Sankorè

I've had the chance to use Sankorè for whiteboard.
It's really a great product and it support the W3C Widget standards so it's possible to import Chrome Widgets.
Will post some more info

Much open source in these past days

I've been working a lot in these past months and had little time to blog.
Lots of stuff around and as usual good open source on the table.
I've looking on Drupal, Elgg, OpenMeetings, Limesurvey, Liferay and some other stuff.
Hope to manage to post a bit of information and some how-to in the next few days.

The video is a bit old, but it's from a presentation of mine at a PA conference on Open Source strategy of the company I work for.

TEIID + SQuirreL SQL tutorial

As I wrote before is quite simple, but it took me little time to produce this one so here it is.
Last version of SQuirrel (3.0.1) with last version of TEIID.

TEIID and SQuirreL SQL

Continuing in the integration path: since I'm confortable in using SQuirreL SQL for accessing DBs I've tryed also to access the VDB from TEIID and I can say that after iReport the road is much more easy (once you learn the trick, magic comes easy).
So ... if I manage I'll produce another tutorial, for now warnings are:
* use JDK 1.6.
* include the teiid-6.1 snapshot client in the driver lib of SQuirreL SQL and create a new driver (I named mine TEIID with a great creativity effort); than create a new alias using that Driver (use the same data from the iReport example); test the connection and all should run smoothly.
Access the DB browse the tables and the data.
Will investigate on more complex usage tomorrow.

TEIID tutorial

Managed to finish integrating TEIID with iReport.
Since it has been a bit of a trouble and there is little documentation around I've made a tutorial to help my memory and maybe helping others around.
Here is the link.
I've created a VDB merging an Oracle DB and a MySQL one (that contain data from excel ... long way to integrate data ...)
The version used are TEIID 6.1 snapshot and iReport 3.5.2 (Java is 1.6), the PC is a windows box, but the stuff works also in linux (had to use that one this time).
Warnings are:
* mind the classpath it has been a pain to check it right.
* look for connector troubles at the firts sign of malfunction (there are some threads in the TEIID forum about it); it should be OK with this version, but in case of trouble is the first thing I'll look upon.

I'm really happy since now that all is tested and working can create a more useful VDB and get a bunch of data integrated and have a new view on information.
A great thanks to TEIID people for the product and the help in solving problems, hopes the tutorial can give something back.

Software liability

EU wants software to be liable like any other product.
This seems a good thing to me.
Since software is something that influence widely our life I think that is right to expect some liability from software producers.
Is absurd that people have to accept (even if they usually do not read it) something like EULA where is clearly stated that the software could well not work.
I'm paying good money for, it had better work.
This could go in the direction of introducing a higher level of professionals in code writing, something not always true, not all people employed to write code have the right skills to do it.
Obviously this apply to things you pay for and so it does not apply to open source software since is free software, you receive much more rights with the software than in a tipical proprietary software, you cannot also ask for liability.
In case of open source managed by companies like Red Hat, well this is what their customers are already paying for, they are paying for liability, they could have the option of getting the software for free, but since they need liability they pay.
So dear proprietary vendors, time is coming for you to accept your responsability: all products can heve problems a washing machine, a TV set, all heve to guarantee the customer that it works or thet it will be fixed.
With software is even more easy to give the fix, but the patch has to be produced no more "is not a bug is a feature" option around.
Software has to grow up and accept responsability.

Vision tracking

It's time to create some virtual reality or augmented reality.
Not only new methods of user interactions are possible using vision besed tracking.
For 2D tracking the reacTIVision project is really interesting.
RPG application can be a virtual tabletop controlled by "fiducial token ID".
It could be a nice integration for applications like MapTools.
For now installed the application and tested successfully.
Will have to find something for 3D tracking and eye tracking.
By the way it's an open source project.