REST or SOA/Web services - you make the call

Will the entertainment never stop? Duncan Cragg threw down the REST vs. SOA/Web services gauntlet to an imaginary eBay architect in a nine-part virtual dialogue - and Dan Pritchett, the real mccoy, was there to pick it up.

Let the battle of wits begin. Developer mano a mano on scalability, caching issues in huge transactional systems, Web 2.0 interoperability - it's all in there.

If you want to catch Dan in person, he's speaking tonight in San Jose about The eBay Architecture – Striking a balance between site stability, feature velocity, performance and cost.

developers conferences vs. codercons

the balance betweeen traditional developer conferences, unconferences and codercons is shifting, and it will be interesting to see different types of developers attending different types of developer events.

here's an interesting article from CNET that does a nice job of comparing developer events and ecosystem approaches, professional developers and hackers, Microsoft and Yahoo! that I picked up from Adam T:

"In September 2005, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said Yahoo would never compete against tools powerhouse Microsoft in the developer realm.

"Yahoo doesn't think of themselves as a platform company," Gates told CNET News.com at the company's Professional Developers Conference (PDC) in Los Angeles. "I don't think you will ever have the Yahoo PDC."

Chad Dickerson, the senior director of the Yahoo Developer Network, doesn't see it that way at all. Dickerson, who started at the Web company last year, has even used that Bill Gates quote in presentations to demonstrate how Yahoo is changing.

"We are already a platform company," Dickerson said. "There is (cultural change) going on in Yahoo and every company on the Internet."

codercon events: celebrating developer community talent

Yahoo! Hack Day, Google CodeJam, AOL TopCoder Collegiate Challenge ... Om Malik spots an early trend in tech playas promoting and webcasting codercons, a.k.a. marathon coder events where hackers jock for hacking props.

ro will, ro will ... rock you

floating hearts make the magic happen, people.

Yes, even tho this rock you slide show features one of the most horrendous pictures ever captured of me on film (thanks, alan), the others must be shared. good times at the burro.

we'll miss you, Ro and thanks for forgiving me that time I called you Roy. But Rock YOU for leaving us!

halloween for SF kids

we have been on a grand tour of halloween fun for the toddler set in san francisco. mommy and daughter have been under the weather lately, so these have all been abbreviated stops = get in and get out quickly.

those of you locally probably know of our neighborhood's famous halloween in the castro celebration. but after we had blythe, we knew we had to strike out in search of different fare. all events will be evaluated on the scientific pumpkin rating scale, with 1 pumpkin being "i dressed up in a costume for this?!" to a 5 pumpkin rating being Half Moon Pumpkin Huge Fun.

A week ago Saturday was the noe valley harvest festival: craft booths lined 24th street with a kickin' funk band, and costume contests for kids and, of course in noe valley, dogs. 4 pumpkins.

Then, a week ago Sunday was the goblin jamboree at the childrens discovery museum in sausalito. $12 per person (that's $36 for a family of free) and the place was crazed. too busy, but cool train ride and pony rides. 2.5 pumpkins.

Finally, this past Saturday we headed up to the randall museum halloween fest. scary face painting, pumpkin carving, day of the dead skull making - big on the crafts and the games. we missed the costume parade, but we had a good time, just like at bug day. i give it 3.5 pumpkins.

Halloween update: trick or treating is a great way to meet your neighbors. don't pile your kids in the minivan and ship them to the "cool" neighborhood. oh, but go early so you don't get caught in crossfire. just kidding. sort of.

and here's blythe in her costume at the goblin jamboree, that traveled out from the UK from uncle gary and auntie michelle in david's suitcase. have you ever seen a sweeter fairy?