VMware Virtual Appliances Download Directory - This is incredible!

This is incredible! You can download hundreds of pre-configured VMware images containing any free OS, and any configuration. Like firewalls, or Kid Safe Desktop, Red Hat, etc. This is too friggin cool. http://www.vmware.com/vmtn/appliances/directory/

Email ain’t going away

I found this very funny post and wanted to share. It is a reflection of why email will never be in  disuse. http://scobleizer.com/2007/09/05/email-aint-going-away/

NetBeans Platform + JavaScript Engine in Java = The Perfect Plugin Framework

You may already have seen the post about the email app I am creating, in which I explain why I am using NetBeans platform as the base framework.

This week I attended a seminar explaining the advantages of the new version of the Java specification, Java 1.6 (or version 6). The one that amazed me the most was the inclusion of a scripting engine, with JavaScript support out of the box. This was possible in past Java versions using Mozilla Rhino, but now it is a default in the API - no need for extra JARs.

Support for other languages other than JavaScript (for example, Perl and Ruby) is provided by other engines available at http://scripting.dev.java.net/

Why is this useful?

• Integrate new Java code with existing legacy code in other languages
• Create applications - in any supported language - that will trigger and use Java objects (and will be able to use Java API)
• Allow end-users to create macros for your application
• Offer an easy framework for 3rd parties to create plugins for your application.
• Separate workflow between members of your team, and ease code integration
• If you’re coding a game, allow users to create/modify enemies, objects, etc

My email app will support plugins via traditional NetBeans Modules architecture (compiled JARs) or via JavaSript. So if you don’t know Java, but you know JavaScript, you can still create plugins for my application. Isn’t that cool? Imagine how easy would be to create that Google Toolbar using JavaScript, and then see it in the application? You won’t even need to compile it! But if you want to make your JavaScript code secret you can also compile it - the scripting engine in J2SE will still process it normally.

Do the same! Make it easy for your users to customize the funcionality and look and feel of your apps. At http://java.sun.com/developer/technicalArticles/J2SE/Desktop/scripting/ you can find very good documentation.

And if you’re using NetBeans as a framework, that gives you an advantage: Your application is more extensible than ever, and you’re giving multiple options for 3rd parties to customize and extend it.

Rejected on Interview: Answer too good

Peter B. was an out-of-work PHP developer looking for contract work in early 2005. A recruiter he’d worked with in the past emailed him some information regarding a possible position. Reading the job description, Peter thought he’d be a good fit, so he submitted his resume and got a response via email a few days later. He was rejected because his answer was “so good they thought he plagiarized it”. I really think some recruiting departments need to change their mindset.  Read the full story here.

Why I switched from KDE to GNOME

KDE and GNOME are probably the most famous desktop managers for *nix based systems today. There’s a heated debate on the community to which one is better; This is like religion: KDE followers usually will blindly defend anythink KDE-related and the same thing with GNOME too. They will claim that their desktop environment is the best on Earth. However, what those people don’t see is that what’s good for one doesn’t mean it is good for everybody.

My first contact with GNU/Linux was in 1998 (if my memory is not wrong), and with a graphical interface that was FVWM, a minimalist desktop environment. Its interface was very different from Windows. Altough it shared the same concept (ie. taskbar placing), the widget kit made sure users would know they weren’t using Windows. The widget kit (at least the one set by default in my distro) resembled a lot the CDE (Common Desktop Environment - an old UNIX desktop manager). Like all other screenshots from different distros.

But at that time GNU/Linux wasn’t so ready for the desktop. My mouse wouldn’t even work properly!

It wasn’t until 2001 that I started to use a Linux distro “for real”. It featured KDE version 1: a big leap from the interface I used back in 1998. Then I started to use Mandrake (now Mandriva) because it was easy to use (I was a Linux newbie at that time). And it had KDE 2.

I grew up used to KDE. KDE was something part of my knowledge. It was the “normal” graphical environment. But Mandriva had other ones to try: The ones I had experimented was IceWM, WindowMaker and GNOME (early versions, remember).

IceWM was too boring. WindowMaker cool, but too different from what we’re used to in our daily lives. And GNOME… well…

It surprises me to see the difference between today’s GNOME and yesterday’s GNOME. Why? I remember the first time I used GNOME and how much I hated it. The interface was odd; it looked like it was half-baked. All the menus had an annoying feature (that still exists on GIMP) which allows you to undock and have those menus floating all around. So annoying. And that was one reason I didn’t like Red Hat Linux at time: Its default interface was GNOME (and I couldn’t understand why they had chosen it).

But time came and I tested CentOS 4. The default interface wasn’t KDE, that’s for sure, but it was sleek, easy to use and very attractive. I liked the new interface. And it was GNOME. How?

According to Wikipedia, GNOME focus lately has changed to usability. And we can see that. No more odd-looking widgets. One thing I don’t like, though, is the two bars on the interface: one in the top, with three menus, and another at the bottom, with opened windows. Heck, how can a Windows user be comfortable to switch to this interface if it’s so different? OpenSolaris and Solaris, through their custom GNOME version (called “Java Desktop System”, or “JDS”), deliver the taskbar as Windows users know it - Start menu, opened windows, and the clock - all in the bottom. I think that’s how GNOME should do. The way it is currently may be easy for people that have never used a computer (like your grandma), but for people used to Windows it will prevent migration, for sure.

Anyway, getting back to track, I did a trial period with GNOME, going back to KDE to compare sometimes. And I found GNOME better to use now because of the famous principle: “Less is more”.

For instance, KDE will ship with 20 different text editors under the “Accessories” menu - and their names won’t explain what their differ, and I find it very annoying to have all the applications starting with K (Example: KAte, KText, KEdit, Konsole, KAlarm, KThis, KThat, AmaroK, etc). Couldn’t they just drop the K naming insanity?

Also, try to customize anything in KDE. You will open KDE control center, and browse a whole world of options, with many sublevels, that your eyes will even hurt when trying to find the right options for hours.

And that’s why now I use GNOME. It’s simple, sleek-interface (and regarding the two bars problem, I can easily customize it to look like the Windows/Solaris taskbar), and customization is a breeze. It bundles just one application (the better) for each task. No more 50 applications that do the same thing, with “K” in the beginning at their names, leaving you clueless.