(Adobe Donates Flash Code to Mozilla) An small Advice to New Developers.

Adobe always have been a great contributor to open source community, surprised me last time when they ignore their own Deramweaver application and release Flex for Eclipse Editor. Now they did it again. This time Adobe donated Flash code to Mozilla.

Without a question Flash is the most powerful platform for Internet. Now Mozilla have its script engine. Lucky Mozilla! With this marriage (Tamarin as they call it) Mozilla can cover one of it is biggest weakness not supporting ActiveX. And Adobe can widen the playground for it is Flex technology.

I'm always interested in Flex - Ajax cold war. So far Ajax has edge because of all the support it received form Microsoft, Google and others. Now Flex starts to shine where it really matters. Next version of SAP NetWeaver will be base on Flex. Yahoo also starts using Flex. Now, Mozilla.

Not only Flash base technology, Adobe's other web applications also start to come forward faster. This is a good opportunity for new developers. PHP, .Net is the mainstream technology without a question. But some times it is good to be a big fish in small pond than be a small fish in a big pond. It is very hard to find good Flex or Coldfusion developers right now - but I can kill 10 .Net/PHP developers with one stone quite easy. If you finish your A/L or O/L last year, looking around computer technology, pay good attention to Adobe technologies. You can find more opportunities to scoop in without wasting your time on useless Microsoft exams.

08 November, 2006

FireFox 2 and IE 7 ~ What is Missing.

There is no point comparing Firefox 2 vs Internet Explore 7. Both browsers offer almost everything we need for day to day browsing. So I'm not going to compare the browsers.

Instead, I just open up the both browsers and explore what is missing in both new browsers - just for 5 minutes - nothing big. Here are 3 possibilities to update I found on both browsers in 5 minutes.

Auto switches 'Right Click Menu' item order depending on the menu display position.
I use the right click a lot. Since there are tabbed windows in both browsers, it makes us use right click more than before. When we right click top of the page, the menu comes underneath the mouse pointer. Like this:


If there is no enough space under the mouse pointer, menu display above the mouse pointer.


Now if menu is under the pointer, [Open In New Tab] link on the top of the link - very good, easy to click on it. But menu come up above the mouse, then it is at the distant point from the mouse position. Not good. I don't want to move the mouse - I'm lazy. Why not simply change the menu item list order also alone with the menu position. Here is a fake image I created how it should be.
 

Now	How it should be

Freeze Inactive Tabs.
No matter how many tabs we open at the same time, we can only see one tab at a time. Why browser doesn't freeze all the inactive tabs? That mean no sound, video or no animations should be active until I looking at it.
Isn't it annoying when multiple pages start to play sound at the same time?

Browser base Sound control
Browsers are not HTML viewers any more. We use them for sound, video and animation.
So why not add a multimedia control function to browser.
Have you ever bump in to annoying noisy flash advertisement banners? Most annoying one I have seen is one with mosquito noise. (Mosquito noise is nothing funny to me) When that flash base banners comes up - I have only two choices: click on the banner, so it can shut up - or close the page altogether.
We need at least a mute button in browsers - may be browsers can add full mute function to already excising stop button.
 

30 October, 2006

Internet and Me

I never seen people excited about browsers like this month. It was Netscape Navigator the first browser I used. I got my first internet connection form Sys-Tec. Eudora was the first email application, ICQ was the first IM application, and 'Corel Web Designer' was the first web page design application. 14.4 modem with third-party DUN application to dial in - took half an hour to configure and 5 minute to download a picture. The first site I surfed in was rick.com. As soon as Susil (from sys-tec) left, I went to sex.com. A whole new world started form that day.

Right now I spend around 12 hours a day on the net. I don't have zillion bookmarks to porn sites any more. Only bookmark left in that category is darlina.com (don't click on it - it is porn.)

I used to spend around 10,000 Rs a month or more on my phone bill + dialup internet bill. Right now I Spend 27,000 Rs ($270) for 64kbps dedicated connection in Sri Lankan and $30 (3000Rs) on 30mbps connection in NY. Cost of Internet has not changed significantly outside Colombo for last 10 years. TRC should stone to death for it.

Internet is a great place to find girls - Pretty girls too. I can not say anything about internet without thinking about certain beautiful people I met online who have changed my life. I have my bitter and sweet experience there. Browsers have nothing to do with that.

Internet is not a luxury to me any more like how it used to be. Matter of fact finding time to stay out of internet is a privilege. But I keep on finding so much valuable things and valuable people online; I can not voluntarily do that - not yet. In that case I start my day with cup of coffee and usual walk through Blogs.

In my internet life time, Netscape is the first best thing happened to Internet. But after IE came out I was eager to see the death of Netscape. There was a time period every web site had an image at the bottom saying 'Best Viewed with Browser x'. It was a nightmare for web developers. Have you ever a seen a country struggling to deal with two official languages at the same time and no matter how hard they struggle it never works perfect? That is how it was for developing a web site to work with both browsers. I hope that will not happen with IE and Firefox.

VOIP is another internet wonder. Remain illegal to general public in Sri Lanka till this day. dialpad.com rock the net with free calls. That is what brings down 250+Rs a min SLT IDD charges to 22 Rs. At last till 2004, you could have make couple of millions a day with an illegal VOIP root in SL. All you needed was proper political connection, TRC protection (could buy it for around 25c a minute depending on your volume), good hardware and E1 line(s). That was the only major business with possibility of recovering the investment in one day and makes million(s) profit next day.

At this age, Flash is the real competitor of browsers. Flash keep on offering new opportunities while IE was sleeping like a giant. youtube.com came out as soon as flash introduced flash video - sold for $1.65 billions in less than 2 years. After flash video, it came up with Flex - competitor for Ajax. None of new browsers could create new invention opportunities like Flash does - they even fail to offer anything new for Ajax, but they make themselves user-friendlier and healthier. We need strong browsers - no doubt about it. But that is about it.

Flex/Ajax will replace exciting web applications and desktop applications very soon. (Google spreadsheet, Office Live Beta is good experiments going on in this area right now). This is the current technology to create new dot com wealth. Look for it. Browsers have nothing to do with that.

By the way, we Sri Lankan have no significant advantage from none of above. In Sri Lanka internet limited to upper and urban middle class only. It is not because Sri Lankan are not interested in Internet or because it is expensive but because TRC have no interested in next generation.

28 October, 2006

TRC or LTTE. Who damage us more?

Aztecs was the most fearless people in the whole world. In 1487 they have sacrifice 84,400 humans over four days. I don’t think any other have sacrificed that much to God. God must be in their side after all that rituals. They had sophisticated architectural skills in both city building and irrigation. That had had one of the best farming methods – even they cultivate on floating bots.

In 1521 Hernando Cortés, a Spanish Conquistador with just 500 soldiers overthrew thousands of mighty Aztec warriors in couple of month. How was it possible?

Hernando had Spanish fighting horses, fire power, steel swords, canons, and steel armor, none of them invented in Spain.

Why Spanish had that knowledge and why not Aztecs?

Simple reason was Aztecs didn’t have sophisticated writing system. Aztecs live other side of the big pond cutting off from the rest of the world. They had no respect for up-to-date knowledge – they thought they had everything they need. Eventually they could not keep up with the rest of the world. They extinct.

My point is we need to keep up with the rest of the world to survive. War alone could not wipe out any society.

I travel across number of small tiny villages in India – stinky – one room houses –10 – 20 houses in each village – no town or another village for next one hour or so – no roads except rail road passing by or footpaths. But they had one thing we do not have. Satellite Disc on top of one house, and cables running to other houses. What happening with our Cabal TV right now? The simple reason we don’t have cable right now is not LTTE – it is TRC.

Dialog was trying to start 3G for years. Who was holding them? Not LTTE – it is TRC.

Dialog finally brought 3G license for 25750000000000000000 Rs this year. We (users) have to pay that price end of the day. Who is punishing us for using 3G? Not LTTE – it is TRC.

True P2T (push 2 talk) is a technology run on community spectrum as Wi-Fi (not on GPRS) – it suppose to works as walki-talki. Who is holding the community spectrum in Sri Lanka? Not LTTE – it is TRC.

VOIP is illegal to use in Sri Lanka. Who is stopping me using VOIP inside the country or to outside the country? Not LTTE – it is TRC.

Few decades ago – Mr. Knnangara understood importunacy of nation keeping up with rest of the world. They didn’t have computers those days – no internet – no Spielberg or Bill gates. All they had was books. They provided free books to all of us.

If we follow Knnangara’s footstep we are suppose to offer free internet and computers this age.

The issue is not that, I pay 270$ per a month for 64kbps internet connection – who add licensing fee to internet bill? Not LTTE it is TRC.

Radio spectrum belongs to every human– it is not for sale. Yes. One should organize and regulate it – but none suppose to sell it. Who auction our radio spectrum? Not LTTE - it is TRC.

I know only few people in Colombo can afford all those licensing fees & keep up with the rest of the world – But Colombo is not Sri Lanka. TRC keep rest of the island in dark and cut of from rest of the world. We can’t survive for 20 more years if we are not IT literate enough. We will fade a way in to the history just like Aztecs did.

LTTE kill our body – TRC kill our mind.

22 July, 2006

Intel and ICT made a new PC for Sri Lanka

// "The Community PC is designed to meet the needs of rural communities without reliable power, no reliable internet connections, where there is a rugged environment. It is developed to work in these conditions," Shane D Wall, Vice President, Channel Platforms Group, Intel Corp., said in Colombo on Monday. "The PC can be recharged easily on a car or bicycle battery. This platform was developed in India and I expect will certainly be of great benefit to Sri Lanka in the near future." //
[Full story]

This is a classic example how government organizations hustle us. This computer cost 41040 Rs at the end of the day. Now I can buy brand new Compaq notebook for 45000 Rs (With original XP). If I want cheaper computer, I can even buy good used computer. But as ICT says 'Demand is very high'. I agree.

Why?

We think our villages are socially and financially challenged. We treat them same way. We tell them "this is what you disserve and this is all you can afford". But they are not! They are not socially and financially challenged. But our government is!

Government fails to provide electricity even when we pay one of the highest electricity bills in the world. I live in very rural area - around 20 miles from capital city - Kadawatha. I experience power breakdown minimum 2 times a day and some times more than 5 times a day. Now we provide computers works with car battery. I can't figure out why rural areas need computers for?

Watch porn? They don't need that. They get sex pretty easily.

Study? Then goverment should provide computers to schools.

Get quick service form government sector? I don't think so. There is no government service we can receive online.

Well.. May be they can use it for talk over IP to their ladies work in middle-east.. Oh! Bloody hell! I forgot! VOIP is illegal in Sri Lanka. So it can't be that.

What I think is (may be I'm wrong) we should provide them a real reason to use computers first of all. Ways to make profit with IT. Then they will buy their own computers. May be provide proper electricity for the bill we pay (Am I asking too much?). Then they will buy regular computers and use them.

Opportunity we don't have. Not Capacity.

Our villages have capacity of paying 500000Rs (to 1000000) to human smugglers for migrate to other countries. If they can make a living with IT, it is not big deal for them to buy a proper computer. But instead of that, they choose the first option. Because that is the only way they can bring bread to the table. Everything else is just bullshit.

20 June, 2006

Digitally divide Sri Lanka

When Europe agreed on Magna Carta we had our king slaughter children for parent's burdens ... or just because he wanted to do so.

When Europe adopted democracy we had our king prohibiting us to shave or paint our houses.

When Europe builds the galley and conquers the world, we were fighting our self. We still do so.

When Europe separates the state and the religion, we still have religion controlling our daily life. And we brag about that like idiots.

When Europe enters in to Industrial age we were trying to expand agriculture. We still try to do that without any luck.

After around a century since industrial revolution, first time whole country tasted the industrial age with garment factories. Anyway it was too late. Rest of the word entered to the digital age already. Our big brother - India turn in to the digital University for the Whole World. But we still we don't know how to program a VCR. In India, a bus conductor was sitting on the CPU tower in a bus station, use the computer to print & issue me a bus ticket. That is the digital age.

I pay 250$ (around 27,000Rs) a month for 64kbps shared internet line in Sri Lanka. In average I get around 32kbps true speed. That is not even enough for voice conversation over MSN at day time.

Now in New York I pay 40$ for 35Mbps internet line. 400 times faster than SL internet line.

In Sri Lanka I pay at least 20Rs per a minute for make call to Europe (10000 Rs for 500 minute). In New York I get 500 minutes to any where in the world for 20$ (2000 Rs) per a month.

In Sri Lanka I pay 6Rs per a minute + 450 Rs month for use a phone. In New York I pay 40$ (4000Rs) per a month for unlimited calls to any phone (including mobile) to any where in the North American continent.

India is more liberal when it come to IT, In the small vilage 'Kosamba' in Gujarat - I found 3 cyber cafes operate under very good condition. But in the other hand we have TRC for regulate - I don't know what - and I don't know why.

Now we are behind the digital age too. Government still has no clear idea what the hell digital age is. Private sector is worst. Opening a web site with 'About Us Page' is nothing to brag about. But I give for 'Dialog' because they honestly bring digital taste to the village.

We are digitally divided. IT is not part of our life. Even part of the country still does not have electricity. The rest who think computer is another typewriter that can play VCD. And very little who lean computer - sing like 'Mohideen Baig' - who sings well, but don't know what the hell he singing.

I don't know how we get out of this mess. But if we do not get out of this mess, next generation will be in deep shit.

I don't mind what TRC does with technology. But keep the Negambo lagoon open and build shelter outside embassy line - let our kids dream for better future.

16 June, 2006