News (43)

India to get a look at Windows code?

India may soon become the latest Asian country to gain access to the source code of Microsoft's Windows operating system. Read more »

Getting ready for the Python breakage

If Google starts behaving oddly later this year, it might not be due to too many YouTube videos of Britney Spears losing it or a stealth attack by Microsoft's minions, but because of a forthcoming change to the Python programming language. Read more »

Brisbane hosts TechEd 2003

Code cutters around Australia have gathered in Brisbane for Microsoft's 10th annual TechEd Conference, to be staged from 10-13 August. Read more »

Sun picks GPL for Java code

After years of requests and debates, Sun is set to release Java source code under a Linux-friendly licence. Read more »

Microsoft sues over source code theft

Microsoft has filed a federal lawsuit against an alleged hacker who broke through its copy protection technology, charging that the mystery developer somehow gained access to its copyrighted source code. Read more »

Ballmer tells Oz: get with the broadband

Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer yesterday tip-toed around Australia's broadband debate but said that if the country was to engage in cloud computing business that telcos and the government needed to 'get on with' delivering high speed broadband — at a fair price. Read more »

Shuttleworth defends Firefox licence in Ubuntu

Mark Shuttleworth, whose company, Canonical, funds the Ubuntu operating system, has stepped in to try to resolve a dispute on Ubuntu developer's forum Launchpad. Read more »

IBM chides security researchers

Technology giant IBM has taken independent security researchers to task for their role in making information about unpublished computer attacks available in an undisciplined manner. Read more »

Symantec: Sorry, Flash Player attack not a zero day

After suspecting a zero day exploit was being used to attack the latest version of Flash Player (9.0.124.0), Symantec says the call was a mistake - it was an older version, 9.0.115.0 and prior. Read more »

Is Google's App Engine a lock-in honeypot?

Some developers fear that Google is aiming to lock them into to the App Engine platform — Google's application hosting service — but Google refutes any claim it has evil intentions. Read more »

Features (46)

C# is just Java...only a little worse

Few developers would dispute the similarities between C# and Java. But one Builder reader believes that Java wins a technical comparison hands down. Check out his arguments and add your two cents. Read more »

Avoid problems when task switching with RTOS

Here's a look at the advantages of using an RTOS, along with several key issues to watch out for. Read more »

Will C# benefit Microsoft, or the industry?

Now that C# has been approved by the ISO, one question looms large: Will Microsoft use its intellectual property rights to make it difficult for developers to comply with the standard? Read more »

Developing a code library can increase productivity

Creating and maintaining a code library to catalog your programming resources can reduce project development time and improve the reliability of your software. A code library will permit team members to quickly locate existing resources instead of reinventing the wheel. Read more »

Managed code in SQL Server Yukon: a big deal?

One of the big features of Microsoft's next release of SQL Server is the ability to run managed code. How does it work, and is it a good idea? Read more »

Go to jail

Have you ever written buggy code or code that is not 100 percent safe? Go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200. Read more »

Should you fear IT ghost workers?

Ghosts of millions of former workers populate the databases of corporations. The workers have moved on, but their ghosts linger, awaiting a hacker intent on using the ghost's identity to damage the company's network systems. Read more »

Nokia enters the mobile open source battle

Tuesday's big announcement, that several major mobile platforms — Symbian, UIQ, Series 60 and MOAP — are to be pooled into one open-sourced über-platform, came out of the blue. Read more »

An adventure in IT consulting

An outside consultant can provide the voice of disinterested honesty. If the client doesn't like what you have to say, the most you lose is the engagement. If they listen to you and it doesn't work, things could get ugly. You're not part of the protected herd of employees who will be all too happy to blame you. Read more »

Surviving in the wild with open source Java

Nick Gibson shows what the Classpath exception means you don't have to worry. Read more »

Blog (7)

The Fud is Flying! (Again)

David McAmis [blogs:theneteffect] -- It seems like that the latest marketing technique for software vendors is to sling a little FUD and see if it sticks. Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt make for some attention-grabbing headlines and are great for scaring potential customers away from a competitors offering. Read more »

No, you can't have private attributes in Python

Nick Gibson [blogs:byteclub] -- Is the lack of privacy a real shortcoming of the language, or is our judgment clouded by the old conventions of C++ and Java? Why do we need private variables anyway -- at what point does defensive programming become paranoia? Read more »

Q&A with EditMe: A wiki for non-geeks

Brendon Chase [blogs:codemonkeybusiness] -- Finally, a wiki CMS solution that you can safely give to your clients to use. But sshhhh... don't call it a wiki... Read more »

Apple's new DRM core

Staff [blogs:syslog] -- As we enjoy the beach and BBQs, other parts of the world continue to deal with the big issues. Read more »

How to manage a team of geniuses

Brendon Chase [blogs:codemonkeybusiness] -- Hiring a team of developers and techies that are smarter than you is inevitable. As a manager how do you cope with this and keep things on track? Read more »

Stop arguing and start prototyping

Brendon Chase [blogs:codemonkeybusiness] -- The right work culture and approach to projects can be everything for a developer. Read more »

Creating Web apps at iPhone Developer Camp

Staff [blogs:syslog] -- "Apple is not ready to have a developer community yet ... you have to be on the Apple happy list to be a developer," Christopher Allen said. "There has always been this tension with Apple and the developers' community." Read more »

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  • Staff A first look at Windows 7 beta

    In this week's Roundup we show you a preview of Windows 7 beta, cover news from the annual Macworld and more. Read more »

    -- posted by Staff

  • Staff Opera's new SDK: Better browsing on the Wii?

    Opera has thrown a little more love at device developers by announcing an updated version of its software development kit on Wednesday at CES. Read more »

    -- posted by Staff

  • Staff 2008: Time to call stumps

    It's another year down but some things never change. That was shown this week as Internet Explorer remained under fire from yet another zero-day exploit. In other news, we set a hard drive on fire and Apple cans its involvement with MacWorld. Read more »

    -- posted by Staff

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