Oswco: The Open SoftWare Company

HTML5, Up and Running Isbn:978-0-596-80602-6 © 2010 Google Press, O'Reilly Media, Inc., 1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopal, CA. 95472 Author: Mark Pilgrim Cover Price Us $29.99 205 pages

I recieved a free copy of this book from O'Reilly/Mark Pilgrim to review as part of the D-Zone review team.

Mark Pilgrim is a developer advocate at Google. His web site is http://diveintomark.org .

I have spent the last several months reading about (as opposed to coding) HTML, CSS Javascript and Jquery, as part of my learning process. While I get many of the concepts presented by these technologies, I found I needed to take some time out to really study the topics. This book is aimed at those with programming and HTML, Javascript and CSS experience.

Although HTML5/CSS3 are very new, one of my interests is in creating mobile web-apps. It has become quite clear that Mobile Web will be a superior development environment going forward for the vast bulk of applications needs. A major advantage of web-apps contrasted with native-appscourse that they are really the write once run on any device solution. Coincidentally, since most Mobile browsers are Web-kit based, there is a fair amount of HTML5 goodness and consistency in that environment.

I was extremely impressed by this book. At first I was a bit puzzled by the long, but very well written coverage of the history of HTML standards. Mark uses this history to cleverly present the evolution of the standards themselves. This explains why in many cases the new standards can be employed today with little problem of reverse compatibility with older browsers.

Some reviewers have been critical of the book for lack of depth or too much history. I disagree and I found the history helpful. History provides the all important context for why things work the way they do. As far as depth, some browsers and or features are simply specs or tags without differential implementation as. This prevents some elements from being discribed in as much depth as some might like but it represents the real world. It is not a fault of the book, but rather the fault of the current state of the specification. Some areas of the HTML5 spec are simply left for implementation decisions, and do not have "standards" declared. The book does a good job of defining the current state, but this will rapidly become out of date as browser updates are released. Naturally, we will need to check the web for the up-to-date info.

The book solidified many concepts for me across HTML, CSS and Javascript even as used in the current and older standards. It does not however cover CSS3 in any way.

Each HTML5 enhancement is presented with extensive instructions for what can be done to support backwards compatibility. The chapters are as follows with my notations of the topics covered.

• Preface
• How did we get here? The historical bacground provides great understanding for immediate use and backwards compatibility.
• Detecting HTML5 Features; best practices for testing browser support and in some cases providing it.
• What Does It All Mean? An example page of markup enhancement, which maintains backward compatibility.
• Let’s Call It a Draw(ing Surface) Canvas and What You can do with It
• Video on the Web: A good overview of the current standards and issues and what to do for the future.
• You Are Here (And So Is Everybody Else); Geolocation.
• The Past, Present, and Future of Local Storage: Overview of the past and future of Browser storage
• Let’s Take This Offline: How to plan for off-line usage of your web-app
• A Form of Madness: New forms tags and capabilities.
• “Distributed,” “Extensibility,” And Other Fancy Words: Interesting discussion of microformats.
• The All-In-One Almost-Alphabetical Guide to Detecting Everything

The bottom line: If you are going to get only one book on HTML5 this would be at the head of the list. Further, if you want to better understand current and historical HTML, this book is a big help with its' clear explanations. The book will help you understand the older standards, compatibility issues, and solutions. Mark writes very clearly and this book is a pleasure to read, which is not true of many tech books.

Mark can also be found on Twitter @diveintomark

Iron Python is a Microsoft supported version of Python, particularly of interest to Microsoft based shops. It too is open Source and interacts well with the Microsoft .net and asp architectures. It runs on the Microsoft CLR. Another example of how the open source tool sets can enrich any computing environment.

Review: Iron Python In Action Isbn:1-933988-33-9 © 2009 Manning Publications Co. Sound View Ct. Greenwich Ct. 06830 Authors: Michael J. Foord & Christian Muirhead Cover Price Us $44.99 464 pages

I got a free copy of this book to review from "D-Zone".

This book is aimed at all levels and can serve as an excellent introduction to the Python programming language and environment. In fact, since I am still in the early stages of learning, I found the first few chapters helpful and well laid out. The book builds in a clear and well thought out way, going from basic concepts to more advanced ones.

I am somewhat of a newcomer to Python with limited exposure to modern dynamic languages, but I do have 30+ years in most computer disciplines mainly in large scale systems development and management.

That said, this book fulfilled the need that I have when learning new language environments to have things explained in many ways. Python is such a huge encompassing eco-system that is hard to catch up with people who have been at it for a while, particularly when they bring backgrounds in other modern system development environments such as PHP, Java and/or Ruby.

Although I really came to Python to escape Microsoft's clutches, I was surprised to find this book to be a well done summary of many of the useful features of Python in modern systems development. While the book does concentrate on Iron Python and the associated Microsoft libraries and tools, CLR, C++, .Net and ASP, it presents an extremely fair and balanced view of the ins and outs, and also the ups and downs of using these tools. The book carefully explains that some aspects of implementation are not quite up to snuff as other areas that are, which gives considerable credibility to the book and it's authors.

More importantly for me, the book also explained the use of Microsoft tools and contrasted that with more conventional Python practice. I was somewhat surprised not to see any reference to Microsoft's Web server (IIS), also the database examples were done using Postgre SQL rather than MSQL. This does serve to show that Iron Python can interact with other open source tools, and is not just restricted to Microsoft platforms.

The book tends to have more of a desktop applications focus, and somewhat limited Web focused material, which might be expected from a developer of the Python based Spreadsheet product "Resolver-one". Then again a line has to be drawn somewhere or you end up at 1700 pages or more and still not cover everything! There is excellent coverage of WPF (Windows Presentation Framework), the official graphical interface, and WMI (Windows Management Interface for system administration) and Power Shell. Most of the differences between Python and Iron Python relate to the use of CLR on the host system. I am left wondering about some Web differences.. That said, there is thorough coverage of Silverlight. The book also provides an excellent section on testing, which is applicable across Python domains. The author is one of the contributors to some of the Python testing tools. The principal author Michael J. Foord also maintains an excellent web site and is active on twitter.

There are other methods of operating on Windows Platforms, and accessing Windows services. I personally use plain old CPython on Windows. I prefer the completely transportable code and environment it provides. But for some Microsoft centric shops, it is good to have Iron Python available and positive that there is a good guide, such as this book, on it's use.

In summary perhaps the best thing I can say about Iron Python in Action is that it is not just a good Iron Python book but it is a good Python book, period. The testing chapter may be worth the price of the book. I'd recommend the book highly even if Microsoft is not your thing.. It is an excellent and very accessible Python book.

Thanks to all of those who visited the OSWCO booth at the Bank Administration Institute Retail Delivery Show in November 2009 in Boston. Along with Eldarion, our implementation partner, we introduced several Open Source Software solutions, including our new Teller application (demo here) to the financial industry.

Other industries have embraced Open Source software tools like Python, Django and Pinax to rapidly develop vertical and horizontal applications.

The finance industry has been slow to adopt Open Source, in spite of the higher functionality and clear cost advantages of doing so. OSWCO is the catalyst for Open Source use in the financial industry, introducing and providing quality commercial support, the missing "comfort" factor for Open Source.

We showed Pinax and Eldarion implementations of social and project management software as well as some creative uses of social networking for the financial industry. Recently Eldarion introduced TypeWar, an Internet game which has received several million transactions. It provides a test bed to insure the scalability, reliability, and transaction tracking required by financial apps like teller. TRY it! It is fun, and free.

Another example we showed was a site developed for a Singapore bank (OCBC) who is sponsoring an international bike race, and utilizing innovative social networking to promote the race and the bank's tie-in.

We also explored developing custom apps for both financial institutions and with a number of vendors who were interested in leveraging our ability to implement complex systems in 1/10th of the time and cost than older proprietary methods for complex document and knowledge management requirements.

Unlike the other offerings at the show, this software is FREE. Go to to Pinax or Django and download and install the programs on your own (for more technical users-you know who you are) for project management, social sites and knowledge management. We stand ready to help you really exploit the advantages of this new fast development capability.

We look forward to chatting with you when you have a need for fast, innovative software development.

As I look around I don't see a lot of great basic introduction to the world of Django and Pinax. Certainly both projects and sites have excellent documentation, in fact that is one of the great strengths of the frameworks. My sense however is that there is still a lack of good overview material for the semi technical manager trying to get up to speed on what "it" is and why "it" is so important.

It is in that spirit that I put the following slideshow together. Feel free to take it and modify it for your own uses. I would appreciate comments (and I don't mind harsh criticism) and feedback as to how to improve it or make additional material available.

There is additional material on this page, which includes a nice presentation from Daniel Greenfeld, prepared for managers at NASA. I plan to keep collecting material that can be used to help promote the community and it's tools. so please help out in the comments.

The Banking industry is undergoing revolutionary change. Not surprisingly, the teller channel is at the heart of that change.

Teller transaction volumes have continued to decrease due to electronic channels such as internet banking and ATM’s. However, teller has not decreased in importance. In fact, teller has increased in importance. The teller is the key differentiator between your financial institution and the thousands of banks that are available via phone or internet. The branch is emerging as a sales and service hub allowing your financial institution to project a physical presence and personal connection with clients that “Internet Bank” cannot match.

At the same time, technology has improved at a rapid pace. Wide Area Networks, Browser capabilities, and Collaborative tools have emerged. Also, the teller workforce has become internet savvy allowing for faster and easier digestion of applications that resemble standard internet interactions. More, including real on-line operation system demo Here. A screen cast with a full run through is available Here.

The Banking Software vendor community has largely abandoned development for the teller channel as a dead end channel. Innovation has slowed and in many cases, simply stopped. BOSS teller has emerged to take this "rubic’s cube” of issues and craft a simpler, flexible, modern, low cost teller system that radically reduces the cost of acquisition and total cost of ownership.

BOSS Teller, an OSWCO product begins by leveraging Open Software Systems instead of older proprietary systems. Technological advancements allow a new teller system to participate in collaborative applications which leverage intranet/intranet functions. These include exception handling, communications, and common areas of interest like locations, rates, policies and procedures, etc.

BOSS Teller’s radically lower cost of development and ease of software distribution allows BOSS Teller to eliminate the up front license fee model of software acquisition. BOSS Teller is not sold but is implemented with a software installation and customization contract and an annual maintenance relationship. Our "no license fee" model allows the client to participate in any way they so choose in software development and maintenance. In fact, BOSS can be distributed and implemented by non-financial institutions including consultants, programming providers, hardware providers, service bureaus or any other business partners. BOSS teller can be implemented as a “home grown” solution, as a vendor collaborative solution or as a turnkey solution.

While presenting a lower total cost of acquisition, BOSS Teller also drastically reduces the total cost of ownership. BOSS Teller leverages new technologies to create a virtual and collaborative teller experience. While the teller is tied to a physical location, the system provides a collaborative solution so that complex transactions and customer service requirements can be provided by any empowered employee supporting the teller line. This approach provides for a much simpler teller process and yields a better customer experience, less errors, and lower training overhead. BOSS Teller provides easy access to network available information like rates, branch locations and more.

BOSS Teller is a partner application, not a stand alone cost center, it is conceived from the ground up to be integrated with other bank applications as desired.

Target, Starbucks and McDonald have new employees handling customer transactions within their first full day of employment. Why? The transactions make sense and the workstations provide a simplified process. BOSS Teller follows the same retail path. BOSS Teller utilizes a streamlined “internet-intranet” user interface to take advantage of an increasingly internet savvy workforce.

The solution also is very feature rich. After having digested the new dynamics of teller in the financial industry today, we are able to better address the focus of teller in 2010 and beyond.

• Continuous development/improvement
• Ease of Use
• Internet Application User Interface
• Collaborative Solutions (chat, voice, video)
• Fraud Prevention and/or Recognition
• Compliance
• ATM
• Business Services
• Cash
• Night Drop Processes
• Customer Services
• Sales and Sales Referrals
• Excessive Use (Inquiries, Trial Balancing, Fee Waivers)
• Image ready

You will find additional information about BOSS and OSWCO in this slide-show.

Clearly, the industry is changing. BOSS Teller has been developed to meet that change with a set of features that matches the role of the teller today using technology available today. All of these capabilities come at a fraction of the cost of the tradition teller channel automation products. We would invite you to try BOSS Teller and collaborate on a way to adapt our teller channel solution to your contemporary teller needs.

About two weeks ago we decided that we needed to take advantage of the opportunity to exhibit at the annual BAI (Bank Administration Institute) Retail Delivery show in Boston (11/3/2009-11/5/2009) even if it was slightly premature. So, we will be in booth 864 across from The Sourcemedia (American Banker) booth.

We have a demo of the BOSS Open Source Teller System Here. The Demo can only access "teller" functions and cannot access Administration, The id is teller and the password is 1. Please let us know what you think by leaving comments on the blog! We will add a demo of both the teller function and Administration via a screencast shortly.

There is lots to do and we are well underway! Our Teller System Demo is being fine tuned, and hooked to this web site. Interestingly, we are testing the demo without an Internet connection so we can do demonstrations at any time. Posters are being created, and then produced and shipped. Getting a booth banner is a high priority and almost completed. We also want to do a screencast of the teller system so we can post that here.

All of our demos and collaborative work sites have been built using Open Source Software. Our teller system is the first to be developed using Open Source Software. Open Source is just emerging as a force in the industry due to its rapid development capabilities and agility. OS will allow OSWCO to market our teller product with more capabilities, but at a fraction of the cost of traditional systems. In fact, we are hoping to market through business partners as well as directly. Our partners will be able to implement our teller system to add value to their relationships with their financial institution customers. Other providers (hardware, software, support, image, etc.) will be able to round out their offerings and increase their revenue opportunities. Everyone wins.

James Tauber, CEO, of Eldarion will also exhibit at the booth. He is the originator of the Pinax project, a rapidly growing open source system based on Django Click links for explanations. He is widely known as a thought leader in the Open Source Software movement. Eldarion, provides commercial support for open source projects. He has recruited some of the best software developers in the world to support him. The relationship between OSWCO and Eldarion insures that no matter how big or complex the project we can produce.

The partnership of Eldarion and OSWCO will change how software and software solutions are developed and brought to market. We are excited about the show and the future.

For further information email us at tom @oswco.com or give us a call at 205-585-0310

Here is a presentation I gave at the Birmingham Wordpress camp. It is intended to help people who don't know where to start.

I could not figure out how to set up Google WebMaster tools and Analytics. It has been a while since I did it last.

The Webmaster tools requires that you place a Meta string (obtained from the Google Webmaster tools section) in the base.html

Analytics (which is a separate area/service from Google) gives you a string like H3-4444444 which you place in the admin section of Mingus. Once done you are set to go. You will have to restart the server to flush the cache.

As we get rolling I'll get a bit better system for segregating some of this very tech note stuff from the larger business issues that will be the main focus of this blog.

But I wanted to express my thanks to Kevin Fricovsky, who created this great blog engine. I have left his demo material in so that you can get a better sense of what the blog can do, and besides I think he put some neat stuff in here. Keeping it in the blog helps me also in looking for examples.

This is a very much enriched version of the original Mingus blog engine .5 all produced by the same author Kevin Fricovsky. He has done a great job of putting together a large group of re-usable applications In Django. It provides a feature rich and extensible blog engine, which also performs very quickly. As near as I can tell we are 1st to have this version in the wild!

I had never seen "markdown" the markup used for the blog posts, which enables rich formatting. So that will take a bit of getting used to. Can't wait to add some more charts and graphs.

Of course, as we were putting this version up Kevin was making more improvements. Fortunately, this version and two development copies are now all under GIT version control so all changes are being tracked and should be very simple to incorporate. I'm still getting the hang of git.

A few notes:

We updated requirements.txt to use latest Django so the latest security patches are there. You can do this by eliminating the ==1.1 and just have Django on that line. We also seemed to have better luck using requirements.txt instead of stable-requirements.txt , not sure why. For Windows users you should comment out the PIL in the requirements,txt file and do and easy_install PIL after the main install is done, this will get the correct version for Windows.

We have also had to eliminate the 10 count for the blogroll in the base.html to get any additional entries to show up there, not sure if it could have been a caching thing but it did not seem so. I had to delete the RSS subscription link in the nav bar as it would not let me put the Feedburner link in there it seemed to only allow an on site url.

Comments seem to be working from Disqus, the twitter link and other blog roll links are working, the e-mail contact us form is working. The RSS links are working for subscribing via RSS, or E-mail (both via feedburner). There are still I'm sure a ton of other features that I'll be uncovering for a while.

This copy is running on Webfaction, with Mod-Wsgi.

The "about" note on this front page up over to the right does not seem to take formatting, raw html or otherwise.

Perhaps due to caching the "converted markup" box on the compose screen at the bottom shows blank?

It seems that my initial install problems were most likely due to flaky Internet connections which missed various packages in strange ways. wit the exceptions mentioned above once the base system came down cleanly and PIL was easy_installed All of Linux, (Ubuntu 9.04, In VMware) Windows Vista-64 and Webfaction are running fine, As well as Skyl got it running on his eee Win XP netbook.

I have been trying to find the easiest most widely useful set of tools usable for developing the widest range of applications. I have only so many hours in the day and only so many days left on earth to spend learning each required tool. It is clear that much of my work will be with the web. But also, some of it is just plain old data crunching and report creation and possibly small one off applications.

This thought pattern originally had me programming using Access and Visual Basic and moving into various aspects of SQL. A great all in one tool set that can do about anything on a smaller scale, but nothing much useful with the web. As I began to look for ways to upgrade from Access I explored the wide range of Microsoft products, in particular the various "free" versions of Visual studio, with MSQL server and the reporting package. There were obvious clinkers and roadblocks which prevent these tools from being used in any meaningful way without buying the whole suite, the roadblocks and licensing issues were just too much of a PITA. I did experiment with a Version of the full MS suite to see if it might be worth laying out the $$ and time to get into. At the same time I was exploring the forums for answers as to how to use and configure the various MS tools I began to be aware of various alternative tools.

At first I figured Open Source meant Linux to start. So I made a detour to pick that up and get my only system at the time configured for dual boot. Boy was I Scared! It worked like a charm. I subsequently learned, the hard way, that much of free source works better on Windows! Those free source guys understand where the installed base is! So I got my tools up and going on Windows xp and now Vista. See my tech blog at http://tombrander.wordpress.com for some gory details of all this!

Specifically I zeroed in on MYSQL and various "freesource" report writers.. With far less effort than buying Microsoft tools, I was able to assemble a working suite with MYSQL, Eclipse and Birt report writer, and Heidi sql for a reasonable admin tool. All free. and if something did not work there were people willing to help in almost real time (often times a real core developer). No more snotty and impossible to find answers in obscure and or pay for MS forums and their ecco-system which has spawned pay for expert sites to answers things which should be readily documented and or provided by mutual help.

So now I had industrial strength tools, completely scalable. And Microsoft was not involved. I was beginning to read Java books ( Birt and Eclipse are primarily Java systems).

I needed to fill out the Tool box... More on that next time. (Python, Django, App-engine, app engine patch and Pinax, and SVN, Mercurial, and GIT).