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Download Microsoft Visual Studio 2010, Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Windows Server 2008, and other Developer Tools for Free

Since 2016, Microsoft had succeeded Dream Spark program with Microsoft Imagine. Some content in this post may have become obsolete. Find out more detailed information about the eligibility to download Microsoft’s software for free at the Microsoft Imagine website.

Title above can be misleading but it is actually a valid offer from Microsoft. The software company has been offering developer tools that consist of Microsoft Visual Studio, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Expression Studio, XNA Game Studio, Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio, Microsoft Virtual PC, Microsoft Multipoint, Windows Server, and Windows Phone, all for free. Some software also comes with various versions that developers can pick and download. The options for Microsoft Visual Studio, for example, include Microsoft Visual Studio 2010, Microsoft Visual Studio 2008, Microsoft Visual Studio 2005, and some express editions of the language-specific versions of the IDE like Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition, Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Express Edition, and Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Express Edition.
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Useful Zend Framework Resources for Developers, Users, and Enthusiasts

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As I heard that Zend Framework 2.0 is on the way to the public release, I became curious to know how the framework had been evolving during the recent releases. I started to fiddle with Zend Framework again but also realized that I should update my comprehension and knowledge about the framework. It has been a while since I wrote a complex ZF-based application for the last time. I feel it is necessary to collect more information about framework; manual, technical notes, tutorials, case studies, people, communities, and so forth so that I can upgrade my knowledge and get back on the track again. I found a good compilation by Robert Basic that actually covers almost all things in my list. Still, I consider that providing an alternative list is far from being counterproductive. Instead, the information redundancy can be good especially when the lists complement each other.

Below, I categorize useful resources one can use to learn about Zend Framework. If you have suggestions about other resources to add, feel free to drop a comment and I will add it into the list.
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Samsung Galaxy, New Android Phone to Compete in the Smartphone Market

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In World IT Show 2010 held at COEX, Seoul from May 25 to 28, 2010, Samsung also introduced its new Android smartphone named Galaxy A to Korean public. The product code name is SHW-M100S and the version is the equivalent of its sister Galaxy S which is to be sold outside Korea. Galaxy A is equipped with 720 MHz CPU and 3.7 inch WVGA AMOLED touch screen.

The above figure shows a photo capture of the smartphone. On the right side is the explanation of the features of the smartphone in Korean which is translated below:

Android OS 2.1
Improved responsiveness with touch screen
Android market
Convenient progressive UI (total user control of installed widget)
Android and Samsung-social hub widget
Personalized background settings
WVGA AMOLED screen
DivX player installed
Terrestrial DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting)
External memory slot (8GB memory offered)

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World IT Show 2010: Towards The Era of 3D Media and Eco-Friendly Gadgets

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From last May 25 to 28, a big annual event named World IT Show took place at COEX, Seoul. Even though most of the exhibitors in this event were Korean companies, it still retained the claim of a world-class event given that some participating exhibitors were big global enterprises like Samsung, LG, and SK. I happened to spare some time to visit the exhibition on the last day and would like to share some opinions based on my findings.

These recent years, Korea has evolved into a country where some cutting-edge technologies are invented along with other technological innovations and breakthroughs. Only within few decades, we have seen the growth both in size and capital of Korean companies. Samsung Electronics, for example, has been known as the world’s largest LCD monitor panel manufacturer. At the same time, Samsung is also known to be the world’s second largest cellular phone manufacturer according to Gartner, trailing only after Nokia. Other Korean companies also try to secure the competition in technology products or at least to gain some market share. LG, for example, has been known as a competitor for Samsung in the consumer electronics segments. It manufactures LCD panels, cell phones, and other electronic devices. In Korea alone, LG is also known as one of the telco providers, bundling their manufactured cellular phones with the telecommunication network services. SK could be a less familiar brand of an electronic device vendor to the global consumers, but its business is also sprawling over various sectors, including telecommunication, petrochemicals, engineering, IT consulting, and energy.
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Google’s Pacman Doodle and the New Era of Interactive HTML

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For the first time, Google put interactive doodle on the homepage. The doodle is the reinterpretation of the popular Pacman game created back in 1980. The interactive doodle will be on the Google homepage for 48 hours, starting from May 21st to May 22nd, 2010. According to the news released by the company, the doodle was associated with the 30th anniversary of Pacman game which was first launhed to public on May 22nd, 1980.

While you might have enjoyed playing the game, you might also be interested in getting to know why it is now possible to play game on an image. Yep, if you right click on the doodle and save it into a file, you will see an image like one depicted as the following: