Mike-O-Matic

Browsing Slashdot the other day I came upon an interesting article comparing several different “WebOS” systems.
But what is a WebOS (…) or a Webtop, anyway ? Here’s a simple definition: WebOS is a virtual operating system that runs in your web browser. More precisely, it’s a set of applications running in a web browser that […]

For a printable version, click here.

A black art indeed.
I was in Borders the other day and I happened upon Search Engine Optimization: An Hour a Day by Jennifer Grappone and Gradiva Couzin. As a would-be web proprietor, the prospect of owning popular Google terms such as “online dating,” “tech blog,” and “school loan consolidation” has always appealed to me. […]

There is an article over on TechDirt regarding social networking darling Facebook.com. Amongst the interesting bits:
It was reported earlier this week that Yahoo was prepared to shell out up to $1.62 billion to buy Facebook, based on the inflated expectation that it could generate a billion-dollar profit by 2015. Apparently Yahoo’s offer of $1 […]

Web services are just about the coolest thing ever if you are trying to bring together a bunch of different systems that don’t seem to speak the same language.
Whether you are into SOAP, REST, (personal favorite) XML-RPC, or some other variant, they have matured to the point where they are point-and-click easy.  Codewise, you usually […]

I have found it. The secret to how you can be responsible for nothing, accountable to no-one, and rich beyond all imagination. CEOs will kiss your feet. Big Tech Firms will fetch you coffee. Starlets will, uh, return your calls.
It’s simple.
Just be Gartner, Forrester Research, or IDC.
(Note: The name of […]

Great post on Joel’s site the other day. In it he talks about how people who try to build products around the concept of simplicity can land themselves in trouble if they misunderstand what types of simplicity will be rewarded in the marketplace.
A lot of software developers are seduced by the old ‘80/20’ rule. […]

Implementing a new IT solution is complicated enough in a perfect world; you need to do the specs, design, coding, testing, and then support the thing after the fact.
So why do some customers insist on making it even harder?
We’ve all been there before.  You present an idea or prototype for how the new solution will […]

Retrospect has a funny effect on business.
When looking backwards, it is always obvious what everyone should have done; Apple should have been a little more friendly to OEM partners. Netscape should not have spent 3 years developing a follow-up to version 4 of Navigator. Lotus should have gotten 32-bit versions of its applications out a […]

For a printable version, click here.

It was made in Comic Life, a neat little program that comes with the MacBook. Once I get CorelDraw figured out, I’ll be golden. :)