programming

Second-screen TV app Zeebox, which touts itself as new way for TV viewers to find and discover content, is landing in the U.S. with the backing of 30 broadcasters, including Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal, HBO, and Cinemax.

With more than 1.5 million users in the U.K., the free Zeebox app for Android and iOS devices seeks to marry TV programming information with interactive features, including social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

The new app is likely to blend well with the activities of millions who already use portable devices in conjunction with TV viewing; a recent Nielsen … Read more

HTML5 fans got a very large splash of very cold water in their faces yesterday.

Facebook has been a big fan of building mobile apps using HTML5 and related Web standards, but no less than founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg called Facebook's HTML5 app "one of the biggest mistakes if not the biggest strategic mistake that we made."

Those are powerfully damning words, and many developers will likely take them to heart given Facebook's cred in the programming world.

But there are subtleties here -- not an easy thing for those who see the world … Read more

Mozilla has begun building a new technology called IonMonkey into Firefox to improve its JavaScript performance.

High JavaScript performance is essential in today's hotly competitive browser market, because JavaScript is the language behind complicated Web sites and Web apps such as Google Docs and Facebook. IonMonkey has now been packaged into the "nightly" version of Firefox 18 for hardcore developers; that version is scheduled to become the mainstream version of the browser early in 2013.

IonMonkey is what's called a just-in-time compiler, or JIT for short. In olden days, JavaScript would run line by line in … Read more

Twitter launched a certification program today that clearly identifies which Twitter-based services the company values, no doubt further upsetting developers who have been left out of Twitter's good graces.

The micro-blogging site is focused on promoting companies that "bring some of the most innovative products and services" to businesses and organizations, according to a blog post from Seth Bindernagel, who works on platform marketing for Twitter.

Twitter recently tightened its restrictions for developers, drawing ire from some but solidifying its relationships with developers who created products that tie Twitter into the business world.

These developers include the … Read more

Cash flow may be the single most important measure of your financial health, not only as it now stands but also going forward into the future. Wesley Steiner's My Cashflow is a free tool for visualizing and tracking your cash flow, both in the short term and in the days, weeks, and months ahead. It's not focused on what you've spent but what you spend going forward, so you don't need to enter stuff like receipts. By helping you visualize your paycheck and where it goes, My Cashflow can help you identify and reduce unnecessary expenses, … Read more

YouTube is ready to dump more cash into its professional programming, according to a new report.

Google-owned YouTube will drop another $200 million into the programming to more effectively market the nearly 100 channels boasting professional videos, the company told the Wall Street Journal in a report published yesterday.

The Journal is reporting today, citing sources, that YouTube has so far attracted $150 million worth of advertising to its original programming. That investment, if it carries throughout the year, would help cover the startup costs YouTube incurred to get its programming off the ground.

YouTube has so far invested $150 million to experiment with original programming. … Read more

Apple's Up-to-Date Program for issuing qualified users free copies of its latest version of OS X has been a bit of a rocky road.

For those who purchased Mac systems after June 10, Apple is offering a free upgrade to OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, which requires submitting a serial number and purchase information to Apple's Up-to-Date Web site followed by receiving a redemption code for Mountain Lion in the Mac App Store. Unfortunately this process has hit a few snags.

Apple's Up-to-Date Program prematurely went live on Monday, two days before it was scheduled to … Read more

Those of you who picked up a Mac on or after June 11 can soon pounce on a free upgrade to Mountain Lion.

Courtesy of Apple's OS X Mountain Lion Up-to-Date Program, consumers who bought a Mac from Apple or from an Apple authorized reseller between June 11 and the date when Mountain Lion debuts will have 30 days to request their free upgrade. The program allows qualifying buyers to download Mountain Lion for free directly from the Mac App Store.

As detailed by MacRumors, customers have to launch the Up-to-Date Program page, where an online form asks them … Read more

This morning Apple's Up-to-Date program for OS X Mountain Lion appeared to be activated for a short while, allowing a number of people to submit applications for their free copies of Apple's new OS; however, this appears to have been an error on Apple's part and the Up-to-Date Program has been taken offline.

For people who have purchased a new Mac on or after June 11, Apple is offering a free upgrade to OS X 10.8, which is due out any day now. When the OS is released, users can go to the Up-to-Date Web page … Read more