The multi core processor quandry for software developmet - can and will you take advantage of it

The era of multi-core processors, dual-core two processors in one, quad-core four processors in one, is now in full-swing. If you think to yourself 'my software will be blazing on a machine running a hexa-core processor which is six processors in one!'. It just might, but before it can do that, your software might as well run on a single-core processor if it isn't designed to take advantage of this fact. This post is a high-level view on multi-core processors, concurrency and the programming languages that have caught recent headlines as concurrency champions and how they fit this multi-core paradigm.

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February 20, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Track Back (0)

Wubi : Windows Linux dual boot the easy way, when virtualization is not an option

I've always liked the capability to use Windows and Linux on the same piece of hardware. Linux for any type of development, and Windows for doing documentation and media - some companies will never use Open Office or Linux compatible media lets face it. However, installing the two on the same laptop or workstation isn't straightforward: You either need to partition your disk, erase what is more likely the Windows boot loader and lets not even talk about wrecking a perfectly good Windows installation if you go wrong in any step. The other option is using virtualization software, in which one operating system is hosted and run simultaneously by the other, a resource hog and even unusable system if you don't have the adequate hardware. Another way and probably the simplest I've seen is using Wubi .

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December 4, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Track Back (0)

Data Center technology inside Google : Wow

With more and more software deployed as services over the web, the infrastructure used to support it is becoming increasingly important, as a consequence data center technology is also gaining its fair share of attention. Google recently held an event showcasing some of the technology it uses in its data centers, from custom made circuit boards, custom made server racks to its own custom file system, its an impressive look at the backbone of what is probably the most scalable 'web application' on the Net.

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May 31, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Track Back (0)

Turing Machine's get simpler

Turing machine's are generally confined to Computer Science 101, so needless to say they are not a constantly changing subject like a software platform or framework, nevertheless they provide a very important foundation for computers in general. So when a concept as fundamental as a Turing machine sees a breakthrough, its only a matter of time before some of these changes bubble-up into the software ecosystem and make their presence felt.

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October 24, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Track Back (0)

Voice over IP gets a Peer to Peer (P2P) twist

The early adoption phase in Voice over IP has long passed, unlimited voice calls between PC's and monthly subscriptions to land-lines at very competitive prices are all but common now a days, but there was one final 'hump' that remained to be covered in this area: bypassing the toll charged for linking a Voice over IP(Internet) call to a land line, something which now looks very much in reach, and since its software which makes this possible, I thought I would make an entry on the technicalities behind this feat.

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September 24, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Track Back (0)

Choosing an AJAX framework : Think graphic designers, usability experts and web services

Its nifty, its responsive and clients love it, but it also represents a greater amount of work and a paradigm shift from to the old ways of structuring web apps, welcome to the world of AJAX, where almost everything starts off by choosing your first pain killer : An AJAX framework.

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August 15, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | Track Back (0)

Concurrent programming : Getting a stronger language in Erlang.

Its likely you've dealt with concurrent programming at one point in your career, how would you know ? 'Multi-threading', 'Deadlocks', 'Synchronized blocks', 'Shared memory' would all be subjects related to concurrency. Though concurrency tends to be an after-thought under most circumstances, its been getting a fair share of attention due to the processor architectures -- hyperthreading & multicore -- which are making their way to the market.

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July 24, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Track Back (0)

RFID : The less expensive and open source kind.

The buzz around RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) seems to have lessened from what it was a few years ago, but I recently came across two interesting software developments in this space : Open Beacon and Open PCD .

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January 26, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Track Back (0)

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