SQLite
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DevJuice: Forage offers SQLite query GUI for devs
The OS X Forage (US$9.99) app provides a simple query and editing interface for SQLite databases. This app targets developers who use pre-built databases for iOS, OS X and Web deployment. It enables them to test and refine queries as well as to edit table data, and do so outside of the command line. It's a pretty sweet little app. I was able to open, edit and save updates to a variety of database files. Admittedly, my testing was fairly light, but it easily handled address book and photo databases from the iPhone, which are my primary area of testing, as well as several test databases provided by the developer. Updates are handled as transactions. You can add and change data but the changes aren't stored until you specifically hit the Save Changes button (you see it at the bottom of the table editor, next to the row add and delete buttons). Visual updates (they're subtle -- you may have to change your selection to see them) indicate which items have been changed. You cannot yet revert without saving, but that's something promised for future releases. You create new SQL queries by double-clicking on tables. Each query occupies a tab in your workspace. In the following screen shot I have two query tabs in process. These tabs enable you to tweak each SQL query independently. You cannot, at this time, name the queries, but it's pretty easy to move through the workspace as needed. Yes, the app is in early days, and the only big complaint I have is that the app itself isn't fully stable. I managed to crash it a number of times. The developer assures me that a bug fix update is imminent and will address the problem. For now, what you're buying is an evolving product that shows promise, and one that many developers will find useful even now.
Mac OS X's 'QuarantineEvents' keeps a log of all your downloads
Mac OS X users are familiar with warnings like the one shown here. Apple's "quarantine" has been in place for awhile, and it offers some minimal protection against accidentally opening files which have been downloaded from the Internet. What most Mac OS X users probably don't know is that Mac OS X keeps a log of all files downloaded. Files are added to that log even if you are using "private" browsing in Safari or "incognito" in Google Chrome, and the log does not appear to ever be cleared. Even so, Don't Panic: there is no evidence that this information is shared with Apple or anyone else. You do not need to be worried about Apple telling anyone that you torrented all of the episodes of Downton Abbey. The only one who has access to this information is anyone with access to your account. However, some folks still might find that disconcerting. If you're one of them, you can find the log at ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.LaunchServices.QuarantineEventsV2 on Lion or ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.LaunchServices.QuarantineEvents on Snow Leopard (where "~" is the path to your home directory). If you upgraded your Mac from Snow Leopard to Lion, you might have both files. The information is stored in an SQLite 3.x database, which means that you will need an SQLite editor to read the information (you can open it in TextEdit to get a general idea of what's in there, but it's not very easy on the eyes. --Ed). I have written a shell script showdownloads.sh which will dump the information in an easy-to-read format (note: my script excludes downloads from 'PubSubAgent' which I believe are just RSS feeds). Personally, I find this to be really handy as way to find things that I downloaded but can't remember where I found them. Thanks to Ben Barnett for bringing this to our attention.
Windows Phone adds multitasking, deeper OS integration, and sensor access to dev platform
We knew it was coming, and today at MIX 11, Microsoft showed off its developer platform for the next version of Windows Phone, which developers will be able to get their hands on for free in May. The new application platform adds: Multitasking for background processing, audio and file transfer, and fast app switching, including background audio playback for HTML5 webpages Deeper integration of apps into the OS, allowing programs to leverage Live Tiles, including push notifications via Live Agents running in the background Raw access to the camera and sensors (gyro and compass) via the Motion Sensor library, letting apps to control device hardware Microsoft hopes this will allow developers to make even more creative and engaging apps. To get our juices flowing, it showed off demos of new app concepts from Skype, Spotify, Layar, Qantas, Amazon Shopping, and Kik Messenger. Check out our gallery below and hit the break for the details. %Gallery-121151%
