Howard Wen

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Howard Wen is a freelance writer who has contributed frequently to O'Reilly Network and written for Salon.com, Playboy.com, and Wired, among others.

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Howard blogs at:
http://radar.oreilly.com
http://strata.oreilly.com

Big ethics for big data

June 11 2012

"Ethics of Big Data" authors Kord Davis and Doug Patterson explore ownership, anonymization, privacy, and ways to evaluate and establish ethical data practices within an organization. read more

Developing cross-platform mobile apps with C#

June 05 2012

Web developer and author Greg Shackles reveals the advantages of using C# over C++ for writing mobile apps. He also explains why Android and iOS developers should give C# a serious look. read more

The rewards of simple code

April 23 2012

Simple code is born from planning, discipline and grinding work. But as author Max Kanat-Alexander notes in this interview, the benefits of simple code are worth the considerable effort it requires. read more

Patterns snap mobile app designs into place

March 30 2012

There's a direct line between a great app experience and a great app design. In this interview, "Mobile Design Pattern Gallery" author Theresa Neil weighs in on app patterns and UI best practices. read more

Business-government ties complicate cyber security

February 06 2012

Is an attack on a U.S. business' network an attack on the U.S. itself? "Inside Cyber Warfare" author Jeffrey Carr discusses the intermingling of corporate and government interests in this interview. read more

Mobile interfaces: Mistakes to avoid and trends to watch

January 17 2012

In this interview, "Designing Mobile Interfaces" co-author Steven Hoober discusses common mobile interface mistakes, and he offers his thoughts on the latest mobile device trends — including why the addition of gestures and sensors isn't wholly positive. read more

Social network analysis isn't just for social networks

November 09 2011

The scientific methodology of social network analysis (SNA) helps explain not just how people connect, but why they come together as well. Here, "Social Network Analysis for Startups" co-author Maksim Tsvetovat offers a primer on SNA. read more

Social network analysis isn't just for social networks

November 09 2011

Honeycomb and the Android tablet tipping point

August 15 2011

"Programming Honeycomb" author Marko Gargenta discusses the state of Android 3.x, the technical hurdles of Honeycomb, and why the slow adoption pattern of Android tablets may soon change. read more

The evolution of iOS development: Better tools and a lot more to think about

August 11 2011

Dan and Tracey Pilone, authors of "Head First iPhone and iPad Development," discuss the maturation of the iOS world, how the iPad has changed development patterns, and what they hope to see in iOS down the road. read more

Getting started with HTML5 apps

July 12 2011

"Programming HTML5 Applications" author Zachary Kessin discusses the tools, technologies, and knowledge that help developers build HTML5 apps. Plus: Learn the most common app development mistakes and how to avoid them. read more

The ascendance of App Inventor

June 03 2011

Google's App Inventor has transformed from a simple entry point for Android programming into an increasingly robust app creation platform. In this interview, "App Inventor" co-author David Wolber discusses the tool's evolution and future applications. read more

Wireless sensor networks can see and shape the world

March 14 2011

"Building Wireless Sensor Networks" author Robert Faludi discusses the practical application of sensor networks and how he thinks they will evolve to meet a variety of needs. read more

Why the Droid line caught on

February 15 2011

Preston Gralla, author of "Droid 2: The Missing Manual" and "Droid X: The Missing Manual," discusses the disconnect between consumer concerns (does it work?) and tech world worries (is Android too fragmented?). read more

Pages before ads and other Facebook marketing tips

January 20 2011

Traditional marketers and businesses tend to downplay Facebook's utility. That's a mistake, according to Dan and Alison Zarrella, co-authors of "The Facebook Marketing Book." In this interview, they explain why engagement is the key to Facebook campaigns. read more

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The Ur-Quan Masters
Publish Date: Aug. 11, 2005Star Control II is one of the most beloved space exploration games. When its original developers released a version of the source code under the GPL, members of the fan community began to port it to modern operating systems. Howard Wen recently interviewed the developers about their goals, their progress, and how open source works for them. The Irrlicht Engine
Publish Date: Jun. 2, 2005One of the most complicated pieces of software in the world is a 3-D engine, right? Not according to Nikolaus Gebhardt. He's almost single-handedly created his own open source-capable 3-D engine, Irrlicht. Howard Wen talks with him about the design, implementation, and goals of the project. MusE: MIDI Sequencing for Linux
Publish Date: May. 12, 2005Think Linux lacks for good multimedia creation and editing applications? Think again. Another application making ears perk up is MusE, a MIDI and audio sequencer intended to be a complete multitrack virtual studio. Howard Wen looks at the current and future development of the project. Professional Sound Editing with Audacity
Publish Date: Apr. 14, 2005Think Linux lacks for good multimedia creation and editing applications? Think again. In the world of sound editing, Audacity is powerful and easy to use, and it's free software. Howard Wen explores the design, features, and future of Audacity. Miguel de Icaza Explains How to "Get" Mono
Publish Date: Mar. 21, 2005It's perhaps the most controversial project in the open source world, but this mostly stems from misunderstanding: Mono, the open source development platform based upon Microsoft's .NET framework. Immediate reactions from many dubious Linux developers have ranged from confusion over its connection with .NET to wondering what the benefits of developing under it are. Throughout the course of its four years of intense development, sponsored by Novell, Mono founder Miguel de Icaza has had to frequently clarify the .NET issue and sell the community on it. In this new interview, Howard Wen asks Miguel to explain himself one more time. Inside GnomeMeeting
Publish Date: Mar. 17, 2005As bandwidth and processor power increase, so do the compelling reasons to consider voice and video over IP. Damien Sandras' polished GnomeMeeting application is a good example. Howard Wen recently interviewed Sandras about the project's successes, goals, and plans. Inside the Multiple Emulator Super System
Publish Date: Feb. 24, 2005Building an emulator for a classic machine is tricky. Now consider building over 150 of them. That's what the MESS team has done since 1988. Chances are, MESS supports your favorite classic computer or video game console. Howard Wen profiles the project. Freevo: Freedom For Your TV
Publish Date: Jan. 27, 2005PVRs may be the next big thing in home entertainment, but relying on a closed box leaves you few options for customization. The Freevo project is building a platform for developing television-aware applications, whether recording, timeshifting, or general-purpose mayhem. Howard Wen explains the Freevo project and interviews its developers. Linux Music Blossoms with Rosegarden
Publish Date: Dec. 16, 2004No kidding: many software geeks are also music geeks. It should be no surprise that free software music programs have started to rival their commercial counterparts. Howard Wen walks through Rosegarden, a Linux-based music sequencer and scoring package. PearPC: Mac-In-Box
Publish Date: Dec. 3, 2004Earlier in the week we looked at running Linux on the Mac. In this article Howard Wen interviews the developers who have enabled us to run Mac OS X on Linux or Windows computers. Here's the inside scoop on PearPC. Juggle Your Java with JDistro
Publish Date: Nov. 24, 2004Typically, one Java application will live in its own virtual machine, but this is neither required nor necessarily desirable. JDistro, a multitasking Java application, makes it possible to run applications, applets, and more, all inside of one process. Howard Wen interviewed creators Guillaume Desnoix and Gérard Collin to find out how it works. Devil Whiskey: From Fan-Made to Self-Made
Publish Date: Sep. 30, 2004The golden age of computer RPGs saw classic 2D, party-based dungeon crawls in series such as Wizardry, Might and Magic, and The Bard's Tale. The recent open-source-friendly Devil Whiskey tries to pay homage to those days and find a way to compensate its developers at the same time. Howard Wen explores a modern classic in the making. Scribus: Open Source Desktop Publishing
Publish Date: Sep. 2, 2004Desktop publishing came of age in the '80s, but open source options concentrated mostly on TeX and LaTeX. For users who want a friendlier interface, Scribus aims squarely at PageMaker and QuarkXPress. Howard Wen explores the features of Scribus and talks to its developers. Anonymous, Open Source P2P with MUTE
Publish Date: Aug. 12, 2004It's clear that the current generation of peer-to-peer applications has one strong drawback -- users aren't anonymous enough. Jason Rohrer's MUTE is different. It eschews direct downloads in favor of routing all requests through the network of peers. Howard Wen interviews Rohrer about his inspiration and goals. Stratagus: Open Source Strategy Games
Publish Date: Jul. 15, 2004When would an expression of appreciation land you in legal trouble? When you try to appreciate Blizzard software's strategy games! Fortunately, the legally threatened FreeCraft has taken on new life with a new name: Stratagus. Howard Wen explores how this customizable RTS engine may spur the development of new open source strategy games.

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