http://weblogs.java.net/blog/n_alex/ en-us 2005-11-06T22:56:08-08:00 http://weblogs.java.net/blog/n_alex/archive/2005/11/final_entry_rev.html This will be my last blog entry in this space. Reexamining assumptions made in first entry, jotting down some closing thoughts, and laying some clues as to what follows. Open Source n_alex 2005-11-06T22:56:08-08:00 http://weblogs.java.net/blog/n_alex/archive/2005/08/looking_for_a_h.html It's nearly impossible to find the "perfect fit" for Java web hosting. All kinds of hosting companies provide "Java support", but they charge too much for WAY too little, and the important features are all wrong. So, I put the question before the public: if a guy were looking to host a SnipSnap on Tomcat and have his own JVM, where's the best place to do this? n_alex 2005-08-26T13:13:25-08:00 http://weblogs.java.net/blog/n_alex/archive/2005/07/domain_specific_1.html When I started working on Drools in January of 2004, my goal was to eventually be able to embed Drools in a web-framework-turned-action-sequencer I was working on, called Shocks. Two weeks ago, to my complete astonishment, I realized I'd implemented the complete inverse of my original idea--and much more. n_alex 2005-07-11T12:18:55-08:00 http://weblogs.java.net/blog/n_alex/archive/2005/06/software_langua.html I caught an odd story on news.softpedia.com this evening about how ISO 18629 is going to grant computer programs the ability to reason. Don't buy the hype--it's bad reporting, and I'll tell you why. Community n_alex 2005-06-20T00:02:24-08:00 http://weblogs.java.net/blog/n_alex/archive/2005/06/jpox_110beta3_i.html I've been interested in JDO technology for a good year now, and I've begun reapproaching JPOX, which my friend Dion showed me last year. As far as Open Source JDO implementations go, it's supposed to be great. I did run into a few problems while trying to get it running in maven, though. Here are some notes. Open Source n_alex 2005-06-02T09:09:38-08:00 http://weblogs.java.net/blog/n_alex/archive/2005/05/twin_cities_ias.html The Minnesota chapter of the International Association of Software Architects is co-hosting an "Interop City" event on May 31st at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. The event will feature a day of presentations, demonstrations, and dialog on .NET and J2EE interoperability. Interop City is a unique event based on a grass roots initiative. Following is the relevant portion of the event description from MN-IASA's president, Mr. Krzysztof Karski Community n_alex 2005-05-24T17:37:37-08:00 http://weblogs.java.net/blog/n_alex/archive/2005/03/notes_towards_a.html After scouring the internet for traces of an Open Source Java toolkit capable of scouring virus and spyware habitat on a Windows machine, I've concluded that more development needs to be done in basic infrastructure utilities before a full-fledged Java privacy/security/repair suite can be written. My research notes begin with index.dat. Security n_alex 2005-03-28T08:09:41-08:00 http://weblogs.java.net/blog/n_alex/archive/2005/01/beating_back_th.html One aspect of the web that Java doesn't really seem to intersect with is virus and spyware combat. I think it's one of our lesser-toted privileges. Nevertheless, it's what I do with the majority of my waking life this winter. Combatting spyrus blooms, IRC botnets, scraping barnacles off of the hulls of old XP machines, and training an army of electromechanical crime fighters who can peel spyruses out of a machine faster than any antivirus software can. Community n_alex 2005-01-14T08:10:43-08:00 http://weblogs.java.net/blog/n_alex/archive/2004/09/mark_proctor_ad.html Mark Proctor, the Drools project's most energetic developer, has uploaded the long-awaited XSD files for the many flavors of DRL syntax. This will allow new developers to validate their DRL files and further reduce the overall headache of learning DRL. A hundred thousand thanks to Mark Proctor! Community n_alex 2004-09-14T14:22:17-08:00 http://weblogs.java.net/blog/n_alex/archive/2004/07/drools_is_100_j.html Great news! Drools, the Open Source dynamic rule engine at the Codehaus, is 100% JSR94 compliant. Business n_alex 2004-07-28T04:52:39-08:00 http://weblogs.java.net/blog/n_alex/archive/2004/07/tc_iasa_present.html Interested in Software Architecture? Twin Cities resident? On Monday, August 16th 2004 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, Cris Ross, CIO of United Behavioral Health will be delivering a presentation on "The Secrets of ROI for Architects" for the Twin Cities Chapter of the International Association of Software Architects (TC-IASA). The meeting'll be hosted by Intertech Training in Eagan, MN. Business n_alex 2004-07-23T06:44:52-08:00 http://weblogs.java.net/blog/n_alex/archive/2004/07/my_high_school.html Yes, there is a world outside of Java. And in that world, my best friend from High School got B0RKED out of his GI Bill after serving four years in the Marine Corps. He's trying to go to school to study UI design, and was one of the smartest computer guys I knew when I was a kid. A news station from Minneapolis picked up the story (see the link), so I thought I'd blog it for good measure. n_alex 2004-07-08T07:02:55-08:00 http://weblogs.java.net/blog/n_alex/archive/2004/07/approaching_arc.html It's begun to dawn on me how little is actually understood about software architecture. What is it? Where did it come from? Where's it going? As a software developer, why should you be concerned with software architecture? I can't answer all these questions but at least I can offer a starting point for Java developers interested in learning more about software architecture. Business n_alex 2004-07-07T07:36:52-08:00 http://weblogs.java.net/blog/n_alex/archive/2004/06/i_landed_my_dre.html I just landed my dream job as a developer and consultant working with a small Open Source consulting business called Open Technology Systems. I get to work with Open Source technology in a company dedicated to our movement and help them build solutions for small and midsized companies in the local community. I can't think of a more perfect job. Business n_alex 2004-06-21T12:07:55-08:00 http://weblogs.java.net/blog/n_alex/archive/2004/06/unit_testing_ej.html Everyone knows you can't easily write unit tests for EJB components. Or can you? I just wrote an article on testing EJBs in-container, and if you work with EJB technology you might want to take a look at it. A lot of the complaints about EJBs have focused on how difficult they are to unit test, and frameworks have begun to spring up that simulate the EJB container and server environments for testing purposes. I've recently stumbled upon a technology that has given me a very compelling reason to reconsider my EJB unit testing strategy. Business n_alex 2004-06-11T15:29:04-08:00