(Reblogged from onefinestaytech)

UberChat.im

So I’ve started working on my business product and am ready to begin taking signups! So visit alpha.uberchat.im to be one of the first to try the new change coming to business and group chat.

Getting node-expat on Windows

Recently I was trying to get the Node.js package simple-xmpp running on Windows. Turns out there are a few things you’re going to need to get one of the dependencies running on Windows. When it tries to install node-expat and run node-gyp rebuild it will fail. You’re going to need Visual Studio dev tools and Python 2.7. Be sure to install Python 2 and not 3 as 3 will also cause it to fail on build. After you’ve installed Python setup an environment variable named Python and point it to python.exe like so:

Python ENV

After that you should be good to go as far as installing node-expat and therefore whatever node-xmpp library you may need that uses it.

Why I Open Sourced Typr

As you probably know if you follow this blog, I recently released my markdown editor for android. It’s in the Play Store for $.99 however you can download the apk from github for free or build it yourself. Mostly you’re paying to not have to keep up with updates if you like. I really love this method of releasing software as it allows for all the openness of open source software while still allowing the developer to make some money. It’s also great for developers who are just getting into android development to see real world application’s code to use as an example. If you’d like to take a look at the source code it’s available at github.com/C0deMaver1ck/Typr.

Typr released to the Play Store

I’ve finally gotten around to releasing Typr to the Play Store despite it’s alpha quality. There are still many bugs in the application. However I’ve released the source code for the app on github.com/C0deMaver1ck/Typr if anybody would like to help improve it. I’d be happy to accept any contributions.

Website: typr.co Play Store: Typr

(Reblogged from nicholascloud)

Android File Dialog

One of the things I have learned about the Android operating system while writing Typr is that while it is supposedly like Java, and provides many built in components that one would likely need for a project, a prominently lacking component is a file chooser dialog such as JFileChooser in Swing. This bothers me greatly. As someone trying to develop an application quickly I do not want to have to implement my own file browser dialog, or file browser for that matter. I should be able to call a prebuilt browser and have it return the chosen file. Well it turns out that is possible by using an Intent to the default file browser application that the user may have. However, the problem with this lies with the fact that the user may not have a file browser application installed at all, in which case you will have to provide them with a built in file browser in order to choose a file or direct them to download a file browser. For most users, being directed to download a separate application just to open a file in your app is going to equal an instant uninstall. But don’t mind me and my ranting. I’ll probably be posting more things I learn.