Smalltalk Tidbits, Industry Rants

On this week's podcast we were happy to have Georg Heeg, founder of his eponymous company in Germany, and Executive Director of STIC, on as a guest. We chatted about the upcoming Smalltalk Solutions show, which starts on June 18 in Reno, Nevada.

We each brought up a few talks that we thought would be interesting - which is not to say that we did an exhaustive review of the sessions (we didn't). It should be a good way to get an idea of what's coming though, and you can check the entire schedule here.

If you have feedback, please send it to smalltalkpodcasts@cincom.com - or visit us on Facebook, Ning, iTunes, or Podcast Alley. See you at the show!

Technorati Tags: smalltalk, smalltalk solutions

I ran across this interesting tidbit from ObjectWave:

Now in a beta release, Swan enables simpler connectivity between AJAX interfaces and server-side code based on Java, PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor), and Smalltalk. .Net support is planned for a future offering. Developers do not need to write the code for this linkage; JavaScript is binded to server-side components.

Sounds interesting - I'll have to see what that's about.

Technorati Tags: smalltalk

ESUG has anounced this year's innovation awards - follow the link for full details:

The European Smalltalk Users Group (ESUG) is proud to announce its 5th Innovation Technology Awards. The top 3 teams with the most innovative software will receive, respectively, 500 Euros, 300 Euros and 200 Euros during an awards ceremony at the 16th International Smalltalk Joint Conference 2008. Developers of any Smalltalk-based software are welcome to compete.

Technorati Tags: smalltalk

Dare Obasanjo makes a very good point about giving offline capabilities to online apps:

Once you decide to "go offline", your Web application is no longer "zero install" so it isn't much different from a desktop application.

True enough, but I'm still not as down on the idea as he is. Part of why I like iWork better than MS office is that it's so much lighter weight. I don't have any interest or need in all the features. I've tried Google docs, and they probably satisfy my basic needs for that kind of app as well.

Bottom line, I think the ugly reality is that most people neither want nor need the "rich experience" that Dare is on about. Sure, there are plenty of exceptions - but there's also a huge unmet need for vastly simpler apps.

I just snagged an invite to the beta of DropBox, and it is very, very cool. Rather than have me extoll its virtues and explain it, go watch this video now.

Michael has been looking at MooTools for Seaside, and demonstrates the power of community while he's at it:

The first and foremost of these is the Mocha GUI components. Here is a screenshot from a collaboration Boris and I did to get Mocha working in Seaside with Seaside-Mootools. The package is in public store as Seaside-Mootools-Mocha. Without Boris's interest and work, this wouldn't have happened so quickly.

Smalltalk: it's not about being on the island anymore :)

If you're thinking about attending Smalltalk Solutions in June, then the next few podcasts should be interesting. We spoke to Georg Heeg today - he's the founder of his eponymous company in Germany, and also the executive director of STIC. I should have the podcast out over the weekend - we covered a lot of ground about the conference.

Technorati Tags: smalltalk, smalltalk solutions

Squeak pops up everywhere - including wifi controllable bots

I don't need one (My Pro is still great), but this news might convince me to buy a new one for my wife, and have her existing one pass down to my daughter. Decisions, decisions....

On today's Smalltalk Daily, we look at something that's sometimes useful, even though it's often the wrong approach: cloning a class. Typicaly, if you need a class just like one you already have, but with small variations, you should either look at the existing class again, or subclass. However, it's sometimes better to create a parallel class. With that thought in mind, today we look at a small add on that makes that a menu pick in the browser.

Technorati Tags: smalltalk

Smalltalk Solutions 2008 is coming up fast - the schedule of events is here, and registration is here. There are a ton of great talks, like this one from Georg Heeg:

Johann Sebastian Bach lived in Koethen from 1717 to 1723. He worked for Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Koethen and composed well-known music. But where did he live? This question has been open for 130+ years. The EU, the state of Anhalt-Saxony, Koethen County, and the City of Koethen sponsored a project to find out. Georg Heeg eK won the bidding and started the digging. After almost two years using VisualWorks, COM-Connect, GemStone/S and Seaside all known data (both text and tax figures) could be viewed in a semantic network. Bibliometry was used to evaluate statements of historians. Finally a process of elimination showed: Bach lived in Schalaunische Str. 44 until he moved to Wallstr. 25/26 in 1719. He always had the same landlord Johann Andreas Lautsch. In early phase existing software packages were evaluated, before agile software development process inside the agile research project was started to get insight in the history of Koethen.

Georg Heeg learned about Smalltalk in 1983 at Dortmund University. In 1987 he founded the now oldest 100% Smalltalk enterprise located in Dortmund, Koethen and Zurich. His organization supports Smalltalk customers world-wide. He is co-founder of ESUG and since 2007 he is Executive Director of STIC Smalltalk Industry Council.

Technorati Tags: smalltalk, smalltalk solutions

Scoble:

But it does it in a way that Facebook will never be able to block. Why? Because it’s your browser that scrapes all your friend’s info into Minggl'€™s browser bar. That bar then uploads all that information back up to Minggl. There’s no way that Facebook will be able to block Minggl. If Google wants to push the issue they should do exactly what Minggl is doing. Privacy is dead.

Anyone who puts anything on a computer screen that they want hidden from public view should think again.

So, does that include your bank account numbers? What about your credit card numbers? Perhaps your passport number, too? Social Security number? All phone numbers, including ones you would prefer to be for family and close friends only?

Via Patrick Logan, I ran across this data on April console sales:

The PS3 might be catching up to the XBox, but the Wii is still way, way ahead. That's amazing given how long the Wii has been out. I'll tell you, even though battle mode on Mario Kart is sub-par, the Grand Prix mode is very, very cool. The Wii is just fun.

Technorati Tags: game console, wii, ps2, xbox

I just finished a book about sales that I liked quite a bit: "The Contrarian Effect: Why it pays (Big) to take typical sales advice and do the opposite". The book is short, and filled with useful examples of how typical "close now!" tactics work against the interests of your company. Sure, you might get a revenue spike from a forced sale now - but what's the cost in terms of customer loyalty and future revenue? Not to mention something else the authors (Michael Port and Elizabeth Marshall) bring up: word of mouth is no longer limited to the water cooler. Pick almost any company name and try to search for "XXXX sucks". You'll be amazed at what you turn up.

The question is, do you want to be the next company listed there? Probably not, and that's one of the primary reasons to listen to these authors. They advise something pretty simple:

• Listen to the people you want to sell to
• Expand your pool by sharing your network of contacts with them, so as to grow your common interests
• In any conversation you have with interested parties, offer something of value - advice, a place worth visiting on your website, etc.
• Work with partners - a lot
• Don't force sales through typical "closing questions" - ever

The last one is crucial - people have too many choices in terms of products and services - if you get pushy, they will go somewhere else. Ask yourself this: Do you like dealing with the car salesman who tries to make the sale today, when all you want to do is test drive? If not, what makes you think your customers and prospects enjoy talking to your sales staff?

It's a quick read, but highly useful. Well worth recommending to decision makers in your company, so that you can start making headway towards the right kinds of changes now.

Technorati Tags: sales, sales tactics

One thing a lot of people like to do with editors is create little macros - the ability to type shortcuts for commonly used text, hit a command key, and have it expand. Today's Smalltalk Daily shows you how to get that capability into your Cincom Smalltalk environment.

Technorati Tags: smalltalk

I understand the idea of CBS buying CNet, but for $1.8 Billion???

CBS will pay $11.50 a share for CNET. The all-cash deal represents a premium of 44% above the $7.95 CNET closed at yesterday.

As AlleyInsider notes, CNet hasn't traded above $10 in years. This isn't as much of an over-payment as Schwartz made for MySQL, but - then again - it takes real work to land in the same "waste money like an idiot" league that he lives in.

On the positive side, CBS just bought a ton of good podcast knowledge. The question is, are the managers there in the Zucker "customers are thieves" mindset, or do they understand the way things are changing?

Technorati Tags: cnet, cbs, tv

Looks like Zucker's brand of stupidity is everywhere at NBC - they started using the broadcast flag on Monday:

Handfuls of Windows Vista Media Center users found themselves blocked from making recordings of their favorite TV shows this week when a broadcast flag triggered the software's built-in copy protection measures. The flag affected users trying to record prime-time NBC shows on Monday evening, using both over-the-air broadcasts and cable. Although the problem is being "looked into" by both NBC and Microsoft, the incident serves as another reminder that DRM gives content providers full control, even if by accident.

Yet another reason not to go to Vista; MS crawled into bed with all the DRM cheerleaders. Never mind that, though - just what does NBC think they are achieving with this? If I'm recording a show weekly, and then I discover that NBC stopped me from doing so, do they seriously think I'm going to rearrange my schedule to be in front of the TV at the time they want to run the show?

Earth to NBC: there are too many other choices available, and your content simply isn't good enough to warrant that.

Technorati Tags: tv, stupidity, nbc

Smalltalk Solutions 2008 is coming up fast - the schedule of events is here, and registration is here. There are a ton of great talks, like this one from Arden Thomas:

This presentation discusses what is in Cincom Smalltalk s just released products, as well as plans for future releases. Products discussed are VisualWorks, ObjectStudio8, and ObjectStudio Classic.

Arden Thomas got started with Smalltalk in 1986, looking for better ways to do software development (he found it). He is now the product manager for Cincom Smalltalk, and previously worked as a senior field application engineer for Cincom working to help Cincom's Smalltalk customers, and help move Smalltalk forward. He worked for ParcPlace for many years as a trainer, sales engineer, and consultant, and recently did extensive software development at Forest Investment management, which included choosing and using an application framework.

Technorati Tags: smalltalk, smalltalk solutions

Oh boy, Comcast, last seen doing packet shaping, has bought Plaxo, last seen doing bad things with data they shouldn't have access to. It's a match made in hell.

Technorati Tags: comcast, plaxo

While I love my Mac, it's not perfect. Earlier today, the drive I use for Time Machine developed some kind of problem - the mac simply didn't recognize it at all. Disk Manager saw it, but couldn't attempt a repair for reasons I couldn't fathom. I tried plugging it into Windows, and it was recognized and mounted (not in a readable form; it is a Mac formatted drive). Still - I figured maybe I could at least format it and then bring it back to the Mac, reformat it and run fsck on it.

Well, the Windows format failed, but when I tried it back on the Mac, Disk Utility found it, and was now able to do a repair - which is still running. Once that's done, we'll see what kind of shape it's in. Fairly disappointing that the Mac refused to see it right off though.

Technorati Tags: Apple, Windows

Doc Searls points to this older post (7 years back now), but it's still a good read. Pulling a metaphor out, I've come to the conclusion that a lot of the management we deal with in the software industry is nothing but human traffic cones. The problem is, real traffic cones portend eventual progress - a road gets fixed/widened (etc). The human kind just sits there, slowing all forward progress.

Technorati Tags: marketing, PR

On today's Smalltalk Daily, we look at a small improvement to Transcript APIs that makes using the Transcript a lot easier for simple tasks.

Technorati Tags: smalltalk

Smalltalk Solutions 2008 is coming up fast - the schedule of events is here, and registration is here. There are a ton of great talks, like this one from Michael Rueger:

Sophie is an all purpose tool for dealing with media. It will allow users to easily create books that can contain any sort of media on hand ­ text, image,s sounds, videos, animations. Sophie does for media what a physical book does for text and images: with Sophie, authors can create multimedia books. You might think of it as a wrapper for anything digital.

Sophie is built using Squeak, integrating both OpenSource components like Cairo and freetype as well as platform native technologies like Quicktime.

Technorati Tags: smalltalk, smalltalk solutions

Steve Yegge gave a dynamic language talk recently, and I have to comment on this from the Q&A segment:

Q: These great things that IDEs have, what's gonna change there, like what's gonna really help?
Well, I think the biggest thing about IDEs is... first of all, dynamic languages will catch up, in terms of sort of having feature parity. The other thing is that IDEs are increasingly going to tie themselves to the running program. Right? Because they're already kind of doing it, but it's kind of half-assed, and it's because they still have this notion of static vs. dynamic, compile-time vs. run-time, and these are... really, it's a continuum. It really is. You know, I mean, because you can invoke the compiler at run time.

Hmm - that sounds a lot like what Smalltalk has done for, I don't know, 3 decades now :)

You could have a look at this video to see what I mean.

Randal Schwartz gave a Seaside talk at MySpace recently, to a pretty engaged audience, sounds like. He has his presentation at the link. One correction: Cincom does not use Envy - but we ship Store for version control with the product. We'll have more to say about how that's integrated with Web Velocity soon :)

Technorati Tags: smalltalk

Spotted in PC World: Latest Technology News:

HBO will begin selling some of its most popular television series on Apple's iTunes Store, the companies announced on Tuesday

I think this only makes NBC look stupider...

On today's Smalltalk Daily, we integrate with the Speech API provided in Windows.

Technorati Tags: COM, smalltalk, speech

This from John Dvorak is probably the best summation I've seen of fair use and copyright:

All we are seeing with YouTube clips is a modern version of a quote or excerpt. That's all it is. It's not piracy. It's not stealing. It's not a threat to any income stream. There is no net loss to anyone except the host paying for the bandwidth. It's fair use. Let's not forget how important the notion of fair use is. And don't let bullies like Redstone tell you otherwise.

Exactly.

Technorati Tags: fair use

Smalltalk Solutions 2008 is coming up fast - the schedule of events is here, and registration is here. There are a ton of great talks, like this one from Petr Stepanek:

Craft.CASE is a business process management tool written entirely in VisualWorks. Its main goal is to help process analysts to analyze existing complex processes and process designers to design replacement processes in a way of creating a concise, compendious and consistent model. It helps most in cases of unclear and changing requirements. If the business processes are to be supported by a software product, Craft.CASE supports a UML notation for a conceptual model and maintains links between elements of processes and elements of conceptual model.

Technorati Tags: smalltalk, smalltalk solutions

Arden Thomas, our product manager, will be speaking to the NYC STUG on May 21 at 6:30 pm - go here for details.

Technorati Tags: seaside

The Los Angeles Smalltalk Users Group is meeting on the 19th at 7pm - head on over here for details.

Spotted in Wired Top Stories:

Online stores are bereft of inventory, Apple says, a sure sign that stocks are being reduced ahead of the launch of the next-generation iPhone.

So is Apple pulling stock to heighten demand ahead of their June show, or are they actually sold out?

Technorati Tags: Apple, iPhone, ipod

We've gotten lots of questions about Store (our version control system) over the last few years, and I thought it might be useful to ask a few questions:

• Do you use bundles?
• If so, how do you use them, and why?
• If setting explicit pre-reqs was easier, would you still use bundles?

I'd appreciate any feedback - you can email me, or leave a comment.

Update: Travis asks some better questions on the topic

Technorati Tags: cincom smalltalk

I've got the location of my talk to the Ruby Brigade on May 20:

1801 Varsity Dr
Raleigh, NC 27606

The talk will be at 7pm. Details are here; you can find the venue on Google Maps here. I hope to see a lot of local Rubyists and Smalltalkers there!

Technorati Tags: seaside, ruby

Where do I throw the "personal flag" foul for inappropriate May weather?

Smalltalk Solutions 2008 is coming up fast - the schedule of events is here, and registration is here. There are a ton of great talks, like this keynote from Gilad Bracha:

The closer one looks at Smalltalk, the more one appreciates how exquisitely well designed it is. Just as Hoare said of Algol, Smalltalk too was " a language so far ahead of its time, that it was not only an improvement on its predecessors, but also on nearly all its successors". Nevertheless, Smalltalk has shortcomings, in particular with respect to modularity, security and its interplay with the dark world outside its borders.

Newspeak differs from Smalltalk in four key respects: it is purely message based, it treats classes as linguistic entities, it provides access control for methods, and it has no static state. We'll explain what all this means, how these features synergize to provide a powerful component module system and an object-cability security model, and how it leads to an attractive platform well suited to the internet age.

Technorati Tags: smalltalk, smalltalk solutions, newspeak

On today's Smalltalk Daily, we take a look at building a simple grammar in SmaCC, a Smalltalk compiler-compiler.

Technorati Tags: smalltalk, compiler-compiler, smacc

Blaine Buxton points out this great summation of OO:

In all other languages we've considered [Fortran, Algol60, Lisp, APL, Cobol, Pascal], a program consists of passive data-objects on the one hand and the executable program that manipulates these passive objects on the other. Object-oriented programs replace this bipartite structure with a homogeneous one: they consist of a set of data systems, each of which is capable of operating on itself.

- David Gelernter and Suresh J Jag

Like Blaine, I'm not at all sure why Paul Graham has so much trouble understanding the idea - it's just not that hard.

Technorati Tags: object oriented

If you're interested in Smalltalk Solutions 2008, you might want to have a look here for some travel information on the Reno area. As well, you should be aware of the STIC rate at the Grand Sierra hotel. When you book your room, make sure to ask for that rate!

Technorati Tags: smalltalk, smalltalk solutions

Travel information for the conference, in August

This week we have a pretty full podcast - we covered Sun's backstroke on close-sourcing parts of MySQL, the problems for ReiserFS with the guilty verdict for the developer, Knuth's interview where he dissed testing, mocks, and multi-threading - and a host of Smalltalk news, including Smalltalk Solutions and ESUG announcements.

In Smalltalk news, we talked about:

• Syx
• the Iron Smalltalk call
• ESUG 2008
• Smalltalk Solutions 2008
• Pharo
• Newspeak going open source
• Smalltalk parsing

If you have feedback, send it to smalltalkpodcasts@cincom.com - or visit us on iTunes, Facebook, or on Ning. You can also vote for us on Podcast Alley.

Technorati Tags: MySQL, ReiserFS, Seaside, Smalltalk, cincom smalltalk, knuth, multi-thread, smalltalk solutions, esug, newspeak, syx, pharo, iron smalltalk

With the rise of Macs, this is the sort of old bug that matters: a 25 year old flaw in Samba for BSD. Makes me wonder how many other "oldies but goodies" are lurking in the codebase of BSD...

If you're interested in either Ruby or Smalltalk (or both!), and you're in the Raleigh NC area, I'll be speaking to the Ruby Brigade there on May 20:

An Introduction To Seaside

Seaside is an open source, cross-Smalltalk web application framework. Like Ruby on Rails, it is "opinionated software". Unlike Rails, it's fairly heretical in its approach to building stateful web applications. I'll introduce Seaside, cover some Smalltalk basics, and answer questions from the audience.

You can get the meeting details here.

Technorati Tags: smalltalk, ruby

Blaine Buxton will be presenting Seaside tomorrow in KC:

If you are in Kansas City tomorrow and want to learn more about Seaside, then come to BarCampKC. I will be giving a presentation on Seaside. It's the one you can download from SqueakMap, but beefed up. I've included how to do GLORP, script.aculo.us, and more! I will be showing off Smalltalk and Squeak in the process. If you ever wondered why Smalltalk was so cool, now is the time to find out. See you there!

Technorati Tags: smalltalk