greg hughes - dot net

Gearlog's got a post online where Apple's head marketing guy, Greg Joswiak, lets the world know that while they won't support it, Apple also won't try to stop or break the iPhone app community's progress on getting new apps built and onto the iPhone. Then apparently they clarified a couple times and now say future updates probably will break native iPhone apps:

iPhone native application developers, take heart: Apple doesn't hate you. And now you have a whole new device to play with.

Updated 3:15 PM: Apple says "software updates will most likely break" native apps as they go forwards.

Updated 1:15 PM: I just got a call from Joswiak who wanted to make clear: "not hate" doesn't mean "like" or "support." I think I made that clear further down, but they said that some people may not be reading all the way down this piece. So to summarize: Apple will neither forbid nor support native code on the iPhone/Touch. They will not design software updates specifically to break native apps, but if the updates happen to break native apps or your native apps turn your iPhone into a rutabaga, don't go crying to Apple, 'cause it ain't their problem. Capiche?

Nice. I am off to install a few apps myself later today or tomorrow. First on deck is a RSS reader. And maybe a cool lightsaber application heh.

Coming soon: A list of cool iPhone resources I have been collecting as I investigate and search for stuff and chat with people I know.

UPDATED: After initial signup issues earlier in the day I was able to get signed up and online, and this is some really cool stuff. I encourage you to check out ajaxWindows.

Granted, it's probably not set up in the data center for massive use yet, but when I read today about ajaxWindows and get interested enough to where I wanted to check it out, I was a bit disappointed to see this:

I'm glad it's getting a lot of attention, that's cool. And I will check back in an hour. Or so. When I have  a chance, really.

UPDATE: An hour later, they're back online with the sign-on page - but still unable to sign me up:

So I just kept trying and a couple minutes later I was in. All I can say is wow - very cool. Glad they got it back online. Click the image below to see the full-screenshot of the AJAX interface:

Very cool stuff in there, and well worth checking out. If you think about the amount of work that went into this, it's pretty mind-blowing.

This does - however - bring to back mind a thought that crosses my little brain now and then. From a pure scalability standpoint, we have seen a large number of web apps initially released in a manner that doesn't scale to the need. Luckily, in many cases the app creators are able to add hardware (scale out, as they say) and handle increased load. Those are the smart designers. And yes, it costs money to build a large infrastructure before you need it, but if apps do the web-version of a crash as a first impression, you have to know the result can't be good.

So, we'll check it out when it's back up. Here is some of what BetaNews has to say about it:

Ajax13's concept is apparently creating a lot of buzz: a message Tuesday morning on its Web site read "We are currently experiencing massive amounts of user registrations and traffic. Please check back with us in an hour."

Storage for the OS is done through GMail, Music files are stored on MP3Tunes, and any information can be synced with the user's own desktop through an included application.

The OS also supports widgets which allow the user to add small applications such as RSS feeds and games to the desktop. However, at this time, only ajaxWindows' own widgets are supported and not those of other platforms.

I won't be unlocking my own iPhone from the AT&T network simply because for me there is no benefit to doing so (although I probably will be messing with it from the standpoint of hacking in some third party apps). But, if you have  aneed or desire and you want to run down and grab an iPhone (be sure to pay for it after you grab it) and set it up on TMobile in the US or on any GSM service provider(carriers with SIM cards) elsewhere, you can get the software now via iPhoneSIMFree resellers. Be sure to read the fine print about no guarantees it will work if Apple updates the iPhone software with a block, etc.

Here's a link to the video from Engadget showing it actually working.

Microsoft seems to have unleashed (but as of the time of this post has not yet announced) Windows Live Translator in beta. It's pretty slick. As you'd expect, you can translate either entered text or a web page for which you provide a URL. Here's an example, one of my recent blog entries translated into Spanish.

(via LiveSide.net)

I have started to form a couple lists of things to do or learn while I am on my self-induced break time. My typical methodology is to keep lists in my head, which worked well when I was a little younger and could remember things. Not so much the case these days. Ah, oldness. Gotta love it.

So I am organizing a couple lists. One if stuff I want to get done. The other is things I want to learn. Oh and and another one is things to do, which is a sort of people to see and places to go list.

Suggestions are always welcome. What do you think I should do during this unique time?

Stuff I need (or want) to get done

• Get some real rest (making great progress on this one)
• Finish the bonus room floor and trim at home (floor's done!)
• Finish the shed at home
• Add a deck to the side of the house
• Travel somewhere in a 18-wheeler with my friend Broc
• Dust off the cameras and get back into the photography swing
• Sell my street motorcycle (2004 CBR600RR - email me, heh)
• Finish reading this darned Koontz novel that I started 9 months ago, heh (done - it was Intensity and it was a fun read)
• Read another book or two (one for enjoyment, one for furthering myself)

Things I need (or want) to learn

• Learn a programming language, at least at a starter level - I an thinking C# - any ideas?
• I need to study up for a couple certification exams that the whole we-got-bought-busyness process pushed off my schedule, and then reschedule the exams

Things/places I need (or want) to do/go

• Visit family in Colorado
• Visit family in California
• Visit New Mexico (where I used to live)
• Visit a few friends and colleagues in Seattle (I'm about half-way on this one)

I'll add to this list over time. I'm not nearly as concerned about accomplishing all of these things as I am about listing them out where I can see them and whittling away at them over the next little while.

I'm quickly learning the pain of running a 64-bit OS on my new laptop. Of course, that's the version of Windows Vista Ultimate it came with, what with all the processors being sold these days are 64-bit and all.

I went to install iTunes (which installed with a message explaining it would not be able to copy CDs) and activate the new iPhone, and what do you think I see?

Crap. You have got to be kidding me.

Apparently this is a well-known issue. Except that I didn't know and on the box it says, "Windows Vista" is supported, without any mention of version or 32-bit vs 64-bit. reading the fine print details of the release notes one finds a buried mention of no support for 64-bit Windows. Hmph.

Now I have to decide what to do - return the phone out of pure spite, or sync it to a different computer... Sorry, but "lame" is the only word that comes to mind here. Fanboys will undoubtedly spew vitriol at that statement, but it's still lame.

Ideas anyone? Will a 32-bit OS running in a virtual machine work for me maybe?

I guess $200 off was enough incentive for me. Plus the way cool interface and the fact that month to month it costs slightly less than the Blackberry plan I've been looking at. Now that I am buying my own service, it's time to make the change.

So, I'm officially an iPhone guy. That was quick.

Heh. I think pigs just flew. :)

Change happens, and I'm living that fact right now. The company I work for was recently acquired and after a long stretch of doing my part to make sure everything went well with the integration process, I spent my last day on the job Friday of last week. I worked at Corillian for the past eight years, to the month. It was a great experience and I am grateful to all the good people I had the opportunity to work with and learn from. I truly appreciate the people I have worked with as well as the ones I have met over the past year during the transition process. Thanks for everything you've taught me and for some great times.

So the short version of this story is that I chose to move on find the next thing, and that by my own choice I'm on sort of an extended vacation from work right now. To be honest, a break will be good for me. Some amazing work opportunities have been presented to me recently and there are a number of people who are probably surprised I am not starting a new job immediately, but overall fit is important to me in a job and as such I will be carefully pursuing options in the near future. At this point I have to think about a variety of aspects of my life as well as work.

I plan to take a few weeks to relax and do some non-work things, followed by getting back on the work track. That means taking some time to get things done around the house, visit with some people I care about in person, do some writing and generally decompress from a year or two of extra-hard work. I'm looking forward to it.

And then, I'll be back on the trail.

I saw the announcement that the Windows Live team has released Beta 2 of the Windows Live Suite of apps, and went to download and install the package on my new laptop that I bought yesterday, but found out (unfortunately) that I can't install it.

Ugh. So much for checking out the latest versions of the Live apps that I have come to know and love (well, at least like a lot). I also tried installing a couple of the individual apps, and got the same error message. I'm glad I got the previous beta version of Live Writer downloaded last night, since it works on x64 just fine...

Apparently, according to the release notes, 64-bit Vista is not supported at all for installation in this beta release:

64-bit is not supported for Beta 2
Beta 2 does not support a 64-bit installation; however the final version of Windows Live will support 64-bit (with the exception of Family Safety). You have the choice of either continuing to run the Beta 1 versions of Windows Live or you can uninstall all Windows Live applications and reinstall the released versions. For more information see KB Article 938275.

Unfortunately I can't seem to find the referenced KB938275 anywhere on microsoft.com yet.The final version will support 64-bit, though. Is it just me, or does that sound backwards? I understand the need to make things work in a limited beta environment, but almost every new machine out there is 64-bit. Just doesn't make sense to me. Looks like Robert McLaws agrees.

Oh well. I'll wait. I really wanted that Live Writer update. <sigh>

Glad I didn't buy one yesterday. I thought about it. Considered it. Decided it was too much money at $600. Now it's $399. It can't feel good to me the proud owner of an 8GB iPhone that was purchased before today though. Ouch.

UPDATE: Om Malik points out that if you bought one in the past 14 days at the old price, you should be eligible for a refund of the difference. He quotes the Apple return policy:

Should Apple reduce its price on any Apple-branded product within fourteen (14) calendar days of the date of purchase, you may request a refund of the difference between the price paid and the current selling price. An original purchase receipt is required, and you must request your refund within fourteen (14) calendar days of the price reduction.

Now that it's in my range I can reconsider, but then again there probably won't be any in stock to grab. Heh.

Read about it pretty much everywhere, including here.

Decisions, decisions...

My friend Brad Pierce is in the middle of his trip around the world (literally), where he is doing the whole trip on the surface - no airplanes. He's crossed the United States, then the Atlantic, and is in Europe as I write this. Paris to be specific. It's a lifelong dream of his, and he left the familiar world behind to live that dream. I am a lot proud and a little envious. :)

You can keep tabs on Brad's travels at http://www.peopleinpassing.com/, where he is logging his experiences and posting some photos as he goes. Brad is also a talented photographer.

He says 5-6 months or more are still left to go, and the path is one that gets determined on the fly. It's a trip with it's bumps, which is really a critical part of the great experience in Brad's book. Great stuff, man.

It doesn't have to be mean or vandalism to be a good school prank.

Gotta give 'em credit. Well done.

Ummmm, wow. Just click it.

I just saw a post over at digitalmediathoughts.com that points out an unadvertised sale at Amazon.com on HD-DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. So, I went to Amazon and got three movies for the price of two - I can confirm it's for real. no idea how long it will last, but if you're a HD disc person, it's a good deal on some flicks.

Not all titles are available. You have to put them in your basket (no one-click) and then "proceed to checkout," and then you will see the credit for the lowest priced disc under "Promotion Applied" (see my order below).

UPDATE: Here is a link to Amazon.com where they have a list of all the movies that are eligible for buy two get one free (for HD DVD):

Buy Two HD DVDs and Receive a Third Title for Free

Select any three titles from the list below and get one of them free. The promotional discount will be applied at checkout. You will see a credit in your shopping cart. Limit two of each title per customer. Quantities are limited; order now before we run out.

Cool.

Obviously, I could have been better off to choose three discs priced at $27.95, but you get the point.

Get it while it's still there. Enjoy.

I'm a little more behind the times these days than I tend to want to admit. Management work, flying all over the place, integrating two companies and the day job will do that to a technologist, let me tell ya. So, I was pretty amazed otday when I finally got to see some cool stuff I have been hearing about lately.

I have an older Mac Mini in the kitchen at home and that's the extent of my Mac world: Checking the day's weather, doing an occasional Google search, getting movie times - and applying seemingly weekly OSX and app updates.

Sidebar: I'm leaving my place of work after this week and moving on to new things, so I have been thinking about laptops (I have used a work laptop for pretty much everything up til now). I have been looking at Lenovo machines and some Dells as well, but someone mentioned running Windows apps on a Mac recently, and I started thinking about that this evening.

There's a cool app called Parallels that lets you run Windows apps on the Mac. People have told me it's really cool. But my friend of many years, Chris Pirillo, told me tonight to look hard at VMWare Fusion. Chris is a geek's geek and you might know him from his Lockergnome empire or from when he was on TechTV a while back (obligatory funny link here, heh). Anyhow - He cares desperately about usability and product quality. My area is more infrastructure, so we compliment each other. When he says look at Fusion, I listen. When I say look at RackSpace for hosted exchange, he listens.

Chris runs this great live video show online, and when I IMed him this evening to ask him what he thinks about running Windows apps on the Mac, he was pretty emphatic and told me to turn on the video feed:

Greg Hughes says: have you run windows on the macbookpro? with that program that lets you do that things where you can run windows apps in OSX and all that?
Greg Hughes says: i liked the idea of running a native windows app in OSX
Chris Pirillo says: Vmware.
Greg Hughes says: parallels?
Chris Pirillo says: Vmware fusion
Chris Pirillo says: Trust me, d00d.
Greg Hughes says: k
Chris Pirillo says: TRUST ME
Chris Pirillo says: Perf + seamless
Chris Pirillo says: Here.
Chris Pirillo says: watch
Greg Hughes says: k
Chris Pirillo says: No, i mean - watch the vid.
Greg Hughes says: one sec
Greg Hughes says: ok am watching...

Then he proceeded to show me via the live video feed (along with everyone else in his viewing and chatting audience) how incredibly slick VMWare Fusion is, and why I should look at it instead of Parallels. Both are cool apps, but the VMWare seems really cool for performance.

This stuff is really amazing, and this is a great example of something that's a lot easier to explain by showing it to you.

Chris has an archived video (see below) and a related blog post where he did a comparison of the two products (Parallels vs. VMWare Fusion). If you have not checked out Chris' video show, it's pretty slick, he does call-in's for tech support and all sorts of stuff -- and http://live.pirillo.com is the URL to watch.

I'm looking forward to playing around with this stuff. My inner geek is waking up and getting a bit excited. I need to find a Mac notebook to see how this stuff works, then write some more I think. Should be fun.

Here's Chris' archived video where he discusses the VMWare Fusion and Parallels software products: