Archive for the ‘Software Development’ Category


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Taming Our Shameful Digital Distractions

February 17th, 2010 by Erin Posted in Software Development, Technology | No Comments »

Think about it.

How much time do you waste surfing the Web?

I’m not going to lie. I fritter a lot of time away on Facebook and Twitter. A lot of time.

I can’t help it.

I sit down at my computer each morning with every intention to get some work done – but my wandering mouse takes over and soon I’m redirected to see what my friends are up to.

I absolutely hate it!

BUT, I have found some help to get me back on the straight and narrow.

Enter RescueTime and LeechBlock.

These applications, also called Internet blocking software, are designed to block various parts of the Internet so that when your mind strays, you’re stopped from giving into your unproductive ways.

First, RescueTime.

RescueTime works by keeping track of everything that happens on your computer, and then reports your habits in a series of charts and graphs.

Tech writer Farhad Manjoo recently gave RescueTime a whirl and says he found the app to be incredibly “illuminating.”

“I learned, for instance, that during a typical month I spend more than 70 hours surfing the web, much of it on news and social networking sites,” writes Manjoo.

By comparison, Manjoo found that he spent half as much time in Microsoft Word.

Now, if you are already aware of your bad online habits and just need some good old-fashion help taming them, then LeechBlock web filtering software may be the best medicine.

LeechBlock is a free add-on for Firefox and functions like a stern nanny. Users tell the program which Web sites to keep away from them at certain times of the day, and at the appointed hour you have chosen, LeechBlock will stop you cold.

LeechBlock is also quite flexible as it lets users block different sites at different times of the day. Or, users can set a maximum daily or hourly limit for certain sites.

Certainly, there is no way to tell whether these “digital nannies” will help you kick your bad online habits once and for all.

The mind is a restless place – even for the most seasoned professional.

But these Internet blocking software applications can be helpful in getting you to at least consider how you waste time on the Internet.

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Google Offers An Easy Out With Data Liberation

November 24th, 2009 by Erin Posted in Software Development | No Comments »

Want to bail on Google?

If you’re sick of their products and services, the company is making it super easy for people to pack up their data and go.

Enter the Data Liberation Front.

This ingenious – and unconventional – software was designed by Google engineers whose sole mission is to make it easier for users to move their data in and out of Google products – essentially liberating them.

Is this an odd business strategy?

Yes, but it’s brilliant at the same time.

Given that most – if not all – of us move among the cloud, data portability has become a key issue – especially for small business owners who rely on Google’s cloud services.

Brian Fitzpatrick, a Google engineering manager, explains:

We want people to try our software, and if we’re going to encourage people to put data in the cloud and use more cloud-based apps, it’s important to show that it should be easy to get that data out as well. I want more people to think about this. It’s an important thing, and most people don’t think “I want to get my data out,” until it’s too late.

There’s even been a hint of a new feature that will give users the ability to export all of their Google Docs files in a single, downloadable zip archive.

I’m sorry, why do we need MS Office again?

Thank you Google for giving me an “out” should my relationship with you end in divorce.

And most of all, thank you for having my back.

My back up data that is.

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The Answer To Irresponsible Texting

October 21st, 2009 by Erin Posted in Software Development | No Comments »

Business professionals are guilty of it.

Parents are have done it.

And, teenagers, well…  enough said.

Texting and driving is rampant – and downright deadly.

It seems people can’t be bothered to take their eyes off their BlackBerry or iPhone – even when they’re speeding down the highway at 65 miles-per-hour.

Well, now they can – thanks to an ingenious app called iZup.

Call it a digital cure for lack of common sense.

Created by Illume Software, iZup uses GPS to calculate your speed – and whether you’re driving. If you are moving faster than your feet can carry you, iZup automatically locks out calls and text messages. That means incoming calls go to voice mail and text messages are held in a queue until you come to a stop.

Will iZup work in stop-and-go traffic?

Probably not – and your mobile device will still remain a deadly distraction.

Still, though, I give the makers of iZup an eager round of applause.

The open Web has birthed many brilliant products and services – but THIS, this is what we’ve needed for a very long time.

A full version of iZup will be out in December, but for now let’s hope that dozens of other software companies are scrambling to put out their own similar nanny-ware third-party app.

There are thousands of obscure, obscene, useless apps out there.

Why has it taken this long to produce an app that can curb such a chronic addiction?

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The Twitter Effect

October 8th, 2009 by Erin Posted in Software Development, Twitter | No Comments »

There used to be a time when I thought Google was poised to take over the world.

I was wrong.

It’s Twitter.

The social networking/ internet messaging service/ micro blogging site (whatever you want to call it) has grown in gargantuan porportion.

An estimated $1 billion to be exact.

And, now, like the Apple iPhone app frenzy – Twitter is having its own profound effect on the app world.

Enter the state of Massachusetts.

The Bay State is home to many things: the Boston Red Sox, the New England Patriots, prestigious universities and hospitals – to name a few.

But, it’s also a hub for innovative tech startups –  companies, that have developed some interesting applications and services connected to Twitter.

And, unlike Twitter itself, these apps and services are actually bringing in money.

According to Boston Globe’s Scott Kirsner, here’s a look at how some companies are feeding off the Twitter effect – and what they’re bringing to the table.

- Oneforty - Offers a directory of software applications and services that work with Twitter. It helps direct new users and paying customers to them in exchange for a referral fee.

- Thoughtbot – Their Thunder Thimble helps companies track what Twitter users are saying about their brands. Subscription fees start at $9 per month.

- Tweetworks - Aims to help users who are interested in a topic create groups on Twitter and track strings of messages on a particular topic. No revenue model yet.

- Crimson Hexagon - Helps companies track conversations about their products on Twitter (as well as blogs and online forums).

- GraphEdge - Helps Twitter users understand trends among their followers. May soon start charging a monthly fee for Twitter users with a large number of followers.

- HubSpot – Twitter Grader analyzes how well a Twitter account is performing in terms of attracting followers and supplying them with content that they’re likely to pass along ( or “re-tweet”) to other users.

- Traackr – Generates lists of influential users of Twitter so that marketers at a company will know who to reach out to when testing a new product or website.

Anyone can see that by the amount of users (roughly 8 million new users a month) – and the endeavors of these tech companies – the Twitter effect is spreading.

The world is literally Twitter’s oyster.

Let’s hope the site doesn’t blow it by getting swallowed up by Google – or worse, Microsoft.

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Microsoft And Google Go Toe-To-Toe

July 15th, 2009 by Erin Posted in Software Development, Technology | 1 Comment »

It’s on.

If ever there was a battle brewing between Microsoft and Google – now’s the time.

The big question is – who’s throwing the first punch?

After the Chrome vs. Bing search engine battle, industy insiders have turned their attention to operating systems. More specifically, Google’s Chrome OS.

Google made waves last week with the introduction of its new operating system designed to compete with Microsoft Windows. And that it does, starting with Android, an open-source OS for small devices like smartphones, and Chrome OS, a browser-focused, open-source OS that will run on notebooks (ie Netbooks) and desktops.

In classic Microsoft style, it too announced it had something big up its sleeve: Microsoft Office 2010 which, like Google, will include free, online versions of its four most popular software programs.

These two companies have become bitter enemies over the years, yet oddly enough there are undertones of each within their OS’s.

The picture became clear when Wired ran an interesting piece on the ecosystems surrounding Google and Microsoft’s operating systems:

Microsoft would love for everyone in the world to be using its Internet Explorer browser to search through Bing to find a story from its MSN portal to email via Hotmail or Outlook to a friend. Add in a smartphone running Windows Mobile and an Xbox in the living room for the kids, and you have a Microsoft family. And though it is much joked about, Microsoft is the dominant platform for software developers of all types, whether they are making small business software, massive online role-playing games or photo-editing utilities.

Google’s ecosystem looks different. It starts with a Google Chrome browser (oddly running only on Windows) with a default homepage set to Google News or a customized Google homepage. From there you might go to Gmail and then click on a Word document sent to you as an attachment which Google will quickly — and safely — open for you in its online word processor. But most importantly, Google wants you to search and travel around the web, hitting web pages that run Google-served ads and Google tracking cookies. You might think that Google is a really cool company to give away all this free technology, while never thinking about the persistent and silent data collection Google is undertaking to profile you in order to deliver you to advertisers for a premium.

Now comparisons aside, there’s also a little trash talking going on.

Bill Gates took a public shot at Google last week, comparing Chrome OS to Linux.

“There’s many, many forms of Linux operating systems out there and packaged in different ways and booted in different ways,” Gates said. “In some ways I am surprised people are acting like there’s something new. I mean, you’ve got Android running on Netbooks. It’s got a browser in it.”

Gates also said it was hard to really say much about Chrome OS, since Google has said so little about how it will actually work.

Yes, indeed, the gloves are off.

But something tells me that Microsoft will be the victor here.

I mean, c’mon, who really uses a Netbook?

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