Dell to Reveal the 64-Bit ARM Based Copper Server

                                            

This week the officials of Dell will be presenting their version of an ARM-based low-power microserver running the Fedora Linux distribution.  The demonstration will take place on October 29 at the Techcon 2013 in Santa Clara, California. The expectation  for the Dell demonstration is the focus will be on the 64-bit ARM computing in the data center, including dense,low-power microservers.



For example, Calxeda officials announced Oct. 28 that they will unveil the next generation of the company's 32-bit EnergyCore systems-on-a-chip (SoCs) as well as details of a new line of 64-bit chips expected next year. ARM executives for the past several years have eyed the microserver space as a growth opportunity for its low-power SoC designs, which now are primarily found in mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets.

Much of the attention in recent months has been on Hewlett-Packard's Project Moonshot portfolio of small, highly energy-efficient servers aimed at hyperscale environments running workloads such as Web hosting and cloud services. HP officials in April unveiled the first of the Moonshot servers, which run on Intel's 64-bit Atom platform, with the promise of adding systems powered by ARM-based chips from the likes of Advanced Micro Devices, Calxeda and Marvell Technologies.

However, Dell also has been working ARM-based microservers in its "Copper" efforts, and like other OEMs and chip makers, see advantages of the ARM architecture not only in compute but also storage and networking.

"Dell began developing microserver technology back in 2007 and has worked closely with select Dell DCS hyperscale customers to understand their workloads, expectations and requirements," Robert Hormuth, executive director of platform technology and architecture for the office of the CTO at Dell, wrote in a post on the company's blog. "We believe the 64-bit ARM-based processor demonstrates promise for storage and Web front-end environments, where advantages in dollars per gigabyte, watts per gigabyte, performance per dollar and performance per watt are critical."

The Dell system will be powered by Applied Micro's 64-bit ARM-based X-Gene SoC and will run Fedora, with PMC's 16-port, 12G-bps SAS storage solution running Dell storage arrays.

"This is a key milestone for customers seeking to run real-world workloads on 64-bit ARM technology," Hormuth wrote.

The microserver space is expected to be one of several key areas of competition between ARM and Intel. ARM officials see the growing demand for faster, more energy-efficient systems in the data center as a natural fit for their low-power technology. ARM's architecture now is 32-bit, but the company is expected to begin licensing its upcoming 64-bit ARMv8-A technology next year. Applied Micro already has developed a 40-nanometer version of its X-Gene 64-bit ARM SoC, and will begin sampling its 28nm version in the first half of 2014.

Dell and other OEMs believe 64-bit capabilities will be critical to the success of ARM in the data center, but Hormuth said Dell has been using the 32-bit SoCs to its advantage.

"As the ARM server ecosystem is in its early stages, Dell's focus has been on addressing today's market realities—that is, enabling developers and customers to create code and test performance with 32-bit ARM servers," he wrote. "However, as we have been discussing with customers and analysts, 64-bit will be required for broad-based adoption and we are currently developing architectures based upon 64-bit solutions."

Dell plans to deliver a proof-of-concept server based on Applied Micro's 64-bit ARM technology in early 2014. The OEM began seeing Copper servers with Web and hyperscale customers in May 2012.

In addition, in hopes of growing the ecosystem around 64-bit ARM, Dell in October 2012 donated its"Zinc" ARM-based server concept to the Apache Software Foundation. The Zinc system runs on Calxeda's EnergyCore chips.

Dell also is making the Copper and Zinc systems available remotely through its Austin Solution Center hosting site and the Texas Advanced Computing Center at the University of Texas, where they can be accessed by academic developers.

"Our current priority is supporting application development and testing of the ARM-based server ecosystem, and we will bring a 64-bit ARM-based server to general availability when customer and ecosystem readiness are aligned," Hormuth said.
 http://www.serverwatch.com/server-news/dell-to-demo-64-bit-arm-based-copper-server.html

Verizon Foundation is Giving Future Application Developers an Opportunity to Show their Stuff.

                                         prweb.com



If you know any middle and high school students that just love web app technology then this is will be a great challenge for them to participate.


The Verizon Foundation, in partnership with the Technology Student Association, has opened the 2013-2014 Innovative App Challenge, giving middle and high school students across the country a chance to develop a concept for a mobile app and bring it to market.

The mobile app design competition aims to engage students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects and empower them to create STEM-related app concepts that solve real-world problems in their community or school. Students have a chance to win Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablets courtesy of Samsung Telecommunications America, cash grants of up to $20,000 for their school, and the opportunity to team up with app development experts from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab to build and bring their apps to life. Verizon will help winning teams bring their app to the Google Play store, available for download.


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The fastest-growing careers in the United States are STEM-related, yet the country is not graduating enough young professionals in these fields to meet this need. As a result, as many as 3 million STEM jobs have gone unfilled, according to STEMconnector’s “2013 EdTech – Revolution in Education” report.

To address this issue, the Verizon Foundation and TSA launched the inaugural Innovative App Challenge last October. More than 1,000 schools from every state and Washington, D.C., registered for the competition, and 471 teams submitted app concepts. The competition engaged more than 3,000 boys and girls from major cities to rural areas including many underserved communities. Nearly 60 percent of the winning team members were girls.

Justina Nixon-Saintil, director of education and technology programs for the Verizon Foundation, said: “We created the Verizon Innovative App Challenge to encourage students to collaborate, get creative and use their STEM knowledge to come up with powerful answers to local, everyday problems. The inaugural challenge provided all that and more, as we saw some amazing app concepts and heard inspirational stories from students and teachers. We’re eagerly awaiting the fresh, innovative ideas that the student teams will bring to the second challenge.”

What’s New in 2013 – More Ways to Win

This year, the Verizon Innovative App Challenge offers more chances to win for teams of five students in grades 6-12 with a faculty advisor. The winning teams, which will be chosen by an expert panel of judges, will include:

• Twenty-four Best in Region winners from the West, Midwest, South and East. Each Best in Region school will receive a $5,000 cash grant plus virtual training on coding and support from the MIT Media Lab’s app development experts to help it build its app concept.
• Eight Best in Nation winners, selected from the pool of Best in Region teams. Best in Nation schools will receive an additional $15,000 cash grant, and each winning team member will receive a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet. Additionally, the MIT Media Lab will provide onsite and virtual training on coding and support to the Best in Nation teams as they develop their apps, and Verizon will help bring their apps to the Google Play store. The Best in Nation winners will present their apps in person – on their new tablets – at the 2014 Technology Student Association National Conference in Washington, D.C., next June.

• Three special Best in Category winners, which will be recognized for their app concepts to help solve problems in education, healthcare or energy management – focus areas for the Verizon Foundation.

Submissions will be accepted now through Dec. 3. Teams can submit their app ideas, access tips and instructional videos on app design, and learn more about the Verizon Innovative App Challenge atwww.verizonfoundation.org/appchallenge.

http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/eastex/living/verizon-foundation-launches-app-challenge-for-middle-and-high-school/article_2922238a-2afb-5c8a-b2f5-c5f07ae9e801.html

Need Some Direction to Improve Your Responsive Web Design?

                                               bradfurdfrostweb.com

Knowing how responsive web design can be frustrating at times we have provided some tips from sources that will help you in your endeavors.


1. Why use Responsive Web Design?

RWD is a cheap option; you can re-purpose your existing desktop layout to ensure it works well on a smaller mobile device. If you’re developing a new site, there are few reasons not to use RWD.

However, are you considering RWD because it’s an inexpensive way to tick a few business strategy objectives? You can certainly implement a mobile layout within a few hours but will it be useful? It’s usually obvious when a responsive design has been added as an afterthought. It may be better to stick with a good desktop layout than undermine your online presence.

2. Consider the Context, but…

…avoid stereotypes.

Historically, designers considered desktop viewers to be static and smartphone users to be roaming. A train company would typically highlight ticket buying on desktop devices and station directions on mobile devices. There are a couple of problems with this approach:
the boundaries have become blurred. People use whatever device is practical e.g. they may surf the net on a phone while watching TV.
RWD reveals nothing about the context. Device resolution is a crude assumption especially when you consider the high-density displays offered by modern phones and tablets.

If static and roaming users have different contexts, it may be preferable to provide separate mobile sites or apps which have dedicated functions.

3. Distill Your Content

Why do people visit your site? What’s important to those users? What’s their typical journey? Without these answers, you’ll be tempted to throw everything on the home page. That may be possible on a large display but you’ll struggle when switching to a mobile layout.

The best option: think small-screen first, then
…
4. Design Upwards

Once you have a design for the smallest practical screen, you can work upwards in a series of media query breakpoints.

While there are no strict rules, breakpoint steps should not be large — perhaps no more than 200 pixels. However, each step need not be a major re-flow such as additional columns; it could be a font-size change, floating images or another simple tweak.

5. Keep it Fluid

Ideally, your design should be fluid between breakpoints — not fixed. While fixed layouts are easier to comprehend and code, they’re too fragile for RWD (refer to Is Your Responsive Web Design too Fragile?)

Ideally, even your media queries should use proportional units such as %, em and rem instead of pixels.

6. Never Compromise

RWD should never be used to offer a watered-down version of your website. In some cases, you should consider additional facilities on mobile devices such as geo-location and off-line support. Keep it simple and easy to use:
don’t use browser sniffing
don’t disable zooming
don’t hide content.
7. Only Performance Matters

RWD may be cheap to implement but it should be planned from the start. Applying RWD to a site serving 1Mb+ pages will never result in an optimal experience on devices operating over a mobile network.

Considerations In Building a DIY Website Builders for Responsive Design

1) Some hosting facilities offer DIY building software and even offer free domain name registration. Be careful when taking on this sort of package. Find out who controls the domain name. Is it the client or the hosting facility? It can be difficult to secure or move the domain name if the facility owns or controls the domain name.

2) DIY builders are low cost – but are sometimes limited in terms of layout, graphics along with limited features and functionality. What initially seems like a good idea can end up being a frustrating experience.

3) When using a DIY site builder – the software will build an interface and internal web pages from some available templates, which is not always a bad thing. But the designs are usually considered "proprietary", and more often than not, they are tied into the back-end database which is owned by the facility. Then it can be difficult, if not impossible to move a site if desired.

4) Updating ones site can be a rewarding experience. It can also be a time-consuming exercise. It's best to first ask the question; how much time does the website maintenance take and could the time be better spent on building the business instead.

5) Usually the overall design can be “acceptable”. But is “acceptable” good enough? Remember, it’s the company’s “brand” that is at stake and one never gets a second chance at a good first impression.

So, there are many things to consider when building the company website including the design, layout, ease of moving a site if necessary, scalability and much, much more. More often than not, it's better to out-source the development to experienced developers and end up with a better business website. Consider talking to a local web design company in the area to answer any questions that might be important when making that decision.

IFM Web Services offers Responsive Web Design, website analysis, SEO Press releases, Search Optimization and Facebook pages for businesses. Located in the Toronto area (GTA), IFM has helped business achieve an effective online presence and has helped clients as far away as Bermuda and Mexico. For more on Social Media, SEO or Web Design for businesses, visit IFM at http://www.ifm.ca

http://www.sitepoint.com/7-responsive-web-design-tips/

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/10/prweb11255072.htm

Why is it Important to Know If Your Website Was Built in Open or Closed Source Code

Realizing that most website owners are just happy that their site is functioning well and looks great. Have these businesses ever realized that they need to educate themselves about the technology on the back side of their website?

Craig Reardon has some great advice to give on the subject.

There are three really important questions smaller business operators need to know about their website technology: Who recommended the website technology you are currently using? How impartial was that recommendation? And why is it important anyway?

The answers to these lie in a debate the software industry has been battling out for decades now. That of ‘open’ versus ‘closed’ source development code.

Before you click over to something a little more interesting than computer code, it’s important that you read on. Because not knowing the difference can greatly impact your expenses, your sales and even your reputation.

The open source community method

By definition, ‘open’ source means that software and now web developers are able to access the computer programming of the software or website in question and alter it to create new functionality.




The closed proprietary alternative
On the other hand, ‘closed’ source software or technology does not allow ordinary developers to access the development source code in this way. Typically companies create such software and deliberately ‘close’ the source code so that only they can modify it.

This is not just for purely profit motives. Closing the code in this way allows you to control the quality of the software by preventing ‘enthusiasts’ from inadvertently creating faulty or insecure programming code, which of course can compromise the software brand and reputation.

As a result, any issue you have with the software is generally directed back to the company who provided it, sometimes via licensed local developers. As in any manufactured product, warranties and service level agreements cover any fault that might occur to your program.

Packaged, branded technology

The best analogy to this community versus company scenario lies in your standard book-keeping programs. In the very early days of personal computing, you could hire a programmer to develop or ‘write’ a book-keeping program for you. Because ‘off the shelf’ book-keeping systems were still new (and we are talking 25 years ago or more) your only real option was to pay the hourly rate for a programmer or developer to create it for you.

But because computer code can easily be duplicated in much the same way music now can, it made sense for the developer in question to make the software available to others for a price much lower than having to re-create it each time.

So very quickly entrepreneurial developers packaged up their programs and mass produced and marketed them, much like MYOB, Quicken, etc do today.

Whilst you pay an initial and usually ongoing license fee to purchase and use closed software, you also get teams of trained professionals ensuring its upkeep and quality control – particularly in an industry renowned for disgruntled or otherwise meddlesome hackers constantly trying to create havoc.



Famously, this battle of Open vs Closed was fought out between Microsoft and Apple when it came to the way they licensed their operating systems and software. Microsoft’s ‘open’ approach allowed pretty much anyone with any development nous to incorporate its operating system into its hardware, regardless of its quality, and in so doing allowing the market for it to flourish. And it’s the reason why it held up to 94% of the operating system market at one point.

The core of Apple

On the other hand, for all but a few years Apple completely closed its operating system to outside providers so as to control the complete product in much the same way that many car manufacturers do. Whilst this approach came very close to ensuring its demise at one point, it eventually led to hugely successful vertical integration possibilities as is now being realised by its hardware, operating system, iTunes, app store, etc, products.

Actually, Apple may not have happened at all if co-founder Steve Wozniak had his way. He wanted the original Apple 1 to recoup only the cost of the hardware, add a small profit margin and essentially give away the operating system before Steve Jobs talked him out of it – a decision that took the fledgling business out of the hobbyist market into the consumer market, with revolutionary results.

But coming back to website technology, business operators can now choose from an open source website platform or a closed proprietary one – something that few actually realise or are even alerted to by their web professional.

The cost of freedom

But whilst an open approach may provide developers with all the freedom they need to be able to create pretty much any kind of website, it also creates the potential for a number of problems that closed systems don’t.

These relate to quality, upgrades, maintenance, security, other improvements and the cost of each of these.

But whilst an open approach may provide developers with all the freedom they need to be able to create pretty much any kind of website, it also creates the potential for a number of problems that closed systems don’t.
These relate to quality, upgrades, maintenance, security, other improvements and the cost of each of these.

Unlike a license with a closed or proprietary provider, there is no obligation on the part of your web developer to ensure that your website platform is kept up to date with all the various ongoing maintenance requirements web technology require.

So, say browsers such as Internet Explorer or Chrome alter their operational specifications? Your developer must keep up with these (regular) changes and ensure your website meets them; whereas proprietary providers do this regular maintenance as a matter of course – because at some point you have paid for it.

So what has all this background information got to do with you as a smaller business operator? As it now turns out, plenty.

http://www.smartcompany.com.au/technology/34246-is-your-website-built-in-open-or-closed-source-code.html

New Services and Updates Will Be Revealed By SAP at the Tech Ed Conference

                                          www.telegraph.co.uk




The following article was written by Chris Kanaracus/IDG News Service

SAP is unveiling a series of enhancements, services and deployment options for its HANA in-memory computing platform in hopes of enticing more partners and customers to begin building software products with the technology.

Some 1,000 startups are already using HANA to create applications, according to SAP executive board member Vishal Sikka, who heads all development, in an interview prior to this week's Tech Ed conference in Las Vegas.

[ Download InfoWorld's Big Data Analytics Deep Dive for a comprehensive, practical overview of this hot topic. | Cut to the key news for technology development and IT management with our once-a-day summary of the top tech happenings. Subscribe to the InfoWorld Daily newsletter. ]

That uptake was no doubt helped by a venture fund and heavy-duty marketing campaign SAP has used to court developers for HANA. But SAP is also increasing the number of tools and services for HANA-based programming efforts.

A seventh service pack for HANA, which will be announced at Tech Ed, includes a series of developer-friendly updates, including the ability of HANA to write to external data stores such as Oracle databases; Hadoop integration; and customizable text-analysis dictionaries.

On the systems administration front, the service pack includes improvements for high availability and disaster recovery as well as better patching and monitoring tools, according to SAP.

Customers and partners will also soon have more ways to deploy HANA, which has been sold in appliance form on hardware from a number of vendors.

An IaaS (infrastructure as a service) offering based on HANA is now in private beta, with general availability expected early next year, SAP said. Customers would port their HANA licenses to SAP's cloud and purchase instances ranging in size from 128GB to 1TB of RAM.

SAP is also increasing the maximum size of HANA One, which is available through Amazon Web Services, from 256GB to 1.2TB. Many SAP customers and partners asked for the increase, Sikka said.

He demurred when asked whether customers would have any specific advantages by choosing SAP's HANA IaaS versus HANA One. "The main point is the choice," Sikka said. "Obviously there are lots of customers that have their own clouds, but a lot of them want a freedom to do things on our cloud, and other public clouds."

There are now more than 2,200 HANA customers, according to Sikka. The database became generally available in 2011. SAP executives have called HANA the fastest-growing product in company history, with total revenue expected to top €1 billion ($1.4 billion) soon.

SAP is hoping its customers that are now using rival databases such as Oracle's to run SAP applications will port their implementations to HANA. Tech Ed will give it an opportunity to sell the benefits of HANA to a developer-heavy audience that is already invested skills-wise in other technologies.

Meanwhile, during his keynote on Tuesday Sikka is also expected to discuss a new set of SAP design services, wherein designers will work alongside customers to create more compelling user interfaces and applications.

In addition, attendees will get an update on Fiori, a set of bite-sized mobile applications that tie into SAP flagship Business Suite ERP applications, which was announced in May. Another 150 Fiori applications will be released this year, according to Sikka.

Tech Ed continues through Thursday in Las Vegas.

Chris Kanaracus covers enterprise software and general technology

http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/sap-set-preach-the-hana-gospel-developers-22925

"Ghost" the Open-Source Blogging Platform is Now Open to the Public

The open-source blogging platform Ghost, which launched privately just three weeks ago to its 6,000 Kickstarter backers, is now open to the public. The new service aims to make a name for itself by focusing on just blogging, in other words simplifying what the oh-so complex WordPress has become.

http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/10/14/open-source-blogging-platform-ghost-opens-public-hopes-take-wordpress-simplification/ 

Why Macaw Web Design Tool for Programmers is Different

Web developers are always looking for new tools to make it easier to complete the project at hand on time for the customer.  The creators of the web design Mccaw is stating that this tool can streamline Web production into on single app.




Calling itself “the code-savvy Web design tool,” Macaw creators Tom Giannattasio and Adam Christ say the software is designed to push HTML as the “standard deliverable at every stage of the process – from conception to deployment.”

The tool was created as an experiment about a year ago to “solve the gap between design tools and the browser.” The two did so by creating an application which enables a fluid design process but also helps developers get the exact code they need. With Macaw, Giannattasio and Christ say the software can speed the production process for both Web designers and developers, easing collaborations.

In the sneak peek video, Giannattasio and Christ walk users through creating a simple blog page with Macaw. Users can design a blog page much like one would ordinarily create in Photoshop or Illustrator. During the process, users can make various design decisions, such as keeping the background image fixed or leaving a logo absolute positioned. Users can also define how things should function using the tool panel on the app.


Once the site is laid out exactly as envisioned, all the user has to do is assign names to each element, much like developers give ID’s and classes to HTML codes. Finally, the finish product can be exported the site as HTML and CSS files. Macaw does all the work of creating a clean HTML markup, consolidating CSS codes, and organization elements in a way that’s readable and identifiable.



The Macaw creators say the tool is intended to help find the balance between simplicity and speed when it comes to Web development. Macaw features a fluid canvas – an added bonus for responsive Web design – that allows for better use of typography options and increased user interactivity.

The features don’t stop there. “We have some intuitive features that have never been seen before in a design tool,” the duo teases. “We’re hopeful people will say to themselves ‘Why hasn’t anyone done it this way before?’”
http://thenextweb.com/dd/2013/10/12/macaw-web-design-tool-programmers-hits-kickstarter/

Merchants Can Have Access to Tools to Better Control on How Their Information is Presented Online

                                          www.locationtraffic.com

How can a merchant be sure that the locations of their business is correct on search engines, websites and mobile apps? There are some great tools that they can use to clean up location data.



1. Placeable: Control location data through a unified dashboard.
Agencies and brands with multiple locations can use Placeable’s new Placeable Plot feature to ensure the accuracy of their business data across hundreds of websites, mobile apps, and third-party sites like maps, networks, and directories. Businesses can import their location data from spreadsheets, and then clean up that data using Placeable’s tools. Once the local data has been “normalized,” Placeable puts it into a standardized format and sends it to location-based platforms like Facebook and Google Places. Placeable charges clients a $299 “monthly platform fee,” and $2 per location, per month.

2. Locu: A data-cleansing solution for small and medium-sized businesses.
Locu works with small and medium-size businesses to ensure their contact and product information is accurate. Restaurants, home service providers, and personal care services can manage their business listings, menus, product lists, and company photos from within Locu’s digital platform. This information is then shared across the web—to publishing partners like Yelp, Facebook, Foursquare, TripAdvisor, YP, OpenTable, and CitySearch—each time an update is made. Locu offers its basic plan for free. Users can upgrade to Premium accounts for $25 per month.

3. Yext: Instantly updating local information on 50+ websites, maps, and apps.
Yext offers a location data cleansing solution that’s scalable for businesses of all sizes. Businesses can run a scan to see how their listings look when customers search online, and Yext will pinpoint how many “location data errors” it finds. Businesses can fix those errors by entering the correct information into Yext’s PowerListings system, and the company will automatically push those updates across a network of 50+ websites, maps, and apps.Pricing for Yext’s PowerListings packages ranges from $17 to $67 per month.

4. MomentFeed: Merging and deleting duplicate entries for multi-location brands.
Large brands with multiple locations can use MomentFeed’s PinSync tool to improve engagement and discoverability at the local level. By utilizing the correct latitude/longitude coordinates (also known as “geocodes”) for each of a client’s physical locations, MomentFeed is able to pinpoint outdated listings, adjust inaccurate geocodes, merge duplicate listings, update listings with correct address information, and upgrade local pages on platforms like Facebook, Google, and Foursquare. Pricing for MomentFeed varies depending on the number of locations being monitored.

5. SweetiQ: Identify inconsistencies in local listings.
SweetiQ is an all-in-one location-based marketing platform for agencies, brands, and franchises. One of the vendor’s key features is its local business listings management tool, which clients can use to find out how their business listings are presented across the web and make unified corrections to any inaccuracies. Businesses can also see how their listings are ranked in search engine results, and which keywords are most likely to bring those listings up. SweetiQ offers a free 14-day trial. Paid plans start at under $100 per month.

6. Universal Business Listing: Take ownership of your online profiles.
Businesses can use UBL to unify the information that shows up about their companies on local directories and search engines. Inaccurate phone numbers, addresses, and website links are updated within UBL’s platform and then pushed out to 150 “points of distribution.” These updated listings will appear as “verified” or “claimed,” depending on the site. By partnering with anchor databases like Infogroup, Factual, and Dun & Bradstreet, UBL is able to expedite the process of having its clients’ old listings removed or changed. UBL’s listings packages range in price from $79 to $799 per year.
http://streetfightmag.com/2013/10/08/6-tools-merchants-can-use-to-clean-up-location-data/

What Are the Glitches of the Government Website For Obama Care Sign Up?

                                            jim hoft

You may wonder why the Obama Care Health Insurance website was not prepared for the amount of traffic by Americans wanting health coverage.  According to sources there were many problems and Department of Health and Human Resources are trying to solve the glitches in the process. What exactly are the problems?

Basically, the website needs more server capacity to improve efficiency and design changes as well. Joanne Peters, a spokeswoman for the DHHS says,"We can do better and we are working around the clock to do so."

The government is making software and hardware changes to smooth the process of creating accounts needed to gain access to the marketplace, federal officials said.

The website is troubled by coding problems and flaws in the architecture of the system, according to insurance-industry advisers, technical experts and people close to the development of the marketplace.

Among the technical problems thwarting consumers, according to some of those people, is the system to confirm the identities of enrollees. Troubles in the system are causing crashes as users try to create accounts, the first step before they can apply for coverage.

Experian EXPN.LN +0.35% PLC, an information-services firm, holds a federal subcontract to support that system. The company declined to comment.

Information technology experts who examined the healthcare.gov website at the request of The Wall Street Journal said the site appeared to be built on a sloppy software foundation. Such a hastily constructed website may not have been able to withstand the online demand last week, they said.

Engineers at Web-hosting company Media Temple Inc. found a glut of stray software code that served no purpose they could identify. They also said basic Web-efficiency techniques weren't used, such as saving parts of the website that change infrequently so they can be loaded more quickly. Those factors clog the website's plumbing, Media Temple said.

The identity-checking foul-ups are also triggering problems for state-run exchanges, which rely on the federal system. The problem caused delays last week for users of MNsure, Minnesota's exchange, as they waited for federal confirmation to create their accounts, said April Todd-Malmlov, MNsure's executive director. She said the issue in her state was largely resolved by Friday.

Administration officials, who reported nearly nine million unique visitors to the federally run exchange as of Friday night, said the system underwent maintenance over the weekend.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304441404579119740283413018.html

Are You A New Web Developer That Would Appreciate Some Great Advice?

                                               smashingmagazine.com

Tony Patton, a seasoned web developer has taken the time to share advice to junior developers that will definitely give a great foundation to their careers.

1: Develop a broad level of expertise

There are often numerous ways to solve programming dilemmas; this includes solving a problem within one language or using other languages and/or technologies. A broad range of experience with languages and technologies gives you a better perspective when facing new projects and situations.

Many years ago, I had an internship where I worked extensively with Lotus Notes/Domino, OS/2, and DB/2. While some of these technologies are no longer with us and others only have a faint pulse, working with them was a major shift from my days in school working with C, Pascal, and other traditional languages. Later I moved into this new thing called the World Wide Web, along with Java and Microsoft .NET and SQL Server much later.

I think working with such varied technologies early gave me a good foundation for thinking outside of the box (we did things with Domino that was well outside its defined scope). Furthermore, diving into the Internet waters early and jumping into Java gave me a great perspective for working with Microsoft .NET (specifically the Java knockoff C#) much later.

To sum it up, I advise new developers to work with multiple platforms. For instance, C# developers should get familiar with truly open source alternatives like PHP or Ruby, and web developers should get to know more than just one JavaScript framework like jQuery -- they should get to know MooTools, Prototype, and more. Another consideration is that doing consultant work often means working within the client's environment and technologies, so the ability to dive into new (or new to you) technologies is a must.

2: Do application support work

Developers often provide support for their own solutions, but what about supporting third-party applications or apps created by other developers? I worked as a developer for many years before I shifted gears and joined and eventually led an application support team within a large company. One of the biggest challenges of supporting a random collection of applications (which included custom and off-the-shelf solutions) was interfacing with development teams. It was an eye-opening experience; I knew QA groups and development often collide, but the animosity between support and development is on the same level.

From a development perspective, a positive aspect of playing the application support role is the chance to gain insight into development mistakes and how to (hopefully) avoid them. Also, supporting an application often leads to direct interaction with users (depending on the type of support provided) as well as using the application, so it provides the opportunity to learn how applications are used and common development mistakes with user interaction.

After a few years I returned to development, but my stint with support made me a better developer. Based on that experience, I encourage developers to spend time in application support with applications they did not develop, or at least support the applications they roll out. Get ready to have your eyes opened.

3: Work on your interpersonal skills

A common stereotype for programmers/developers and all IT pros is that they lack people skills, and TV shows like The Big Bang Theory propagate this nerd phenomenon. When I worked at a consulting company, I observed why there is this stereotype -- some developers were never put in front of clients because of their inability to communicate.

It is imperative to be able to properly communicate, especially when you have a great idea or do consulting or application support work. Personal connections via networking are also valuable for getting work and advancing your career.

Developing people skills is not easy, but I tell young developers to work at it -- take the initiative to speak to others, join user groups, take classes on public speaking, and polish their written communication skills. (Read: Geeks and communication skills)

More advice for new developers

/A good suggestion mentioned during my chat with IT veterans was to never stop learning (which goes along with not pigeonholing yourself with just one technology). Another great point was to get involved with open source projects, because some companies will not hire a developer who isn't active within the open source community. The suggestion to change jobs early in your career to get a feel for different environments and cultures is also sound advice. A hot topic of discussion was learning how to navigate office politics, but this quickly turned into a rant, so I decided to leave it off my list; plus, it can be included in my recommendation to develop interpersonal skills.

You may be shaking your head in consternation or loudly agreeing with everything I suggest. What advice would you give a person embarking on a career in application development?

 http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/software-engineer/the-top-three-tips-for-new-developers/

Do You Need Advice in Designing a Successful Mobile Friendly Site?

                                              konnecingu.com

If you are a website developer or work with web developers then you know the big talk in the office is responsive sites for mobile devices.  You may need some help in this process and here are some tips that will get you on the right track.

Here are 10 tips that may help you.




1. Be Concise

What is your goal behind designing a mobile website? That is fetching users when they need as quickly as possible, with least possible swipes, taps, and attention required. If you find a screen that can be removed, remove it – there must be nothing extra in a mobile site.


2. Keep it simple as ABC

As a developer, designer, or a website owner, you should not forget that simplicity is an implicit requirement for a mobile-friendly website. To retain the friendliness in your mobile site, you must avoid too much content. Usability aspects of the mobile website also require a simplified method to design, layout, and navigation. It’salways a good idea to keep file size and load times down.

Your visitors will run away if you place too much information on one screen page. You must plan something for the interface and navigation so that any visitor can easily walk through the pages of your site, without any pressure on attention.


3. Practice Responsive Web Design

Checking your website in a few web browsers and launching no longer do the job. You need to follow a well-rounded method and optimize your site for a vast landscape of desktop and mobile browsers.

Utilizing the cutting-edge techniques such as HTML5, CSS3, and web fonts will result in a successful mobile site that can be accessed on any mobile device.

4. Define the Context

You need to define what is necessary in your business that must be first popped up when people visit your site in their mobile devices. You don’t take the same actions on your mobile device as on the desktop when browsing a site; therefore, you have to be careful when choosing features and content for your website.

You need to think from the visitors’ point of view and understand what they’ll look for. It can be a feature of direct communication between you and visitors, such as a click-to-call, a phone number, a feature of online booking, etc. Besides, you should avoid lengthy bios and omit content load on a mobile version.


5. Structuralize the things

If you have a lot of information to be presented your mobile site, organize the things in a digestible way, i.e., a collapsible navigation. A single single-column structure eases the navigation and eliminates the glitches.

6. Keep it short

Typing is often painful in the world of tablets and smartphones. Hence, you shouldn’t allow too much text input for users. Requisites like sign up form should be kept short as more number of fields reduces user satisfaction and interest.

7. Make it interactive

A mobile site has to be interactive, especially when a user takes any action while browsing through the site. For example, a button must change visually when a person clicks, as it indicates that something is in progress.

For example, iPhone turns white-colored link into fully blue when you click on a particular link. This visual feedback is common to most people and you’d be advised to make the most of it.

8. Define your brand

When you are putting all the things into consideration, you shouldn’t forget defining your brand. Make sure your brand is instantly recognizable when you showcase it with logo, colors and style. There’s always a way of wisely using them into the design, without messing up usability.

9. Don’t mess up

Don’t make your mobile site fuzzy, instead keep it clear. You might want to redirect visitors to the full version in case the full information is needed.

10. Ensure Mobile Compatibility

Test your mobile website with various mobile devices, including tablets and smartphones, on various operating systems and screen resolutions. You can also take a help of web-based emulators to test your mobile site.

If you take on all, or even most, of these rules of thumb you’ll make design for mobile quite easier on yourself.

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Read more athttp://www.searchenginejournal.com/10-rules-thumb-design-successful-mobile-friendly-website/68512/#cx9JbzUCTKLyimQ7.99