techbizcult

[As part of a series rediscovering some geeky tech posts, this one I wrote in May 2007] I'd like to summarise two or three interesting technological items which - well, for me at least - were once wholly ambiguous in meaning but which have become more understandable over time.  Firstly: JAVA 1996 questions: What is it, a coffee bean logo, a virtual machine, a clever operating system for small devices, a programming environment or language? 2007 verdict: My take is that Java is primarily a programming language and the Java Virtual Machine, but it's also apparently a runtime environment. Funnily enough, earlier this month: Sun announces JavaFX aimed at the scripting community! Microsoft .NET 2001 questions: Is it SOAP, a set of Microsoft methologies when it comes to programming, a new programming language? 2007 verdict: .NET is a framework including new, more object oriented languages like C# and new web technologies in the form of ASP.NET, web parts - and now for...

[As part of a series rediscovering some geeky tech posts, this one I wrote in April 2007] Hey it's interesting to note that beyond the Windows and Office offerings to the consumer market, Microsoft are soon to be offering "Windows Home Server". This is designed to tie all your data - be it home video, recorded TV or any other files - to one place, where it can be managed and backed up onto another disk without you needing to worry about backing up. If Windows Home Server sounds an exciting idea to tryout before it ships and you have a spare 1 GHz machine, you can apply now to join the beta team . See what a number of us have to say about Windows Home Server, following Bill Gates' announcement at the US Consumer Electronics Show in January. The other exciting thing for me this week is that Google have released " My Maps " - an easy way to build a Google maps mashup, but without needing to know how to code against their API. Create your own layers of f...