- A Flex and ColdFusion Blog by Kevin Schmidt - Everything Else

Steve and the Beanstalk...

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:39:00 -0700

My initial thought when I saw the iPad was that little Stevie Jobs went to the market one day, met a mysterious man who looked a lot like John Scully and traded his black turtleneck for some magic beans and a can of Pepsi. He planted the magic beans, poured out a few drops of the can of Pepsi while saying "para los Newton" and then went to bed. The next morning little Stevie woke up and saw a giant bean stalk stretching toward the Heavens. He decided to climb the stalk and find out what was at the top. Ok, to make a long story short little Stevie stole the iPhone that belonged to the giant, brought it home and then decided to call it the iPad. To me, the iPad sort of seems like Wonkavision in reverse. After Jobs descended Mount Horeb and the dust settled people began to wonder why the Flash Player wasn't on the iPad? This is a very simple issue for me. I'm very libertarian I don't like excessive regulation or being told what I can and can't do. Whether it's by the Government or by a company that I buy a product from. My point is very straight forward. Let me choose whether or not I want to install the Flash Player on the iPhone, iPad, or iWhatTheFuckEver. If it crashes, or it's buggy, or it sucks my battery like a $25 hooker then I won't use it. But let me make that decision. To be honest I think the real reason the Flash Player is not on the iPhone is that AT&T's 3G network that is held together with duct tape and bailing wire couldn't handle the load. Whatever the reason, I don't need Uncle Sam or Uncle Jobs deciding what's best for me or in this case what technology I will use. Being told what to do breeds resentment and ultimately rebellion. Which is probably why I have a MacBook Pro but use an Android based phone. I did have an iPhone but AT&T's phone service stank like three-day-old Thai food vomit. I develop using the Adobe Flash Platform and as I transition into developing apps for mobile devices, I'm working on a top secret one right now, I won't be developing for the iPhone or iPad. I will be developing for devices that are involved in Adobe's Open Screen Project. That's just about every device but the iPhone. I'd rather lose the iPhone users than have Dr. Jobs examine my prostate before allowing my app onto his precious app store. That and I don't want to have to do double the development. Trust me it's not double the pleasure or double the fun. Just double the headache. It's just not feasible for a one man operation. The last thing about the iPad that I don't understand is all the vitriol that has been directed at the Adobe Flash Platform and Adobe in general. I know what it is, it's the same thing with Adobe ColdFusion. Ignorance. One of my favorite sayings is "If ignorance is bliss, this must be Eden." That rings very true today. I have always been of the opinion that people should use the tool that works best for them. For me, it's Adobe ColdFusion and the Adobe Flash Platform. For other developers it may be HTML5 and PHP. That's your choice. I will tell you why I like Adobe ColdFusion and the Adobe Flash Platform, but I won't tell you that PHP or HTML5 is steaming heap of maggot infested donkey shit. However it does seem that there are those who feel that way about Adobe's development platforms. I can't figure this out. Did the Adobe Flash Platform slaughter and disembowel their puppy when they were young? Based on what I've seen on Twitter and blogs, it isn't that the Adobe Flash Platform mutilates innocent young canine's but rather those against it don't fully understand it. With most thinking that Flash is only for obnoxious ads or YouTube videos. If you feel that way, I would suggest you do a little research and try to fully understand what the Adobe Flash Platform is. And while you're at it, do the same with ColdFusion as I'm getting tired of explaining it to you. I will freely admit when I don't know about the capabilities or draw backs of a technology. And I certainly won't say negative things about something I don't fully understand. That makes me look like an idiot, just like those who think that Flash is only about annoying web site intros. Of course there are those, like religious zealots, who will feel they are right now matter what and will do anything, right or wrong, to proselytize the product they love. You know the kind, they think they are going to get 72 virgins when they get to Heaven. But, in the end, to those of us who are normal about things, they just end up looking like they can't wait to get their lips around Steve Jobs' old wrinkly scrotum. In the end this all boils down to a simple concept for me, choice. Let developers and users choose what works best for them. Period.

Drop your iPhone...void your warranty!

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 06:35:00 -0700

I've had an iPhone for about a year. I have close to a month left on the manufacturers warranty. About a month ago, I noticed that the screen was starting to have a white colored burn in the upper left hand corner. I made an appointment and I took it to the local zoo...er I mean Apple store here in Indianapolis. They said that because of the accidental damage caused to the phone from being dropped, they couldn't warranty the phone. I dropped the phone about two months after I purchased it. After mentioning this to the "Genius" behind the counter, he spoke to his manager. Still, no deal. However, while telling me they couldn't replace the phone, they were quick to let me know I could purchase a new one for $199 or if I wanted I could get the new 3G iPhone for $199 as well. At this point, I told said "Genius" to create me a case and I would deal with Apple corporate. He reluctantly did so. Anyone out there had this problem before? Any suggestions?

Special thanks to Ed Sullivan!

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 18:02:00 -0700

Jesus, it's been since September 27th since I wrote anything!?! Well, I've got a few things to say so I'll just get started. From the yesterday's news department, MAX Barcelona was amazing, aside from spending 9 hours crammed into a Northwest Airbus. It was better than MAX Chicago. It wasn't as spread out and certainly had a better feel to it. Next, 360 Flex Atlanta, I'll be speaking on using the ColdFusion 8 Flex Gateways! A great line up of speakers and an all around great conference!

Register today!

And finally, for those of you who remember my bet with Ed Sullivan, well he finally paid up. At the Union Oyster house in downtown Boston over Thanksgiving weekend! Here's my reward and Ed in all his glory! A yummy 2lb. Lobster

Thanks Ed!

Yes, I'm wearing my Peyton Manning jersey in Boston

Community Summit Souvenir

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 09:25:00 -0700

After a painful red eye flight from San Francisco, I've made it back home to Indiana and am starting to feel normal again. I had a great time at the Adobe Community Summit. With everything Adobe is working on, it's a great time to be a developer working with Adobe tools. The future looks bright! I'll save all the explanations for other bloggers. There is however one thing I want to share, my souvenir for the trip. The Tuesday night event was at 300, a bowling alley in San Jose, besides the free food, open bar and all the bowling I could handle, I wanted something to commemorate the evening. Ed Sullivan and I both saw it at the same time. Unfortunately for Ed, I'm bigger than he is, so it was mine! Here it is! A big, huge, Peyton Manning sized thank you goes out to Ed Sullivan and the rest of the Adobe employees who took time out of there busy schedules to keep us in the loop!

Ed Sullivan, proud Colts fan!

Tue, 30 Jan 2007 13:54:00 -0700

Here's Ed Sullivan showing that he knows what winner looks like and isn't too proud to show it off. Living in Boston and wearing a Colts shirt Ed? What'd you do? Lose a bet? I do have to say, it looks good on you Ed! Although, I'd watch out for full beers and batteries flying at your head. I've heard those Patriots fans are nutballs and can sound a bit thugish. Feel free to let Ed know you like his attire! We love you Ed and all the support you give the ColdFusion and Flex User Groups! We hope you survive the drive home, that is if you survive the parking lost.

Upcoming conferences...

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 16:22:00 -0700

I'm speaking at 360Flex and now FlexManiacs. 360Flex is sold out, but you can still sign up for FlexManiacs. My topics are on the nuts and bolts of using drag and drop as well as using the Flex Messaging Gateway in ColdFusion. I'm also speaking at CFUnited that same week on using SMS with ColdFusion. Hopefully you'll be able to make it out to one of these conferences!

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 09:49:00 -0700

I'm sending Ed his shirt today.

My bet with Ed Sullivan...

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 11:19:00 -0700

Ok, so I'm a huge Colts fan and Ed Sullivan, the guy in charge of user groups at Adobe, is a huge Patriots fan. If you follow the NFL you know the Colts are playing the Patriots this Sunday, with the winner advancing to the Super Bowl. I know Peyton Manning and the Colts are going to take care of Tom Brady and Patriots without even breaking a sweat, so I decided to make a little wager with Eddie. If the Colts win I'm sending Ed a Colts AFC Champions shirt to wear around the office. If, by some cosmic miracle the Patriots win, Ed will be sending me a Patriots AFC Champions shirt that I must adorn at my place of employment. The loser must provide photographic evidence of their fashion statement, as well as pick up dinner the next time we run into each other. Good luck Ed, you're gonna need it.