Archive for the 'General' Category

ioXtreme

I have got to get me one of these when they come out. Imagine having all of your programs starting up from scratch with the same speed as if you had maximized them. The ioXtreme is 80GB of high-performance, non-volatile storage in the form of a PCI Express card.

There are only two problems with it, one, it isn’t available yet and two, when it is available it will be $895USD.

ioXtreme 80 GB high-performance, non-volatile storage

Smashing Magazine – 45+ jQuery usability tips

Smashing Magazine has a nice list of 45 jQuery tips and techniques for improving your users experience. This includes things like login screens, navigable menus, text size slider, and more. It is definitely worth checking out if you are thinking of using jQuery on a project.

Back to Java

I am on a new project located in Melbourne, Australia. This time I am back to the world of Java. Some of the new to me technology includes Hibernate Validations, JAXB, and JPA. It looks like an interesting project with lots of XP practices being followed. Everyone is pairing, which will be a nice change for me as I have yet to be on a project where pairing was being followed. I am going to attempt to post entries several times a week about the stuff that I am learning.

How to treat customers

I recently bough some 3d animation software and accidentally bought the Windows version instead of the Mac version. The software was purchased from e-on software.

Initially, I wasn’t sure what to do so I phoned their help line, no luck, the offices were closed. This was a Saturday, so I had to wait till Monday. I checked through the forums and found some hope; some people had moved from Windows to Macs and the company had allowed them to download OS X versions for free.

Finally, I stumbled across a technical help forum where I could post my problem. By Monday morning, one of their reps had posted a link where I could download the Mac version. Thanks guys.

In addition to being very helpful, e-on offers an amazing way of moving through their software. At the bottom they have Vue Easel. I don’t recommend it as it has to many limitations. Next in line is Vue Esprit. I purchased Easel while it was on sale for $49.00 and quickly found its limitations. I was then able to sidegrade to Esprit for $99.00, the purchase price is $199. So I was able to save money.

The next product in line is Vue Pro Studio, priced at $399. However, if you can’t afford 400 dollars, you can purchase Esprit and slowly upgrade. Esprit’s base functionality can be expanded through the use of 5 add-on modules. Once you have all the modules, you have Pro Studio. Now upgrading via the modules is more expensive then a straight sidegrade, but it does allow you to do it over time.

Once you have Pro Studio, the jump to their Professional level software, Vue Infinite, is a mere sidegrade of $299 ($795 regular price). In the end, you probably end up spending more, but it does allow for a nice upgrade path over time. Also, the company has a habit of putting their software on sale on a regular basis, making it even easier to break into the world of 3d animation. A field that is notoriously expensive.

Imagine if more companies offered this kind of flexibility with their products. It would probably cut down on the amount of warez and illegal downloading of software that goes on because people could afford it by buying the lower end products and then slowly working their way up as they learned the application.

Modern Love

Definition: a couple on a bus holding hands each listening to their own iPods.

Developing Software? Use your real name

Am I the only one who has a problem taking some software seriously when not a single developer uses their real name? The software looks interesting, although I have trouble seeing any differences between it and Pownce. And I know who develops it.

It’s about time – iPhone coming to Canada

Rogers announced today that they had come to an agreement with Apple and will be bringing the iPhone to Canada later this year. I can’t wait. No details were released so we will have to wait to see what the plans are.

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