Archive for 2008

The iPhone Platform for a Java Developer?

September 5, 2008 3:11 PM

I am a Java developer.  I’ve been a Java developer since before the 1.0 release of the SDK back in 1995.  I used NetBeans since it was called Forte for Java and have been dedicated to Eclipse since the 3.0 release.  Java is the primary reason that, since 2000, I’ve been able to spend 90% of my time in a Linux environment.From a phone perspective, I’ve been a Verizon customer since 1997.  I started using the Kyocera 7135 smartphone in 2002.  I then upgraded to the Treo 650 in 2004, and most recently to the Treo 700w in 2006.  All of those phones have fantastic features, and also significant short-comings.  None of them fit all of my needs for a smartphone.You know the story of the iPhone.  It’s elegant.  The UI is in a class of its own.  The MultiTouch interface is revolutionary.  High-speed Internet, 2MB camera, a video iPod, PDA features, and now a GPS unit make the iPhone - “The phone to have.”  It does have it’s drawbacks, mainly the lack of cut-and-paste and the poor notes support detailed here.Could a phone be worth taking such a big leap of faith?  The requirements to develop for the iPhone start with an Intel based Macintosh running Leopard.  Since you can’t run Leopard in a VM, there is a substantial start-up cost - a minimum of $500 for a Mac Mini.  Additionally, iPhone development is done with Objective C.  Lastly, in order to use an iPhone, you need to be on AT&T.  I have nothing against AT&T, Macs nor learning Objective C, but that is a lot to invest just for the priviledge to get started.The most important piece of the puzzle is the AppStore.  The AppStore is a blessing and a curse as detailed here.  But with six million original iPhones and six million iPhone 3Gs, there are twelve million potential users.  This doesn’t include the iPod touches that also can use the AppStore.  Software can be deployed without the AppStore using an AdHoc method.  This would allow a developer to control the deployment of the software, which would be perfect for business looking to develop in-house applications for the iPhone.The deciding factor for me was thinking in terms of ones and zeroes.  In the AppStore, all software is given an equal opportunity.  If a piece of software is sold on the AppStore to 1% of the iPhone users at $5.00, after Apple takes their 30%, the developer would take home $420,000.  That’s a good reason to take the leap of faith!On July 11th, after five hours of waiting in line, I walked out with two 16GB iPhone 3Gs.  I love the phone - my wife hates it, but that’s a story for another post.  About a week later, I ran off to Best Buy, picked up a MacBook, and then signed up for the Apple iPhone Developer Program.  I’m ready to begin my journey of transforming from a Linux / Java world to a Macintosh /  iPhone - Objective C world!  Over the course of my posts I’ll discuss the challenges of learning the Mac, Objective C and iPhone development.  I’ll also address the differences between Objective C and Java, the differences between the iPhone and the other smartphones I’ve used, and the differences between the Mac and Linux.  Lastly, I will compare the functionality offered by the OpenSDK to the functionality available in the official iPhone SDK.  All of this will be done while trying to answer my ultimate question:  Can the iPhone fit all of my needs?

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posted by Jeff Schwartz

Scheduled Downtime With Hyperic HQ

April 25, 2008 7:41 PM

As any user of the excellent open source software Hyperic HQ knows, there are many great features in Hyperic HQ. However, there are also a few short comings. One of these deficiencies in the software is it’s lack of a way to turn off alerts for scheduled downtime.

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posted by Jeff Schwartz