Monday, February 26, 2007

Open ID in C#?

Is anyone working on a C# (or VB.Net) implementation of Open ID? I know there is a Mono version online written in some obscure language, but to be really useful for the majority of .Net developers, it needs to be in C#.

I am wondering whether we could create a .Net Open ID server at openID.org.

Let me know your thoughts.

Open ID

I've just created a new Open ID account over at Verisign. I intend to add Open ID to the stuff i am working on over at Puzil and have been following it for some time.

My identity is http://livz.pip.verisignlabs.com

What frustrates my a little about all this is that way back in 1998 i spoke with Scottish Enterprise about doing this - at the time they were in bed with Novell who were working on a "Digital Me" product and so i never got anywhere. I also wanted to make it open, secure and trusted - unfortunately they couldn't see how you could make money from it. To me it is obvious that identity is the source of almost everything that is going to happen online in the very near future.

I do have the openID.org domain and my main intention is possibly to build it into Puzil. I'd love to be able to just give it away, but being a lowly developer creating a product it's just not that easy. It is something i know can be useful to me, especially as although most of the companies involved in creating openID will not benefit (financially) from it directly, they will do very well in their individual spin-off companies... which is all i am trying to do.

In Search of the Valley

You can now download this DRM free with some additional segments. This is very cool. What's even more cool is that they offer a very high quality picture and it is actually watchable.

Thursday, February 8, 2007

Prototype Based Design

The most important, yet trickiest part of a software project is the design. Requirements are useful and development gets you producing something, but the design in the middle is where all the parts missing from the requirements are discovered and ensure that the development isn't a waste of time.

In developing Puzil, i have had the opportunity to create a process that works for me. This isn't based on my sole experiences, it is things i have learned over projects through the years. I recently starting using and developing Visio stencils for rapid prototype development which can easily be fired out as a basic functional web site. The place i have found this most useful is at after the technical design stories have been created from your initial requirements document and before you start creating your UML diagrams.

The prototype has been extremely useful in understanding what the software is supposed to do - something that is often overlooked when taking requirements to UML directly as most places tend to do. Sure, wireframes are created on many ocassions, but they're usually so basic as to only get the main points across which are those you already understand anyway!!

Spend some real time creating the prototype. You can use all the design patterns and advanced OO programming techniques you like, but if they don't do the job then whats the point. Let's face it, few users think in terms of powerful computer algorithms and advanved design patterns - they just point, click and expect something predictable to happen. Most places i have been in just do not design properly and instead formalize everything in strict processes rather than useful a simple, dynamic feedback mechanism which a functional prototype gives you.

I'm just pleased i finally found a real use for Visio!

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Pellet 1.4 RC2

Pellet, a reasoner for OWL has just release RC2. It also has a DIG interface that plugs right into Protege and SWOOP.