A while back I started to put together a list of cases where it might be better to avoid using Flex and/or AIR, but never posted it.  I ended up concluding that most of the issues can be addressed if Flex is a fit otherwise.  I have never been an engineer that believes that any one technology is a fit for all cases.  The other side of that coin is that I don’t believe that any platform is perfect, and you have to accept the pitfalls of whatever you choose.

Anyhow, I decided I should dust it off and put it out there.  If, for no other purpose, than to have a good reason to post the facetious list I wrote up to go with it.

Here is the list of potential issues:

1. The iPhone:
   If you are building an application that must be available on every platform, including ones that have not been created or released yet, then targeting the Flash platform is not ideal.  That said, the notion of the platform that is portable across all types of devices and form factors comes up frequently, but in most cases it is entirely unrealistic and undesirable to build real applications with this approach.  A better approach is to build applications tailored to each specific device (or at least each genre), such as a native iPhone application with features tailored to a mobile device.

   So, in this case the iPhone is symbolic of platforms that do not support Flash and have no published roadmap for supporting 3rd party runtimes.  If you are building an application that truly has the requirement of being the same application on the desktop and every mobile device (which certainly exist), then using Flash is a no go.  In many of these cases, standard browser technologies are the default option (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript).  RIA features can be added by using frameworks like GWT.

2. Search:
   In 2008, Adobe announced their collaboration with Google and Yahoo to make Flash content searchable.  The ability for major search engines to craw a SWF file is a nice step forward.  Yet, if you have consumer-facing content that must be searchable, then it may be best to avoid RIA features in general (not just Flex).  The search paradigm is heavily dependant on the page-based model.  It is a major challenge to build rich applications that can be entered from any direction and properly reconstitute their state.
3. Low Bandwidth Clients:
   If you are building a system that potentially services a large volume of low bandwidth users, then Flex can present some challenges.  The compiled applications are typically quite sizeable.  Flex does allow for breaking up the applications with runtime-shared-libraries (RSL’s).  With that approach, the Flex SDK still has to be downloaded (just not over-and-over).  So, trying to using Flex in this case is a bit of a stretch.

   AIR can actually present some real opportunities with offline clients.  For example, Parleys.com has reported that low-bandwidth clients love their application because it can download videos overnight for viewing offline.

4. Content Centric Applications:
   There is a class of content centric applications that fit the hyperlink paradigm and should never be made into RIAs, such as Wikipedia and Craigslist.  Certainly, there are a number of applications that combine heavy content along with the need for a number of advanced RIA features.  In those cases, Flex / Flash has presented real challenges because of its limited ability to deal with large bodies of text.  Many of these limitations are being addressed with the next version of Flex and the recent release of Flash Player 10.
5. Local Device Access:
   Adobe AIR makes a compelling case for building desktop applications with web technologies, but if you are building an application that requires local device access then it is worth considering more traditional desktop platforms that offer a greater level of access to machine resources.  The community has responded to this concern with the Merapi project, but for those looking for major vendor support this is still a valid concern.

1. You prefer not to have a full featured easily extensible set of components.
2. You like spending time debugging your Ajax applications in all the different browsers and versions.
3. You are a Java developer and too afraid to shell out $250 for an IDE.
4. You believe that you can do anything you ever wanted to do in Perl.
5. You like working in a 10 year old standard (HTML 4).
6. You like the term Open Web, and believe it actually exists.
7. You hate quality applications, your clients, and yourself.

Let me know if you have any additions for either list!

{By Jon Rose}

Open Source: It’s always been a part of what makes Imageworks tick. However, up until now we haven’t had a chance to contribute back to the open source community. We’re beginning to change that now.

We’ve chosen 5 projects to release as open source. This software can be freely used by large and small studios around the world. We’ve intentionally chosen popular non-restrictive licensing models to help ensure you have lots of options.

Each of these projects have passionate people behind them who are interested in seeing the code widely used. We’re into the idea of building small development communities around this code. If you’re interested in contributing, join the respective mailing lists and introduce yourself.

Take a moment to familiarize yourself with Imageworks’ open source offerings. I hope you find something useful.

Rob Bredow
CTO
Sony Pictures Imageworks

Tiny Core Linux is a small a minimum of desktop Linux. It is based on the Linux 2.6 kernel, Busybox, Tiny X, FLTK graphical user interface, JWM window manager, all running in memory. It is not a complete desktop, not the full support of all hardware; it represents a lead into the X window desktop minimum required for the core content of a typical case may include a visit to the wired network. This can be the smallest desktop software from the online storage application software to install additional expansion.

Change log:

new boot option ‘embed’ to stay on initramfs;
upgraded ISO now using isolinux 3.8.2 to easily support isohybrid;
upgraded upgrade_tce.sh fixed false error warning and added to ‘Tools’ menu section;
upgraded upgrade_tce.sh to support microcore’s .core. elements;
upgraded usbinstall with ‘need root warning’ also added to ‘Tools’ menu section;
upgraded tce-load to use -c ‘continue’ option of wget to better support downloading;
upgraded BusyBox, replaced missing dc applet, also added ‘Length’ to wget applet output;
upgraded boot time F2 to display better message regarding kmaps;
upgraded boot time F3 to display missing options, no icons and laptop

Download:

tinycore_2.2.iso (11.0MB).

Almost five months since the second beta of Thunderbird 3.0 was made available, the Mozilla developers have released the third beta for version 3.0 of their popular open source email and news client. Thunderbird 3 Beta 3 is based on the Gecko 1.9.1.1 platform and includes over 500 changes from the previous beta 2 release. According to Mozilla, many of the changes have set the groundwork for future changes.

The beta 3 release now includes support for tabbed email messages, so that when a users double clicks, or hits enter on an email message, it will open in a new tab window in Thunderbird. A new message view summary has been added that provides a summary view to users who select multiple messages and column headings can now be set on a per-folder basis. Users can now use a Smart Folders mode to combine special mailboxes, such as the Inbox, from multiple accounts.

Gmail integration has also been improved, adding support for Gmail’s special folders such as Sent and Trash. The third beta includes an early test version of a new Mail Account Set-up Wizard “to make configuring email accounts in Thunderbird easier and less error-prone”. According to a blog post by developer Dan Mosedale, the release includes several improvements for extension developers and a fourth beta is already being worked on.

More details about the release can be found in the release notes and change log. As with all beta releases, Thunderbird 3 Beta 3 is intended for testing and not for production use. Thunderbird 3 Beta 3 is available to download for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux in over 40 languages. The developers also note that Thunderbird 3 no longer supports Windows 95, 98, ME, NT and Mac OS X versions prior to 10.4. A final release date for Thunderbird 3, however, has yet to be announced.

With Foto-Mosaik-Edda you can create mosaic-pictures, which are composed of many small pictures (tiles), from your own photos.

The single pictures will be analysed and copied into one or more databases. You can use your holiday photos, pictures of the last family celebration or even take over whole picture-CDs into the database.

A simple to use wizard will guide you through the program and will turn the creation of your own photo-mosaic into a piece of cake. Amaze others with this extraordinary effect.

Android 2.0 may be ready before summer’s end if a developer’s clues reflect Google’s intentions. In an interview with AndroidGuys, a representative of The Weather Channel says its next app release for Android will be based on 2.0 when it ships in that window. As apps written for the new software won’t work on older operating systems, the statement suggests the new mobile OS will be ready by that point.

She adds that, from a developer’s point of view, Android 2.0 is “greatly improved” and is both easier to code for as well as more stable than earlier versions. No features are immediately discussed, but the second edition is described as encouraging creativity.

Also known as “Donut,” 2.0 is due to add universal searching, voice control, text-to-speech and gesturing. It may also bring social networking components. Some companies, including Sony Ericsson, plan to use the newer version on their first Android handsets.

Pikeo is a beta product from France Telecom Research and Development LLC in South San Francisco and is not a “certified” France Telecom product. What does this mean in normal language? It means that:

* We think that pictures tell better stories when you can give people some idea of where they were taken. Pikeo lets you look at your pictures along with a map showing ‘the scenes of your crimes’.
* Pikeo also helps you organise your pictures in smart albums based on ‘what’, ‘where’, and ‘who’ information (called ‘tags’). You can decide which of your pictures you want to share with your family, friends and everyone else, and which ones you want no one to see. Ever, ever.
* Best of all, you’ll be in full control of your community via our innovative ‘Contacts’ browsing tool – which lets you keep the riff-raff out (unless your family and friends are riff-raff. That’s for you to decide…).

The PostgreSQL Global Development Group has released version 8.4, continuing the rapid development of the world’s most advanced open source database. This release contains an abundance of enhancements to make administering, querying, and programming of PostgreSQL databases easier than ever before. Our development team has spent 16 months adding over two hundred improvements to all aspects of database functionality, helping every PostgreSQL user in small or large ways.

Many of the changes in PostgreSQL 8.4 are new or improved administration and monitoring tools and commands. Each user has their own favorite features which will make day-to-day work with PostgreSQL easier and more productive for them. Among the most popular enhancements are:

• Parallel Database Restore, speeding up recovery from backup up to 8 times
• Per-Column Permissions, allowing more granular control of sensitive data
• Per-database Collation Support, making PostgreSQL more useful in multi-lingual environments
• In-place Upgrades through pg_migrator (beta), enabling upgrades from 8.3 to 8.4 without extensive downtime
• New Query Monitoring Tools, giving administrators more insight into query activity
• Greatly Reduced VACUUM Overhead through the Visibility Map
• New Monitoring Tools for current queries, query load and deadlocks

Version 8.4 also makes data analysis easier through the advanced ANSI SQL2003 features of windowing functions, common table expressions and recursive queries. Enhancements to stored procedures, such as default parameters and variadic parameters, make database server programming simpler and more compact. Of course, there are also performance improvements included in this version.

Download version 8.4 today and start enjoying using PostgreSQL even more!

• Download PostgreSQL 8.4
• Release Notes
• List of 8.4 Features
• Official Press Release

This version is a major update. The following major new features were added:

• Guest SMP with up to 32 virtual CPUs (VT-x and AMD-V only; see chapter 3.7.2.2 of the user manual)
• Windows guests: ability to use Direct3D 8/9 applications / games (experimental; see chapter 4.8 of the user manual)
• Support for OpenGL 2.0 for Windows, Linux and Solaris guests

In addition, the following items were fixed and/or added:

• Solaris hosts: allow suspend/resume on the host when a VM is running (bug #3826)
• Solaris hosts: loosen the restriction for contiguous physical memory under certain conditions
• Mac OS X hosts: fixed guest PAE
• Linux hosts: kernel module compile fixes for 2.6.31 (bug #4264)
• VMM: fixed occasional guru meditation when loading a saved state (VT-x only)
• VMM: eliminated IO-APIC overhead with 32 bits guests (VT-x only, some Intel CPUs don’t support this feature (most do); bug #638)
• VMM: fixed 64 bits CentOS guest hangs during early boot (AMD-V only; bug #3927)
• VMM: performance improvements for certain PAE guests (e.g. Linux 2.6.29+ kernels)
• VMM: some Windows guests detected a completely wrong CPU frequency (bug #2227)
• VMM: fixed hanging and unkillable VM processes (bug #4040)
• VMM: fixed random infrequent guest crashes due to XMM state corruption (Win64 hosts only)
• VMM: performance improvements for network I/O (VT-x/AMD-V only)
• GUI: added mini toolbar for fullscreen and seamless mode (Thanks to Huihong Luo)
• GUI: redesigned settings dialogs
• GUI: allow to create/remove more than one host-only network adapters (non Windows hosts)
• GUI: display estimated time for long running operations (e.g. OVF import/export)
• GUI: fixed rare hangs when open the OVF import/export wizards (bug #4157)
• 3D support: fixed VM crashes for client applications using incorrect OpenGL states
• 3D support: fixed memory corruption when querying for supported texture compression formats
• 3D support: fixed incorrect rendering of glDrawRangeElements
• 3D support: fixed memory leak when using VBOs
• 3D support: fixed glew library detection
• 3D support: fixed random textures corruption
• VRDP: support Windows 7 RDP client
• Networking: fixed another problem with TX checksum offloading with Linux kernels up to version 2.6.18
• NAT: fixed “open ports on virtual router 10.0.2.2 – 513, 514” (forum)
• NAT: allow to configure socket and internal parameters
• NAT: allow to bind sockets to specific interface
• PXE boot: significant performance increase (VT-x/AMD-V only)
• VHD: properly write empty sectors when cloning of VHD images (bug #4080)
• VHD: fixed crash when discarding snapshots of a VHD image
• VHD: fixed access beyond the block bitmap which could lead to arbitrary crashes
• VBoxManage: fixed incorrect partition table processing when creating VMDK files giving raw partition access (bug #3510)
• VBoxManage: support cloning to existing image file
• OVF: several OVF 1.0 compatibility fixes
• OVF: fixed exporting of disk images when multiple virtual machines are exported at once
• Virtual mouse device: eliminated micro-movements of the virtual mouse which were confusing some applications (bug #3782)
• Shared Folders: sometimes a file was created using the wrong permissions (2.2.0 regression; bug #3785)
• Shared Folders: allow to change file attributes from Linux guests and use the correct file mode when creating files
• Shared Folders: some content was incorrectly written under certain conditions (bug #1187)
• Shared Folders: fixed incorrect file timestamps, when using Windows guest on a Linux host (bug #3404)
• X11 clipboard: fix duplicate end of lines (bug #4270)
• X11 guests: a number of shared clipboard fixes
• Linux guests: Guest Additions support for SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11
• Linux guests: new daemon vboxadd-service to handle time synchronization and guest property lookup
• Linux guests: implemented guest properties (OS info, logged in users, basic network information)
• Windows host installer: VirtualBox Python API can now be installed automatically (requires Python and Win32 Extensions installed)
• USB: Support for high-speed isochronous endpoints has been added. In addition, read-ahead buffering is performed for input endpoints (currently Linux hosts only). This should allow additional devices to work, notably webcams (bug #242).
• USB: fixed error handling for some USB dongles
• Web service: fixed inability to handle NULL pointers for object arguments, which are valid values for a lot of APIs, in both the raw and the object-oriented web service.
• Web service: object-oriented bindings for JAX-WS did not exhibit interface inheritance correctly, fixed
• Web service: added support for IDisplay and IGuest interfaces, which were previously unavailable
• Registration dialog uses Sun Online accounts now

UnBlock Me is a simple iPhone/iPod Touch puzzle game. The goal of this game is that you have to get the red block out of board by sliding the other wooden blocks vertically and horizonally.

It is simple but addictive one. You can try UnBlock Me lite version which has 200 levels and 1,000 levels for full version is just about $0.99.

Download FREE and Paid version form iTunes Store.