Go ahead use App-V, no really, please...

It might seem odd to some of you that Citrix would make such a statement given that we have made application isolation and streaming capabilities available in the XenApp platform ever since the introduction of Presentation Server 4.5 over 3 years ago. The fact is that Citrix has always intended to embrace App-V within our XenApp systems, a point that I have often stated, even as early as when Pete Schulz and I were presenting the pre-release hands-on training for Project Tarpon (the project name for what would become XenApp application streaming) as far back as 2006. Regardless, there are always questions posed by customers and prospects who are left wondering which solution to use, and when. The answer is "both", let me explain... Application Virtualization in XenApp: Application Virtualization within the greater context of Citrix On-demand application delivery is the system that enables a) Single Image Application Management, and b) Offline access to centrally managed applications. Within the Application Virtualization capabilities, both XenApp Isolation and Streaming as well as Microsoft App-V are considered equally capable technologies, either of which can be managed within XenApp based upon a customer's application delivery requirements. So what in earlier versions of XenApp was a Citrix only technology known as "application streaming" is now in XenApp 6 a broader "Application Virtualization" delivery system, consisting of 5 components/technologies. Publishing and Management infrastructure (AppCenter) Application Isolation Application Streaming Receiver plug-ins (Citrix Receiver) Self-service enterprise app store (Dazzle) In XenApp Application Virtualization an app can be packaged as either a XenApp .profile or a Microsoft App-V sequence, either of which enables items 2 and 3 in the list above, that being isolation and streaming. In fact, for the most complete solution a XenApp .profile is used to enable XenApp Dual-mode functionality for App-V sequences through the AppStreamingtoAppV conduit(more on this in a later post). These packages are then made available to users through the central XenApp publishing and management infrastructure (item 1 in the list) where various properties and policies are configured to determine if, or how, a given application is delivered to a user based on who they are, what device they are using, over what network, etc... There are 2 Citrix Receiver plug-ins required for a complete solution with regards to XenApp and App-V, one is the Citrix Offline Plug-in, and the other is the App-V Plug-in for Citrix Receiver. And rounding out the complete Application Virtualization delivery system is the 5th item in the list Citrix Dazzle, our Self-service enterprise application storefront. In this system, both App-V and the native isolation and streaming capabilities within XenApp provide virtually the same technical solution, but with a couple of idiosyncrasies that may make one or the other the more appropriate choice for a given application. A perfect example of this would be illustrated in the considerations for rolling out Microsoft Office 2010 as a virtualized application. With the introduction of the Office 2010 deployment kit for App-V, Microsoft is bridging the boundaries between virtualized Office and the role Office has taken on as a common element in many traditional desktop deployments; deployments where a large number of applications rely on Microsoft Office almost as much as they do the underlying OS. A few examples of the unique capabilities enabled by App-V and the Office 2010 Deployment Kit for App-V are: Fast search in virtualized Outlook 2010 using Windows Desktop Search Ability for virtualized Office 2010 applications to open, edit, and save Office files hosted with Windows SharePoint Search indexing support for Office file types URL protocol redirection to virtualized Outlook 2010 Print to virtualized OneNote 2010 But the biggest advantage to using App-V to deliver Office 2010 is "Single vendor support for the application as well as the application virtualization technology". With many of the challenges around delivering virtualized applications that will rely on Office 2010 as a central enabling component, coupled with the "single throat to choke" advantage of having the application virtualization technology vendor be the same vendor that is supplying the application itself, in my opinion, it just makes good sense to use Microsoft App-V as the preferred app virtualization solution for that application suite. Often after I walk a prospect through this particular scenario we immediately jump into the "Is Citrix ending its development of their native application virtualization capabilities and going with App-V instead?" item on the agenda. The answer here is "No". The Citrix vision of enabling simple and secure anywhere access is built on many technologies, application virtualization is only one of these building blocks, but it is a critical element of delivering the best user experience to any user on any device while also simplifying the management of the applications. And that is not only why we will continue to innovate across our broader application virtualization solution, for our native isolation and streaming, as well as better and more deeply integrated support for App-V over time, but it is also why Microsoft and our mutual customers see value in Citrix delivering App-V sequences through XenApp. Which leads me to the last and final question I have heard over the last few years and that is "Why would Citrix want to support App-V, and what does XenApp enable me to do with App-V that I can't do otherwise"? Great question! Simply put, Citrix is always looking for new ways to leverage Microsoft platform elements to enable new scenarios for our mutual customers, App-V is just one of example of a new element we will be leveraging in future releases of XenApp and XenDesktop. As I said at the beginning of this post, we have intended to partner around App-V from the start of project Tarpon, today we are delivering the first incarnation of that intent. As far as what unique value does XenApp enable for App-V, let's look at a couple of examples available today. Publish App-V packages directly from XenApp as "Dual-mode" applications Through our new App-V integration, Microsoft App-V sequences can be published using the same workflows and wizards as all other applications managed through XenApp. Admins can leverage native XenApp Application Virtualization and Session Virtualization configuration parameters and policies to make Microsoft App-V sequences available for online and offline use. Dual-mode fallback is also provided, enabling end-points to access App-V applications from a consistent interface, even if the device is incapable of running the application locally, for example when a user needs to access the application from a Mac PowerBook or iPhone. Manage App-V client plug-in using Citrix Receiver The Microsoft Application Virtualization Desktop Client can now be managed and delivered as a plug-in for Citrix Receiver. With XenApp, App-V sequences can now be delivered to lightly-managed endpoint scenarios, even if the end-point is not a member of the Microsoft Active Directory domain. As a result, new App-V use cases and access scenarios are enabled, including the delivery of applications to a consultant or for companies with "Bring your own computer" (BYOC) initiatives. Subscribe to App-V packages using Citrix Dazzle With Citrix Receiver, users gain self-service access to applications through an enterprise app storefront. Admins can advertise App-V packages with all other XenApp published applications and services for easy, on-demand access by users. As you can see, we are making real progress in our integration of App-V within XenApp to enable the most complete application virtualization systems available. We are definately in the mode of "and" rather than "either/or" in this regards. Still, for those of you looking for a feature by feature check list of when Citrix recommends the use of Microsoft App-V in XenApp environments, please refer to the XenApp on Remote Desktop Services: Feaure Analysis document, specifically the section titled Single Image Management. There are many more exciting things in the Citrix/Microsoft partnering and integration pipelines that we will be sharing over the coming months, all of which complement the trajectory we have begun with the XenDesktop 4 and now this XenApp 6 release on Windows Server 2008 R2. I definitely encourage you to check out XenApp 6 and begin considering the new possibilities this platform can enable in your on-demand application delivery and hosted shared desktop initiatives. Learn more View demo of the user experience of App-V plug-in for Citrix Receiver. View demo of Microsoft App-V plug-in for Citrix Receiver POC demo. Read blogs from our architect. Follow XenApp on | | | View Online | Add Comment

View original story : big+things Feed : The Citrix Blogs Feed

Manhattan Beach guide dogs in the news

I heard from my good friend Pat Whitehead the other day. We're friends now, but I met her on a story a few years ago. Pat raises guide dog puppies before sending them off to college. I've lost track of how many pups she's helped steer to helpful careers, but it's more than 20. The dog I wrote about is named Tola, who lives in Canada and was recently participated in an Olympic torch relay. You can read more about Tola and Pat by going here. I spent more than a year hanging out with them and even got to meet Tola's new owner. They're nice stories and not because I wrote them (well that too). They're nice because people like Pat and her fellow dog raisers make such a big difference in people's lives. Anyway, like I said, I heard from Pat the other day and she's ready to send yet another dog off to guide school. Here's what she wrote. And at the bottom is a a picture of the beautiful dog. Good morning, Well, the time has come again to send another exceptional pup off to college. The Puppy Truck comes on Saturday. Alisa is ready for her continuing education. She is a great little girl with a sweet face and lovely disposition. This is the first dog my husband has spent so much time with because he is now retired. He is already thinking of how he will miss her; however, we both know she has a greater purpose. It is like the butterfly that must free itself from the coccoon to realize its destiny. Yes, it is like sending your kids off to college. Alisa loves to go places, learn new things, enjoys meeting new people, is good with children, has excellent house manners - except being a bit lively with her greeting of her special friends, has been great at teaching our new L. A. Southwest pups how to play tug, etc.... all those attributes that speak of a successful future no matter what her carreer may be. As I do, I have put my heart into making sure she is ready. The most important thing for her future is that she felt loved and part of our lives and built on that foundation. Will there be tears? Of course, whether within or without. Goodbyes with loved ones are always emotional. I will look forward to my weekly reports once she completes her physical exams. It will be like camp for her. She will have a roommate and lots of people to give her food rewards for doing all those things she knows and will learn. (Yes, GDB is using food rewards now for alot of their training.) I'll stop. I wanted to let you know. :) Hope all is well with you. The group says hi. :) Pat

View original story : big+things Feed : South Bay Pets

Being A Stepmother (Wicked Or Otherwise)

Literature and pop culture are rife with examples of Wicked Stepmothers, those unloving brutes who force their stepchildren to do impossible chores while coddling their own spoiled brats. Motherlode offers us a glimpse of the other side of that coin with a letter from a desperate stepmum, who has four stepchildren and three little kids of her own. She wrote in saying: I need help. I’m married. I have 4 step-kids. I dislike two of them…I just don’t get why I feel this way. I also feel trapped. I feel 50 and I’m 25. I want to feel young again. Ouch. For starters, of course, this woman’s problem is not chiefly with her stepkids. She’s got three little kids of her own, four stepkids who are not much older and a husband who (from her letter) is not carrying his share of the parenting burden. Parenting seven kids isn’t a recipe for feeling young and carefree. That aside though, it’s kind of refreshing to see a stepmum talk about how hard it can be to blend a family. I have a stepson, and we’ve been blessed with a great relationship. I think I can count on my fingers the number of fights we’ve had in the eight years we’ve been sharing a home and a family. I’m really grateful to him for his willingness to accept me and the kids his dad and I had together. It was a huge change and he weathered it beautifully. But that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. Marrying someone who was already raising a child with an ex-spouse meant accepting a lot of limits on the shape my life would take. Yes, I landed a great husband and a wonderful kid. But I also got child support payments and a university tuition bill that is looming two years in my future instead of fifteen years away. I can’t make the rules for my stepson, but it’s my job to enforce them when we’re at home together. I don’t choose his activities or schedule, but it’s my job to drive him to football training or doctors appointments. Which is to say that even in the Holy Grail of blended families, where everyone loves each other and communicates well, there are plenty of challenges. Most kids coming into a blended family are dealing with a lot of big challenges. They’re being asked to accept a new adult in their lives as a parent. They’re probably also taking in a new home and possibly new siblings, often a new school and friends as well. It’s a lot of change for a child and it’s no surprise that many act out. Have you been a stepparent, or a steppchild? How have you handled the transition into making a new family? What are your relationships like with your stepkids now? Photos: Jared Smith

View original story : big+things Feed : Babble Australia

THE awards open for entries

The 2010 Times Higher Education (THE) awards are now open for entries and JISC is sponsoring the Outstanding ICT Initiative of the Year category. THE Awards look to recognise the talent and achievement of universities and colleges in their pursuit of excellence in teaching and research. Ann Mroz, THE editor, said: “THE awards represent a unique and high profile opportunity to celebrate the excellence and amazing achievements of UK higher education institutions, and reaffirm our commitment to the two core pursuits of higher education: teaching and research. “There are eighteen categories for 2010. We're looking forward to a wealth of strong contenders again this year, displaying the talent and imagination that make UK higher education the best in the world.” For the third year running, JISC is supporting the awards and looking for colleges and universities to enter the Outstanding ICT Initiative of the Year category. This category looks to recognise how a scheme or project based on digital technologies has made a difference to learners, academics and researchers. St George’s University of London won the JISC category in 2009 for their use of virtual learning environments. St George’s wanted to recreate paramedic work situations which are impossible to simulate realistically in the classroom and their solution allowed students to work together as a paramedic team on different emergency scenes. David Baker, JISC deputy chair, said: “The project at St George’s is impressive for what you might call its ‘horizontal scalability’ – the possibility for this use of technology to have an impact on teaching and learning in other universities in the future. Testing out practical work in virtual research environments is an innovative way of approaching medical scenarios that could be replicated across the academic spectrum.” If you think you are using digital technologies innovatively at your college or university to make a real difference to your teaching and research, you have until 7 June 2010 to enter the awards. Enter the JISC Outstanding ICT Initiative of the Year category View the other 17 award categories

View original story : big+things Feed : JISC CETIS News

Gwen Stefani Is InStyle

Gwen Stefani Is InStyle, she looks fabulous… and photoshopped. Regardless of the digital enhancements, smoothing brushes and make-it-look-perfect tools, Gwen looks great for 40! How do you guys like the cover? See Gwen in a lace body suit after the jump! ... ... Read the rest ... — full article at skinnyvscurvy.com

View original story : big+things Feed : Top Gwen Stefani News, Videos, and Blogs - ShowHype

How to Clean a Washing Machine Water Inlet Valve

You can make sure that you get a better flow of water into your washing machine by cleaning out the water inlet valve. More: continued here Related Posts:How to Replace a Dishwasher Water Inlet ValveHow to Fix a Washing Machine that Won't Fill with WaterHow to Fix Washing Machine Water Temperature ProblemsHow to Get Rid [...] Post from: Home Improvement Guide How to Clean a Washing Machine Water Inlet Valve

View original story : big+things Feed : Home Improvement Guide

Windows Phone 7 Apps: Everything You Need To Know

Windows Phone 7 Series: It's a thing! And it looks pretty great, so far. Last month's announcement, though, left a lot of questions. Questions which will be answered here, in Gizmodo's live coverage of Microsoft MIX 2010 keynote. Constantly updating. How exactly will multitasking work? What about those incredible cross platform game demos? Whither WinMo 6.x, and its devs? (And what's with this "Classic" and "Starter Edition" business?) What happens to the Zune? Will we see more hardware? What about the mysterious Chassis 3? Why are developers already worried? We've got at least an hour here, folks, so expect answers. Lots of answers. New Features When we met Windows Phone 7 Series, it was all about taking a first look. But we really didn't get a great idea as to how the operating system works, underneath the Zune-like skin. Here's are the new OS and dev features Microsoft' announced today. • A Push Notification Service: Called the "Microsoft Notification Service," this sounds an awful lot like Apple's push notification system, which lends credence to the interpretation of Microsoft's talk about multitasking as meaning that it doesn't really exist, or that it's at least heavily managed. As you can see above, they pop up in a small tray at the top of the screen, rather than the obnoxious pop-up system that the iPhone uses. • A Microsoft Location Service: This is like a clearing house for location data, or "single point of reference to acquire location information." This is more of a developer tool than anything else, I think, but it suggest location service's being totally and easily accessible, and not just in terms of raw data. This is basically just Bing everywhere, in both user and developer terms. • Silverlight, Silverlight, Silverlight: Windows Phone 7 apps are largely developed in Silverlight, which you probably only know as that plugin you had to install that one time to watch the Olympics. It can also create apps that are significantly more complicated than video players. • Dev Tools Will Be Free: Windows Phone 7 development tools for Visual Studio and Microsoft Expression Blend (a UI dev tool) will be free to download. • App Developers Can Start Today: The free tools are available at developer.windowsphone.com, as of right now. While developers won't have phones for a while, they'll have the PC emulator, which even allows for touchscreen input. (If you have a touchscreen PC, of course.) • No Mac Dev Support: And yeah, of course, there's not development on Mac. The Marketplace We didn't even get to to see the new Windows Phone Marketplace in action in February, but now Microsoft's pulled the curtain back. • It's Panoramic: It's going to look like the rest of Windows Phone 7, which is to say, it's going to be swipey and zoomy and all those things that made Windows Phone 7 interesting looking. You know, hubs within hubs within hubs within hubs. • Buying options: It'll handle one-time credit card purchases, operator billing, and ad-supported apps. • App trials: Microsoft is going to require developers to allow buyers to trial apps before buying them. Good for us, potentially scary for devs. UPDATE: It may not actually be a requirement; just an option. The First Apps The first round of app partners is solid, for sure: AWS Convergence Technologies ? WeatherBug, Citrix Systems Inc., Clarity Consulting Inc., Cypress Consulting, EA Mobile, Fandango Inc., Foursquare Labs Inc., frog design inc., Glu Mobile Inc., Graphic.ly, Hudson Entertainment Inc., IdentityMine Inc., IMDb.com Inc., Larva Labs, Match.com LLC, Matchbox Mobile Ltd., Microsoft Game Studios, Namco Networks America Inc., Oberon Media Inc., Pageonce Inc., Pandora Media Inc., Photobucket Inc., PopCap Games Inc., Seesmic, Shazam Entertainment Ltd., Sling Media, SPB Software Inc., stimulant, TeleCommunications Systems Inc., Touchality LLC and Vertigo Software Inc We also got our first glimpse at the apps, which maintain the Windows Phone 7 aesthetic surprisingly well. The first batch gives a preview of what Windows Phone 7 apps will be—that is to say, deeply integrated. Another instant reaction? A lot of these developers write for the iPhone and Android, which is a good sign and a bad one: A good one, because Microsoft needs these guys to reach anything resembling app parity with other platforms; and a bad one, because it drives home just how much catching up Microsoft is going to have to do come WinPho 7's release. None of the other platforms, for what it's worth, have paps as pretty as some of these—a point that's really driven home when you see their 3D transforms and animations in motion: With others, like Hush Hush, you can see that Microsoft is open to modal interfaces as well, which is to say, interfaces that look nothing like Zune or Windows Phone 7. Since Windows Phone 7 apps are developed largely in Silverlight, you can download and incorporate Silverlight libraries that already exist. In other words, some of the interface elements, animations and icons that you've gotten used to seeing in Silverlight app interfaces might turn up in Windows Phone 7 apps later on. We'll also see some services that have depended on Silverlight before easily ported to the phone. Like what? Ho ho, like mother***king Netflix (which, while shown off here, won't necessarily get a real release): Games, as we've seen a bit of before, have the potential to be great, not just because of the platform's minimum requirements (which make the iPhone's hardware seem downright clunky) but because of the deep Xbox Live integration. Joe Belfiore showed us a quick demo, in which he actually earned Xbox Live achievement points, er, live. &bull More on Netflix for Windows Phone 7 &bull More on Xbox Live on Windows Phone 7 The takeaway at the end of the app demos—which made up a tremendous chunk of this keynote—is that Microsoft knows how important apps are for Windows Phone 7, or more importantly, how instrumental the lack of decent apps was in the decline of Windows Mobile 6.x. They're going all out, claiming that devs can create apps in a matter of minutes, and (so far) coddling them as much as possible. The one thing they can't control, though, is how fast customers pick up on Windows Phone 7 Series. Without an audience, developers won't bother to write apps; without apps, buyers won't bother buying Windows Phone 7 Series phones. Microsoft's new mobile strategy may be impressive, but it could find itself stuck in a Catch-22 come release time. All the Rest Obviously, Microsoft didn't run through all the stuff they'd already covered back at Mobile World Congress when Windows Phone 7 was announced, so here's the rest of the story. Windows Phone 7 Series: Everything Is Different NowWindows Phone 7: First VideosHow Will Xbox Live Work on Windows Phone 7?An Epic 22-Minute Walkthrough of Windows Phone 7Windows Phone 7 Series Hands-On Pics and VideoWindows Phone 7 Apps: What We Know, What We Don'tMicrosoft, Into the Light: The Unofficial Windows Phone 7 Strategy In partnership withGizmodo is the world's most fun technology website, focused on gadgets and how they make our lives better, worse and more absurd. Source: Windows Phone 7 Apps: Everything You Need To Know [Windows Phone 7]

View original story : big+things Feed : Fast Company

Tutorial: Make a pirate’s doo-rag

Care from Obsessively Stitching shows how to make a pirate’s doo-rag for a boy. It’s made from knit fabric for easy fit. The skull-and-crossbones design is appliqued with free motion stitching. Ayyy, matey! Go to the tutorial. [photo from Obsessively Stitching] Technorati Tags:…

View original story : big+things Feed : Sewing

Want Your Ex Girlfriend Back? Here's How To Act To Make It Happen by Derek Blandford

(SkyNewswire.com)--- Chances are you're here reading this because you're frustrated and confused about how to go about getting your ex girlfriend back. It's OK. Most men are. Learning how to deal with a breakup and knowing the right steps to take to repair the relationship isn't something Mom and Dad teach us growing up and there isn't a Breakups 101 class in high school or college. If you're like most men, getting an ex girlfriend to take you back will be a trial and error process. However, this is often a dangerous and costly approach as you can make many critical mistakes without even realizing it. When you do, you will push your ex further away and ruin any chance you might have to win her back. It's like walking through a field of land mines, and it's extremely easy to end up stepping on a mine that forces your relationship to go KABOOM! Keep in mind the subject of breakups and relationships is a vast, complex topic that can be difficult to comprehend because the "right" things to do are often counter intuitive. Luckily there are many step-by-step guides you can follow that will show you exactly what to do and what to say to get your ex back. You just have to make sure you follow the advice of experts and not your buddy next door who will probably just tell you, "Don't worry about it. There's plenty of fish in the sea." While this saying may have some truth to it, it's not much comfort when there's really only ONE specific fish you'd like to catch.

View original story : big+things Feed : SkyNewswire.com

'How to Train Your Dragon' and a baptism of fire

Filmmakers Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders faced a tough deadline when they were brought in to rework the animated film. Animated movies can take forever to make -- three or four years is well within the ordinary. “How to Train Your Dragon,” which tells the story of a scrawny kid destined to prove his hecklers wrong through an unusual relationship with a dragon, moved at a radically different pace: the two filmmakers behind March 26's 3-D adventure had just 12 months to make their film, inheriting a project needing a top-to-bottom overhaul.

View original story : big+things Feed : L.A. Times - Entertainment News