The Insider News

theregister[^]

Microsoft's emphasis on the mobile nature of Windows 8 and its bold touch-friendly user interface may lead some to fear the software giant has taken its foot off the pedal in terms of security.

MIT Technology Review[^]:

Since 2000, Intel has done just about everything right in its core business, maintaining its dominance of the market for PC microprocessors and putting substantial distance between itself and competitors in the market for server chips. And yet the company finds itself in a very tough position: computers are going mobile, and Intel’s share of the microprocessor market is falling off a cliff.

Hal's (Im)Perfect Vision[^]:

Let me be clear, I want Windows Phone 8. And OEMs have introduced some pretty compelling phones with it this fall. But I think I’m going to keep my new device lust in check. At least I’m going to try. Here's why.

Strata[^]:

Research in which data vastly outstrip our ability to posit models is qualitatively different. Much of science for the last three centuries advanced by deriving simple models from first principles — models whose predictions could then be compared with novel experiments. In modeling complex systems for which the underlying model is not yet known but for which data are abundant, however, as in systems biology or social network analysis, one may turn this process on its head by using the data to learn not only parameters of a single model but to select which among many or an infinite number of competing models is favored by the data.

Padraig O'Sullivan[^]:

When I’m at conferences or meetups and people discover I work for a company building a new database, there are usually a few puzzled looks. Explaining the technology behind Akiban to people is easy but the usual reason for the puzzlement is that many people wonder why on earth a company would want to develop a new database from scratch when so many alternatives already exist. There are good reasons, but I’ve struggled with articulating them especially when someone wants a 90 second explanation at a conference. In the interest of having an answer that I can easily refer people to, here’s what I think we’re trying to do. These are the problems that Akiban is aiming to solve.

The Endeavour[^]:

In the late ’90s I thought COM (Microsoft’s Component Object Model) was the way of the future. The whole architecture starting with the IUnknown interface was very elegant. And to hear Don Box explain it, COM was almost inevitable.... And yet programming COM was painful. I wondered at the time why something so elegant in theory was so difficult in practice.

Pete Brown's 10rem.net[^]:

I recently updated my primary workhorse PC (a 6 core desktop with two 30" displays) from Windows 7 to Windows 8. As part of that, I picked up a Logitech Touchpad T650. This post includes my observations.

Nettuts+[^]:

Regardless of our current skill level, we all were beginners at one point in time. Making classic beginner mistakes comes with the territory. Today, we’ve asked a variety of Nettuts+ staff authors to chime in with their list of pitfalls and solutions – in a variety of languages.

Bill Reiss' Development Blog[^]:

Windows Phone 8 no longer requires that apps be written in .NET, you can now use C++. When tech pundits talk about the lack of ecosystem they are basing that on the history of Windows Phone 7, but I really think that the changes made in Windows Phone 8, especially the ability to write apps and games in C++ makes a huge difference and now I think you will see Windows Phone be a first class citizen with developers because they won’t have to do nearly as much to support the Windows Phone platform.

John Papa[^]:

Zen Coding is a faster way to write HTML using a CSS style selector syntax, and you can now use Zen Coding in Visual Studio via the Web Essentials 2012 plug in (v1.7). Zen Coding was introduced by Sergey Chikuyonok in 2009 (according to Smashing Magazine) and has been updated over time to become a great way to write monotonous HTML much more efficiently.

Microsoft Research[^]:

Soon most information will be available at your fingertips, anytime, anywhere. Rapid advances in storage, communications, and processing allow us move all information into Cyberspace. Software to define, search, and visualize online information is also a key to creating and accessing online information. This article traces the evolution of data management systems and outlines current trends.

greghendershott.com[^]:

I learned Racket after 25 years of mostly using C and C++. Some psychic whiplash resulted. "All the parentheses" was actually not a big deal. Instead, the first mind warp was functional programming. Before long I wrapped my brain around it, and went on to become comfortable and effective with many other aspects and features of Racket. But two final frontiers remained: Macros and continuations.

Ars Technica[^]:

Color screens are an advancement that most graphing calculators have, inexplicably, forgone for ages. But finally, Texas Instruments is moving one of its old battleaxes to Technicolor: the company is due to release a color version of its TI-84 calculator.