Mark Watson's BlogI am the author of 13 published computer books and a consultant specializing in Java, C++, and Smalltalk development. Please check out my two Free Web Books at my main site www.markwatson.comMore thoughts on using multiple programming languages- September 16, 2003 I have had the opportunity to use a few technologies for mixing and matching programs written in different programming languages in the last month: CORBA, SOAP, and the simple XML over HTTP (i.e., REST like RPC). Sure, it is a hassle using RPC compared to building large monolithic applications, but I find that not only are different programming languages best for some tasks, but often key utility libraries are available only for some languages. While I really like CORBA, and I have CORBA...http://radio.weblogs.com/0115954/2003/09/16.html#a174 Well thought out editorial on Israeli Haaretz news site on Middle East problems- September 16, 2003 The linked article seems well balanced and makes a lot of sense to me. I think that Haaretz is one of the better sourrces of news in Israel - and this article reinforces that opinion. There is a large minority of Israelis who strongly disagree with the actions of the right wing government - this article reflects this rational opinion.http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/339476.html HP Semantic Web Research web site- September 16, 2003 The link is to HP's web site for their free semantic web tools. Check out Jena.http://www.hpl.hp.com/semweb/ Fascinating: MSNBC Interactive history of Israeli settlements on the West Bank- September 16, 2003 MSNBC has a fascinating interactive history of the Israeli settlements. I thought that the settlements were few and far between - I was wrong about that. The West Bank is covered with Israeli settlements (which, by the way, I think are illegal under international law). Anyway, check out the linked MSNBC site and watch the display while choosing: 1914 - 1948 - 1977 - Present time.http://www.msnbc.com/news/wld/graphics/jewish_settlements_dw.htm?0cb=-226133952 Cool Semantic Web tool: RDFAuthor- September 16, 2003 If you are interested in the Semantic Web, check out the linked site. Very cool RDF authoring tool! It may be wishful thinking on my part, but I think that support for the Semantic Web is going to finaally take off in the not so distant future. I suspect that RDF markup, etc. will first be widely used on Corporate private LANs as the means for finding information - then people might be motivated to take the effort to mark up publicly available information.http://rdfweb.org/people/damian/RDFAuthor/ Israel's nuclear weapons: what problems for the U.S.- September 16, 2003 We in the U.S. are Israel's only allies on planet earth. We give about 70% of all of our foreign aid to Israel, much in military support. As a U.S. citizen, I worry about our responsibility for Israel's actions. Israel, having the U.S. as an ally, has always refused to take part in any international non-proliferation treaties. They do not have to: the U.S. has vetoed approximately 32 otherwise unanimous UN security council resolutions that called Israel to task for their actions. While I...http://www.msnbc.com/news/wld/graphics/strategic_israel_dw.htm?0cb=-326133952 A great NYT editorial on Israel's wall in Palestinian territory- September 14, 2003 New York Times writer Thomas Friedman frequently travels to the middle east and talks with people on all sides of the conflict there. I think that Friedman writes with real compassion for all the people in the middle east. By the way: Friedman's ideas are very similar to a friend of mine who is an Israeli citizen. Friedman tells it like it is: "Qalqilya is surrounded by fences on three sides - to shut it off not only from Israel proper to the west, but also from West Bank Jewish...http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/14/opinion/14FRIE.html The Economist on Open Source Software- September 14, 2003 The linked article is being discussed on Slashdot. The Economist article accurately discusses the danger of Open Source to Microsoft's business and mentions the dangers of proprietary document formats (this is also being actively discussed on Slashdot).http://www.economist.com/business/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2054746 A personal note on the death of Edward Teller- September 11, 2003 The physicist Edward Teller died a few days ago. He was partially responsible for hiring my Dad in the physics department at UC Berkeley when I was a little kid, and I remember him (a little) as being charming and a nice guy.http://radio.weblogs.com/0115954/2003/09/11.html#a166 Why complain if people want to use their own choice of programming languages- September 11, 2003 James likes to bash the use of Java (see his linked web blog article). Funny because his favorite language Smalltalk has so much going for it - no need to bash other languages, just pump up the advantages of Smalltalk. Anyway, just a suggestion :-)http://www.cincomsmalltalk.com/blog/blogView?showComments=true&entry=3240751111 |