 screen should improve this) and I use it as my alarm every day. Android Just can't compete in this space.
However I don't buy many apps. Yes, I have a newspaper subscription but mostly I go with the free stuff. On the iPhone that is a problem. Sometimes there is no program that does what I need, other times it is too expensive and finally I find they can't do exactly what I want as they don't have capability in iPhone. So when do I use the Galaxy? When I need to do stuff. Citrix works better, my voip phone works better, my security camera app works better and for $1 streams audio (that was $10 on iPhone with a similiar app), I can save and edit Office documents and see websites with flash. With chrome I have all the HTML5 capability of my iphone too, so it just works. My android phone is also packed with wifi network signal strength testers, activesync tester, terminal apps, network scanner, rdp client, network tester, skydrive, google drive, dropbox and remote access software for controlling my phone. All the tools for an engineer when diagnosing client networks. Yes, I can get most of these on an iPhone but different programs with different capabilities and at a cost.
And Maps. I use my phones for everything, they are my GPS too. When I wanted to go somewhere in the car I used the Galaxy and ran the Android Navigation software which gave me turn by turn directions for my car. When I went sailing I used Tracks to record our course. I loved Google Maps on the iphone too and I used it to look up locations frequently and it was better to use than on the Galaxy. I could also lookup the bus to the city and track it's progress. Also means I get off at the right stop. This worked great until iOS 6. Since updating my iphone I have found that Google Maps is gone and Apple Maps has appeared. Now I have no google maps (although I did make a homepage shortcut to the web version). Apple did take on an ambitious task but why deliver a maps application without public transport (and expect third party apps to provide this service), with inaccurate and insufficient data. The galaxy is now my permanent GPS.
So now I have a choice. When I need to replace a phone do I go for an iPhone 5 or maybe a Galaxy S3?
Well in the iPhone 5 I get another row of icons, a slightly thinner phone, a better camera (although my Galaxy S2 is 8MP already) and Apple Maps. I also need to buy some new USB charging cords (I have 4) to fit the new connector. In the Galaxy I get a bigger, faster and better version of my S2 but with 4G. Unfortunately I just can't find enough wow to justify an iPhone 5. Honestly I think I keep the 4S going as long as possible and maybe upgrade my Galaxy to the next version and see what the iPhone 5S or 6 might have in store for us....