I've been installing a lot of different operating systems recently for testing different things, and there's an interesting issue going on with the location of the 'traditional' terminal or command prompt.
I'll admit, I'm a command line junkie after years of first DOS and then Unix. Despite being a complete Mac zealot as well, the first application I start after a browser and email when OS X starts up is either the Terminal or Apple's X Windows System implementation.
But I'm noticing something odd. On Linux and Solaris the 'Terminal' application is often hidden away under the 'System Tools' or 'Administration Tools' part of the menu within whatever interface you choose. I suspect this is because these operating systems have been pushing for the 'standard' (read not power or developer user) who don't want to use a shell to use their OS.
I've been installing a lot of different operating systems recently for testing different things, and there's an interesting issue going on with the location of the 'traditional' terminal or command prompt.
I'll admit, I'm a command line junkie after years of first DOS and then Unix. Despite being a complete Mac zealot as well, the first application I start after a browser and email when OS X starts up is either the Terminal or Apple's X Windows System implementation.
But I'm noticing something odd. On Linux and Solaris the 'Terminal' application is often hidden away under the 'System Tools' or 'Administration Tools' part of the menu within whatever interface you choose. I suspect this is because these operating systems have been pushing for the 'standard' (read not power or developer user) who don't want to use a shell to use their OS.
I have a new series of articles available, this time on using and consuming VoiceXML. VoiceXML is a hugely simplified method of using and working with voice-interactive services, just like those that you might use when calling your bank or other service.
They’ve always sounded difficult to develop for, until I found VoiceXML and services like those offered by Voxeo.
The first article in the series looks at developing a very simple RSS interface. Want to pick up your news by calling a phone line and listening to the headlines picked up direct from an RSS Feed? This is exactly what I show you in this article.
From the intro:
RSS is a hot topic these days, as it provides an easy way to stream data online. This article, the first of a four-part series on developing VoiceXML applications, shows you how to develop a voice-enabled RSS reader. The input to the application is RSS data, and the output is VoiceXML that can be read and spoken by your favorite compatible voice application.
Anyone interested in taking advantage of the many uses of a voice-enabled RSS reader will benefit from reading this article. You will also learn about VoiceXML basics and the RSS XML format, in addition to: