Joshua F. Rountree

Well I just heard at this conference Apple announced that the iPhone WiMAX is expected to be released sometime late 2009. This type of technology will revolutionize the way iPhone users access iTunes and other less G3 accessible services.

Imagine mobile speeds faster than your broadband home internet… well get ready because it’s on the way!

To the right is a pre-production test version of the device. I’m unsure if this is it’s final appearance - I’m sure it will have a different appearance by release.

I’ll keep you posted!

Relient K - “The Office”

Posted on December 11, 2008, under Music, Off-topic.

Possible solution for Mac OS X 10.5.5 64-bit CF8 Installer Java Update Issue

Posted on November 29, 2008, under Apple, ColdFusion, Solutions.

Nathan Mische - you may not typically re-post content but this sure is a great prospective solution! Thank you for the great find, I still haven’t tried it - my wife won’t give me back my MacBook!

http://www.mischefamily.com/nathan/index.cfm/2008/11/25/Installing-64-Bit-CF-801-on-Mac-OS-X-1055

In a terminal window, go to /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/CurrentJDK/Commands (cd /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/CurrentJDK/Commands)
Remove the symlinks (sudo rm -rf *)
Copy the files from /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/CurrentJDK/Home/bin to /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/CurrentJDK/Commands (sudo cp ../Home/bin/* .)
Run the CF installer
Remove the files from /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/CurrentJDK (sudo rm –rf *)
Recreate the symlinks deleted in step 2 (sudo ln –s ../Home/bin/* .)

Maybe I won’t get it back, she just said “It’s MY notebook now…” I’ll keep you posted on how I regain possession of my MacBook from my wife’s grip!

Thanks!

Enter the FULL touch UI era…

Posted on November 19, 2008, under Featured, Off-topic.

Welcome to the touch UI era.

I personally believe we are about to see revolutionary changes in the way UI’s are developed, designed, and utilized. I also believe that it’s not necessarily the exact way that Apple or HP are hitting it although what they are doing is not less revolutionary, just not necessarily the bigger scene or “end game” if you want to call it that.

Some say that the screen is not meant to be touched or that if possible we should try to avoid it - such as the trackpad being invented for that reason. As much as this is a great theory, it’s not necessarily accurate. The most intuitive interfaces that we see in movies and tv shows are those that seem unheard of.

Very shortly, within 5 years, we will be well into a full touch mindset. UI development models and methodologies will be almost 100% geared toward FULL touch technology. If you aren’t thinking about a more untuitive FULL touch user interface in 5 years then you will inevitably be beaten out by a better product.

As a designer, and developer my thoughts are that aligned with this mindset NOW, not 5 years from now when it’s too late. If you stick to a N-Tier development strategy in preparation for MAJOR UI advances you will most likely be able to tackle these changes as they occur.

I invision physically stable workstations at an ergonomic angle / height positioned perfectly and comfortably with some sort of support for your arms. Not a restraint, but merely a glorified keyboard wrist pad dealio to support between your wrist and elbows.

If I get time, I will draw up some illustrations to demonstrate my visions.

Web user interfaces are already starting to drastically change. Not NECESSARILY for full touch capabilities yet but in many ways they are full capable of this type of usage. FULL TOUCH UI’s will force designers/developers to push simplicity in every single feature of an application.

Doctor Offices software will be highly touch based, scheduling and filing will be done quickly with easy motions that aren’t necessarily pre-configured gestures. We see touch screens in many business environments such as Dining, Retail Stores, and many other point of sale terminals. These devices are simplistic and behave in a very limited way but are definitely more managable due to the dynamic capabilities of modifying button positions, functions, etc.

You may say - “You’re stating the obvious.” but honestly - most developers and designers work for “the now” instead of the future.

The iPhone is an example of forced simplicity in a very easy to use touch based device. iPhones have raised the bar for other mobile device manufacturers. Direct touch is always more intuitive than devices in between you and your work. A mouse might be the most intuitive method for manipulating items on your screen but if you could physically move them with your hands it would definitely be more intuitive. For artists, where detail is needed, special precision tools could be manufactured such as stylus type devices to control accuracy.

As FULL TOUCH is built into operating systems, as will it be forced to be built into hardware.

These are all mixed thoughts thrown together in a blog entry so forgive me if some of it doesn’t belong or seems random.

What does this mean for Web Application Designers? Well, it’s hard to say. Currently browser capabilities are drastically improving. JS Engines are enhanced, javascript libraries are more and more compatible with all browsers.

As touch becomes more present in UI design, touch based displays will become more suseptible to the human skin and less proned to smudging and smeering.

I’m not a hardware engineer or some sort of display genius - but I know they exist and as UI creates a need, the hardware will follow shortly after. It could be any year now that we will see the need become more relevant.

I hope everyone at least spends some time brainstorming about how they may improve their applications if this were to ever occur or were to occur quicker than expected.

Take every precaution to ensure you are able to implement this type of functionality quickly and rapidly.

Stay ahead of everyone else by embracing the latest technology trends. Some may leave, some may stay, but don’t miss the ones that stay!

Over the years of my development I have seen very user friendly interfaces seem less and less friendly. UI’s that I did 5 years ago look awkward and amature. Not just because I was less fluent, but because the capabilities of web have changed so much in that short amount of time. They change on a semi-annual basis. If you’re still performing the same web practices today as you were 6months ago then you will inevitably always be behind.

Take from this what you can, yell at me if you want, I don’t care.
My user interfaces will receive and embrace every new technology that I’m capable of implementing. If I personally can’t do it, then I will find someone that can.

Stay tuned for the new Chrrch iPhone application that is directly interfacing with our Chrrch API.

Happy programming!

-JFR

z0mg w0rdpress has mad spam!

Posted on November 16, 2008, under Uncategorized.

How can we get Adobe to act?

Posted on November 11, 2008, under Featured, Uncategorized.

I really would like to get this Java Update problem resolved with ColdFusion 8. I think it should be their top priority to make sure that their applications are installable on both Mac and Windows. This seems like it should be an immediate fix.

I don’t understand!

If anyone knows of something we can do as developers to influence them to act then please speak up!

AHHHHH! Thanks!

As requested, here is a link to what I’m referring to:
http://blog.ciqala.com/2008/10/incompatibility-between-os-x-java-105.html

I have also posted previously about this.

Apple Covering Up Wifi Issues in New Machines?

Posted on November 10, 2008, under Apple, Featured, Problems.

I recently purchased the NEW MacBook Pro from Apple. It was my first attempt to become an Apple Fanboy due to using PC / Windows my entire life. I was influenced by friends, family, and the majority of developers on my Twitter account.

When I got it home I obviously immediately unpacked it and hooked it to Wifi. I noticed a day later that my internet connectivity would drop out intermittently but very annoying. It wouldn’t say I was low on signal, it would just not go out to the internet. All other devices on my network using this exact same router had no problems. This includes Nintendo Wii, and 2 PC Notebooks (Dell XPS M1530, Sony Vaio).

This is a D-Link WBR-1310 (I need to check, I’m writing this away from home office) and it goes up to 802.11g. It’s not an N router.

I immediately called Apple support. They had me “reconfigure” the airport connection to my router and held on the line for 5 minutes and the connection never disconnected. 5 minutes after getting off the phone it does it again. I call back to get a different tech person on the line and they say “Well, the only thing I can tell you is that the AirPort hardware in your MacBook must not be compatible with your D-Link router.” I found this kind of odd considering the fact that IEEE standards I THOUGHT meant that it should inevitably be compatible.

So I decide to call D-Link because the Apple person told me I should try them. I speak to a strong accented gentleman from D-Link and I hear “We probably shouldn’t touch your settings considering so many other devices in your household are working perfectly fine.” He repeats this, mumbles a lot, and tells me I should try to call Apple again and tell them that all other devices on the network are working other than the Apple. Which made since because that’s what I already did. I told the D-Link person this and they repeated it all again so I just hung up.

I finally decided to hook up an older Linksys 802.11b router that was stowed away in a cabinet some where and got it all configured. My MacBook now has it’s own Wifi router it has to use in my house. I have 2 routers and my BRAND NEW MacBook Pro has to connect to a 5.5 year old router to work stable.

I spent weeks on blogs, forums, etc. trying to find a solution but everyone having the problem doesn’t seem to get answers from Apple either. Apple’s answer is to purchase an AirPort wireless access point which I find is ridiculous considering I’m going to be using my MacBook on 100’s of wireless access points.

I’m not necessarily coming to the conclusion that it’s just Apple’s fault. However, I’ve NEVER had these types of troubles at the University and I’ve fixed / managed tons of PC notebooks of all different brands, shapes, and sizes and they are all rock solid on every wireless access point possible.

My colleague Justin Slamka sent me a link to Apple Insider with this article:
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/11/06/new_macbook_pros_recent_imacs_grappling_with_flaky_wireless.html

I really wish Apple would do something. I love my MacBook but this really is a problem for me.

I hope enough people blog about this to make it well known to Apple how much of a widespread problem this is.

Thanks for reading my vents!

JFR