Day 30 – Where do you see technology advancing in the next 20 years?

In IT 20 years is a very long time…

Just look back 20 years to see have far we have come!

Assuming that world economics do not collapse.  Computers will be smaller, faster and more ubiquitous.  But that prediction is so obvious.

Hopefully, the world has given up on 3D or at least in the forms that the powers that be are trying to work it.

I image CGI will have finally surpassed the uncanny valley to the point no human can distinguish a real actor from a CGI character.

I’d like to think that we have finally reached out to the asteroid belt.  We are fast running out of rare metals on Earth and before that happens, we will be forced to explore the solar system for other rich sources of raw materials.  Otherwise we are going to hit a rather nasty barrier to further enhancements in technology.  I do not believe we will find any salvation in any green alternative.

In 20 years HTML5 should be well entrenched and HTML6 should be ratified within the next decade or two.

Chrome will be almost celebrating version 100!

IE will be up to version 30 and celebrating Native HTML6.

The Google/Facebook War of 2021 will be mourning their 10th anniversary.

After a four term run as President of the European Union, Arnold Schwarzenegger will be committed after having a mental breakdown where he has been repeated found running around trying to save John Connor.

As for my involvement, I would most likely have no involvement what-so-ever.  I’ll just be home looking after my family, while doing my best to keep up with the latest and greatest tools and gadgets.

Day 29 – Looking back (at geek life) would you’ve done anything different?

Reflections…

Only one thing.  I would not wait 10+ years before getting into the IT industry.  I imagine things would have very different.

Having said that, I would not trade my wonderful wife and two adorable children for the world.

Day 28 – How many computers lying about the house?

How long is a piece of string?

Six. 

Plus one PC which is in bits. 

But do you count PS3 and AppleTV?  And if you include AppleTV, should I include iPod Touch and iPhone (not that I have an iPhone).  And if I include iPhone, do I also include other smartphones?

Day 27 – Fix a bug in some open source software and commit a patch

I got this one covered!

April 7th 2011 I submitted a patch (#9077) to ClosedXML.codeplex.com!  Hopefully that is close enough

Note: I just noticed (23rd April) that the main developer has mentioned me in the latest change set.  I’m not sure if that is a good thing or not .

Day 26 – Apple – friend, foe or other?

Am I an Apple Fanboi?

I feel Apple was once more “friend” than anything just because it was an underdog but this is no longer the case.  As much as I love the iPod Touch and the iPhone, Apple has a stranglehold on what developers can and cannot create for Apple’s iOS devices and this is a real shame.  It probably wouldn’t so much of an issue if Apple’s approval process wasn’t so inconsistent. 

Developers are at Apple’s mercy.

And yet despite this their dictator like rule over apps for iOS devices, it has managed to be hugely successful regardless.  Perhaps Apple are actually on to something…

As an iPod Touch owner, I lean towards “friend”, but as a developer Apple are edging towards “foe” but only because of the steep Developer Tax™ I’ll be charged (namely an Apple computer)

Day 25 – Microsoft – friend, foe or other?

Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

Once upon a time, I would have said a definite foe but now-a-days it is leaning more to “other” than anything.  Microsoft has lost a little of its strangle hold on the world and has managed to even worked to be a force for good.  Or at least now contributes to the world of open source and slowly trying to embrace the world of standards.  Though they still manage to stuff things up a little (damn you Native HTML LOL)

Day 24 – How do you feel about Open Source vs Proprietary software?

There is room enough for everyone…

I definitely lean towards open source.  I am not against propriety source but at some point I feel it needs to be released to the public via open source.

I feel developing software is much more an art than a science.  As an art, you have styles and influences.  There is no one way of doing things but some ways can be better than others.  With open source you have the opportunity to see better ways of doing things in real world applications.  It can then inspire you to develop something better.

Propriety software wants to keep that knowledge to itself and with intellectual property laws, they also want to prevent you from developing anything like their software.  In the end, proprietary software can stifle innovation.

Granted there is examples of proprietary software out there but open source lends itself to more innovation.

Even some big applications built as propriety software are beginning to embrace open source.  Visual Studio .NET from Microsoft now bundles (and contributes to) open source tools such as jQuery.  It has even released other components such as ASP.NET MVC as open source, although I believe it doesn’t take contributions, but you do have full access to the source code.

In the end, proprietary software can be okay, but open source has more potential to advance software into the future.