Stories by Paul Krill

  • Zend PHP framework upgraded

    Zend Technologies plans to announce availability of the open source Zend Framework 1.5 for building PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) applications next week.

  • Google exec praises, criticizes Apple iPhone

    While lauding Apple's iPhone as being innovative in the mobile space, a Google official later cited disadvantages of the device, which is expected to compete with upcoming Google-backed Android phones.

  • MIX - Silverlight's link to Microsoft developer skills touted

    Silverlight, Microsoft's cross-browser plug-in technology for rich multimedia experiences, is making the rounds as an alternative to Adobe Systems's rival Flash platform. Early observers and users of Silverlight at the MIX08 conference in Las Vegas last week emphasized, among other things, its accommodations for .Net software development skills.

  • Microsoft, Sun expand their collaboration

    Sun and Microsoft announced two "milestones" this week in their ongoing alliance, including the official opening of a Sun/Microsoft Interoperability Center on Microsoft's Redmond, Washington campus.

  • Sun: We'll put Java on the iPhone

    Sun Microsystems is developing a Java Virtual Machine for Apple's iPhone and plans to release the JVM some time after June, enabling Java applications to run on the popular mobile device.

  • MIX - Microsoft releases Silverlight 2, IE8 betas

    Moving forward with next-generation software in two critical realms, Microsoft released Wednesday initial public beta versions of its Silverlight 2 multimedia presentation technology and the Internet Explorer 8 browser.

  • Microsoft opens up Windows Live services

    Microsoft is expected to discuss several technologies pertaining to its Live Platform at the Mix08 conference in the US this week, including APIs for messaging and sharing contacts.

  • IBM promotes agile development

    IBM again touted agile software development methods on Tuesday at the SD West Conference 2008, with an official saying the company itself probably has one of the world's largest adoptions of agile.

  • Microsoft's ribbon interface draws frowns, smiles

    Microsoft's Office 2007, and to a lesser extent Vista, is bringing a radical change to the desktop user interface. The Office Fluent UI feature -- the ribbon interface -- introduced in Office 2007 is Microsoft's attempt to help users get more out of Office applications. For nearly two decades, apps have relied on the menu interface to collect and expose features, but as programs' capabilities have ballooned, the menus have gotten overloaded. Software developers have tried various supplements, such as Office 2003's approach of hiding infrequently used menu items automatically, and Adobe's use of floating multi-tabbed feature panels -- approaches picked up by other developers as well.