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Comment Re:Its odd ABC did it (Score 1) 202

With the upcoming iPhone OS 4.0 release (warning: potential NDA breakage), app developers can notify the system which file types their app can open. Adobe could conceivably create an app that can open FLV files, and it would work almost exactly like the YouTube app does. When a user comes to a page with a FLV video, they can view it in the FLV player app. And since FLV is mostly just a wrapper for H.264 as it is, all the app would have to do is unwrap it and play it using the built-in video controls.

Now that I think about it, since Adobe is insisting on how "open" FLash is because they've published the file format specs, it's conceivable that almost any dev could implement this.

Comment Re:Ask Slashdot: PHP/JS Dev environments (Score 1) 279

My suggestion is to only use frameworks as they were designed: PHP is for server-side generation of HTML, and Javascript is for the manipulation of HTML. The PHP should generate well-formed HTML that works even without the Javascript layer, and the Javascript should only be used to manipulate the HTML without affecting anything server-side. If you must, a small implementation of AJAX could be used, but only to insert other HTML into the DOM, not to make database calls or changes. But really, it's best practice to simply generate all of the HTML you'll need, and then use Javascript to show/hide it as needed. That guarantees that you'll have a site that's compatible with virtually any platform, even should the user have Javascript turned off (or in some cases, not even supported).

If done correctly, it's easy to keep track of. It's all referencing the same HTML, and if it's well-documented and well-formed, nothing will get lost.

Comment Re:Just a thought (Score 1) 466

If you buy phones the way I buy toothpaste, the iPhone isn't for you. (For the record, I use Crest Pro-Health Sensitive Shield that fights Cavities, Gingivitis, Plaque, Sensitivity, and Tartar plus Whitens and Freshens Breath. The more superlatives, the better.)

Comment Re:liberal? (Score 3, Informative) 239

liberal –adjective

1. favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs.

2. (often initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to a political party advocating measures of progressive political reform.

3. of, pertaining to, based on, or advocating liberalism.

4. favorable to or in accord with concepts of maximum individual freedom possible, esp. as guaranteed by law and secured by governmental protection of civil liberties.

5. favoring or permitting freedom of action, esp. with respect to matters of personal belief or expression: a liberal policy toward dissident artists and writers.

6. of or pertaining to representational forms of government rather than aristocracies and monarchies.

7. free from prejudice or bigotry; tolerant: a liberal attitude toward foreigners.

8. open-minded or tolerant, esp. free of or not bound by traditional or conventional ideas, values, etc.

9. characterized by generosity and willingness to give in large amounts: a liberal donor.

10. given freely or abundantly; generous: a liberal donation.

11. not strict or rigorous; free; not literal: a liberal interpretation of a rule.

12. of, pertaining to, or based on the liberal arts.

13. of, pertaining to, or befitting a freeman.

Comment Re:H.264 support? (Score 0) 570

It's in the license that the cost will never go up more than 10%, and the rates are fixed for 5 years.

From the agreement:

royalty rates applicable to specific license grants or specific licensed products will not increase by more than ten percent (10%) at each renewal.

God forbid the cost goes up to $0.033 per user.

Comment Genesis (Score 0) 468

There must be some misunderstanding.

HTML5 == new/future text markup standard
HTML5 HTML 4.01 + new tags + limited local storage - lengthy DOCTYPE - deprecated tags
HTML5 != HTML + CSS3 + JavaScript + H.264 + Ogg + SVG + kitchen sink

The term "HTML5" is the new "Web 2.0". Vomit.

Comment Re:You signed away this "right" by picking Apple. (Score 0) 850

I haven't seen anyone call it a right, either, but I do get the impression of a sense of entitlement from the more vocal opponents of Apple in this (and other) debates. It's the same "Apple won't let me do X with Y even though I bought it!" argument that has persisted since the 90s when the components of Macintosh computers were different than those of Windows-compatible computers. And it will persist as long as Apple continues to make desirable products that aren't everything to everyone. The closest they came was with the iPod, and yet there are still folks out there who don't like it, but still complain and harbor jealousy because they want one anyway. The same is true for virtually all high-profile consumer goods, but usually not bringing out the sense of entitlement to the extent that Apple does.

Comment Re:Article Is Win (Score 0) 252

There may be few open source games, but there are certainly a lot of proprietary-source games that use open source engines. This is one of the few areas where a symbiotic relationship between open source and closed source actually works. For devs who aren't concerned with game design beyond making sure everything works, there are game engine projects. And for devs who simply want to make games, the engines already exist for just about any type of game for any platform.

It gives indy devs the opportunity to release games on-par with the big boys because they don't have to devote so many resources to how the game works, and can instead focus on how it looks and plays. Which, in the end, is what players are looking for anyway.

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