Google Blogger platform seems to be much more responsive than it was a few years back.

Maybe I will come back to it.

It is a very simple and efficient way to blog.

From XML Firewall to API Server

It is very interesting to see the development of Vordel products. More precisely how they are marketing their products.

The "XML Firewall" was like a "Layer 7 Firewall", focusing on the application level.

Then it evolved to XML Gateway, SOA Gateway and now: here is how they define their "API Server": http://www.soatothecloud.com/2012/06/vordel-introduces-api-server.html.

As a side note, I can't resist a little quote against SOAP: http://www.soatothecloud.com/2012/07/what-scales-better-internet-or-esb.html

Identity and Authentification

Where it is going ??

Various organisation are working on the problem and its solutions. They produce specification draft, Use case studies, they try to attract members who are waiting for a solution to emerge.

Main players: OpenID & OAuth

OpenId is divided in two: OpenID 2.0 and OpenID Connect. It may be a real plus when linked with WebID, but is still experimental. The decentralized aspect is nice, but I am not sure if people are really concerned. Depending entirely on Facebook doesn't seem to bother anyone. So OAuth or even a proprietary Facebook protocol may seriously reduce OpenID success.

OpenID is supported by Google, Microsoft (LiveID = OpenID), and the US Governement (http://www.idmanagement.gov/)

OAuth 2.0 (IETF) looks like the most successful protocol. It can be used to login even if it was not its first goal.

OpenID and OAuth have a good adoption, which is critical for being relevant in the Identity space. 

The US "Federal Identity, Credential, and Access Management" (ICAM) validated OpenID 2.0 and SAML 2.0 as Trust Framework. They provide some good documents.

Experiments: WebID & BrowserID

WebID (W3C)

• takes some idea from Microsoft InfoCard abandoned attempt (after the failed Passport attempt)
• Avoid the hierarchical trust model used to authenticate servers
• could moves toward a Web Of Trust, but does not even mention it.
• Looks like it uses RDF to express Trust relationships ?

BrowserID https://browserid.org/ is a Mozilla Labs experiment with the simplified version of the "Verified Email Protocol". It is very simple and web oriented. It doesn't seems to be very successful so far.

Others ??

Usages

Identity in the Cloud (OASIS) is "just" a long and freightening list of use cases. For those who don't see the problem, it is a good read !

JSR 351 is a work in progress "to define API ... that facilitate the use of identity by applications ..." . It will bring standard Java API to well established standards: OAuth, OpenID ... and also annotations to avoid lookups.

Lower barrier to entry eases community engagement ...

... and I experienced at least 3 way JBoss made some good step in this direction:

• Application Server 7 (JBoss AS7) is lightweigth and start in about 2 seconds on an 5 years old laptop
• Wiki are open: you just have to login and you can edit. (and you don't need multiple accounts).
• GitHub makes it easy to submit change request from your browser (my small contribution)

So things evolved from the time where Application Server where heavy beast which needed a strong and long commitment just to step in.

More progress is still possible by reducing the amount of information you have to digest and filter to get things done, but no doubt that some semantic web stuff will cover this need.

In the mean time, you can download JBoss AS7 CR1 (released today): http://www.jboss.org/jbossas/downloads.html

• Launch /bin/standalone.[bat|sh]
• Test the default page:  http://localhost:8080/
• Simple Admin Console: http://localhost:9990/

There are sample applications: 

• Documentation: https://docs.jboss.org/author/display/AS7/Getting+Started+Developing+Applications+Guide
• Source Code: https://github.com/jbossas/quickstart

Give it a shot

 

Trail du Prelenfrey

21km du Trail de Prelenfrey Le Gua 2011: http://www.traildugerbier-prelenfrey.com/test/

Excellente organisation, un peu de boue, pas trop chaud: impec.

Classement: 2h26, soit 33 min derrière le premier.

28/100 en général.

9 /32 de ma catégorie.

La prochaine fois je pars plus vite et je sers bien mes lacets ... j'aurais pu gagner 5 places.

I like O'Reilly newsletter

Always interesting to watch: O'Reilly !
The December newsletter brings some good stuff:

• Column oriented DB: Cassandra The Definitive Guide Eben Hewitt
• SQL (still):  SQL Pocket Guide Third Edition Jonathan Gennick
• Data mining:  Data Analysis with Open Source Tools Philipp K Janert
• Change management: Driving Technical Change Terrence Ryan
• Web:  Pragmatic Guide to JavaScript Christophe Porteneuve
• Web again!  Conversion Optimization Khalid Saleh, Ayat Shukairy. At first I though that it was about data conversion! But it is "The Art and Science of Converting Prospects to Customers". A subject that has recently emerged and a real concern for most web sites!

Also note the Strata "The Business of Data" conference, well in California, a bit too far for me but definitively a key subject.

Web-Based Software Project Portals trends

Good article in Dr. Dobb's : Tools for Teams: A Survey of Web-Based Software Project Portals
It was pointed by the Modeling Languages Blog. Usually the blog is about UML, DSL, MDSD and such. But they personally participated to the study, so ...

It is well written. They take objectivity very seriously. and I would like to highlight some points:

• "project portals would merge or integrate with social networking tools such as LinkedIn and personal life management tools such as Google Calendar." I strongly believe that it will happen. I see many trends to put everything (the code, the IDE ...) on-line and then search, connect and socialize. I wouldn't be surprised if someone came with a catchy name for this trend.
• "we now wonder about the real importance of requirements elicitation and structured development process in the success of a development project". A direct result of Agile : Requirements are managed more efficiently and teams structure their processes to what fit them best.
• "One clear trend in the portals ... was providing a hosted service." It will take some time, but enterprises will realize that their data are more secure and reliable within a well maintained application than behind their dumb firewall.
• "...the portals were built ... to allow ... teams to scale up and ... spread out geographically. We believe this explains why they emphasize asynchronous communication (e.g., bulletin boards) over synchronous (e.g., chat)." I have a mixed feeling about this point. Some believe that teams could be just the temporary collaboration of highly specialized and efficient individuals. I doubt that it really works. Certainly the goal is to remove frontiers for developers. But face to face communication is still crucial for a team.
• they "mainly target agile teams" and "none explicitly encouraged more traditional development processes". Looks like Agile has no competitors, but changing is hard. (By the way listen to all Linda Rising episodes : her voice is perfect for radio.)

The Case for Open MTA Data: Transparency, Savings, and Easier Riding

Interesting article The Case for Open MTA Data: Transparency, Savings, and Easier Riding by Ben Fried on September 23, 2009 in Streets Blog.
I have heard about similar project in France. I hope they will make the information directly available to developers and not shielded behind clunky applications.

MDSD: UML or DSL ?

This blog is a lot about Linux, because I use it as a reminder. I want to remember how I solved some problems or some great applications or short cut.
But it doesn't reflect my main interest that is development, design and creation. My Google Reader Shared post gives a better view of this part.
Also how I shifted my interest from Semantic web to Model Driven Development and DSL.
So I will just notice that I didn't realize how UML and DSL can be antagonist.

Cross platform development with Qt and Netbeans

Two very good tools associated to develop cross platform (Linux, Windows, OS X, mobiles ...) applications in this tutorial on Working with Qt Applications:
NetBeans IDE 6.7 seamlessly integrates Qt Designer for productive C++ development !

Hadopi, Création et Internet.

Encore une série d'article sur Hadopi.
Franchement on aurait mieux à faire, surtout en temps de crise ! Il existe des problèmes plus important, non ? Comme par exemple le retard de la France pour ce qui concerne Internet, les Spam, la vente liée ...

Bref, en vrac : Victoire pour les citoyens européens ! L'amendement 138 de nouveau voté

L'amendement 138/46-135 dispose que l'on ne peut restreindre les droits et libertés fondamentaux des utilisateurs qu'après une décision de l'autorité judiciaire (exception faite des menaces à la sécurité publique, auquel cas la décision peut être postérieure). Cet amendement avait été adopté en septembre dernier par une majorité écrasante au Parlement européen et ensuite approuvé par la Commission européenne malgré les demandes répétées de la part de la Présidence française de le rejeter. Le Conseil de l'Union européenne l'avait finalement rejeté sous la pression du gouvernement français et à la suite de la désinformation de juristes employés par le Conseil sur une prétendue contradiction avec les lois nationales existantes.

Malgré une forte pression pour obtenir un compromis sur la directive cadre du Paquet Télécom la commission ITRE du Parlement européen a de nouveau adopté l'amendement 138/46 par une forte majorité de 40 contre 4. Il faudra s'assurer dans la suite des débats que ce vote sera confirmé en session plénière, mais il s'agit d'un signal fort et évident.

Hadopi pour les nuls : un bon résumé.


Adresse IP : la démonstration de l’UFC-Que Choisir L'association de consommateur (UFC-Que choisir, dont le but est de défendre les consommateurs) a démontré avec le professionnalisme juridique requis huissier, tribunal ... que l'IP n'était pas une preuve suffisante pour identifier un coupable.

Manifestation-contre-hadopi.com

Pour ceux qui ont le temps : des manif partout contre la loi HADOPI.

Voir aussi l'article de la Quadrature du NET :
"Un amendement crucial2 visant à protéger les citoyens de l'Union européenne contre la police privée et la justice parallèle des industries du divertissement (« riposte graduée » instaurée par la loi HADOPI) a été adopté par 88% des eurodéputés lors de la première lecture du paquet télécom, le 24 septembre 2008.

Sous la forte pression de Nicolas Sarkozy dans le cadre de la présidence française de l'UE, le Conseil de l'UE a supprimé cet amendement 138 sans aucune justification"

How to compare a Java Web Framework

Far from being achieved, but at least a major update of How To compare Java Web Framework and the Java Web Framework matrix.