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July, 2005

29

Back Online - MSN Updated Spaces List

Category: MSN Spaces Archive
Posted: 7/31/2005 8:44:00 AM

The "Updated Spaces" list is back online:
http://www.ericis.com/Eric-MsnSpacesUpdateList.aspx

*The RSS feed is working as well:
http://www.ericis.com/Eric-MsnSpacesRss.aspx

I revamped my website during the process:
http://www.ericis.com/

The new design is just plain simple with absolutely no pizazz.  Why?  'Cause it was really time consuming to make updates.  I could have planned the design better, limiting the time to create a new page, but I just decided to dump it for now...  We'll see what happens.

0

MSN Updates List - Down for Maintenance

Category: MSN Spaces Archive
Posted: 7/29/2005 7:54:00 PM

Sorry, but I have been working on a few issues for a while now, but I have to go to bed.  If you encounter problems... too bad for now.

2

Top 25 Updated Spaces RSS Feed

Category: MSN Spaces Archive
Posted: 7/29/2005 9:51:00 AM

I added an RSS feed to my customized "Updated Spaces" list, which has grown to include more than 50,000 spaces!  The feed outputs the last 25 updated spaces in the list.  You can add the feed to my.msn.com or your favorite RSS aggregation program.

0

Working for the man...

Category: Work
Posted: 7/29/2005 8:33:00 AM

What I do


I work for The Alexander Group, Inc. as a "Sr. Software Engineer" developing software solutions that help 1) aggregate and automate the knowledge of my company's consultants and 2) identify patterns in the needs of all of my company's clients, developing flexible software solutions for those patterns (a.k.a. software products).


Although that all came off the top of my head, I think it really describes what I do for my company.  5 years ago, AGI hired me for one reason.  Consulting doesn't generate true recurring revenue.  Certainly a consultant may sell you their services for a problem that shows its ugly head each year, but a good consultant will leave you with a solution to permantly deal with those problems and possibly, but not necessarily to end them as well.


Software is largely recurring revenue.  I write a program once and then multiple people get to use it over and over with very little of my involvement.  That frees me up to either make the software better or to find solutions for other needs.


The software I develop is largely web-based, meaning that it must run over the internet; like a website.  Most people don't realize that a website really is a software product (or is it?).  You can begin to wrap your mind around the idea of an electronic document (like Word or a PDF) being software itself... but, I'll leave that topic alone for now...


Getting Started


In the 5 years of working for AGI, we have released quite a few products.  In the beginning, our leadership had a vision to capture the knowledge of their consultants and to automate solutions for their clients.  They had ideas for what this looked like in terms of software and even some basic requirements about what the software should do.  Remember that this vision... their ideas were floating in space.  They had no physical form.  There were no competitors, because the software simply didn't exist.

Can you imagine describing the concept of TurboTax to someone before it existed?  Success for ideas like these relies on the ears that hear it, the minds that comprehend it, and finally the hands that make it happen.  Not only must you hear and comprehend everything they are telling you... you must also hear what they aren't telling you.  Leaders don't have the same level of technical knowledge that the workers do.  It's not their job.  So, as you digest the ideas, you ask question after question after question.  You must ask the questions they don't know need to be asked.  You must get them to release information that they don't know needs to be given.


So through the long course of trial-and-error we accepted the challenge.  As we cultivated the information available to us, we attempted to automate certain "problem domains".  We knew people have always struggled with time and money.  But, there were unique applications of these 2

0

Callidus TrueComp Sucks

Category: Work
Posted: 7/27/2005 7:57:00 PM

Sorry Callidus, but your TrueComp software really sucks! (my opinion, not my employer's)

I am just venting that at nearly 2:00 AM I am working on these silly custom reports for a client to run on top of their TrueComp implementation; summarizing each employee's sales data.  The database is simply a mess of years of upgrade after upgrade.  I entirely comprehend the complexity behind the software and what it must accomplish, but GEEZ!  Systems within systems that run within systems and everything is dependent on a previous step and any error in one step usually sends you back to the beginning searching for the problem...

On top of the complexity is... boring!

2

MSN Spaces & Javascript - Why isn't it allowed?

Category: MSN Spaces Archive
Posted: 7/27/2005 1:23:00 PM

As a person who knows JavaScript relatively well, you can interact with an internet browser and websites in some very advanced ways.

MSN Spaces relies heavily on JavaScript to give visitors and blog owners a great experience.  For example, when I click on a month in the "Archives" of my blog, I am not redirected to a new location with the information.  The information simply pops up in my browser where my blog entries normally appear.  Interesting...  How does it work?  That's not what this is about...

The fact that Spaces relies so heavily on JavaScript means that offering us "spacers" the ability to add our own javascript would be a risk.  Why?  'Cause people with knowledge like mine, but with malicious intent, would crash things.  How much could they crash?  I'm certain only the developers of this product can answer that.  However, MSN Spaces would be affected by this conduct through the bad reviews of visitors to these spaces.

They're also protecting us from any malicious scripts.  With the rise in security concerns across the internet over the years, they're just playing it safe, which is a good thing if you've ever been hit by a virus of any kind.  I'm not saying that a virus is going to jump out from a website into your computer system (that's up to browser vendors to take care of).

As a person who loves to customize everything can tell you, it is nice to visit an entire world of related websites without things following your cursor around or big obnoxious flashing things flying around.

To be honest?  I think there's another way.  But, they wrote it the way they did and they're sticking to it.

1

Languages in MSN Spaces

Category: MSN Spaces Archive
Posted: 7/26/2005 5:43:00 AM

If I say anything below, I should be saying this: "MSN Spaces team, will you please publish a list of languages that you currently provide direct translation for?  Or, change the RSS feed to report the EXACT language that the space content was written in rather than the language I am requesting in?"

 

The pros and cons of making international software "smart" are numerous.  Encountering problems are a certainty when making any robust software available on the global market.  Certainly there have been many successful products, but I am having difficulty with the solution MSN Spaces employed in their RSS feeds for each of our spaces.

 

Language and Software

 

In my humble opinion... the MSN Spaces team is reporting the wrong language in many of our RSS feeds.  The "gray" line is how you interpret "subregions" or sub-populations of a language.  In code, an application is usually written in one language and then translated into other languages.  The software program often attempts to find your specific language and, if your specific language does not exist as a translation, it attempts to provide the next best translation.  So, if I speak another version of Spanish than the one provided by the software program, it will give me the version of Spanish it has.

 

How MSN Spaces Handles Languages

 

Without going into detail about the various layers of how MSN Spaces handles languages, my problem with their implementation comes to this...  When you request a web page or RSS feed from MSN Spaces, it looks up your preferred language (using your internet browser and / or Passport preferences) and attempts to provide the MSN Spaces text in that language.  However, the content of the space may be a different version of the language provided, since the text of MSN Spaces might not have been translated into your EXACT language or possibly not at all.

 

Here's a great example... When I request the list of "more spaces", I get a list of spaces that have either the same language as mine or the closest thing to it.  So, if my language settings say "en-US", I should see only English spaces.  But, if my language is German, I should see only German spaces.  Get it?  Well, what if my language is some other version of English that MSN Spaces hasn't been translated into?  Then it would probably give me English spaces.

 

So, when my automated program visits a space in a specific language (say "en-US-Eric"), MSN Spaces responds with only "en-US" spaces in the "Updated spaces" box.  But, what happens if someone's blog is written in "en-US-Nada"?  Of course, MSN Spaces will assume it is "en-US" as well.  So, when I request "en-US-Eric", I will get spaces in "en-US" AND "en-US-Nada"...

 

... unfortunately, the RSS feed would report that the language for all of these is "en-US-Eric", since it is the current language, and not "en-US" for spaces that are simply English and "en-US-Nada" for spaces that are something else!!!  So, if your space was written in a "primary" language when my automated program is requesting another version of that primary language, EVERYTHING will be reported as the other version and not what it really is!

 

I'm not blaming anyone at MSN Spaces for this.  It's not technically a mistake on their part.  Technically, it's a very robust feature that happens to not support what I am trying to use it for.  Ever try to use the back of a screwdriver or the side of a wrench instead of going to get a hammer?  Problem is, I don't know where the MSN Spaces team keeps the hammer or if I even have access to it.

0

10,000 and climbing

Category: MSN Spaces Archive
Posted: 7/25/2005 8:37:00 AM

My "MSN Updated Spaces List" has grown to include more than 10,000 MSN Spaces in 3 days and continues to grow.  To celebrate, I have re-arranged my space and will be adding new photos later tonight...  I can't stop thinking about new ideas for this list:
  1. Speed - I really want to speed up the download time for those of you who are visiting the list when it decides to make an update by itself.  Suprisingly this is already incredibly fast, considering it parses approximately 100+ links out of HTML from a couple of web pages, reads the RSS feeds for each of those links, and then summarizes and stores the information in a database!  But, I want to speed this up nonetheless. I have removed the logic for updating the list and placed it in an auto-scheduled program.  No more waiting while the list updates itself!
  2. Preferences - I would like to automatically limit the list of Spaces to include only those written in the language of the visitor's internet browser preferred language setting.  I'm certain there are other preferences settings to be made as well...
  3. Interface upgrade... I really want to present this great list in unique ways and will have to brainstorm different options.
  4. Full search capability with integration of other popular blog search engine results and possibly standard search engines as well
  5. Location - I would really like to parse out people's locations and then provide links to a map to see where they're at. — Done!  Perhaps even integrate the BraveNet "Guestmap" for "spacers" that have them.
  6. "Popular Topics" - This would be incredible, but would be quite an undertaking.  I would have to parse everyone's most recent blog entry for common topics and rank their popularity, resulting in a listing of popular topics.  We'll see... but, I doubt this will happen.
  7. Complete Statistics - Of course, the RSS feed for everyone's MSN Space does not include every post since the beginning of a person's blog, but it would be great to have statistics on this data somehow.  I guess I'll have to wait for the MSN Spaces' API...

0

New: MSN Spaces Updates

Category: MSN Spaces Archive
Posted: 7/23/2005 12:11:00 PM

My Own Version of the MSN Spaces "Updated Spaces" list!
 
 
After only 6 hours of dedicated weekend time, I now present you all with the ability to see "Updated Spaces" like you've never seen it before!  My list includes additional information about spaces you will not see in the lists provided by the MSN Spaces' website (including "Updated Spaces" and "More Spaces..."), like blog's name, title,  "total posts" (that appear in the RSS feed), last entry title, last entry date/time, and Technorati profile.
 
Give me feedback on what you think!  I appreciate all of your comments, suggestions, etc. for improving the tool:
 
2005-07-24: Update - Added profile images to the report.
2005-07-25: Update - Added notification when zero records are returned by a search.  *Thanks BestMonty
2005-07-25: Update - Added the ability to Submit Your MSN Space
2005-07-25: Update - Added languages, since it seems that the Spaces' RSS feeds occassionally report a different language
2005-07-26: Update - Fixed bug in languages addition.  The list should now include many more non-English spaces.
2005-07-26: Update - Location with a link to Google maps was added and languages was removed! Although I am still storing "Language" for each space, I have removed it, since it doesn't seem to be working out as expected.  To compensate, I took the 20 minutes to add "Location" for you all.  Since everyone can input their own location, I do not offer a way to filter by a known list of locations. *sorry*
2005-07-27: Update - SPEED!  The list will now load much quicker, since I have removed the logic that updates the list and placed it into a auto-scheduled program.
2005-07-29: Update - Top 25 Updated Spaces RSS feed.  Now you can get the list of updated spaces from around the world fed directly to your favorite RSS program, including to My.MSN.
 
*I am in no way affiliated with Microsoft, MSN, or MSN Spaces other than being a member of spaces and enjoying tinkering with their services.

2

New pictures

Category: MSN Spaces Archive
Posted: 7/22/2005 10:58:00 AM

New pictures in the photo album... Let me know if you see any resemblance to my ol' self

0

Highlight Your MSN Space

Category: MSN Spaces Archive
Posted: 7/22/2005 8:37:00 AM

Okay... nobody seemed to care for my little "Link Hiliter" tool, which highlights links on a webpage differently if they go to the same website, same web domain, or else where.
 
So, I have wrote a little utility for you to use that will allow you to highlight links to your MSN Space on a person's web page!  So, if you're on my web page, you might be looking for a link back to your own or someone else's...
 
Now, rather than writing a separate web page to do all of this for you, I'm just going to tell you how to do it, so let's get technical...
  1. Add this current web page as a favorite or bookmark in your browser and rename the title to something like "Hilite My MSN Space".
  2. Save the favorite or bookmark in a place where it will show up in your browser's toolbar (Example: Internet Explorer has a folder called "Links" under "Favorites" that will place the link as a button in your toolbar -- toolbar must be enabled).  Or, just save it to your preferred location and remember how to get to it.
  3. Now right-click the link's button on your toolbar, or right-click the favorite / bookmark and select "Properties".
  4. Remove the current URL and replace it with the code below:
  5. javascript:bg=prompt('Link%20Background%20Color:','lime');fg=prompt('Link%20Color:','navy');spc=prompt('MSN%20Space:','eswanson');a=document.getElementsByTagName('a');for(i=0;i<a.length;i++){if(a[i].href.indexOf(spc)>=0){s=a[i].style;void(s.backgroundColor=bg);void(s.color=fg);void(s.fontSize='24pt');}}

  6. Save it (ignoring the warning about code being in your url -- nothing malicious here!) and then try it out on a webpage that you know has the space you are looking for.

*FYI: You can actually use this tool to highlight any link based on some value in the url.  For example, I could search for "spaces.com" in all of the urls on a page, etc.  Also, you'll notice that you can change the default values in the code (like 'navy') by simply editing them in the code, but be aware that this is "url-encoded" javascript, so you must know what you're doing.

0

RSS & CSS - Are you ready?

Category: Software Development
Posted: 7/22/2005 6:01:00 AM

I just learned something interesting about RSS and CSS...  When adding an RSS feed to your website, you may want to make certain that you handle ALL HTML tags in your CSS files.  For example, I don't handle the <h1></h1> tag on my website.  So, when I pull content dynamically from my MSN Space that contains this tag... WHAMMO!  Big ol' honkin' text smack-dab in the middle of the page that...

looks like I'm screaming the text!

 ... you'll see what the text above looks like in a few minutes too.
 
Ah well... I don't think I'll fix it right now.

0

Current is dead

Category: Animals & Pets
Posted: 7/22/2005 5:50:00 AM

Current, 1 of my bettas has died.    Watch him forever flourish with his majestic fins that flutter and fly ...  into the night ... into the wake of life that only exists in our dreams .  Your radiant colors will always remain as a vivid reminder in our minds eye of what beauty is and what it was.  Thank you Current!
 
So...  he died 'cause, while we were on vacation  I turned the AC down and the house heated up causing algae to start growing in both betta's fish tanks.    The algae continued to grow and, by the time I returned, he was too sick to make it.   I bought algae killer and thoroughly cleaned both tanks.  Casper is doing very well.  I even bought him some live plants and a pump to keep the water circulating (even though bettas don't need them).
 
I think I'll get another betta once my heart has stopped aching so sorely from missing him.   k...  I'm not actually quite so afflicted by his death, but I thought I'd give him a tribute anyways...

0

MSN Spaces Petition #002-20050722

Category: MSN Spaces Archive
Posted: 7/22/2005 5:22:00 AM

Please read and sign this petition by commenting below if you believe in making a positive influence for change within MSN Spaces.
 
*This petition is an ammendment to the original petition #001-20050719.
 
This is an informal petition to the MSN Spaces' staff to add the following enhancements to the Administrative capabilities of the current MSN Spaces system:

  1. Add a module that just outputs RSS feeds (similiar to or an exact replica of the one on my.msn.com).  This would be a huge win for people I think.
  2. Fix RSS counts in statistics - Either remove the referrals for RSS in the statistics log and add an "RSS Hits" counter, or provide a different statistics module just for RSS.  Since one pass of an RSS page generates a hit for every single blog post!
  3. Multiple Comment & Trackback Delete - I need this as a result of #4
  4. Trackback "Watchdog" Program - To watch for multiple trackbacks from the same url in a matter of seconds, indicating an automated trackback blog-bot.  This program would automatically block posts if it detects malicious behavior.
  5. When viewing, add the ability to sort blog entries, comments, and trackbacks separately.  For example, trackbacks should be sortable by date created, url, and blog entry date and blog entry title.
  6. When editing, add the ability to order the list items!  Case in point, if I find an AWESOME blog that is better than any I have ever encountered, I want to make it first in my "Blog list"!!!  Not last!!!
  7. Add a compact layout manager for rearranging the module placements within an MSN Space.  For example, just give me little boxes with the titles of the modules that I can move around without all the content!  It will speed up layout changes tremendously!!!
  8. Statistics download option
  9. Move "Statistics" or rename "Settings".  Statistics aren't settings...
  10. Add the ability to block certain e-mails, names, and / or urls from commenting.  This would allow spaces to remain public without losing control when people start soliciting all over the place.
  11. Add "geo" tags to MSN Spaces and the feeds, allowing us to see who's "nearby".  Support any level of detail the author wants to provide (i.e. country, state, lat/lon, street address, etc.)

MSN SPACES PETITION CODE: ESWANSON-002-20050722*

*If you wish to create your own petition, create a petition code by including the name of your MSN Space as indicated in your Space's url followed by a hyphen, the number of your personal petition in the list of all of the petitions you personally have created followed by another hyphen and finally the current date in the universal format yyyymmdd.  Thanks!

0

My Blog List

Category: Website
Posted: 7/22/2005 5:04:00 AM

*Warning: The following color scheme may cause permanent damage to your personal opinions of this MSN Space. As a result, the author of this MSN Space will not be held accountable for his intentional misuse of color. Read at your own risk... just like you do when you see how most people add color to their website with their eyes closed. FYI: Links are in pink.


Okay... I'm tired of having to remember everyone's blog urls and I don't want to do a "blogroll" (basically a list of blogs much like a person's "favorites" or "bookmarks" for websites).  Being a web-head techie dude...  I am tired of "Favorites", "Bookmarks", and now "Blog Rolls".  They really suck.  I need a better way of organizing the thousands of links!  And, since I don't have the time (won't take the time) to write my own kick-ass website program for managing them, I've done a few things...
  1. I added a "Blog List" to here, my MSN Space.  Now, I don't want everyone getting all upset because their blog isn't listed.  There are some really great blogs out there and I love visiting them, but I'm only listing the ones I WANT to list for MY OWN reasons.  Besides, the goal is to NOT have a list 500 links long...  So, don't be commenting things like, "Eric - You're site really rocks!!!  I added you to my blog list. (hint, hint)  I'll hate you if you don't add me!"  Or, "Where the hell is my blog?  I comment all the time, so I deserve to be on your list!"
  2. I FINALLY wrote my OWN homepage about 2 months ago on my "localhost" web server.  So, no more depending on another website and no depending on internet connectivity either (to know links to my localhost programs).  The link list is very compact and doesn't include obvious sites or sites I don't use on a weekly basis.  I did this once before long ago, but decided to do it again and actually am using it.
  3. I have been using the "Search Prefixes" for Internet Explorer through the "Tweak UI" utility for Windows XP forever now and I love them!  Not just for search engines either... shopping, movies, weather, maps, yellow pages, etc.  If you're not familiar with them, they are similiar to what a toolbar offers you in terms of entering some text and selecting which site to send you to.  But, I don't need the obnoxious toolbar. (FYI: The FireFox feature for this is really well integrated, but that's not my primary browser since it's not the primary browser of my software's clients)

0

So... I !AM! a teenager!!!

Category: Other
Posted: 7/19/2005 2:09:00 PM

Some program manager for MSN flipped me to this "RealAge" website, where some people have come up with an assessment test for determining your physical age rather than just your chronological age.  Makes sense, considering all that we subject our bodies and minds to in this world... good and bad.  So, what were the results?
 
I must first preface my results with an interesting tidbit of info...  At 26 years of age, people ALWAYS mistake me for a teenager!  hmm...  Well, I am a kid at heart and have been very active much of my life, which keeps me healthy.  I was walking in a popular outdoor mall last year (25 years old), when rent-o-cop is standing there in the middle of the walkway and asks me, "Where are you headed?"  I slowed my walk and thought nothing of it...  "Barnes & Noble," I replied.  "And, how old are you?" he inquired.  (WTF?!)  This guy's standing there so the little teenie-boppers don't break their curfue by waiting in a designated area until their parents pick them up.  "25!" I exclaimed rather proudly and simply shrugged the guy off.  My face is "young"...  that's all.  Or, so I thought...
 
(play dramatic music here!)
 
My chronological age at this time is 26.6.  Okay... nothing new here.  BUT!  My "RealAge" is 17.7!  AH HA!!!!!  There's the proof!  FINALLY!!! ALL IS ANSWERED IN THIS CRAZY WORLD!  ...
 
(Eric performs a relaxing exercise to return to lowercase...)
 
So, I'm almost 8 years younger than my chronological age?  Yup.  Sounds about right actually.  Oddly enough, if they had a mental / emotional age assessment they would recognize that I'm in my 30's and that balances it all out.
 
The greatest part of taking the test was this statement: "Your RealAge is 17.7. But you could be younger--in as few as 90 days" by signing up for their "RealAge Reduction Plan".  LOL!!!  I can be younger than 8 years younger!!! Woo hoo!  I can be 15 years old again!!!
 
All I have to do is stop talking on the cell phone while driving, take my daily vitamins, exercise and floss my teeth more regularly, get accurate measurements of my blood pressure / HDL / total cholesterol levels, eat breakfast EVERY day, and to eat more vegetables, fruit, grains, and (surprisingly) unsaturated fat!  That's all?!  No wonder why I'm such an old fart...
 
LMAOROF...

0

MSN Spaces Petition #001-20050719

Category: MSN Spaces Archive
Posted: 7/19/2005 6:07:00 AM

Please read and sign this petition by commenting below if you believe in making a positive influence for change within MSN Spaces.
 
This is an informal petition to the MSN Spaces' staff to add the following enhancements to the Administrative capabilities of the current MSN Spaces system:

  1. Multiple Comment & Trackback Delete
  2. Trackback "Watchdog" Program - To watch for multiple trackbacks from the same url in a matter of seconds, indicating an automated trackback blog-bot.
  3. Ability to sort blog entries, comments, and trackbacks separately.  For example, trackbacks should be sortable by date created, url, and blog entry date and blog entry title.

MSN SPACES PETITION CODE: ESWANSON-001-20050719*

*If you wish to create your own petition, create a petition code by including the name of your MSN Space as indicated in your Space's url followed by a hyphen, the number of your personal petition in the list of all of the petitions you personally have created followed by another hyphen and finally the current date in the universal format yyyy-mm-dd.  Thanks!

0

SEO

Category: Internet/Computers/Software
Posted: 7/2/2005 3:40:00 PM

Search Engine Optimization — Odd Results

It's so great to see people searching for such odd things all of the time and some of them arriving at my website because of it all...
 
SEO stands for "Search Engine Optimization"...  Some of my first entries in this blog had to do with experiments regarding ranking / placement in the popular engines.  It was scary how well they worked.  Many web-heads have tested the wonders of the Blog and even non-techies have realized how often they get "indexed" for a certain search term or phrase.
 
I encountered my most interesting search result so far...  Check out this search: site:spaces.msn.com
 
Number 7!!!  I thought that was pretty cool, considering all of the incredible blogs people have now on Spaces.  I feel like others should be given this wonderful privelage, but will enjoy the fact that I have been granted the honor.  The link above limits all search results to the "spaces.msn.com" domain and doesn't specify any terms or phrases to look for.  Simply asking, "Give me all the results you've indexed for this domain."  You can use this to your advantage if you are looking for a specific thing in a specific domain.  Simply specify the place to look and what you are looking for...  Example:  "Politics site:theonion.com"

0

Half a month of voting on languages...

Category: Hobbies
Posted: 7/2/2005 2:36:00 PM

Okay... it's been half a month of voting on which 3rd language I should learn (I already know English and "enough" Spanish).

What language do you think I should learn?
 
Language Votes
Chinese: 6
French: 2
Japanese: 1
Arabic: 1
Italian: 1
Latin: 1
Danish / Swedish: 1
Tibetan: 1
Turkish: 1

0

RANT & Rave

Category: Software Development
Posted: 7/1/2005 5:41:00 AM

I can't stand it anymore!  I have to rant and I have to rave!
 
*EDIT: Keep in mind that this isn't an article.  I'm not weighing pros and cons completely or even equally.  I don't even touch on the fact that ASP.NET is proprietary (though the Mono Project helps).  Besides, this isn't a discussion, it's a blog post!  Of course, if you want a discussion, comment away...

Programming Languages

 

Get a grip on yourselves!  I realize that if a language can really beat another as the ultimate solution to a specific problem domain (scripting, web, operating system, etc.), then we should give it a fighting chance.  But, how do you know when enough is enough?  When do the benefits of not choosing the better language outweigh the choice for the popular one?
 
Well, if we take an example from life, the popular one almost always wins.  Face it... underdog stories are inspiring and worthwhile, but rare.  So, if you're out there promoting the heck out of the cross-breed Ruby on rails, Python, Perl, C# initiative with a TCL twist called "Puke", QUIT IT!
 
I had an interesting discussion with a friend...
 
PHP, JSP, or ASP.NET?
 
We both agreed that for fast turn-around, use PHP.  Not because it's a better language, but because of pure popularity.  We debated JSP and ASP.NET for more robust, long-term solutions.  The real debate hinges on the future of ASP.NET and not the languages themselves.  MS has had a "great" launch of their technology.  And, writing C# was a step toward success.  However, JSP quickly countered with some enhancements of it's own.
 
I hate to say it, but I think ASP.NET.  Why?  One platform, any .NET language.  That's why.  If my website is still going strong in 3 years and I meet the world renowned Perl2008.NET expert who wants to work with me, he can.
 
So, take a cursory look at your other options.  Decide what's best for you... but, keep these things in mind when deciding on the future of your organization.

VisualStudio and Other IDEs


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MONSTEROUS!!!

Category: Other
Posted: 7/1/2005 3:47:00 AM

Preposterous!  Outrageous!  Monsterous! ...
 
What's with our fascination of monsters?  Is it based on the American ideal of "livin' large"?  Like the American industry icons of the past... the bigger the better.  Are we still hooked on it?
 
Is it tied to the myths and legends of monsters?
 
Or, is it something all too simple?  Monster.com

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