XAML (pronounced “Zamel), Object Graph definition language or Extensible Application Markup Language, is Microsoft’s new XML-based declarative markup language for building application in the next generation of Windows, code-named “Longhorn”. XAML allows the developer to control the layout of application interfaces including text, graphics, buttons, and the entire collection of .NET user interface controls.

This looks set to represent the ultimate browser lock-in – in a few years time when IE 7 comes as standard on new PC s I wouldn’t be surprised to see the corporate software development world moving almost exclusively to this technology – after all, it’s going to be extremely easy both to develop and to distribute and it will have all of the benefits of a web application without the downside of the restricted GUIs offered by HTML. With this new layout engine in next IE or in Longhorn Microsoft can kill in same time other browsers and flash.
» Continue reading “XAML: Extensible Application Markup Language”

Web is full of controversial information about calendaring and on this conclusion. I decide to make some link library (Mainly for my own reference) related to calendaring and scheduling.
» Continue reading “Links for calendaring information”

I finally did new design for this site. I started yesterday and I got this far.
I made small downgrade to XHTML-strict from module based XHTML 1.1 because seems like browser world is not really ready yet for module based XHTML.
I still have some old content which is not valid for XHTML-Strict but rest of the site goes throught validations with flying colours.

Layout is written 100% CSS and no hacks or tricks are used. With this layout even blind person can view my pages. I will need to check couple of things also tp meet WAI – requirements.

But I put it online anyway because I was so sick to old look.

I was reading an article at IBM development zone. An article claims that XHTML 2.0 lack of backward compatibility is actually a Good Thing. If you are front-end designers/developer who know and care about and use web standards and you feel scared about writing your HTML again into XHTML2.0 check out this article. It actually has some good point why they change <img>. I especially give warm welcome to xForms.

Microsoft is clearly frightened of the power that Google represents. Rumors say that they have been trying to buy Google out but Google wasn’t interested. Now thay have team up with moreover.com by building http://uk.newsbot.msn.com/ amazing resample to http://news.google.com/. Uh, I just love to look as a small person when GIANTS are fighting. I hope Google wins so we can have at least one service which is not owned by MS.

Product site for our upcoming calendaring application is now released. Check out yourself http://www.dotnetcal.com.

I wrote site in PHP and I am using MovableType Personal Publishing System in backend. Check out speed how fast pages are loaded. Site runs on FreeBSD server at USA, Atlanta. Database naturally is MySQL.
Thought these pages are temporal pages, hopefully in spring I will make final pages with some extranet functionality for our customers. Therefore I will write pages on .NET because there is more need to interaction with backend. I am not very confident in PHP when it comes to more advanced logics but for basic website it’s really nice/easy/fast language to work with.

I was reading at Swedish website that one of my old projects has again won 1# price on “Best Business Solution”. Site is StoraEnso corporate site.
I was working on it in 99-00 in Finland by developing administration for their corporate site.
It was very nice project; we were super cool core team including Jode, Jere, me and Rasse who still works on same project at WM-Data.
Our work was to make backend and website administration (Which is now days called more fancy word CMS ) from scratch. We build it on the top of the MS SQL7 and MS Site Server 3. We also implement WYSIWYG-editor there which was a cool thing on that time. Just think about writing something like that when there was IE4 and NS4 on clients. Thought, we didn’t support Netscape 4 on admin anyone who remembers that browser understands very well why.

StoraEnso website has still same look as I see it from browser but lot of has happen since we develop first phase of the project. Including everything has been migrated from Microsoft SiteServer to Vignette and Java, (pretty big change) but looks like concept it’s still same as we conceptualized in Icon Medialab Finland which definitely make StoraEnso website best in a world. Good job from WM-Data.

BIG hand to Microsoft on this one!
Microsoft will license for free its Microsoft Office 2003 XML schemas, a move that will help outside developers enable other programs to trade data with Microsoft’s Office applications.

The company released the schema for Word 2003, called WordprocessingML on its website (www.microsoft.com/office/xml/). In December it plans to release the schema for Excel 2003 and for InfoPath 2003.

This seems to be real step from Microsoft to open XML format, thought I am still quite disappointed that Microsoft doesn’t want to make industry standard from all office format like Oasis is trying to do together with all other companies.

Check out also Xml Schemas for WordprocessingML here.

Sometimes I wonder why did I leave from Barcelona to Copenhagen….

Naah, Denmark is a nice country, just 3000km too North…

SCO is really hard on now on the battle against Linux. Now they have started to sue individuals including Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux kernel. That is such a dirty thing what SCO tries to do to. I have been reading news about SCO law suits humorously but now this is starting to get too personal by suing individuals developers.
Soon they will probably sue people who use loops in their code. Maybe that would be a nice way for me to make millions from software… By patenting if and when condition.
Therefore ANYONE who is using if or when condition in their code has to pay me 1€ per condition. If you copies of your application containing if clause you need to pay only 50 cent’s per condition.