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GUI

Best Language For Experimental GUI Demo Projects? 278

Posted by Unknown Lamer from the through-the-looking-glass-again dept.
New submitter GrantRobertson writes with a question about quickly developing prototypes for new interface design concepts "My research/tinkering will be along two main lines: (1) Devising entirely new graphical user interface elements, mostly in 2D, though often in a true or simulated 3-D space. I am working on ways to visualize, navigate, and manipulate very, VERY large data-sets of academic research information. (2) Computer based education software, though of a type never seen before. This will combine some of the GUI elements invented in (1) as well as displaying standard HTML or HTML5 content via a browser engine My requirements are: (A) A decent IDE ecosystem; (B) A decent set of libraries, but ones that don't lock me in to a particular mind-set like Swing does in Java. (Boxes in boxes in boxes, Oh My!); (C) An ability to easily draw what I want, where I want and make any surface of that 3D object become a source for capturing events; (D) Ease of cross-platform use. (So others can easily look at my examples and run with them.); (E) No impediments to open-source licensing my code or for others to go commercial with it either (as I have seen when I looked into Qt). So, should I just stick with Java and start looking outside the box for GUI toolkits? Or is there something else out there I should be looking at?" I'm not sure what impediments Qt has to proprietization of software since it's LGPL nowadays; in any case, Qt Quick and GNOME's Clutter seem like they could be a useful. Read on for more context.

Comment Re:Not surpising that Xbox 1 -a PC- had great yiel (Score 1) 230

by coop247 (#24900589) Attached to: A History of the Xbox Red Ring of Death Fiasco
The real issue was MS deciding to design, and therefor own, the chips used in the 360. Even a seasoned hardware manufacturer like Sony wasn't stupid enough to take that on, they partnered with IBM to do most of the heavy lifting. They are a software company, and developing software is very different from manufacturing chips.

The article sure made it sound like the classic case of marketing making too many early decisions, as in picking a small curved case, then forcing engineering to figure out how to pack it all in.

I'm still pissed that they kneecapped this entire cycle by releasing a console without a hard drive for cost purposes.
Earth

Submission + - Will the Large Hadron Collider Destroy the Earth? (nytimes.com)

Submitted by mlimber
mlimber writes: The NYTimes has an article about a lawsuit brought by a Berkley-trained physicist turned lawyer and a researcher on time theory that seeks to stop the firing up of the Large Hadron Collider this summer. Why? Because they believe LHC scientists 'have played down the chances that the collider could produce, among other horrors, a tiny black hole, which, they say, could eat the Earth [or that] it could spit out something called a "strangelet" that would convert our planet to a shrunken dense dead lump of something called "strange matter."' The two men want further study on the risks. The article adds, 'Doomsday fears have a long, if not distinguished, pedigree in the history of physics. At Los Alamos before the first nuclear bomb was tested, Emil Konopinski was given the job of calculating whether or not the explosion would set the atmosphere on fire.'
The Almighty Buck

Submission + - Another Wave of H-1Bs on the Way (businessweek.com)

Submitted by UHE
UHE writes: 'With visas set to max out quickly again, tech companies want more. Amid rising joblessness, does America need more skilled foreign workers?

U.S. unemployment may be a concern, but tech companies are telling Congress they need more skilled workers from overseas. With the Apr. 1 application deadline for H-1B specialty worker visas looming, tech giants like Microsoft (MSFT), Oracle (ORCL), and Google (GOOG) are stepping up efforts to raise the cap on the number of visa workers they can have access to each year. Microsoft's Bill Gates argued in Congress (BusinessWeek.com, 3/12/08) for the second straight year that there's a severe shortfall in U.S. science and engineering talent, and predicted that for the fifth straight year the cap for worker visas would be reached in only one day. Days later, bills to aggressively raise the visa cap reached the House floor. With concerns about a recession growing, the call for more visas has provoked an outcry from U.S. tech worker advocate groups and other longstanding critics of the H-1B program. They say issuing more visas would dampen U.S. workers' wages by bringing in cheaper workers, and facilitate outsourcing as trained workers return to their home countries '

We deal with stagnant wages, jobs getting outsourced, funds for education drying up (and no free/subsidized higher education like some other countries), sky-high student loans, ridiculous hiring requirements ("You need 20 years of Java!"), high competition due to the glut of unemployed workers, and rampant ageism in IT, and we're importing yet more workers. The cost of living is rising apace, yet to even think about competing with people who are willing to work for a fraction of what US workers are, we have to be willing to work for peanuts ourselves. Is there something wrong with this picture? Full Story
Google

Submission + - Valid HTML + Google? Yeah right! 2

Submitted by
xarium
xarium writes: "With all this hype about how good (or bad) various browsers are at passing the acid tests put forth by the W3C, many seem to be oblivious to the equally important "validation test" which ensures that compatible browsers have valid HTML to work with. We demand that Microsoft fix their browser to, at least seem to, make an attempt at compliance, but what about website compliance? Websites have an equal share of the responsibility.

Test Google's front page and laugh

Most websites, those which don't pass, usually have only a few fairly technical and nit-picky kind of mistakes; Google however is beyond ridiculous; the validator has to guess at numerous points because the pages are so badly constructed that it's amazing any browser renders anything at all. Not a single one of Google's various websites comes even remotely close to being valid (as any kind of HTML) — in fact, I can't even find one that is well-formed."
Programming

Submission + - DBA vs. Programming Professions

Submitted by
Anonymous
Anonymous writes: "I am currently employed as a Sr. IT Help Desk Support Technician but have the opportunity to move up in the company to either an Entry Level DBA (Oracle) or Entry Level Programmer (PeopleSoft). I have spoken with people on both sides of the fence in regards to which position to pursue, but unfortunatly, their opinions are rather biased. My understanding is that Oracle DBA's are sought after but that it's a hard area of the industry to get into. I've been told that the programming position is more of a stepping stone to becomming a DBA. I'm just not sure which position to pursue. I don't have a degree or any certs (though I am working towards each of those, and the company is willing to provide all training for either position), and the positions that I'm being offered are based strictly on my my current experience in IT. I have done some limited scripting in my current job, but have a strong desire to learn more. Basically, I'm just looking to find out some information about what the job outlook/stability is for both areas."
Businesses

Journal Journal: Defending "Less then Legit" Software at Work

Journal by ttapper04
I am in the middle of an office flame war with a co-worker. He has argued the point to our boss that the "less then Legit" software and music on my computer is a risk to the company. He sites the argument that a disgruntled former employee can snitch on us and bring legal issues to our door. Our steel fabrication company employs about twenty people; he and I are the only 2 that are computer literate. Sometimes I use Photoshop for odd jobs my boss needs done, now this fact has become the centerpi

Feed Engadget: Europe getting 40GB PS3 bundles packing Gran Turismo, Blu-ray movies (engadget.com)

From feed by engfeed

Filed under: Gaming

While we chew on that incoming Metal Gear Solid 4 80GB PS3 (with DualShock 3) in the States, Europe has a pair of SKUs of its own to look forward to. Sony's hitting with a "movie bundle" on March 19th that includes Spider-Man 3, 300 and Casino Royale on Blu-ray, along with a 40GB PS3, all for the regular €399 price. If you can wait until March 29th, for the same price you can nab a 40 gigger bundled with Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Both bundles promise to be quite appealing, but apparently neither come packing HD cables, which could be a bit of a hangup for those ready to make the Blu-ray plunge. GT5 box art is after the break.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Continue reading Europe getting 40GB PS3 bundles packing Gran Turismo, Blu-ray movies

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PlayStation (Games)

Submission + - Sony Replaces 80GB PS3 With 80GB PS3 (playstation.com)

Submitted by
_xeno_
_xeno_ writes: "Starting in early February, the $500 80GB PS3 bundle started disappearing from stores, prompting speculation that it was due for replacement. Sony has finally announced the new $500 PS3 bundle: an 80GB PS3. It's not completely the same, though: it will come with the Dual Shock 3 controller, returning rumble support to the PlayStation consoles. It will also be bundled with Metal Gear Solid 4, which is scheduled to be released mid-June along with this new bundle. Sony has yet to confirm that this 80GB PS3 will support any form of PlayStation 2 backwards compatibility, although with any other company it would be a safe bet that it would maintain the previous 80GB's software backwards compatibility. The linked article also gives the release date for the Dual Shock 3 controller in the US (April 15th at $55) and information on a God of War: Chains of Olympus red PSP bundle."

Feed Engadget: Sony announces $499 Metal Gear Solid PS3 bundle, God of War PSP pack (engadget.com)

From feed by engfeed

Filed under: Gaming

It's no surprise that Sony has had some sort of new PS3 SKU in the works, but the company has now finally gotten official with it, and thrown in another surprise to boot. On that former front, Sony's announced the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots PS3 Bundle, which includes said game, an 80GB PS3 and a DualShock 3 wireless controller (also available separately), all for the usual $500 price tag. Look for it to coincide with the launch of MGS4 in the second quarter of this year. As if that wasn't enough, Sony's also taken the wraps off its new God of War PSP Entertainment Pack, which includes a spiffy red Kratos-approved PSP, the God of War: Chains of Olympus game, Superbad on UMD, and a voucher to download Syphon Filter: Combat Ops for free. $200 and it's yours on March 4th.

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