Mcoderkat's Blog

Zen and the Art of Universal Mobile Connectivity

mcoderkat — Thu, 05 May 2011 20:21:30 +0000

As the company I work for, Midnight Coders, gets more immersed in the business of providing application developers with a way to easily integrate a variety of client-side technologies with server-side resources, we have taken a strategic interest in becoming the “go-to” vendor for Universal Mobile Connectivity. To help spread the word about our work in this area, I’ll be writing several articles which are to be published in the Flash/Flex Developers Magazine. The first of these articles is now available in the May issue of FFD Mag (page 42).

This first article takes a high level view of remoting, messaging and developer productivity tools for mobile application development. I identify 3 challenges and provide practical solutions, without going into coding details. Here is the link to the latest issue, which is focused on mobile application development. www.ffdmag.com

Enterprise Android Apps

mcoderkat — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 01:30:30 +0000

In a recent SD Times article entitled “Rise of the Androids” by Alex Handy, Android was portrayed as a rising contender to iPhone and Blackberry. I would agree that Android is in fact rising rapidly given the growth in numbers of developers joining various mobile platform developer groups. This growth is quite interesting to track on a daily basis almost.

Crackberry.com, home to several mobile development groups reported (at least yesterday when I checked) that AndroidCentral membership has grown by more than 20,000 in less than one month to 201,248 members. Blackberry’s membership was 2.8 million members and iOS membership was 62,075 (numbers change daily). I’d say it might be conceivable for Android to overcome iOS this year, but based on the sheer number of developers developing Blackberry applications I think it will take longer for Android to overcome Blackberry.

As an executive for Midnight Coders, an integration company, I’m seeing lots of interest in mobile applications from our Enterprise customers. These are customers that have built rich internet applications in Flex, Flash and Silverlight for example and are now looking for ways to extend their .NET, Java and PHP services to mobile devices. But, the challenge of course is dealing with a whole new set of APIs and integration issues, such as:

how to configure mobile applications to invoke backend services,
how to load data from the server-side into mobile applications,
how to exchange messages between different client types,
how to push messages from the server to the client;
how to connect mobile applications with services running in the Cloud.

Mark Piller, CEO of Midnight Coders and creator of WebORB, recently demonstrated at a Denver RIA Developers Group event how to connect an Android app with a MySQL database running in Google AppEngine in order to do data management from Android.

While Mark demonstrated running a Flex remoting application in AIR on Android that leveraged AMF remoting, WebORB also enables remoting for native Android. Enterprises that have adopted a rich internet application strategy nine times out of ten utilize remoting as a means for high speed data transmission across the wire, which is much faster than can be done via web services. This is great news for Enterprises that want to work with technologies they are already familiar with.

If you’d like to see how this is done, please join us for another webinar on Building Android Applications Using WebORB. This webinar is on March 10th at 11am (central). Register Here

When it Comes to Developer Productivity – Lines of Code DO Matter

mcoderkat — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 22:06:28 +0000

In the past, developer productivity was measured partially based upon the lines of code a developer could crank out the door. However, if a developer is cranking out lines of code, then debugging and documenting the very same code that could be delivered and documented using technology…well…that is senseless and productivity takes a hit. In many cases a big and expensive hit!

A better measure of productivity is to determine how many lines of code, debugging time and documenting time technology can save, allowing the developer to focus his or her efforts on coding tasks that can’t be automated with technology. In a recent whitepaper I co-wrote with Jim Plamondon, we show how lines of code do matter and then introduce how technology can help developers become more efficient and productive. Click “Maximize Online Application ROI Through Efficient Integration” to download and read this whitepaper.

Ask “Why” 5 Times

mcoderkat — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:39:50 +0000

It is exciting to see Enterprises embracing Lean Software Development and Lean Integration practices and principles, especially since I’ve been touting Midnight Coders’ developer productivity tools for several years now.

Lean has its roots in methodologies developed for manufacturing and specifically for the manufacturing of cars. The Toyota Production System (TPS) is probably the most well known for its synchronized manufacturing and just-in-time techniques. The most important objective has been to increase production efficiency by consistently and thoroughly eliminating waste. Lean is not just for manufacturing of cars though. Lean can be applied to any type of manufacturing and service process.

Taiichi Ohno, Founder of the TPS believed, “By asking why five times and answering each time, we can get to the real cause of the problem, which is often hidden behind more obvious symptoms. In a production operation data is highly regarded, but I consider facts to be even more important.”

For the industry my company serves, one in which development teams around the world are creating dynamically rich online applications in Adobe Flex, Adobe Flash, Microsoft Silverlight, AJAX and HTML5, we can assume our customers’ five questions might go something like this:

Why are we losing customers or why is transaction failure rate so high?
Why is data loading so slowly?
Why is the code base so bloated?
Why was the integration manually coded?
Why was XML web services chosen for this integration?

Asking these questions reveals the business problem, which is lost customers and that is tied to bottom line profitability. The root cause was choosing an integration approach that proved inadequate for the company’s needs. All to often we have customers come to us after they have gone down the path of creating an application that connects multiple tiers (client, business logic and database) using XML web services. They adopted that approach because they either didn’t understand the performance problems they would face as their user base and data grew or they just weren’t aware of alternative integration strategies. Sometimes it is a money issue – the business side would not approve the purchase of technology to solve the integration issue, which is tied to bottom line profitability. Granted, XML web services isn’t a bad choice for every application, we just hear from our customers time and again that it is a bad choice for data intensive applications.

If we look at the five questions in light of LEAN we can see that developers probably spent a lot of time hacking away at writing, documenting, debugging and maintaining the integration layer, which could have been spent more productively on developing business logic. It would be interesting to see just how long development takes and at what cost to produce an application integrated using web services that in the end would not scale to meet the business needs.

Ultimately, the business loses because customers are unhappy and revenue is lost. To fix the business problem, the business approves a rewrite of the application and purchase of technology. It would be so much easier and more profitable if the business approved the purchase of technology in the beginning. Case in point, Rafael Zbili, Sr. Manager of e-Business Technology at Hilton Grand Vacations stated, “WebORB reduced our data loading times by 83 percent. This allowed us to process 143 percent more reservations than before using WebORB.”

One Benchmarking Tool that will help companies that are trying to decide what will give them best performance is to run a simple test that compares remoting to web services. Keep in mind that true performance gains are recognized with larger data sets.

Apple/AT&T Get Slapped with Class Action Lawsuit!

mcoderkat — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:28:29 +0000

Federal Judge James Ware in Northern California approved a monopoly abuse lawsuit against Apple and AT&T – a process that was actually started by iPhone users back in 2007. As class action lawsuits go, this will be a long process, but the impact could be quite positive. http://bit.ly/99IRcR

One of the complaints is that the iPhone can only be used with AT&T’s network. Perhaps the outcome of this lawsuit will mean that Apple can be released from its exclusive arrangement with AT&T, allowing the iPhone to be supported in any other network, such as Verizon. This would be fantastic! Competition drives down price and better coverage is a must.

Another complaint is that Apple broke laws when it updated its iPhone software, causing some phones to stop working and deleted programs that users had purchased. It’s not clear if this complaint will be addressed, but it does sound like there will be an injunction to keep Apple from selling locked iPhones in the US and from determining what programs people can install. This injunction is instrumental as I believe it means that developers will be able to develop programs for the iPhone using any multi-media platform (such as Adobe Flash) they want. This supports a healthier developer community (on-going Flash projects for the iPhone can continue) and greater competition which always drives down cost.

I know it’s kind of early to make this claim, but it makes sense that Apple will have to bend as the market will not tolerate monopolistic behavior regarding a hardware device that is expensive and has relatively poor coverage. It will be interesting to see how this lawsuit plays out. What are your predictions?

Apple vs Adobe vs Microsoft vs……..Google?

mcoderkat — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 01:22:48 +0000

I’m researching trends in the RIA industry and clearly find that this new battle between Apple vs Adobe and Adobe vs Microsoft (all vying for client-side technology 1st place) is an emerging trend that will have developers and IT teams reeling. If finding talented developers isn’t hard enough, developers must now either beef up their cross platform skills or pick a side (specialize). Should be an interesting battle of giants that makes me wonder just how this war will impact IT teams already struggling with cost issues and other things like justifying their organizational value in light of all this in-fighting. What does this mean for organizations that have Flash/Flex RIAs and want to extend their applications to use iPhones in the field? Does this mean they have to hire more developers with different skills and find a way to integrate two disparate technologies? Or must these businesses draw a line in the sand and say “screw you Apple, I’ll go with Flash and Android?” What’s a web application developer to do?

In terms of client technology adoption, Adobe has the advantage with ubiquitous adoption of the Flash Player. Silverlight 4 is gaining adoption and HTML5 still has a ways to go. In the mobile market place, Apple is…no has shut Adobe’s Flash off from the Apple platform. Obviously, Apple isn’t the only game in town. Aside from iPhone and iPad jailbreakers…I’m curious about Google’s next move!

Stay tuned…this should be an interesting ride!

Kat…
Twitter: mcoderkat1

Thank Goodness WebORB is cross platform!
www.themidnightcoders.com

Rich Internet Applications Boost Revenue Earnings in Online Auctions

mcoderkat — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 04:31:19 +0000

Rich Internet Applications are increasingly being used to close budget gaps by state and local governments, universities and businesses. The trend is to sell used equipment online through surplus property auctions. Previously offline, these organizations now are able to harness the power of streaming media and data push to maximize the number of competitive bids and the money they make from selling surplus property online.

Web Data Corporation is one such vendor who is developing online auction applications powered by WebORB, which is a Rich Internet Application server that delivers bidding results in real-time. According to Gordon Bennett, CEO of Web Data Corporation, “In our business, the speed of delivering real-time bidding is critical and it is a great benefit for bidders when they do not have to refresh their screens to see competing bids.” In fact, presenting bid information in real-time has proven to increase actual ending bid levels simply because there is more competitive bidding to drive up price.

To learn more, please visit:

Web Data Corporation Case Study

RTMP Data Push

AMF Remoting vs Web Services

Please let me know if this post was helpful to you by posting a comment. Certainly recommend content that would be helpful to you as well.

Live Cycle DS Customers Shocked at Price Increase

mcoderkat — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:03:49 +0000

Just read on Anil Channappa’s blog http://anilchannappa.org/2009/11/20/lcds-3-0-released/ that LiveCycleDS 3.0 is now about 50% more expensive. They used to charge $20,000/cpu and now they charge $30,000/cpu. That’s an interesting strategy in times where most enterprises are looking for ways to conserve expenditures during recessionary times. I think the strategy is to drive most customers to a hosted model, which will come out sooner or later. It’s a strategy we are well advanced in too. For LCDS customers who are in shock, no worries…we’d like to welcome you to our WebORB family. We offer a competitive alternative, but at a much more palatable price-point. Check out WebORB for Java http://www.themidnightcoders.com/products/weborb-for-java/overview.html. You’ll find a very feature rich and stable offering for a fraction of the price. Contact me directly at kathleen@themidnightcoders.com to learn more.

A Worthy Cause

mcoderkat — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:49:27 +0000

It’s been awhile since I blogged, but this is such a worthy cause, I thought I’d put some pixels to screen. We were approached earlier this month to help a lone UMICH Health Systems software developer, Wally Kolcz, with a really great idea he has brewing. His idea is to create an application that would allow the children at Mott Childrens Hospital to socialize with other children either in the same hospital or even around the world. For a kid that is confined to a bed in a hospital room, the experience can be lonely and frustrating. Wally’s vision of providing kids confined to hospital beds or rooms with a way to access to the world around them through software is huge. Given that we are all created to be socially connected beings and connection is essential for well-being, I’d imagine this application would contribute to a child’s healing process, or at the very least, better emotional health.

I’m blogging to help promote his efforts and to encourage others to come along side him to help. This could grow into a really overwhelming project for one developer and it is a project that would be worthwhile to duplicate for other worthy causes. Wally’s pages can be found here:

http://connect.mywindow.org/blog/post.cfm/and-now-i-build

July/August FREE Webinar Series

mcoderkat — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:09:36 +0000

We’ve got all new topics for July and August, so WebORB downloaders should be sure to check out our Midnight Coders Monthly Newsletter (will be out later this week) for information on this series and more including new Tips and Tricks for connecting AIR clients with .NET services.

July Webinar Schedule

July 13th – 3pm(CST)
Real-Time Messaging and Streaming with Flex and .NET
To Register: http://bit.ly/3kyYC

July 20th – 3pm (CST)
Introduction to Stress Testing of Flex Applications
To Register: http://bit.ly/zVmjm

July 27th – 3pm (CST)
Integrating AIR and .NET
To Register: http://bit.ly/t4cs0

August Webinar Schedule

August 3rd – 3pm (CST)
Publish/Subscribe with Flex and Java
To Register: http://bit.ly/4c0mrc

August 10th – 3pm (CST)
Introduction to RIA Analytics
To Register: http://bit.ly/162vO3

August 17th – 3pm (CST)
Tracking User Behavior in Flex Applications
To Register: http://bit.ly/y9uor