Jun 7 2013
For the first time ever, our sister web site, AppleScoop.com, will be hosting a LIVE web chat before, during, and after Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference’s keynote this Monday, June 10th starting at 12:45pm Eastern. The chat room will be open to all who are interested, but space is limited.
Senior Editor and writer of this web site, Dan Uff, will be hosting this event.
For more information, click here.
May 20 2013
For those of you who don’t know what Joomla is, you can read about it here.
Joomla makes it easy to change the design of a web site. Gone are the days that webmasters have to sit down and take weeks (or even months) designing and/or redesigning a web site – and yes, I am a webmaster for several web sites and even I am happy with Joomla. So much so, that I use it exclusively with any new (and current web sites).
Changing the look of a site is as easy as changing its template. A Joomla template gives a user a basic web site design. All the webmaster has to do is fill in the blanks with – what is known as – Modules with information.
First, you have to find a template to work with. There are many web sites that offer them for a low price or for free. Just search Google.com or any search engine for the word “Joomla Templates“.
Let’s assume you found a template and are ready to upload and activate it. Follow these steps:
1. Make sure the template file is in a ZIPped file. A lot of them are not and usually you cannot install one ‘as-is’.
2. Login to the administration panel of the Joomla web site.
3. Select Extensions > Extension Manager.
4. The Extension Manager will ask you to upload the file (remember, the ZIP file).
5. Choose “Choose File” and choose the ZIPped template file.
6. Select the “Upload & Install” button.
7. After a moment, the template should be uploaded and activated.
8. That’s it.
Now, to activate the new template, follow these steps:
1. Stay logged in to your Administration Panel.
2. Go to Extensions > Template Manager.
3. Find the newly uploaded template’s name.
4. Make it the Default Template.
5. That’s it. Now go to the user’s end of the web site and the template should be showing along with your content.
* It may be necessary to re-adjust some options on the web site depending on the template.
May 15 2013
Over the past few weeks, I have been getting questions about how I got started blogging and then becoming a news-oriented web site. I thought I’d write about a full how to so that the other readers have a good resource on what to do.
These are my experiences and I am not recommending a particular company.
In 2006, I was frequenting other Apple News web sites. After reading them for sometime, I decided to start my own news web site.
Blogging was new back then, and I really didn’t have a lot of money to start a full-fledged news organization. So I looked for a free blogging host – and I found a few, but went with a familiar company.
Google’s Blogger.com was a good starting point for me. It got me familiar with what a blog was (and wasn’t), how to write, and to look for information and news relating to my blog’s content.
After a year with that (and with information exploding about the new iPhone) I quickly outgrew that service and found another one called WordPress.com. That service offers free (limited) blogging and templates. Currently, WordPress is the #1 blogging platform in the world, and is the one that I am using for all of our news web sites.
WordPress.com also lets you create other blogs (for free or with a fee). As I started to read other news web sites that were not Apple related, I saw a need for content that was easy to read yet understandable. So I started two more news web sites and one programming web site.
Here is what you need to start a blogging (news) web site:
* CHOOSE A THEME:
What kind of blog is this going to be? Personal, news, how to, etc.
* COME UP WITH A GOOD NAME:
Make clear what the topic is going to be on the blog’s heading so a user knows what the topic is right away.
* TIME:
If you’re planning on running a blog yourself (like I am) you need to block out time to search for, and then post articles for your site. I spend on average three to four hours (sometimes more) each day looking for related content. I use resources major news organizations to other related news web sites.
* HAVE GOOD WRITING SKILLS:
No matter what language your blog is in, nobody likes to read gibberish or a long winded article. Get to the point, and use the K.I.S.S. method (Keep It Simple Stupid!)
* KNOW YOUR TOPIC:
When you write an article and post it you will get questions about it. On an average, I can get anywhere from 5 – 20 questions per day about an article.
* KNOW YOUR READERS:
Have a way for them to either interact with you, with other readers, or both.
* DON’T JUST COPY AND PASTE AN ARTICLE:
Due to Copyright laws, if you want to write something about another person’s article, do not just copy and paste it to your blog. Write an overview of it and then include a Hyperlink to the original article so the user can read all of it.
If you follow these simple steps, you can be well on your way to becoming a full-fledged blogger.
Thanks for reading.
May 14 2013
Well, our move is almost complete. We have a new web host (Siteground.com), and a new web site design.
All of our old content is here and in tact 
Please excuse any bumps and bruises that you may see during this time.
Here we go!
May 1 2013
Another six days have gone by, and thus another pre-release beta of the forthcoming 10.8.4 Mountain Lion has been seeded to developers for testing. The new build, 12E40, again lists no new changes or known issues, and asks developers to focus on the same areas as before: graphics, Safari and Wi-Fi performance. While not mentioned in the notes, the upcoming update adds support for the emerging 802.11ac wireless protocol.
Via: MacNN.com / AppleScoop.com
Apr 30 2013
According to our sister web site AppleScoop.com going on a tip from 9to5Mac.com, Apple is said to be redoing its XCode developers environment to be introduced later this year. The update could see a major revamp of the look and its testing tools.
No other information was available.
Apr 10 2013
On March 20th, I showed you how to do basic math in Objective-C. Now let’s take it a step further.
Suppose you need to add 4 numbers, and then divid that by 5. The problem says that you must add the numbers first before dividing them by 5.
A long time ago (when I wrote in BASIC) I learned a technique that even works today. You use the open bracket “(” and close bracket “)” to tell the computer what to calculate first. When that is done, then it will go on to the rest of the problem. Here’s how it works:
int a = 34;
int b = 12;
int c = 56;
int d = 87;
int answer = 0;
answer = (a + b + c + d) / 5;
Let’s break it down:
1. We initialize A – D with numbers for our math problem.
2. Since the answer variable will show the final answer, we initial it with the number zero (0).
3. The answer variable will first add what ever is in-between the brackets (), and then go on to divid that by 5.
The way to show the value of answer depends on your needs. You could use a NSLog statement or a label.
That’s it. Happy coding!
Apr 10 2013
Since its inception, The Programming Assistant (TPA herein) has helped millions of programmers understand how to write programming code such as C, C++, Java, and Obj-C. TPA gets thousands of hits each day, with that number growing.
TPA is expanding its reach in to CMSs (Content Management Services) by providing how to articles on the popular JOOMLA web site creation tool. Joomla helps individuals design, maintain, and develop professional looking web sites via a menu driven Administration tool (called the backend). Our senior writer, Dan Uff, has been working with this application for weeks and has decided to share his dos and don’ts about this creation tool. This application also deals with HTML, CSS, and more.
So, look for articles dealing with the above sometime in the near future.
Apr 4 2013
Now that I outlined what a developer needs to make iOS Apps, I thought I’d do the same thing for Android.
Q: What hardware do I need to develop for Android?
A: Unlike developing for iOS, someone can use almost any type of computer (Linux, Mac, Windows) that has the capability to have at least 1 Gigabyte of RAM.
Q: What about software?
A: Even though their are different environments to program for Android, I like programming in a Graphic Users Interface (GUI). I recommend a program called Eclipse which you can download for free here. But to make it even easier, Google has finally combined everything you need in one convenient archive. For more information, click here.
Q: What language(s) do I need to learn?
A: First, since you use Java to write Android apps, learn that first without even thinking about developing for Android. After that’s done, then you’ll learn how the Android Framework works, and what you have to do to combine the two languages in one. It’s not easy, so take your time and most of all, have fun.
Q: Where can I go for books to learn?
A: As with everything else, I use Amazon.com for all of my books and learning materials. Just click here
Q: When I am ready to upload my app to the public, where do I go?
A: Just go to http://developer.android.com. They have all of the information you’ll need.
With these simple steps, you can be on your way to becoming an Android/Java programmer.
Mar 27 2013
Ever since I started writing iOS apps, I’ve seen other programmers inquire about how they can get started with writing iOS and/or Objective-C apps.
From what I could find, there isn’t a real YES or NO answers to those what seems like basic questions for inquiring minds – until now.
I will tackle the most asked questions that I could find. If you have any others, please feel free to ask them in the comments section below.
Q: What do I need to develop iOS apps?
A: You’ll need a Mac computer. Any recent Mac will do – even the Mac Mini.
Q: Can I develop iOS apps on a Windows computer?
A: No. Developers must use Apple’s development environment – Xcode.
Q: How much is it to become an iOS developer?
A: $99.00 per year, which includes access to all developer’s documentation, libraries, and more.
Q: What books can I get to learn more about Objective-C programming?
A: I use Amazon.com for all of my books. Click here
Q: Are their any free resources to learn Obj-C programming?
A: Yes their are. Search Google.com to find them.
Q: Are there any online resources I can use to learn?
A: Yes. YouTube is a fantastic resource. I also recommend this site as well.
I hope to be expanding the above sometime soon. Please keep those questions coming.
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