ThinkEzy.com – Blog

It is always heartening to see new start-ups with innovative ideas.

RingAd is one such start-up. it is banking on advertising ringtones. Love it or leave it, but ringtones are best for local distribution of wacky messages. Interesting, new medium for advertisers as well. Interesting, because of no hi-fi speakers that distribute the ringtones. A food for thought, truly.

I talked to Shreekant, who is working on the app. In his words: ”RingAd android application, listen interesting ringtone advertisements and get free mobile recharge and discount coupons every month.”

Best luck Shreekant.

Just uploaded my first web site at GYANY CUSTOMER SOLUTIONS. Take a look at it.

After my brief encounter with writing applications, I moved to some new wish lists. I was clear from the start: Write once execute anywhere. That took me to the web. On the web there were too many choices. I remembered my early days, around 10 years ago, when web was coming out of the crash. Java servlet was mainly the only viable platform to create object oriented applications that would stay on for longer.

Today, I was looking at the same Java. The frenzy over Tomcat, Servlets was ringing in my ears like it was yesterday. I felt stupid to start over. I lost my job over some silly online yellow pages that was to employ Java tech in the old days.

Flash forward to 2011 – end. The same Java, Tomcat, Servlets, JSP. The world has moved nowhere. Sure there was JSF, Spring in pure Java. But they just complicated the affair without adding value. Eclipse is surely one that added some comfort but can not light a dim candle to Visual Studio.

So, where to start? A LO platform. Linux – Oracle, LO. I had tried Linux recently with Ubuntu 10. So, downloaded the latest version 11 it on trusty HP Pavilion. Looks real good. Simple Unity Windows.

Went to Ubuntu Software Centre for Eclipse. It got me only one option, Classic Java. Started Eclipse and went to Web Development Tools (WDT). No WDT. Ouch. Earlier update URLS were not working. Frantic search … 1 day lost … searching … Nobody in any StackExchange or Ash Ubuntu could find this URL for my problem. So, turning on my instinct in Google. Found indigo Software Repository. Aaaahhaaa. Then it was breeze.

One thing about Ubuntu … It is real fast and responsive on my 5-year old laptop. May not need new one very soon.

Launched first JSP page – “Hello Web … from JSP”. Worked great. Eclipse found Tomcat very smoothly. E’thing is well that ends well.

One sure thing – I can stay on Ubuntu longer and ditch Windows 7 forever.

Being thrashed by Google Web store and WordPress for hosting my extension, I was looking at various options. I earlier had SourceForge but that a whole millennium ago. The current hot open source source host is Github.

My natural inclination was to go to Github. But there is a checklist of at least 50 steps and process that exceeds 4 page lengths before I can host any extension. Developers are truly crooked. No doubt about that. They invent something like Github and if that looked too complicated, invent something new and brand it as a 3-minute set up.

Now what? let’s download, install git; install SSH; get keys; export keys to Github and if luck has it, host Hash. What a hack?

I was just writing this – “Please download …”

But it seems, WordPress doesn’t like crx files.

 
I tried Google’s Chrome Web Store at first. But, their e-commerce market is immature and broken. They take $1 to register me as a merchant. But, after taking the payment, their screen just doesn’t notify the purchase anywhere. I had to talk to my bank to confirm the purchase.

So, anyone who like to try, please email me at gattoo at gmail dot com and I would be too happy to share.

After a huge gap of around 8 years (hoops!!!) I have started code development once again.

During all these years I was a manager and code development was not a requirement for me. I am still a manager, but good things come back again.

The first development meets my no.1 need. Keep unique passwords and still remember every password. For years I had only one password and used to use only that everywhere. But constant pestering by all paranoids everywhere, I started to look out for unique passwords. LastPass is a great utility but still required remembering one heck of a password at least and the passwords were still away – at large.

I was looking at something that keeps passwords unique, but very easy to remember. Creating a small rule to keep a common structure was not a problem to me. But the sites do not like either my username or their site name in the password. So, a common naming strategy was ruled out. Or was it? I could still have a naming rule if I could code the password. Sure, SHA1 hashing would help.

But, no. SHA1 codes are devoid of special characters. The sites write “weak password” in cold blood or even worse, reject the password altogether (yes, weak passwords are rejected by my payroll site). What to do? Simple. Encode SHA1.

Now I was coming to a full blown password suggestion that entirely depend on my likes and still has all the virtues of the best password management.

I would obviously look out for a browser extension solution as I would easily replace Lastpass with. Chrome was an easy choice for such an extension. Though I have come to dislike Chrome lately (more about it later), it is still my choice, on one count. The search box at the top.

Please have the extension after the break. I am now looking out for a nice looking logo for my first software for the entire world. Just asked my beautiful, designer wife to carve a simple, stunning and effective logo.

Will I ask you to pay for it? I should. But Chrome does not allow me to sell my extension for money just as yet. I stay in India. So, Chrome has all the rights to take my $5 for hosting the app. Cashing on it would be a future.

Just trying to figure out a nice name. Hashish, perhaps. or, just Hash?

Just take a look at this: http://www.winrumors.com/ipad-ios-5-vs-windows-8-slate-video/

Tom Warren has put the 2 bulls for a fight and the video is worth to watch. Windows 8 is still kicking in the womb. But, from the video, it looks like promissing.

Apple is known for fixing up the first version of any device and the design changes very little. So, after say, version 1.0 all the updates look stale and not as good as when it was announced. Not with Windows. Just see how it has evolved from Windows 3 to Windows 7, radically changing at almost every new version. True chameleon.

Take a look at my last post. True to its new avatars, the functionality has just improved.

There still time for the end game. Apple fanboys, be ready for attack.

Collaboration is a big and crowded place.

Just a few days back, I jumped on to Joshua Schachter’s new site Jig. I had a crush on him since the Delicious days. Jig Turned out be another Twitter (+/-) site.

Today there was HipChat. Chat with a difference. But it is no different than HiRise.

Now comes Trello. Another site by another poster child – Joel Spolsky. I keep asking myself, how many organizer application are on the market or quoting an old proverb –  how many switches are required to light a lamp?

As long as the world is free, I am with the world.

Windows 8 preview is out and the new news has started. Unlike Google (which separated even mobiles and tabs, let alone PCs) and Apple, Microsoft is playing a radically different game.

You use a single Windows 8 for mobiles, tabs and PCs. It would be interesting to see how PC responds to a touch. Microsoft’s hardware interface has been patchy for a number of times in the past. Any Windows laptop comes with not 1 or 2 but 3 audio connectors. Finding which one does what is a puzzle on my HP Pavilion. Now, adding touch looks to be overkill. Perhaps, Microsoft wants to give a rebirth to slates. I believe you would see new form factors like Samsung slide PCs with Windows 8.

One thing is sure. The Windows 8 will have a small footprint and it will be fast and responsive. Want to taste the new Windows 8? Just get this pdf. ‘Taste’ because it is not out yet.