Alan Williamson

 Alan Williamson's Blog We knew it was coming, the leafs were rustling and the wind was blowing. Yesterday Microsoft finally released their vision for their offering into the cloud space. They have published a whitepaper on Azure so with that, here are the highlights from that whitepaper. High level view: "a platform for running Windows applications and storing their data in the cloud" Four main areas; Windows Azure base, .NET services, SQL services and Live services All Azure applications run within Microsoft's data centers accessible via the Internet Applications built on .NET will only be able to run in Azure (non .NET apps possibly in 2009) Developers will use Visual Studio 2008 Azure supports background processes that run independent from the web app Access to the Azure Storage service is via REST API (which isn't MS SQL Server) Storage is not strictly SQL (R... (more)

There May Be Trouble Ahead...

As Nat King Cole famously sang, we have to "face the music and dance..." This month's editorial is coming to you with a reader beware warning! I've been engaged in some great debates over the last month on a variety of topics, but the one that has caught my interest is the old chestnut regarding the longevity of Java. Is it here to stay? If not, how long do we have? Quite rightly, it's being talked about and I've had the good fortune to brush shoulders with a number of big names in our industry who have given me their perspectives on the whole debate. I have my own feelings about ... (more)

How to Create a Gadget for Google Desktop

Alan Williamson's Blog Have you played with Google's Desktop tool? This is basically a strip on the side of your screen that lets you house small applications, called Gadgets. The tool is available for Windows, Linux and Mac so no matter your vice there is a flavour for you. There is a wide variety of Gadgets available, ranging from the usual news tickers and clocks right through to games and even being able to vote if a girl is hot or not! Each gadget is essentially a small Javascript application that is built to a given framework that is provided to by the Google application th... (more)

Hmmmmmmm...What if?

It's that time of year again - the time when we all pretend to get along with one another for a few weeks. It's the time for families to come out of the woodwork, for getting out that knitted pullover from the Auntie whose name you can never quite remember. I can't wait until the New Year comes round again so we can go back to disliking people. Bah humbug! Season's greetings to one and all. Actually, contrary to popular belief, I love this time of year. Over here in Scotland we generally get a white Christmas, and it's been known for me to get all "Bing" and burst out in floods o... (more)

All You Need Is Love

Last month when I sat down to write this editorial I had the good fortune to be staring out at the Golden Gate Bridge. Sadly, this month the view isn't quite as romantic; I'm sitting approximately 12 inches away from an elderly lady who has decided to push her seat back, reducing my air space by what seems a factor of 10. Yup, I'm on a plane heading for SYS-CON HQ to begin the layout for the JavaOne issue of JDJ. Since taking on this prestigious role, my understanding of the publishing world has jumped up a huge number of levels. It's a wonderful road to be traveling, and, as I ... (more)