Code Curmudgeon

Lies, Damn Lies, and Predictions

Is it just me, or is anyone else bothered about all the rumors and predictions that seem to dominate the technology news...

I recently added an iPad to my technology arsenal. I’ve been using a MacBook Air for several years now and I really like the...

Did you ever buy something, only to find out that it just wasn’t quite right for you? I don’t mean the usual buyer’s remorse...

For those of you who haven’t been following it (IE people without a smartphone), there has been a little tiff between Apple (AAPL) and...

vulnerability: This is a tricky word, especially in application security or cybersecurity. The simple definition in a software context is that the code has some problem that could be exploited by someone at some point. Some think of it as a piece of code with a proven exploit, IE a static analysis violation with a stack trace and values used. This is a very narrow definition that probably doesn't help improve the state of the art. I prefer the idea that it's code that is exploitable based on the body of knowledge (as encapsulated in software coding standards).
CAN (Controller Area Network): Controller Area Network aka CAN aka CAN Bus is a wiring standard for vehicles that enables communication between various components and devices without having a host computer. For example doors, brakes, transmission.
HTML5: HTML5 is the most recent version of the HTML standard. It is a language used to create web pages. Currently it is a draft standard, but it supported by all major browsers. HTML4 is the current actual standard.
AJAX: Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. It's a set of web technologies that help create interactive web applications.
Flash: Web-based multimedia platform. Used for putting animation, interactivity, and video on web pages.
CPU: The CPU or Central Processing Unit is the key brain of the computer, it's the part where most computation is actually done.