Do Not Take Your Laptop to Your Vacation!

Dear readers, today I'm going to discuss a crucial geek's dilema: you're planning to go on a vacation away from home, and struggle with yourself: "should I leave my precious toy behind or should I stick with it even when I'm on a vacation?".

I can find a few arguments for you to stick with your plastic baby. no matter what:

First, it's a disgrace for a geek to abandon his/her laptop and just enjoy. For a geek to do such a thing is like for a troop to leave his weapon behind. Shame on you for even considering it!

Second, no vacation can be a real one without some decent gaming time without anyone around nagging you. Once a geek, always a geek.

So taking the laptop on a vacation? some serious arguments against it:



First, a computer is for work. A vacation is the opposite of work. The two just don't mix. If you're on a vacation, you don't involve with objects relating to work.

Second, every minute you spend on your laptop, is minute you don't do what you're supposed to do on a vacation: resting, relaxing, sight-seeing , dancing, eating decently and above all - forgeting about everything..

Third, if you take your laptop with you, your Skype or Messenger will tell all your work colleagues that you're available, and then your so called "vacation" will be over..

My decision - leave the little attention-sucker at home and dedicate the vacation for yourself & for your family. Make the most of your free time because you don't have much!

Desktop Applications - The End?

Recent years have seen a gradual transit from desktop applications (such that are installed on the computer) to web applications (such that reside on a web page).




Why should we think that the web is about to take the primacy in the software world?

First, the social networks niche which has become the most popular use of the PC, taking captive tens of millions of enslaved fans who actually live online.


Second, the growing capacity of the web of hosting large size data platforms, like: file-sharing platforms (i.e Emule) or video-sharing platforms (i.e Youtube).


Third, Rich Internet Applications (RIA), like: Flash or Silverlight, that give the user graphic quality equal to that of desktop applications.


Forth, users nowadays prefer logging in to their applications from everywhere (including mobile phones), so applications that are attached to a PC frequently may be conceived as old-fashioned.


So why are desktop applications still with us? I can think of a few reasons:


First, the power of the habit: people are used to downloading stuff to their computers, and among computer geeks or gamers downloading is simply a ritual. An entire industry of downloading and file-sharing is still alive and in full strength.


Second, the physical network (the communication lines) are way behind the size of data which is needed to go through them, especially in developing countries. This means that heavy applications get stuck in the way, giving desktop applications a chance of remaining relevant.


In short, the web becomes more and more dominant within the PC use and the desktop applications will become more and more expandable, but this process may take decades.


Do you think differently? Tell me!

Cloud Computing - is it Rainy Today?..

The term basically refers to performing computing activities online instead of offline (using the computer's hardware).  it means that individuals  or organizations lease remote  memory space and software , that are stored away from their physical location, and use them through the internet. 

The basic advantage of this model is that the customer doesn't have to purchase in advance software or memory space, but purchases them on demand only and for the extent he/she may need.   This feature often saves a significant portion of the computing costs of an organization.


The basic types of service available on Cloud Computing:


First, Sotfware-as-Service (SAAS), which refers to the use of computer programs installed on the supplier's servers, and the user makes use of them through the internet.  Prominent SAAS software examples: Gmail, online gaming.


Second, Infrastructure-as-service (IAAS), which refers to use of memory space of the supplier by the user.  Prominent examples: site hosting, backup storage.


Third, Platform-as-Service (PAAS), which refers to the use of developing platforms by the user in the process  of writing and testing software, such as: Linux emulators, online compilers.


The financial cost reduction using Cloud Computing derives from several factors:


First, no need of purchasing expensive hardware devices, such as: servers.


Second, no need of purchasing in advance expensive software products, such as: operating systems, Integrated Development Environment (IDE).


Third, no need of hiring local maintenance experts for the software and hardware.


Fourth, no need to deal with disaster relief procedures, as the supplier deals with it.


Fifth,  no limit of resources availability.  for example. if there's a shortage of memory space, there's a possibility of purchasing additional small size memory.


Sixth, no dependency on a specific location where software products are installed.


The shortcomings of Cloud Computing can be roughly divided into the following:


First, dependency on the supplier.  The latter may run bankrupt or have many operational failures. In such a case, the user can't do anything to prevent his own setback.


Second, possible security holes regarding the employees of the supplier, who may cause damage to the user's data.


Third, difficulty in communication between software products which are located on  many different servers.  For instance, SQL database that has to communicate with a web script held on another server.



Fourth, difficulty in managing software platform without the ability to access the hardware (because it belongs to the supplier).  For example, running a disk compression may be necessary for a software running but the user isn't permitted to do that.


Prominent Cloud Computing suppliers include:


1. Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) of Amazon - The most well-known service, which allows memory space & infrastructure software  leasing.

2. App Engine of Google, which allows development & testing of Java/pythons application on remote servers.

3. Azure of Microsoft - which allows mainly platforms for online development of software.


Summary, Cloud Computing is here to stay, but due to its vulnerability concerning security, I believe that the move of organization to work with this model is going to take more than a few years.