Latest Posts - Page 141 of 208

January 18, 2019January 6, 2019 Free and Low Cost Tools

Conference Solutions – Free and Low Cost Tools

The number of conference solutions available out there can be overwhelming. A large number of them are free or close enough that it can make deciding on a solution a difficult task. Thus, we want to look at the well-known and well-supported solutions that fit our price range as well as the features we should look for in an application. Even if you only need to use conference solutions a time or two a quarter, this list will help you find a platform that matches your needs. Amazon Chime Among the AWS services is a conference call solution called Chime. This has a thirty-day free trial as well as a free option where all members pay call fees. It is... Read more

January 16, 2019January 5, 2019 Patterns of Software Design

Software Design – The Mediator Pattern

We spend this episode looking at the mediator pattern. This is a pattern that provides a great deal of flexibility. However, it is not used as often as it should be. The implementation does not always lend itself to a mediator. Instead, the design needs to be thought through enough to create one. The Mediator Pattern Defined As always, we will start with the “Gang of Four” intent to set the stage for our discussion. “Define an object that encapsulates how a set of objects interact. Mediator promotes loose coupling by keeping objects from referring to each other explicitly, and it lets you vary their interaction independently.” It may be most comfortable to think of the mediator as a pattern that creates... Read more

January 14, 2019January 5, 2019 A Summary Of Amazon Services

AWS Services – New Since We Started and Looking Ahead

We started this series on AWS services in the late 3rd quarter of 2018. As we start in 2019, there are over a dozen new AWS services that have come online during that time. Although we have covered a few of these in an overview with one of the groups due to the timing of their release, most of these are yet to be looked at. AWS Services March On The good and bad news about these offerings from Amazon is that they do not show any sign of slowing down their advance. There are new services, and even new groups created every quarter. Therefore, you will need to put aside a little time each week or month to check out... Read more

January 11, 2019January 1, 2019 Free and Low Cost Tools

Web Browsers – Free and Low Cost Tools

The Internet has become so pervasive that web browsers are everywhere. It is hard to find anyone that does not at least know how to launch one on their phone or desktop. Of course, there is more to be desired from your browser than merely surfing the web. All of these examples are free, and each has its strengths and weaknesses. If nothing else, here is an excellent way to expand your list of browsers that you use. Chrome This browser is from Google and available almost everywhere. I cannot think of a platform that does not support Chrome, and it is reasonably feature-rich in all of those. One of the best features of Chrome is the developer tools that... Read more

January 9, 2019January 4, 2019 Patterns of Software Design

Software Design – The Iterator Pattern

At long last, we come to my number one pattern. The iterator is one of those software concepts that you come across and do not know how you managed before you learned it. Maybe it is just my frequent need to work through a collection of objects, but I think this is one of the most fundamental behavioral patterns you can master. The Iterator Pattern Defined As always, we will start with the “Gang of Four” intent to set the stage for our discussion. “Provide a way to access the elements of an aggregate object sequentially without exposing its underlying representation.” Yes, this is the “while” syntax of software patterns. The goal is to walk through a collection without regard to the underlying... Read more

January 7, 2019January 1, 2019 A Summary Of Amazon Services

AWS Internet of Things Services

One of the latest advances is the Internet of Things. As one would think, this focus on small and connected devices has not been lost on Amazon. They may be one of the most visible adopters of this wave of technology. Thus, it should not be surprising that they have a large number of services to assist you in your IoT strategy. AWS IoT Core The core helps you connect devices to the cloud. This is a quick way to connect your applications to the cloud and exchange data through it. However, it is more than an API and provides a means to message and exchange data much more like a queue system. Amazon FreeRTOS This is an IoT Operating System... Read more