RDBMS? We Don’t Need No Stinking RDBMS!

O’Reilly Radar > Database War Stories #2: bloglines and memeorandum – In the second part of a series, we learn that bloglines and memeorandum rely on flat files, not database systems, to manage the vast amounts of data they are accumulating.  This is pretty interesting and points out somethng that can be easily over looked: use the tools that are right for the job.  If you are designing a system, do it with an open mind and look for the most efficient tools to accomplish your goals.  Don’t shoe horn a project into a specific set of tools just becuase its the flavor of the month or what you know best.

 

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MSFT Releases New Beta of IE 7

Microsoft early Tuesday put live the Beta 2 release of Internet Explorer 7, the company’s new standalone browser for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. A new IE Web site is promoting the beta, which Microsoft is targeting at both enthusiasts and the general public.IE7 Beta 2 follows a preview release in January and a layout-complete build that debuted at MIX 06 in March. Margaret Cobb, IE Group Product Manger, told BetaNews that although there have been many noticeable changes since MIX, Beta 2 brings improved compatibility and a far more reliable browsing experience.

BetaNews | Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Released

You can download the beta here.  It installs over IE 6, but users can revert to the 6 if 7 isn’t cutting it. 

 

 

links for 2006-04-25

Does eLangdell = Textbender?

Textbender is a distributed system of collaborative writing, with a basis in genetic theory. As a distributed system, it differs from the typical centralized approach (e.g. of a Wiki) where writers push contributions to a single, central copy of the text. By contrast, textbender has no central copy; instead, each writer has a separate copy of the text, and selectively pulls contributions from other writers. As a consequence, there are multiple variations of the text. Collectively, the text has spatial diversity.

freshmeat.net: Project details for textbender

This is crazy:)  From a quick look Textbender seems to have a lot of the authoring features that I’m looking to build into eLangdell.  Basically it lets you take an existing document, slice, dice splice, and create your own version.  Further you can include pieces of other documents in the repository.  I’ll need to run the code to see how it works. 

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Online Courses Required in Michigan. What About Law Schools?

This morning Jennifer M. Granholm, the governor of Michigan, signed a bill that will require all high-school students in the state to take at least one course online before they can graduate. This is apparently the first such requirement in the nation.

The Chronicle: Wired Campus Blog: Michigan Requires Online Attendance

The thinking behind this is that students are likely to see online education and traing in college and the workforce so this prepare them for that eventuality.  This is a reasonable assumption as the use of online educational resources spreads.  What I wonder about is law schools.  In the nearly 4 years since the ABA added standards for distance education (approved August 2002) very few schools have added DE courses to their cirriculum.  Why doesn’t every ABA accredited law have at least one course offered using DE?  I can think of any reason beyond some sort of academic inertia.  Certainly every law school, especially every CALI member school, has the tools available to put one 2 or 3 credit, upper level course online and offer it to their own students.   Of  course it may be that all this is happening in a space I don’t see.

 

links for 2006-04-20