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  • in Vaadin
  • 5 min read

Vaadin

Before I started working with IBM's XPages framework in 2009, I was starting to use AJAX calls in web applications and starting to dig into Dojo charting options for an application. So not unsurprisingly, when I started with XPages I blogged quite a bit about Dojo charts and understandably chose to write the Dojo-related chapter and a half of "XPages Extension Library". I also contributed a Dijit Tooltip custom control and an extension to the Dojo Legend component, to allow more sophisticated formatting of the legend.

  • in Servers
  • 4 min read

IBM Websphere Liberty

IBM Websphere Liberty is a widely-used modern lightweight server (less than 70Mb, I have several running on my PC) that allows modern Java EE development with Java 8. The server is free for development and build server, with limited production use (up to 2Gb of JVM heap space across all instances for the organisation). Web applications are deployed as standard web archives, which means it's easy to download and install demos of various frameworks and easy to use Maven. This is something I've fought with when developing OSGi plugins, because Maven is designed to manage and install dependencies be compilation. On the other hand OSGi best practice is to pull them from other plugins, defined in the MANIFEST.MF. At the very least OSGi needs the plugins adding to the classpath in the MANIFEST.MF. Tycho is designed to bridge the gap between what Maven expects and what OSGi expects, but it's not great. So a standard web application, sucking any jar files in via Maven, makes life a lot easier.

  • in Editorial
  • 10 min read

Thoughts on Domino

The key to any relationship is periodically stepping back and appreciating the good points in contrast to the little annoyances that grate, so that you're not distracted by the first pretty young face (or muscular torso, depending on your predilection) that you encounter. When you thinking it might be time to leave the relationship, that is the most crucial (though most difficult) time to evaluate honestly and dispassionately what you have / had. Because if you don't, sooner or later you'll find different annoyances that grate; or you'll find something you took for granted and absolutely needed is missing from your new love; and before you know it that love too will turn sour and you'll be crying into your alcohol bemoaning wasted years and shattered dreams while looking at a bank account that's been wiped out by periodic divorce settlements.

  • 2 min read

Background and Purpose

For the last six years, I have blogged heavily (375 posts in 3 years and nine months, more than one post per week) on Intec's blog. So the question naturally arises why I should choose to start a personal blog, and why now.

  • 2 min read

Welcome to My Blog

About Me

I have been a developer since 2000, primarily with the IBM Domino stack. When IBM introduced XPages, a JSF-based framework, to the stack in 2009 I was one of the early adopters, blogging, training, speaking and eventually co-authoring "XPages Extension Library" by IBM Press in 2012 and acting as technical editor for "Mastering XPages 2nd Edition" by IBM Press in 2014. As a technical evangelist I have been recognised by IBM in their IBM Champion program as an ever-present champion since it's inception for the IBM Collaboration Solutions brand (which includes IBM Domino) in 2011. I've been a committed contributor to open source during that time and I firmly believe in learning through sharing and empowering others. I always try to understand the "why" behind the "what", and help verbalise that for others too. By sharing code I've learned a great deal from other contributors and through feature requests. Since October 2013 I've been a board member of the open source organisation OpenNTF.