Why Oracle should do something about the Apple fiasco

I very strongly dislike Apple and after this latest stunt even more so. Seriously.

Sometimes, people wonder : why should Oracle do something about the situation when it's pretty obviously Apple's decision that lead to this. So, here I go:

1. Apple has nothing to lose by not supporting Java on OSX. So, they might lose a few thousand (tens of thousands? maybe...) Apple laptop toting java developers. It's a drop in the sea of iPhone, iPad, and iPod sales. So, maybe the same number of devs might not buy the next OSX upgrade - whooptie doo...

2. Oracle owns Java. They have wanted to "own" Java for the longest time, they even bought a whole company (Sun), hardware and all, just to get their grubby hands on it. Now, they own it and when Apple drops the ball, it's now up to Oracle to step up to the plate and show what "owning" the platform really means to them.

I'm sure Adobe would like if Apple produced their own compatible Flash for OSX, but Apple doesn't - Adobe does. Why ? 'Cause they own the platform.

3. Oracle has the most to lose from this development - if Java doesn't run on MacOS, then much of the wonderful cross-platform claims of Java become somewhat gimpy as now Java will not run on a fairly mainstream modern client OS. Not very cool, especially since Java (based on Oracle's own statements) wants to be on the desktop.


From a personal perspective, I could care less about Java on Apple (although I did sign the petition as well). Up until now, I would have recommended it to people acknowledging it being a decent OS. Going forward, despite my dislike for Microsoft, I'd probably just recommend Windows 7. Not that this matters all that much, not too many people ask me.

Finally, why are people are asking Oracle to do something and not Apple ? Really, it makes so much more sense to appeal to the company that caused the problem in the first place. However, as much as Oracle has been sucking in their relationship with the community lately, they are light years away from Apple's blindness and deafness to the needs of their customers when those needs happen to be at odds with the cult leader's ideas (e.g. no flash on iphones yet despite ample evidence that it's a part of a modern web experience, even for the mobile web)

With color and without!

Again a sneak peek in my sketchbook for the my ever so curious readers!





1. This is one of my favorites in today's post! I am planing to redo this one with color ( the new Copic markers, hint, hint ;-) because I think then it will show the true beauty of it! The idea of making it whit pastel tones ( just to a hint of color) and bold gray is very, very appealing indeed!

2. Sometimes the magic just doesn't work the first time but I don't always come back to sketches that don't work for me, this is one of the rare cases. I think the idea was in my head the whole time and probably it was me who wasn't ready to finish it, who knows...But now I like it much, much better!

3. This is my first drawing with the Prismacolor brush markers and I made it like what....3 months ago already?Gosh, I can't believe it took me so long to publish it! :-) Isn't there something Dr.Seussian in it? What do you think?

4. This one I really, really like! The while idea with the eyes, and the trees, the connection, the roots and the guy that's hidden there...it just works for me.

5. This one is very tricky! Does the " planet" thingy try to get away from the small one on the left or is it trying to pull closer? Are they racing, or maybe playing hide and seek?

6.This one holds a lot of emotion and movement for me! Not only because of the "wind", but take a look at it! it's a landscape...and then it isn't. There is something very sad about it...

7. This one has a very funny story! At first I started drawing it vertical, then I moved on to finish it horizontal. I like it this way much better! I think I'm getting attached to the idea of drawing outlandish landscapes. True, it doesn't work every time, but sometimes it does and these are the times that count. :-)

I'll be happy to hear your comments and thoughts! 

How do these make you feel, what do you think when you are looking at them etc.







Annie

Some September sketches!

It's been a while since I showed you the inside of my sketchbook, so here it is again, take a peek! :-)

Again with the number 13, I really can't explain it, I'm sorry! It's definitely subconscious, so I won't even try.

 1. I had to practice making freehand circles, so there you go...Circles.

2. I have been planing to do that in color, maybe now that I got the Copics I can finally get to it:

3. Now this one looks much better in person! The last couple of times taking pictures of the sketches didn't go so well for some reason...

4. I really like this one! I mean...what it looks like in my head I mean. I really hope I can finish it and it won't stay just a simple sketch because in my head it looked great! ;-)

5. This one I drew while talking on the phone. I don't remember who it was with, but it took a loooong time...Probably I was on hold with the insurance or something..:-)

6. Yeah...you all see what this guy represents, so need to talk about him.

7. Have been working on some perspective issues( remember I don't use rulers, so that's actually  pretty tough for an amateur like me)

8. More perspective

9. And some crazy perspective stairs

10. This one I drew when I was mad, and by the time I was finished I calmed down completely! Nice, huh? :-)

11. Aaaah, the Baba Yaga-Chicken-Piano-Fingers thing..( as my daughter says) :-)

12. The eyes of the Blossom LoL

13. Tango

Let me know that you think!

Annie

Apple and Java Devs - enough is enough !

There was a line in the iRobot movie with Will Smith where he says "Somehow 'I told you so' just doesn't cut it..." after the chick in the movie finally saw how her robots actually malfunctioned and tried taking over the world (which Will Smith had been telling her all along).

Anyway, Apple has been on this trajectory for the longest time. Even since MANY years ago Jobs had promised that he would make the mac the best platform for Java developers, a whole bunch of java devs have been lugging macs to conferences trying to look cool and consoling themselves with the thought that "it's actually Unix underneath, and it's pretty, so it's perfect". All that despite that Apple has been dissing them for the longest time - I remember how at first it felt weird when Apple deprecated some quicktime java bindings, then came more and more rare java releases, then it took forever for Java 6 to come out, then the same paranioia moved into iphone, ipad, flash... the list goes on and on..

I do have an appreciation for the fervor with which Mac fans defend their platform of choice. I'm the same with Linux . Sometimes I would jump through some hoops that I probably would not have to go through if I was working in Windows. However, if tomorrow Linus Torvalds ( or some other cult figure in the community who could make that decision) came out and said that Linux is not going to run Java anymore (for some real or imaginary philosophical reason), despite my love for so many of the characteristics and ideas behind Linux, and despite my strong dislike for Windows and Microsoft, I would just switch to Windows. Seriously, I earn my livelihood with and because of Java, and if my OS vendor told me that my OS is not going to support me in earning my living - guess what - I will be switching my OS vendor.

Sure, there will probably be ways to continue to somehow run Java on Macs in the foreseeable future . Sooner or later Oracle probably come up with some Java version that somehow runs on a mac. You could probably run some unofficial build (e.g. from OpenJDK) that kinda works, or maybe you could run a Windows or Linux VirtualBox image and run the Java inside of that. But come on - as a Java developer , how many times does one need to be told that he/she is not wanted and shown the door ?

So, here comes my call for action (of course as a Linux fanboy_:-) ) . I hear that these days Macs run on Intel hardware anyway - whip out that copy of Ubuntu that you always said you'd try and take it out for a spin. Or try Fedora - it's quite decent. Worst case scenario - I've seen my better half use Windows 7 and it seems to be OK ( she doesn't curse it as much as XP ) - it does run Java, and if you've ever dealt with technologies you're already used to some level of hassle.

In need of a title! ( and Copic's)

I usually am very good at thinking of titles for my work, but this one really puzzled me!

It's drawn on a card again, similar to what I did for my husband's birthday. I drew it using the Prismacolor brush tip markers that I've been posting about.

This one really, really touches me! I would change the colors of course, I have only basic colors with the Prismacolor markers, but guess what! I'M GETTING MY FIRST COPIC's TODAY!!!!

I'm so excited I've been waiting for the mail at the door for the past couple of hours. Of course, I'm sure the moment I stop waiting they'll arrive, but that's OK. I'll have the whole evening to try all the magic they can do!



So, what do you think about this one? What colors do you think I should use? Maybe make it a little bit bigger?



Annie

When you have the best teacher what do you do?

"....When you have the best teacher what do you do?

You make her a present and give her a big hug too!..."

It became somewhat a tradition for us to give my son's teachers a wooden pyrographed box with their name ( full of glue sticks ) on the first day of school. I haven't pyrographed anything in almost 3 months and this was a nice little project for me. Anyway, it was done the 1st day of school, but I managed to publish it today, so enjoy!

Here is this year's box, for the amazing Mrs. Harper!

Let's hope my son and his teacher both have a great year ahead of them!



Annie

Friend

My best friend had her birthday at the beginning of September ( just like me!) and here is what I made her for her birthday:

A basket of flowers that I arranged for her

A book that I got her ( I wrapped it in pink tissue paper then with transparent paper on top and I added some perfumed punched out flower confetti in between). The finishing touch was a green ribbon. 

Last but not least was her B-day card, the theme again was pink and green

And this was the poem I wrote for her on the card:

Friend

by Annie Kochneva

If a faithful friend is medicine

I'm always going to be healthy.

If a true friend is bread

I'm never going to starve.

If a trustful friend is water

I'm never going to go thirsty.

If a loving friend is always there

I'll never know loneliness.

But if my friend is all of these,

I'll will know true happiness.

A card? A painting? A carpainting?

This is my first try to work with the Prismacolor markers, it's been waiting to be published 2 months already, so I thought it is time.

This card was made without a previous sketch. Whatever I drew, it just came to me that way while I was working. The card was present for my husband's birthday.







Enjoy,



Annie