Get A Virtual Machine
I use VMware at home. The benefits are huge. I have a virtual machine that acts as a file server, which I mirror to another server on my network. I also backup files to an external storgae device.
The biggest change for me is that my fully configured virtual machines are throw away appliances. I find this especially useful for the instance of Windows that I run. I have a snapshot of the VM in perfect working order. If I get a virus, or my registry becomes corrupt, I just roll back to the previous state. Since I do not use this instance to store files, I can do this with impunity.
I especially like being able to set up a web application with a separate database server and a separate apache instance to handle images. VMWARE let’s me plan how I am going to scale an application.
However, I still have a small problem. I still have to configure my VMs myself and install the software I need. You can solve this problem by downloading a preconfigured VM that can be used right out of the box. VMware provides some of these that can be downloaded out of the box, which is fine if you use VMware.
A Canadian company provides useful Virtual Appliances in multiple flavours. For example, you can download a server that runs an installed instance of PostgresSQL that runs under VMWARE, XEN or Microsoft Virtual PC. The copany is called Virtual Appliances, and their head office is in Uxbridge, Ontario. Their VMware appliances are certified by VMware, which means that they comply with best practice, they provide a safe computing environment and they have complete documentation. Give them a try. I found the TomCat VM very useful.
Cool Google & Firefox Features
I have recently been working for a client that mandates the exclusive use of Internet Explorer. What makes it worse for me is that my desktop runs Windows 2000, which does not permit the use of IE 7. Sure, I missed tabbed browsing, but I missed some other features that surprised me. I especially missed the way Firefox and Google work together.
For example, let’s imagine that I am reading an article at Wired magazine that mentions something called a “Flickr account”. If I am unfamiliar with the term, I can highlight the term and right click my mouse. A menu pops up that gives me the option of running a Google search in another tab to help me understand the term before I continue. Isn’t that useful?You will also notice that the popup is aware of some of the Firefox plugins I have installed. I find this useful, too. Also, the popup is aware of the fact that I have used the Google notebook, and it gives me the option of making a note about Flickr and storing it using my Google Account.
At lunch, I sometimes make a blog entry, but I seem to have problems thinking and spelling at the same time. Firefox comes with a spell checker that runs in my browser as I type – it also feeds me some possible corrections if I spell something wrong. Firefox also allows me to save new words in a dictionary for later use. That is useful, too.
I know that IE 7 supports tabbed browsing, and I am sure that it has cool features I know nothing about. But, I am already happy with Firefox. I will get around to checking those new features out some day soon because I am prone to curiosity, but so many people are not.
I recently read an article that quotes Steve Balmer, of Microsoft, saying that his kids have been trained not to use Google, and not to use iPods. How cruel. How sad. And, how narrow. Still, they do not called them the browser wars for nothing. Microsoft intends to take no prisoners.
Rest Catches On: Oldsters Take Note
In a previous entry, I mentioned that I am working on a personal project that uses REST style urls and microformats to server data to my web application from Cherrypy. Since then, I have noticed that REST is becoming the flavour of the month. We love new things, don’t we?
I have also discovered that the Ruby on Rails people have been getting excited about REST as well. And, there is also a new Java project that I found out about: the Restlet project. I have not noticed as much discussion coming from the PHP camp about REST, but I may simply be missing it.
REST is a style, or a way of constructing URLS, but it is not a technology. I write this for older developers, like me: take note of REST. For a while, everything new seemed to be an MVC framework. Even PHP has CakePHP, an MVC based framework. Everything was trying to compete with Ruby on Rails. That trend is now entrenched. Even the next version of Joomla will be based on the MVC pattern.
Choosing to write code for a living will expose you to never-ending change. What was hot yesterday, will not be tomorrow. In fact, what was hot yesterday is often violently discarded. The older you get, the more you want to keep doing what works. You become good at what you do, and it seems like an insult that younger developers are not interested in learning what you know.
I am here to say to older developers that you DO have knowledge that can benefit young up-and-comers, but you are going to have to understand the new things to ensure that you have credibility. It is a characteristic of the young to dismiss an older developer the moment he or she is not familiar with something new, like Ruby on Rails, for instance. It has always been so. We owe it to the younger generation to try to keep up, especially if being conversant with new things makes it easier for us to share our real wisdom and experience.
So, oldsters, take nore of REST. Besides, learning can be fun.