UXMagic XAML Design Blog

Closed for Business

donny — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:24:42 +0100

Closed For Business Permanently

I regret to inform everyone that due to severe lack of funds and clients who didn't follow through on our acting in good faith while working on a project for over a month and a half full time without any pay. Then for nearly two months without seeing any pay what so ever and getting the message "we will pay you if we like the completed work" previously, and then a milestone later our resources were depleted completely to the point of no return.

Business doors were closed on Sunday September 25, 2011. Our last day of operations were officially September 24, 2011. I have accepted no new work or clients elsewhere. I will no longer be in the business of doing any type of design consulting.

Due to lack of funds and the need to actually afford to eat and pay for basic necessities I have had to find other work just for basic survival. I have had to find other work to sustain me being able to afford basic necessities due to lack of good faith payment by my last client. Best of luck to all my past clients your support is appreciated..

This blog will be shutdown December 1st 2011.

I recommend you check out our user group blog where I hope to be posting from time to time along with other folks who are interested in help.. This user group launches it’s first meeting in early December..

http://blendersuxblog.wordpress.com/

One Last Thing… On Adobe Killing Flash Mobile

donny — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:57:22 +0100

Why Apple’s Culture War against Adobe was bad for everyone

Wow what a lockstep industry reaction to support Steve Jobs own protectionist nature at Apple. Even Microsoft got on the bandwagon about this.. But really is moving away from innovative technologies like Flash and Silverlight that give us more power where it’s available a bad idea versus trying for one size fits all ??

To quote Upton Sinclair “"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!"

On Flash Mobile and the Loss of Adobe Jobs

Bad move Adobe!! I will just say Adobe Flash works great on Android tablets and I have one and I also own an original Apple iPad. The web experience with the Android Tablet with Mobile Chrome (HTML 5) and Flash Mobile is much better than the experience I have using Safari on the iPad at any given time. It’s not selling as well either. The Android/ Flash Mobile experience is just as good as sitting down to a PC or a Mac with a non-mobile web browser. Everything JUST WORKS.. Not true on the iPad. But people accept this about them and buy them anyway ? Why because of blind loyalty to Apple and Steve Jobs..

I have been using Flash since it was Future Splash animator. All of the animation tools Adobe has shown or announced for HTML 5 look and are feature set equivalent to a 10 year old product. I think it's a completely ridiculous assumption that Flash should not be continued. The HTML 5 including canvas really doesn’t make up for the lack of Flash.

The canvas element is broken because it lacks a retained mode graphics system for reusable graphics. Also, resources and libraries will be insanely large because JavaScript (even compile fast JS) isn't designed for moving large amounts of data around like that and keeping up consistent speeds. Even with GPU enhanced browser rendering dealing with huge amounts of data in a scripting language (such as graphics and animation) can still be very unwieldy)

Canvas is underpowered thanks to Apple
The CANVAS element was a HUGE setback in functionality and it was proposed to the W3C by Apple engineers. It lacks power and functionality for it's purpose. Things like collision detection, touch, etc. are all missing from this at a base level. It will be a long while before we see an HTML 6…We had systems like HTML 5’s canvas element way back in 1996..

This is a completely bad move for the industry both technically and for the people who have to make great "experiences".

The Apple people complaining about Flash don't even know why Apple was complaining in the first place. Whatever Jobs said to them they blindly embrace.. Here's another did you know on Flash. Flash never had full GPU access to Mac OSX until it was granted access with Mac OS X 10.5 and then only on SOME Macs that supported it (with NVIDIA GPUs).. Apple really didn't have full hardware acceleration or video available even for VIDEO until then and the CPU controlled it all..

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/04/29/adobe_previews_gpu_acceleration_support_for_flash_in_mac_os_x.html

The real reason Steve Jobs was anti-Flash is he was afraid too many people would use Flash Builder to create iOS apps and they would take over the App Store. That's why they came out with ridiculous rules saying you had to use "Apple's SDK" only when creating apps.

Adobe’s CTO at the time Kevin Lynch got it correct..

http://allthingsd.com/20100411/exclusive-video-adobe-cto-lynch-smacks-back-at-apples-protectionist-strategy-calling-it-bad-for-consumers-but-hell-swing-chickens-if-forced/

This was a political move and Apple “sheeples” were dumb enough to believe his complaints, which had merit on the Mac (which his rant was mostly about) but only when you realize that Adobe Flash was being broken on the Mac by Apple itself in the first place by lack of providing the Mac platform GPU assistance as an API, making the CPU do all rendering).. This is because Apple spent forever moving away from PowerPC and emulated code to a full Intel CPU based OS that directly could access the hardware and the GPU itself. Was this on purpose ? Survey says yes. It’s also true that many Apple folks don’t upgrade as often as PC folks do to the latest and greatest hardware.

People who say way to go aren't smart about what we are all losing here and don't realize the superior experiences that could be created that are are now being all mothballed out of stupidity..

Retained Mode Graphics versus Immediate Graphics (why Flash is better)

”A retained-mode API is declarative. The application constructs a scene from graphics primitives, such as shapes and lines. The graphics library stores a model of the scene in memory. To draw a frame, the graphics library transforms the scene into a set of drawing commands. Between frames, the graphics library keeps the scene in memory. To change what is rendered, the application issues a command to update the scene — for example, to add or remove a shape. The library is then responsible for redrawing the scene”

”An immediate-mode API is procedural. Each time a new frame is drawn, the application directly issues the drawing commands. The graphics library does not store a scene model between frames. Instead, the application keeps track of the scene.”

”Retained-mode APIs can be simpler to use, because the API does more of the work for you, such as initialization, state maintenance, and cleanup. On the other hand, they are often less flexible, because the API imposes its own scene model. Also, a retained-mode API can have higher memory requirements, because it needs to provide a general-purpose scene model. With an immediate-mode API, you can implement targeted optimizations.”

For more information read the Microsoft MSDN article on Retained Mode versus Immediate graphics at:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff684178(v=vs.85).aspx

Adobe kills 750 people’s jobs (thanks Steve Jobs)

According to CNNMoney:

”Adobe (ADBE) is restructuring and laying off 750 employees in North America and Europe. Also, sources tell ZDNet that the company is stopping development on Flash Player for mobile browsers and focusing its efforts instead on mobile apps, desktop content, and HTML5. That last bit about HTML5 may cause some Apple aficionados to revel, if true, given Steve Jobs' now-famous April 2010 memo, "Thoughts on Flash." In it, the former Apple CEO criticized Flash's reliability, security, and performance. (TechCrunch, ZDNet, and Apple)”

I think this is a huge mistake, after using a honeycomb Android tablet over the past month or so with an NVIDIA TEGRA GPU built-in.. The web experience is MUCH MUCH better than my iPad, which doesn’t have this GPU and doesn’t work with Flash websites.

Flash was Proprietary.. Wait what about the Open Screen Project ??

Really Flash is/was proprietary! Really ? You obviously never heard of the Open Screen Project..

http://www.openscreenproject.org/

Quote:
“The number and diversity of devices in our lives is exploding. Consumers want and demand the total Internet, with open access to websites, applications, and services using all devices. The challenge is that fragmentation across devices, operating systems, and browsers hinders innovation. The result? Consumer demands are not being met. The Open Screen Project™ was established to meet these challenges and expectations. It is an industry-wide initiative, led by Adobe with the participation of other industry leaders, to enable the delivery of rich multiscreen experiences built on a consistent runtime environment for open web browsing and standalone applications.

Establishing a consistent runtime environment

“With a consistent and broadly adopted runtime, stakeholders can focus more closely on developing the next-generation experiences that will differentiate their devices, software, and services. Consumers ultimately win with richer, more interactive, and universal user experiences across devices.

The Adobe® Flash® Platform will provide the consistent runtime environment envisioned by Open Screen Project partners. This technology was chosen because it has the widest reach in the world across operating systems and devices, a community of more than one million developers, and leading authoring tools..”

”Innovating through industry collaboration

Realizing their common vision — to enable consumers to engage with rich Internet experiences seamlessly across any device, anywhere — requires collaboration among operators, OEMs, chipset vendors, content providers, and developers. No one player can do it alone. Working together, Open Screen Project partners will:

Give consumers greater choice by making implementations of the next major releases of the Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR® runtimes open and addressable by third-party developers
Mitigate technology fragmentation by allowing Flash Player and AIR to be updated almost seamlessly over the network
Unleash the creative potential of designers and developers around the world by enabling them to easily publish content and applications across connected devices”

But that’s not really open while giving Adobe the opportunity to keep Flash on the right path right ?? LOL

The silver lining in this is that Flash player was open sourced, so it maybe possible to maintain these products long after they are gone. The same goes for Microsoft Silverlight thanks to the work on the Mono “Moonlight” project, which created an open-source player for Linux called “Moonlight”

It maybe also possible through public initiatives to keep these platforms alive on new devices and open these up, in ways that private companies were unwilling to do..

Still planning to use Flash or Silverlight even if Microsoft and Adobe discontinue ?
Join the “Not giving up superior design tools coalition..” today. Let’s see how many people agree and want to keep these alive..

I started a Facebook page today..
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Not-giving-up-using-superior-design-tools-Coalition/185657671518439#!/pages/Not-giving-up-using-superior-design-tools-Coalition/185657671518439

Let’s show the corporations that we plan on staying with products that make sense and not to jump on something because some management initiative would block over ten years of real internet progress just to cater to selling something “new” that doesn’t build on past progress..

Let’s show the world that keeping up with Microsoft, Adobe, and Especially Apple isn’t the way to superior internet experiences..

One Last thing… On start-ups..

donny — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:15:51 +0100

After trying to get funded and working on a startup for over two years (2009-2010-2011) and finally giving up because of the fact that we couldn’t get funded. Looking back, I find that it wasn’t our idea or implementation. It was more likely that it is the way the government and the programs for in-state entrepreneur are run that are actually the problem.

Our startup information can be found at http://calderglobalnetworks.wordpress.com, which is one of the surviving proofs that we existed. We actually had a better idea and implementation than SIRI found in the Apple iPhone 4S, doing much more before they ever thought of it..

When we went to local incubators (and we went to all of them), there were problems getting funded with our BIG IDEA. Not because we had a bad business plan, or bad revenue streams, there was something else at work. We were also referred to banks and financial services folks who were in the news for the bank bailouts. They would see us but weren’t lending because their funding had dried up due to tightened regulations and the problems at the time.

There was one serious problem that we have encountered though that process that was a huge roadblock. That was, that we didn’t get the push from local business startup help sources because we were * in-state* people.

If you were coming from out-of-state to get funding for your business in Michigan you have no problem getting funded at all. There was plenty of opportunity for you. Us, we were out of luck after much effort.

We found great opportunities out there, but just not for us. This was especially true if you were University of Michigan Student and part of their college programs at the University of Michigan Business School.

This was in thanks (in part) to programs for students at U-M. University of Michigan has a very liberal admission policy for out-of-state folks. There are folks in jobs out there looking to give that to opportunity to immigrants versus in-state folks as the answer to business attempt to fix problems in the state. So we were out of luck there too.

Watch this video. I believe that you will see a bias against in-state people who are trying to start businesses here and make it better here. In no way do the folks running these programs seem to invest in their own in-state people and if you don’t have the right political party affiliation look out further they really don’t want to hear from you.

Bias against In-State Entrepreneurs ?
I surely don’t mind bringing in talent from elsewhere but it’s ashamed that the governor and others are ignoring the fact that there are those in-state that are smart and have working business models that are highly profitable. Not all of them are in the MBA program at University of Michigan or Michigan State University either.

Watch this video and tell me if you don’t think that the possibility exists for a bias against in-state people who are creating industry.

I only had to go Maker Faire Detroit for the past two years, to see that the folks running the programs for funding start-ups may have too narrow of a view of what’s going on in-state and may not need to be shopping out as much as they are.. Some of these views unfortunately are politically motivated versus seeing everyone in the state have the same access and opportunities.

“One Last Thing” SMILE

donny — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:15:07 +0100

This video showed up on the internet, I have no idea if it’s for real or not, but if this is the final user interface for Windows 8, Microsoft has got this right and it rocks..

All of my criticisms of the “developer preview build” have been addressed with what I see here.. If this is truly Windows 8, thank you Microsoft you have a big winner here assuming it’s real..

Expression Blend Step By Step Review

donny — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:16:59 +0100

by Chris Leeds and Elena Kosinska

As some of you know I had been teaching Expression Blend at a local community college this summer. Since these were continuing education classes they were not very long folks taking the class were asking me which text they should buy for learning Expression Blend and XAML. I send them here to this book.

I have to tell you right now, that even if you are just diving into XAML (even with Windows 8 looming) this is probably the best book out there on the market today. It is up-to-date, fresh with great examples and step-by-step how to get into Expression Blend. Even if you are thinking about getting into Expression Blend because of Microsoft HTML “METRO” apps this is the book for you. Even though it doesn’t cover HTML and the things still in development, it’s probably the best text out there to get you into the product and productive quickly.

The examples and code provided are well documented, the flow is very quick and no matter where you are with learning Blend there is something here for everyone.. You are quickly inside the tool and productive. There is great design and editing in the book, which is authored by two creative people who know both the web and rich internet application development and design well. They are also current Microsoft MVPs..

Thank you Elena and Chris for doing such a thorough job covering the topics and making a book that (unlike other Microsoft Step-by-Step books) anyone can find useful topics and learn something just picking up the book.. My students who purchased the book as a recommendation really loved it as well too..

Blend has always been covered by developers, it’s great to see a remarkably good book finally that still keeps the designer developer workflow and the designer first in the picture. I do not believe anyone could cover these topics better right now in this book format anywhere.

You can buy it at Amazon.com at over 30% off..

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Expression-Blend-Step/dp/0735639019

Finding your Compass.. to get through the minefield..

donny — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 08:57:11 +0100

Part One:

I guess I feel really lucky, in that there are still people out there that trust my opinion despite my own almost desperate now employment situation. Thank you for letting me know that you still do.. It’s likely that very soon when this blog’s payment is up that this will disappear. This maybe some of the last times I write for you.. It’s been a blast.. Thank you and I love you all I hope I am back soon.. By the way my ISP isn’t honoring their free blog for MVP deals anymore.. Which they only have for two billing cycles in six years..

”Set Course Mr. Sulu: Second star to the right and on till morning..”

People are looking for direction.. I can’t do projects anymore for companies. I have had so much problems with companies who don’t pay up front and showing my work in good faith, that and not getting paid, even a little bit, that living on no margin means no food for me.. So take this all for what it’s worth..

Advice for future designers..

I have one simple one as a designer for designers…

Continue to embrace web standards..

Also don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. I was burned with this once upon a time during the early days of the web when the “SiteBuilder Network” program disappeared into the Microsoft Developer Network, again I seem to be in that same spot with Silverlight partner program.. When Microsoft kills support for something it ends up in the “Microsoft Developer Network” to survive as legacy as long as it can.

So my experience tells me this about putting all your eggs in one basket (just don’t):

Embrace multiple vendors HTML app platforms (Like Android and iOS)

Also it tells me staying in the middle with Adobe tools you can’t really fail…

If you are an App designer there isn’t one answer out there thus far for embracing HTML 5. Even though there is Blend for HTML 5, I am still not convinced of it’s worthiness and tooling over Adobe products for HTML5, or some new ones out there..

So if you want guidance on a product, there is no heir-apparent at the moment at least in my humble opinion..

Blend designers, it’s your time to diversify and not just use HTML 5 to create content and package for Windows 8 Metro apps. Let’s take those designs to other platforms as well..

We now have the opportunity to integrate with other tools out there.. You will still (at some end-point of your workflow) end up in Expression Blend to test designs and package for Windows 8, however Blend doesn’t have to be the only tools in your arsenal. This time around you can afford some of these too..

Canvas-Based Animation Tools

Whether you are creating a website or designing a user interface for a Web App (either on Windows 8, or Google Chrome/Android Apps) you will need good vector graphics support and frame-by-frame animation capabilities.

Here are some options on different platforms that exist.. Note: I will not be talking about any developer based tools here because I feel in an app situation they don’t allow for proper designer developer workflows to actually get something finished up..

Not a lot to say about this, but I will tell you if I am a designer using a Mac with OS X I really like this $30 animation tool on the Mac App Store.. It’s called HYPE by an developer called Tumult.. To me this right now knocks the canvas tools I have seen on ANY platform on it’s behind…

http://tumultco.com/hype/

Using Tumult Hype, you can create beautiful HTML5 web content. Animations and interactive content made with Tumult Hype works on desktops, smartphones and iPads. No coding required. This is a steal at $30..

From the MacWorld review of this application: http://www.macworld.com/article/159996/2011/05/hype_wysiwyg_editor_for_html5.html

”..Animations are keyframe-based and can be controlled one of two ways: manually, or by using the application’s Record option. With Record, you can adjust anything on your canvas, and Hype will automatically render the transitions needed to create the animation. You can isolate individual pieces of elements—only adjusting the shadow or reflection on an image animation, for example—and even use multiple timelines for greater control..”

“..Exporting, too, is a snap: Hype will automatically generate a folder with all the necessary elements and code for you to place at your leisure. You can even upload a Hype project directly to Dropbox and preview your Website there…”

Styling

Tumult Hype outputs state of the art HTML5, CSS3 styles, and JavaScript. It supports cutting edge features like box shadows, reflection, and 3D transformations.

Multiple browser support

Tumult Hype tries hard to deliver 100% fidelity across all browsers. For example, if the high-performance CSS3 transitions aren't supported, Tumult Hype will fall back to Javascript-based heartbeat animations. When there are no good fallbacks, Tumult Hype warns about browser incompatibilities in the inspector and at export time, so you're never caught by surprise.

Accessible on mobile devices

Unlike other tools, Tumult Hype creates content for everything from the latest desktop browsers, to mobile devices like iPhone and Android.

http://tumultco.com/hype/features/

These can be easily incorporated as code in with Expression Blend for HTML. If Microsoft is smart they will persuade these folks to do a Windows 8 version of this application.

You may also find Adobe Edge interesting as well.. It tries to duplicate Flash functionality but ends up getting to maybe Flash 1.0.. not Flash 10/11 at this stage in it’s life and I prefer “Hype” to this Adobe tool so far..

Adobe’s Edge Preview

GUIDANCE for MOVING an App to any HTML 5 Mobile Web Browser

Porting an HTML 5 “Metro” app for Windows 8 to a mobile web browser per client request and as long as you aren’t using any Microsoft CSS specific functionality or anything specific to the platform as WinJS libraries in your initial design. You can take your app content from that base HTML5 and CSS and use some other tools to port it to an app that runs in a mobile web browser. My favorite tool to do this is called the iWebKit framework.

http://snippetspace.com/projects/iwebkit/

iWebKit is a free framework designed for the creation of iPhone and iPod touch compatible websites or web apps. The kit is accessible to anyone and HTML experience is not essential. It is simple to understand thanks to the included User Guide and help on the forum. In a couple of minutes you will be able to create a full and professional looking website.
What makes iWebkit really cool ??

iWebKit is a great because it is very easy to use, extremely fast to load, compatible & extendable. It is simple html that anyone can edit contrary to some other very complicated solutions based on AJAX. Simplicity is the key! It doesn’t REQUIRE JQUERY but is compatible..

How to use iWebKit: Developing with iWebKit is the easiest way to create your own website. It is just copy and paste! You can extend iWebkit by adding themes and plugins customizing it the way you want to.

Being HTML 5 sites, if you port to this product (it doesn’t require a Mac, and you can open the HTML and the entire framework on your Microsoft Windows PC..

If you just need a simple mobile website/ Web App.. check out WIXMOBILE.. It’s free and no design necessary..

http://mobile.wix.com/

Setting the Record Straight (or just slightly bent)

donny — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 06:26:58 +0100

Reader Responses:

For the record I don’t hate Windows 8

I really love what’s underneath Windows 8 with the WinRT services, their async approach and simplification of the overall roadmap of functionality is really quite exciting and even a bit of genius..

With the User Interface, I just want to see Microsoft catapult above the competition. I still believe that they can do this (after all this is only and Developer preview release).. Things in the past have made some radical changes from preview to beta in the past..

Why am I complaining ?? Why don’t I just shut-up and give it a chance ? Honestly Microsoft is in first place on the desktop with market share. I don’t want to see this just because Microsoft is changing the accommodations for touch on phones tablets and all-in-ones.. There are a lot of benefits to be had, but they can exist without nullifying or pissing off the old desktop units that are always going to be legacy keyboard and mouse devices.

Why ?

As of August 2011, Windows has approximately 82.58% of the market share of the client operating systems according to Usage share of operating systems

Don’t mess with happy users, and give them a reason to feel safe upgrading (unlike they did with Vista, Microsoft can’t afford this)..

We don’t have to sacrifice function for form. There can be a happy compromise, but honestly will people doing office in an administrative office ever be using METRO even as companion apps ?

Why Am I advocating, it’s not my company or my product..
I love the Windows platform, it’s sometimes like a marriage where you aren’t happy but you work through things.. I just want things to be better and happier for all concerned.. I am passionate about people having great experiences with it..

Dissent on Experience
It’s very important to have an independent voice in everything we do. I fully admit that I do not have all of the answers. I think giving voice to things we think need change helps us to grow. It’s not constructive when it’s shut down or becomes unbalanced. The Microsoft I know is full of passionate people who will argue the merits on anything but also know how to chose their battles wisely.. You know what they also listen and see when you are trying to help them make a better product. So why do I advocate like I do for users and enterprise ? It benefits you (the user) and it also benefits Microsoft with a win-win product. I read some of Jobs autobiography and what tactics he would use to silence critics. Microsoft with Windows doesn’t do this. This is why they end up winning as much as they do. They listen to customers.. We are all very lucky as Windows users that they do this. Otherwise we’d live in a world of closed- off options..

-Don

Moving away from the local .NET User Group Community

donny — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 19:40:58 +0100

I have kind of a beef with the local .Net community. I try really hard as an Expression MVP to follow the tenants of which Microsoft has laid out for this. Until summer 2012 I am an Expression Blend MVP, and I am charged as an MVP to provide free information training and to bring people into the fold.

Monthly I attempt to hold events and do things for the betterment. I have never personally profited from anything I have done locally. Other organizations do this as ways of getting new business in the door. I don’t get rewarded by this with local business for myself. In fact none of the long term clients that I have had (as my own clients) have ever been local.

My health is great finally. I keep hearing from other folks who encounter these other .NET shops (ask Don how he’s feeling these days). It’s annoying and with purpose to question my fitness to others.

My financial situation is not, I am below the poverty line still and barely surviving and this month cover basic food and expenses was difficult and I had to go to extra-ordinary means to do so.. Monthly I have to scramble for basic survival.

I had a kidney transplant almost three years ago today and I spent five years on dialysis before that. During the time I was on dialysis I did some work for Microsoft as a vendor employee that was part time . I helped Microsoft to introduce more than a few products (WPF, Silverlight, Phizzpop).

Since that time I have attempted to provide leadership and support on a local level and have always helped out anyone whoever asked me to, and I have NEVER charged anyone, one dime for doing so. I started the first WPF designer/developer group in the USA right here in the Ann Arbor Michigan area before these folks even thought about it, and have spent quite a bit of time trying to help others..

I have showed up and helped with more than a few Give Camps. I don’t stay for the end of weekend gifts or recognition ceremonies. I am there to give.

I have always freely given of myself to others and tried to do the right thing. I have never asked for recognition etc. I love the local community honestly they are bright warm intelligent people..

The local .NET developer group however doesn’t seem to be interested in any presentations or anything that I do very often at all despite the fact that I am an Expression Blend MVP for 2011-2012 , even when it relates to events such as the Day of .NET event at a college that I have provided continuing education classes for (believe me it wasn’t for the money I got paid very little at all (wouldn’t pay for a trip to the grocery store for me).. I was invited to the equivalent on the west side of the state by a group there, but honestly I cannot afford the gas to get there. So I thought well maybe they will let me if I have a good presentation at least present locally this year. To me the whole situation smacks of bias..

In fact, I submitted a proposal well within parameters and time to do a presentation for free at Day of .NET on Expression Blend for HTML and packaging a Windows 8 app for both Windows 8 and the Google Chrome platforms.. I have presentations ready to do. I submitted on these topics and were totally ignored or not selected.

Anything I have done for the last few years has been all for free. But if it doesn’t support one of the larger local .NET shops, the effort it gets ignored or talked down by this vendor’s personnel. They feel competitive against me (I have no idea why) and go out of their way to get someone from out of town to do things that I would fill the bill quite nicely for.

I believe the local .NET group is too caught up with one .NET local vendors. It really is being used by that specific vendor and not impartially or fairly to other vendors in the area. My efforts for certain are viewed competitively even if they are not.. In fact none of the work that I have done over the past four or five years has been local (with the exception of four hours of time).

It’s taken me a long time to come out and say how I feel about this, but I do so now out of utter frustration when I am frankly not surviving well myself. We all need to survive and offer competitive services in a friendly way that benefits the community. A user group is not an arena for vendor competition.

the community needs free services that don’t come with strings and are impartial to let a small market grow into a bigger one, and these are important to survival of that market too.

I believe that local .NET groups are too close to a few specific vendors in the area and the reason the Microsoft market isn’t growing is that there is such tight control going on it by some specific vendors. To have true sustained growth you have to open the door to other organizations, etc. on a level playing field.

I don’t do the same types of work as these folks, but get treated like competition.. There is always a carrot and a stick. When I try to give freely and they are involved, I always get the bad end of things with it..

I have tried to serve the public good with free information, for the good of the community and help for nearly six to eight years now. Once I did this for Microsoft (until 2009) now I do it for free because I am passionate about it. I am really tired of the nepotism and near monopolistic intent really that has gone on since I have stopped any direct work involvement with Microsoft in January 2009 within the local community.

This has got me to believe that ONE of the local .NET shops is trying to rule and the allies at their organization is specifically not allowing all parties to the table with offerings etc. It’s keeping the market for Microsoft goods and services small and not allowing the market to grow, unless one particular shop can benefit from it..

I am going to offer the presentation that I had made up here for Day of .NET here on my site for all to see... If you think it’s good maybe you should compare it to local offerings and think about the real reason that things are like they are. The .NET community locally could have much more expansion if local leadership didn’t have such tight control of goings on..

Everything I have done or created in the past six to seven years has been to grow community and bring new folks in. I have few folks here to thank that has been there doing this as well. Most every presentation, meeting arranged myself has been done outside of the .NET community.. I am encouraged that you all are still here reading and value the information I put forth in this blog..

I think for us all to make a wider community that is Microsoft-based and have it grow, the whole situation (regionally) needs to change.. The way things work now does not allow for growth of the market and growth of the community which we all need to prosper.. It’s sort of like the whole wall street situation that is going on. The system is eating itself. I am not investing much further time in helping the local .NET only groups because the motivation that I see presented is more self-interest and cashing in on business opportunities over the free sharing of information than it should be..

Thank you for your help. And those who see me as competition, look out because I am taking it up a level or two, so I hope you can keep up!

Because you can’t get there from HERE!!

donny — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:06:56 +0100

Assessing Tablets How limited tablets are without Flash/Plug-ins..

What tablets without Flash mean to advanced tooling for animation

Flash is the most popular animation tool in the world… It started life as something called FutureSplash Animator by FutureWave software. Back in the days of Windows 95 and Internet Explorer 4.. It was cutting edge because it brought Vector based animation to the Web for the first time..

It looks like this..

When I last used Flash it had grew into this awesome product.. I have done a lot of past work with flash in the early days of the web and preferred it to DOM based HTML animation which I could do as easily with a timeline back in 1998 when I was a broadband content webmaster for MediaOne Express for three markets including Detroit, Ann Arbor, Plymouth, and Cleveland. I created content with this on a daily basis and we all knew that Flash was being used because it was superior..

If you are curious about some of those projects that I have been involved with over the years with Flash check this out…From a no longer existing start-up harmonycom.zip

Recently I got a look at Adobe’s Edge HTML 5 toolset and realized that they were going back to version 1.0 of flash with their tools..

None of the goodness I have experienced in the 10 versions of Flash that have improved the product and caused and entire industry to be built around it.. Is HTML 5 with the canvas really worth this all just to get away from a plug-in ? Why is this all happening ?? Two Words: Steve Jobs (God rest his soul).. He denied Flash on the iPad and iPhone..Mostly because he was afraid of AIR apps taking over their platform as the way to do iPad apps. Still today with Flash Builder you can do apps with Flash though no plugins are support..

The reality is though Flash works fine on the iPad, here’s a sample of it running.. (Are you listening Apple ??)

If you look really close at the two pictures you will notice that HTML 5 and this tools feature set is almost on par one-to-one with the FutureSplash Animation Tool from 1995-96..
Why bother starting from scratch just to support HTML 5.. The disadvantage I see is that graphics elements even with canvas and JavaScript aren’t really reusable.. The PC does lush animation because it can RE-USE elements.. Resources will be bloated and less manageable just because of the way CANVAS works..

Here’s a Google Android Tablet With Flash running and Built-in.. You can pick up a tablet with full Nvidia Tegra graphics with this built in for around $400 today that’s very fast and capable..

http://youtu.be/DustL9a9oKc

Flash to HTML 5 Conversion Does it work well ?
Do we know for sure that it works well ? Only time will tell with Adobe’s Wallaby technologies..

It’s so sad that our much improved and invested in tools are being rethought and losing about ten years of progress just because someone has something against plug-ins. There are even some browsers that have built-in Flash to their install.. Thank God it’s only Microsoft and Apple thinking this way. Google’s product has no PROBLEM running Flash and is allied with Adobe..

Here is Flash today..

It’s sad that we are suffering on Apple iOS devices and now Windows 8 devices without Flash support, because as a web based tablet platform Google Android tablets seem to be the best of both worlds with none of the compromises the lack of Flash has. Android tablets even though they have lower market share have multiple app stores including one from Amazon.. I have kind of avoided the Android platform but have made an effort to recently included it. I can also install things on the device like an Amiga Emulator that Apple and Microsoft devices when they have an app store will probably never let me install from their own “app” stores..

Not allowing plug-ins is a huge mistake and locking down non phone devices to on “app” store to install apps is a really totalitarian thing. Why not just build Flash and Silverlight (or at least make the player source public) and let browser makers include it as build-ins with their web browsers.. I am just going to say this is a huge industry debacle.. Android got the tablet thing right with their openness and not locking folks out. I really hope that Microsoft doesn’t make side loading impossible on devices that aren’t legacy desktop apps..

You can see the advantage of the decision not to DISCLUDE Flash when you pick up an Android Tablet.. This one is going for around $400 right now..

While I love Windows, I bought this to be familiar with design on Android (because they own about 20 percent of the tablet market right now), and if you want to develop for Flash or Flash Builder/Flex apps on a tablet Android is the way to go. This also has a fast NVIDIA CPU in it as well.

Adobe Edge Versus Expression Blend for HTML 5
Honestly I have to say both are lacking functionality and some of the frame-by-frame animation tweening and image swap capabilities seem to be missing from Adobe Edge versus Flash. These are things that Expression Blend even with XAML never really duplicated. So things Disney type frame by frame animators would appreciate don’t seem to be present in either product..

Expression Blend for HTML 5

Adobe Edge for HTML 5

What can I say, the both seem to have very basic animation tools and designed for simple website based design needs. These aren’t products that are not design for professional animation tools and more about packaging animation for web site tasks (such as banners).. These aren’t really amazing tools like we used to have. They probably don’t even live up to what we could do with animation in the 1980s with Deluxe Paint.. With tweening etc. or a tool like this..

Both products need to stop being just UI design assembly tools and now need to become good animation tools as well..

Welcome back Win 3.x ProgMan.exe and Fileman.exe

donny — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:46:04 +0100

There is a big battle going on over whether Microsoft should allow the old Start Menu to be available in Windows 8.. Well personally I am all for choice especially if you don’t have a Touch Capable PC or a Windows Tablet.. The decisions almost sounded very defensive..

The current start menu as you see it today with instant search and find

The start menu was brought to us in Windows 95 and still exists today with search brings up programs faster than hunting through a screen or calling Windows key and SEARCH.. The first DOS based Windows (nope the UI didn’t really multi-thread until Windows 2000) that departed from the good old Program Manager (progman.exe) and File Manager (fileman.exe)

Windows 95 Start Menu without Search

Program Manager with Program Groups from Windows 3.x.. with MAIN Grouping Open (no search)

Notice the similarities to how the Windows 8 program “groupings” work, minus the Windows (which I think still belong in Metro or why call it Windows, why not Microsoft Rectangles ?)

File Manager from Windows 3.x

Another view with both open..

Windows 8 METRO program groups in the start screen..

Don’t the original system icons look clunky in the boxes and difficult to find the one you need ?

Windows 8 Search Screen STILL different more click and takes you away from running Apps to Launch

Oh and while I am throwing in my two cents.. Search should not be MODAL between apps settings and files. It should work just like the start menu and bring up all not separating (unless you have an option set for that (another preferences choice). It should show up on all screens and shouldn’t have to be called up from a windows key combo on non touch systems..

Below is how the Apple iPad does it, much like the search on the Windows Start Menu just top down instead of bottom UP..

Couldn’t search be integrated into the start screen directly (no side pulls) and look and work for apps and everything something like your Bing App for iPad does already today ?? HINT: REBRAND Windows Search Bing Search in your OWN OS.. It’s there in your Phone.. For all searches including apps and files.. Do you have tell me integrated into the search and Windows 8 yet ?? It’s on the Apple iPad and very “METRO” and still useable..

Also did you catch those tiny scroll bars in the first Windows 8 start screen graphic? Wow it’s like “back to the future” and what about that those TINY scroll bars at the bottom and sides of everything My mouse will barely click and hold on to them (gesture for mouse ? Scroll wheel ??..

If you have a mouse and keyboard only these things about the UI are totally annoying.. Couldn’t this auto scroll when you move the mouse (like the touch screen swipe behavior does ? It’s simply a lot of work to find files apps and settings with a keyboard and mouse and navigate right back to your running app..

It’s called parallax style scrolling and I am sure you folks know that in a similar UI on another Microsoft device called an X-Box 360 this already does this for you ? Can’t you guys collaborate a bit here between teams ? Some say you all are in the same division/buildings now anyway.. Why couldn’t this desktop be Kinect enabled like the x-box one below..

Why can’t Windows 8 look and work as smooth and cool as this Today ? Not getting it Mr Sinofsky..

Oh and some personal and not so nice comments about your defense of layout.. When I read through the reasoning about layout and why it’s so difficult to get at things you need with the new one versus the start menu I am left with just these thoughts.. Your defense just sucks we all understand the proportion things from web design.. Reading this in your blog.. (see image below)

The Building Windows 8 Blog’s defense..

On Wedding Reception Seating Charts..
This whole defensive posturing in the blog defending design decisions makes me wonder if the UI/UX designer was really designing a functional program launcher for just a tablet or a phone? At least Windows Phone still acts and is rectangular and vertical like a start menu. Is Microsoft designing a better way to launch apps (it’s just fine on a tablet or touch screen) but not for the keyboard and mouse only users ? Will most of these people find switch between apps and the start screen clunky while using just a keyboard and mouse and navigating Windows 8’s classic desktop mode ?

Or will Microsoft alienate the keyboard and mouse only folks, much like they did in the past with the Office ribbon change ?

No offense but the explanation done from the Build Windows 8 blog, made it seem as if the person doing the defense was actually a wedding planner trying to do a seating chart for people who don’t like each other at a wedding reception… Honestly you might get a few runaway brides this way.. They should leave the quick and easy way totally like it was for the mouse and keyboard only folks.. They resist change anyway. Could this be Vista 2.0 ?

By the way the graphics made me laugh right away and this is just not a realistic defense, because shouldn’t you create a few program groups there TIGER (see graphic below) and I use search to find things super quick anyway (I don’t have to hit a windows key to get there either with a mouse)… Your stats don’t hold water.. If it don’t fit with people don’t force it on them. CHOICE is the answer..

PLEASE GIVE US CHOICE!
Please, forget the justifications, keep what you’ve done, just let us also have our previous less efficient Start menu back as an option if we want it and prefer it in a keyboard and mouse only situation. With BING you should know even on a tablet that search for apps trumps more taps and clicks any day.. On Windows Phone Mango if we know the first letter we can type it and it brings the app right to us.. Why didn’t you guys make some adaption here.. Let us turn this back on in classic desktop at least if we want for the mouse and keyboard only crowd..

DON’T IGNORE PAST INNOVATION

Microsoft should think about why Windows 95’s UI killed the Mac and it basically was that start menu.. Now they finally have iOS with those same style program groups Win 3.x did (is this a patent violation on Microsoft’s original design sure looks like it to me by Apple with iOS’s program launcher and why Microsoft let that idea for something better. It’s not time to revisit that ERA..

Apple iOS screen Shots
Main Program Screen without groups

Wow this looks like a scrollable START MENU.. Hey it works on their tablet and options collapse and it’s on a tablet.. How about that and well there are plenty of icons there after all of your apps are on..

Psst,, Microsoft, cool article worth a read and they don’t mean scroll to the right side.. (http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/ipad_users_scroll_more_google_search_results_than.php)

Now we get long groupings with no user sizeable rectangle size options (thus far)..

Program Group Comparison to Windows 3.x

Double take here on Apple iPad back to Windows 3.1 with groups and Apps..

The iPad iPhone UI is taken from Win 3.x program groups mostly doesn’t it look like to you ??

Okay how about an Android Tablet (HoneyComb)

The Beauty of WinRT
Underneath this all Microsoft has made major goodness and change at the API level.. Why stick us with a me too UI that looks like a graft of Windows Phone that you can’t switch off or make a choice on ??

Are there others out there ?

Just in case you are curious about the other alternative?? Yes Linux now has a new Tablet Interface that just looks awesome. It’s called Plasma Active One and it’s a KDE (think Gnome) type window manager for Linux.. I have to admit I like this one a lot..
http://www.kde.org/announcements/plasma-active-one/

Take note of the grouping of applications and how notifications work etc. Interface wise Apple and Microsoft take note of the travel planning activity in the tablet. This is very well done especially from a workflow standpoint..

“Activities”

“On the 9th of October, 2011 (9.10.11), the first release of the Plasma Active tablet user experience was made publicly available. Plasma Active One’s touchscreen interface is more than just an application launcher. As soon as the device is turned on, rather than the traditional grid of applications, you see the Activities view showing your current project, task or idea. With Activities, you can collect all of the documents, people, web sites, media and widgets related to a topic in one place, building personalized and interactive views of your life.
With Plasma Active, the possibilities are unlimited. You can add as many things to an Activity as you wish with its “infinite scroll” feature. You can create as many Activities as you like and move between them using the touch-friendly Activity Switcher.”

Similar facilities for workflow and activities exist in Android, but not so much in iOS (a consumer system) in Microsoft’s Windows 8/METRO.. The fact that this is oriented towards “Enterprise” work flow instead of a program manager and a file manager really speaks to the improvements needed in METRO before this gets released or they are already behind..

Enough Said..