HTML5 heading for an early grave?

I was very dismayed when I read this yesterday.

A number of news services have done the rounds since, including this today on Slashdot.

I think it’s all a bit depressing really. So we have another 3-4 years to wait for the final spec to be sorted. Then of course we have to wait for the spec to be implemented (badly) by all the necessary browsers. Of course they are already supporting various bits of it, but their implementations will no doubt change along the way and cause untold numbers of apps to break with them. Then we have to wait for everyone to upgrade their browsers. So what is the real date that HTML5 is go? 2020?

All of a sudden native apps seem kinda appealing and Flash doesn’t seem quite as evil as it used to be. 🙁

Cheers

Tim…

Furies of Calderon…

I was getting a bit of Dresden Files withdrawal, so I decided to give Jim Butcher‘s other series (Codex Alera) a go, starting with Furies of Calderon.

It’s very different to the Dresden Files style. For a start, it’s not in first-person, so you don’t feel like you are in the head of any specific character, but you get a more rounded view of the other characters. Second, there is no magic, although I guess you could call the furies a type of magic. Third, the books are big. Speaking as a born-again-reader, I’m still a bit daunted by large books.

Despite the obvious differences, I really enjoyed it. I will no doubt start on the second book in the series some time today.

Cheers

Tim…

CMOS battery replaced…

My main desktop machine has been playing up a bit recently. When powered down it was sometimes forgetting the date and time settings. I figured it was the CMOS battery, but I couldn’t be bothered to open the case and change it. Anyway, after redoing the CMOS settings far to many times I finally opened it up to see what kind of battery it took. To my delight it was a “CR2032”, which rang a bell as I had bought one recently to put into some kitchen scales. A quick trip down stairs and I “found” a new battery, popped it in and Robert’s your Father’s Brother. 🙂

I would just like to point out that I still believe this event was a sign that I should waste money on some new hardware… 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

Oracle 11gR2 on Oracle Linux 6…

With the arrival of Oracle Linux 6 comes the inevitable installation articles.

The Oracle installation on Oracle Linux 6 is certainly smoother than the recent Fedora installations have been. Even Enterprise Manager works fine with no meddling.

The official 11gR2 installation guide has not been updated to include Oracle Linux 6 and I can’t see any notes on MOS about it, so I’ve essentially followed the installation for Oracle Linux 5 and adjusted where necessary. I’m guessing when the official notes are released they are going to be pretty close to this. I can’t see any certifications against Oracle Linux 6, so I guess I would avoid it for production Oracle installations at the moment.

Cheers

Tim…

True Grit…

I watched the original True Grit (1969) film a few times as a kid, so I wasn’t that bothered about True Grit (2010). Then I saw a bunch of reviews saying it was a reworking from the book, rather than a remake of the original film blah, blah, blah, Coen Brothers, blah, blah, blah…

I’m sure if I watched both films side by side I would say there are a lot of differences and the latest version was a better film, but as it is I came away feeling rather underwhelmed. For the new audience I think it will be pretty cool. For those like me who watched the old version multiple times over the years I just don’t see the appeal. As for Oscar nominations, the girl was good, but Jeff Bridges seemed decidedly average to me.

Must remember, remakes are for a new audience, not miserable old gits…

Cheers

Tim…

ASMLib and OCFS2 for RHEL6? I don’t think so…

I was just scanning through some stuff on MOS when I came across a couple of RHEL6 tidbits.

  • Doc ID 1089399.1: “For RHEL6 Oracle will only provide ASMLib software and updates via Unbreakable Linux Network(ULN). Oracle will no longer provide ASMLib packages for Red Hat kernels.”
  • Doc ID 1253272.1: “Starting with RHEL6, Oracle will provide OCFS2 software via ULN only. ULN requires an Oracle Linux support subscription, even for those customers using OCFS2 just to store database files.”

The OCFS2 thing doesn’t phase me. I only need a cluster file system for a few shared directories when I’m doing RAC and using OCFS2 and RAC together is a disaster, so I never use OCFS2 these days.

The ASMLib issue is a bit more interesting because it is still the recommended approach in the documentation. A recent thread on the OakTable mailing list about ASMLib resulted in most replies saying to avoid ASMLib completely and use udev instead. I don’t mind ASMLib myself, but I guess this is another nail in the ASMLib coffin. I can’t see me bothering to use ASMLib again now.

Cheers

Tim…

Where’s my money gone? Update…

Followers of the blog will know I’ve had a little trouble with Oracle Norway randomly taking money off me for no reason.

Today I got the money refunded, but there was a snag. I was refunded less than the amount that was taken. I’m guessing this has something to do with exchange rates etc. So as it stands I am about £40 out of pocket, which is significantly better than the several thousand pounds I was before.

As you can image, I sent an email off this morning asking for the missing money. Let’s see how quickly that is dealt with.

Cheers

Tim…

Nokia signs its own death warrant?

I’m really not sure what to think about the collaboration between Nokia and Microsoft. Prior to my recent switch to HTC, I’ve always used Nokia phones, so I have a soft spot for the company, but this recent announcement has me in two minds.

My first reaction was this move is a complete disaster for Nokia and a big bonus for Microsoft. Nokia ships a serious amount of phones, so Microsoft will quickly get some impressive numbers, which is great for them, but what do Nokia get out of it? Currently it seems they get a mobile platform that nobody really wants or cares about.

My second reaction was maybe this is the right move for Nokia. Symbian has a lot of the market share at the moment, but it is going down hill very quickly. They need to make a move, but where to go? If they go Android they will be just another manufacturer in the mix. They would be better off than they are now, but could they dominate this market? If they go Windows they could mark themselves out as the dominant force in this market. The other offerings in this space look rather weak. As Windows Phone develops, with Nokia’s help, maybe this could be a very attractive market.

Of course, only time will tell, but I know one thing. As the mobile OS market currently stands, I won’t be buying a Nokia phone running Windows Phone.

Cheers

Tim…