GWT Link Library

• GWT Tutorial – I used it to lean a bit of new things about UBinder

Single Page Applications and MVC vs MVP

As it turns out, there is still no clear, a well-define architecture for building SPAs, or rich browser clients. I’ve been working on some UI recently and found this Paper by Martin Fowler that does a good job summarizing a variety of approaches to building UI: https://martinfowler.com/eaaDev/uiArchs.html.

The article references a couple of foundational publications that lead to 404s, so I found those after some digging. Definitely a must read foe those of us who want to understand MVP on the level where it can be made practical:

• MVP: Model-View-Presenter. The Taligent Programming Model for C++ and Java by Mike Potel, VP and CTO Taligent, Inc.

  A quote of gold 1: “The presenter then represents the traditional “main” or “event loop” part of the application, creating the appropriate models, selections, commands, views, and interactors, and providing the business logic that directs what happens when, like a traffic cop or orchestra conductor.”

  A quote of gold 2: “The event processing system underlying the MVP programming model is embodied in a Notification Framework, which provides for interest-based notification of events, senders and receivers of events, type checking of events, distribution of events, etc. to mediate all the interactions among the programming model abstractions.”

• TWISTING THE TRIAD. The evolution of the Dolphin Smalltalk MVP application framework. Tutorial Paper for ESUG 2000. by Andy Bower, Blair McGlashan, Object Arts Ltd.

TEDTalk On Netlfix

Apparently, TED Talk is now available on Netflix online streaming. Awesome!

The Children of the Sky

Apparently, Vernor Vinge has written and published a sequel to ‘A Fire Upon the Deep’ back in 2011 that is called ‘The Children of the Sky‘. This is so cool because I loved the the whole ‘Zones of Though’ big time. I am so looking forward to reading The Children of the Sky on my iPad. It’s going to be a welcomed distraction from seemingly endless ‘The Definitive Hadoop Gide’.

Here Is to Vendor Lock-in

Vendor lock-in is a good thing. Here is why.

‘Vendor lock-in’ has somehow become a dirty phrase in software development. Yet, it is actually a good thing. What vendor lock-in really means is that you have found a company, a vendor, that solves your critical problem so good that you want to stay with them. Look at critical problems that have been solved for you – moving around (your car), storing food safely (your fridge), cooking food (your kitchen), roof under your head (your house), access to information (your computer and internet).

Same with software that you use at home and in our projects. There are companies, the vendors, behind the product you use and you know their names and you stay with them for long, locked in, because you like them. You get your problem solved and the companies get your money that they use to further develop the products you use and to feed the people that do it. Everyone is happy and that’s how it should be.

Vendor lock-in is a good thing because these are the vendors you want to stay with.

Regards,

Slava Imeshev

On Life and Death of Steve Jobs

Unexpectedly, the death of Steve Jobs has touched me more profoundly that I could ever expect.

When I heard the news, I was shocked. I new that Steve Jobs was sick, but I really hoped that he’d pull through. I’ve never met him and my only personal connection to him is that I live a couple of miles from his place. Of course, I’ve been a admirer of his work and an Apple customer, and that’s it.

And yet, what I feel now is full-blow grief. Maybe that’s because his work touched me in a way deeper then I thought. Maybe it’s realization that we won’t see more of his awesome creations. Maybe that’s because he is gone so early, killed by a stupid disease. I don’t know.

R.I.P Steve Jobs.

Regards,

Slava Imeshev