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Robert

3 months ago

in newfoo: Google App Engine Will Change Java Web Development on newfoo
The only applicable statement you made is the cost for servers. Any competent java developer can write apps quickly. If you are still using Struts you are stuck in the dark ages. Frameworks like Stripes provide zero config.

There are big downsides to using the App engine. First you are stuck with JDO. Second you are stuck with java.util.Logging. Who in the world uses that over log4j?

There is already work going on in the Grails community to allow it to run on GAE, which is really nice and will probably make Grails the choice of GAE apps, given the other limitations of the environment.

Beyond that, for "serious" work it has to be seen how it handles clustering and things like that. Unless you are going with sticky sessions, you can't just add instances and run with it.
1 reply
Jim Connell It's true competent Java developers can write apps quickly, once they've got a good framework in place. There's nothing inherent to Java that makes it less productive than say something like Ruby on Rails or Django. What I feel Java is lacking is a killer framework like those two. If you consider the productivity gains you see in teams using Django though, there aren't any comparably popular Java web stacks. It's true that we've had some emerging over the past few years -- Stripes, as you mentioned and Grails really seem to have some potential. I believe app engine will only grow the user communities of these and other frameworks like them. In the end it'll help increase Java as the choice for more startup sites.

I hadn't seen the restriction to only java.util.Logging. Util Logging is on the white-list, but the GAE Eclipse plugin generates a log4j.properties in it's new project wizard. From what I can tell the output in the local environment seems to work with Log4j.

By the way, I've been off my unfortunate struts habit for 6 years and I'll never go back!

6 months ago

in 2009/01/04/how-to-track-gaza-using-social-media/ on Mashable - The Social Media Guide
The Gaza situation is also being tracked on Twitopolis.com as the current hot topic.
You can see it as http://twitopolis.com/hottopic

1 year ago

in How Much Should You Charge for Your Web App? on Instigator Blog
Good information. I think point number 4 could almost be number 1 or two (not that you were ranking them). There is a perceived quality in a the right price point, and as you mention, not being 'cheap'.

1 year ago

in Blogging Tip: Click Your Own Links on Instigator Blog
Even though I check my referrers and other stats quite often, I never thought of doing this. It falls into the "why didn't I think of that" category.

1 year ago

in 9 Lessons Learned From Founders At Work on Instigator Blog
Thanks for pointing this one out Ben. Definitely looks like something I'll be buying soon.

2 years ago

in Time To Change The Face Of Recruiting - Standout Jobs on Instigator Blog
Good luck Ben! As someone who is currently in a position to be hiring for several positions where I work, I know what a pain the traditional route can be.

I'll be keeping tabs on your new venture and perhaps it can help me out!

2 years ago

in Does Multitasking Really Make You More Productive? on Instigator Blog
I multitask because I don't have a long attention span. On the flip side, not all single taskers are focused and productive. Where I work we recently had to let one of these guys go because he wasn't productive (among other things), and couldn't multitask at any level.

2 years ago

in You Don’t Have To Play With Yourself Anymore on Instigator Blog
Now if that isn't a title that isn't going to generate a lot of traffic I don't know what is...

2 years ago

in Create a 3-D Product Box Easily With Photoshop on Instigator Blog
Nice tip! If you want some examples:
http://www.vbseo.com/purchase
http://www.joomla.com/ (about half way down the page)

2 years ago

in How To Induce Blank Stares and Evil Thoughts When Providing Constructive Criticism on Instigator Blog
I've seen that kind of behavior but never had it happen to me before. I would certainly go into instant 'off' mode upon hearing that first sentence!

The food industry seems to be particularly brutal. You see some of these chefs on TV and you wonder why anyone works for them. I know a chef and he is completely the opposite and you know what? His employees love him AND they work their tail off for him too.

2 years ago

in How To Generate Buzz and Grow a Successful Business on Instigator Blog
I'm interested in this as I've been thinking that I need to start creating some buzz of my own for my soon to be released project.

naturally I could just start blogging about it, but I don't have a lot of traffic so the word probably wouldn't get very far before I go live anyway. It will be interesting to see what you do.

2 years ago

in Where’s The Wisdom In Crowds? on Instigator Blog
You said it right Ben, communities tend to be more like-minded, have a common goal or presence, where a crowds are more mixed if you will. Given the right circumstances a community can certainly turn into a crowd and/or jump into a mob.

Robyn: I would say it is more than a few. Unfortunately I think it is a partial function of the target audience, being technical people (of which I am), who as a whole tend to be shall we say, strong willed and opinionated? However, if Digg had stepped in early and moderated better to let people know that kind of behavior is not tolerated, it wouldn't be where it is today. One could say that is censorship, but I would disagree. There is a difference between censorship and asking people to be civil or logical (ironic given the audience) in their comments.

I may have strong opinions but that doesn't mean that I won't listen to an opposing view. A crowd or mob doesn't care what the opposing view is.

Hey, who instigated this discussion anyway? :-)

2 years ago

in Where’s The Wisdom In Crowds? on Instigator Blog
One only has to look at the caliber of comments left on Digg to see the 'wisdom in crowds' in action...

2 years ago

in Will Your Kids Be Bloggers? on Instigator Blog
That's a good idea Jim! I'm pretty excited about the use of blogs that we are going to have. There will be some single person blogs (like the editor and such) and they are planing a parenting blog, the teen blog and a few others as well as related forums.

I have 3 teens myself and I really think social media will be a big part of their lives.

2 years ago

in Will Your Kids Be Bloggers? on Instigator Blog
Interesting timing on this post, the company that I work for is looking to have a teen blog on their site (a local newspaper). I think it is a great opportunity for teens to get involved with the community and in this case with a reputable site. I haven't heard the details yet, but I imagine they will initially target local high schools for students that are interested in journalism to participate.

2 years ago

in New Design at Instigator Blog on Instigator Blog
Looks very nice and clean. I love the gloves!

2 years ago

in I Am A Super Villain Thanks To Paul O’Flaherty on Instigator Blog
I was Dr. Doom and Green Lantern (for superhero) :-)

2 years ago

in 5 Questions You Must Ask Before Getting Into Bed With a Business Partner on Instigator Blog
I can raise my hand and say that I've not followed these before and it caused all sorts of problems. When you first talk about them it almost seems like you don't trust each other, but end the end you won't trust each other if you don't get everything worked out before hand!

2 years ago

in Achieve Your Goals With 3 Types of Visualization on Instigator Blog
Interesting. I'm not sure I so much visualize as daydream :-). Other times I believe I think too much about a relatively small topic instead of spending energy on other more important matters; kind of a self induced 'writers block' of sorts.

2 years ago

in We All Need Blog Goals, Even Frivolous Ones on Instigator Blog
I'll tell you what, getting links from the likes of Seth Godin, John Chow, Darren Rowse, etc. can be great for traffic. I had a trackback to a post that Seth had and it gave me over 50 visits right off the bat. No it isn't several hundred or thousand that Digg could send, but it certainly helps.

I was also one of the first to post about a targeted AdWords ad that appeared on John Chow's site that generated a lot of traffic to my investing blog. I think I get more traffic by leaving comments than I have elsewhere, although forums tend to send a lot as well.
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