The Bar Hidden Inside an Office Building
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Some places feel strange before you even enter them. Read more
Blog Posts
GitHub And The Social Side Of Code
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Source-code hosting used to feel mainly like infrastructure. A project needed a repository, developers needed access, and version-control history needed a safe place to live. GitHub is turning that practical service into something much more social. Read more
OS X Lion Moves Software Distribution Toward App Stores
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Apple released OS X Lion in July 2011 primarily through the Mac App Store rather than as a boxed DVD. That delivery method was itself a major change: a full desktop operating-system upgrade could now be purchased, downloaded, and installed like ordinary software. Read more
Apple Announces iCloud
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Apple announced iCloud at WWDC in June 2011 as a replacement for MobileMe and as a broader synchronization layer for its devices. The goal was to make data such as contacts, calendars, photos, documents, and purchases follow the user automatically. Read more
Google Introduces Chromebooks
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Google introduced the first commercial Chromebooks in May 2011, with hardware from Samsung and Acer. The machines ran Chrome OS and were designed around a browser-first model rather than the traditional idea of installing desktop applications locally. Read more
Ubuntu Introduces the Unity Desktop by Default
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Ubuntu 11.04 made the Unity desktop interface the default in April 2011. Unity replaced the traditional GNOME 2 desktop layout with a vertical launcher, a global menu, and the Dash interface for finding applications and files. Read more
Firefox Moves to a Faster Release Model
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Mozilla changed Firefox to a rapid release schedule in 2011, moving away from long gaps between major browser versions. Instead of waiting a year or more for a large release, Mozilla planned new versions roughly every six weeks. Read more
IBM Watson Defeats Jeopardy Champions
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IBM’s Watson defeated former Jeopardy! champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter in February 2011. The system had to solve a problem very different from ordinary database lookup: clues often depended on wordplay, ambiguity, culture, and indirect references. Read more
Intel Introduces the Sandy Bridge Architecture
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Intel launched the Sandy Bridge processor family in early 2011, integrating CPU cores, graphics, memory control, and other functions more tightly onto one die. Compared with earlier designs, the integrated graphics engine was no longer a separate chip sitting elsewhere in the package. Read more
The Quiet Value Of Making Backups
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Backups are one of the least exciting parts of using a computer. Nothing new appears when a backup works. There is no faster program, new feature, or beautiful interface. We only create another copy of something we already have. Read more
Google Announces the Chrome Web Store
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Google opened the Chrome Web Store in December 2010 as a distribution system for browser applications, extensions, and themes. It reflected Google’s belief that web applications could become a primary form of software, especially on the emerging Chrome OS platform. Read more
The Kinect Sensor Reaches Consumers
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Microsoft released Kinect for the Xbox 360 in November 2010. The accessory let players control games using body movement rather than a handheld controller and quickly became one of the most widely distributed depth-sensing devices of its era. Read more
Why I Keep Notes While Programming
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When I am deep inside a programming problem, I often believe I will remember everything. I tell myself that the reason for this strange function is obvious. I am sure I will remember why I changed that setting. I think the error message will stay in my mind because I spent three hours fighting it. Read more
Microsoft Launches Windows Phone 7
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Microsoft launched Windows Phone 7 in late 2010 as a complete break from the aging Windows Mobile interface. Instead of trying to shrink the desktop Windows experience onto a phone, Microsoft built a touch-first design around large typography and Live Tiles. Read more
Google Introduces Instant Search
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Google introduced Instant Search in September 2010, updating search results while users were still typing their queries. The feature looked simple, but it changed the performance requirements of an already enormous search system. Read more
Oracle Completes Major Changes Around Java and Sun
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After Oracle completed its acquisition of Sun Microsystems in 2010, developers began seeing what new ownership meant for Java, Solaris, MySQL, and Sun’s open-source projects. Oracle inherited both commercial products and communities that had grown around Sun’s comparatively open development culture. Read more
JavaScript Is Growing Up
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JavaScript once felt like the language used for small tricks inside a web page. Validate a form, open a window, change an image, or make a menu move. The important programming seemed to happen on the server. Read more
Node.js Gains Attention as Server-Side JavaScript
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Node.js was still young in 2010, but developers were rapidly noticing its unusual approach to server programming: JavaScript running outside the browser on Google’s V8 engine with asynchronous, event-driven I/O. Read more
Before Likes Became Likes
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Long before every platform put a heart, thumb, star, flame, clap, or reaction button under everything we wrote, people were already doing the same emotional mathematics. Read more
C Is a Manual Transmission
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Years ago, I tried to explain the difference between C and Java with cars. Read more