Originally posted on Mashable.com by Jolie O’Dell

As a class, developers have had a fantastic year in 2010.

We’ve made headlines, grabbed the limelight, been vilified and glorified beyond all reason and gotten paid pretty nicely along the way. And the bubble of consumer web apps just continues to swell, so there are no signs (yet) that 2011 will bring anything short of grandeur for the web and mobile development communities.

Looking ahead to what the coming year might hold, there are a few sure bets and a few speculations we’d like to offer. Some are, as noted, almost certainly bound to come true. Others are more along the lines of hopes and prayers than hard-and-fast predictions we’d stake money on.

With that in mind, here are 10 things we think the world of hacking will hold in 2011.

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1. There Will Be a Need to Understand and Optimize for All Form Factors

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Even the most brainless of “social media gurus” could tell you this one. With the surging popularity and newfound accessibility and affordability of smartphones — thanks in large part to the growth of the Android platform — we’ve had to optimize for the mobile web and learn about mobile applications a lot in the past year in particular.

Now, as tablets begin to creep into the market, we’re having to craft new experiences for those, as well. We’re constantly forced to consider form factor when creating new sites and apps. Will it run Flash? What about screen resolution? Font size?

Almost every developer worth his or her salt will have to become increasingly adept at developing for the myriad form factors set to dominate the gadget market in 2011.

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2. There Will Be Breakout, Cross-Platform Mobile Development Tools

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With all the mobile growth that’s been occurring, especially given the current state of the iOS/Android market shares, the time has never been riper for a great mobile framework, SDK or IDE to enter the arena.

Hopefully, sometime in 2011, we’ll see a new group of flexible and robust tools that can facilitate app development for any number of operating systems — including tablet-specific or forked OSes. We’re talking more than WYSIWYG, DIY app-builders and more than iPhone-to-Android porting tools; we want to see serious, mobile-centric power tools in 2011.

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3. Investment in Cloud-Based, Collaborative Development Tools

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We’ve seen some interesting starts in community-based, online coding. There are a few collaborative code editing apps, some of them with real-time capabilities.

We’re looking forward to seeing more and better apps for cloud-based, collaborative coding in 2011 — something like a better Wave, created specifically with hackers in mind. This will allow for better and faster work to be generated by an increasingly decentralized hacker community. It’ll also pave the way for improved on-the-job learning and open-source hacking.

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4. WYSIWYG Tools Get Better and Grow

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While WYSIWYG tools of the past — and, who are we kidding, the present — often lead to spaghetti code of the ugliest variety, we just keep seeing more and more of them.

We’re going out on a limb and predicting (or hoping) that WYSIWYG and split-screen (WYSIWYG and code) developer tools become more sophisticated. Whether they get better or not, they’re definitely going to continue to proliferate, especially for the novice coder and the DIY non-coder markets. Still, we’re being told the code on the other side of the GUIs is getting better all the time.

Who knows? 2011 could be the year WYSIWYGs stop sucking.

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5. We’ll Keep Building “Touchable,” App-like UIs

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All that stuff we said earlier about form factors kind of applies here, too, but in reverse. Your sites will have to look better on mobile devices and tablets, yes; but also, they’ll continue to natively look and feel more like mobile and tablet apps.

Some folks, a couple of Mashable staffers included, aren’t happy about the app-itization of the entire Internet. Call us old-fashioned, but we like our websites to be websites and our mobile apps to be mobile apps.

The average consumer, however, seems to delight in the shiny, touchable, magazine-like interfaces taking over the iPad and similar devices. Expect to be asked to make more and more app-like sites in 2011.

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6. There Will Be a Higher Standard for Web and Mobile Security

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The past year has been a bit of a horror show when it comes to web security. There have been a handful of high-profile hacks that exposed user data to the world; there was also much confusion on the user’s side of the screen as to how security works on a personal level.

We predict — nay, we dream — that in 2011, developers of consumer-facing apps will be extra careful with things like data encryption, user privacy controls and other security issues.

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7. Third-Party App Development Will Plateau

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Building a Facebook app or a Twitter app was all the rage in 2009, but something shifted in 2010, right around the time of Twitter’s Chirp developer conference: Developers found out that building on someone else’s platform was a good way to set yourself up for failure, especially when the platform decides to shift direction, change its APIs, acquire a competitor, or simply change its terms of use.

We predict that developing these kinds of apps will plateau and even taper off in 2011. The web is glutted with third-party social media tools; many devs are beginning to realize there’s more money and more interesting challenges elsewhere. In the end, social networks will be more interesting to advertisers large and small than to independent and third-party developers.

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8. Ruby Will Get Some Cool Optimizations and Tools

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We’ve seen lots of cool tricks and optimization tweaks around Python and PHP; 2011, however, will be the year for better Ruby tools.

The Ruby language is becoming extremely popular in developing consumer-facing web apps, and we’re sure to see some big-name companies release open-source tools and even improvements to the Ruby core — think along the lines of what Facebook did last year with HipHop or Google’s Unladen Swallow project.

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9. NoSQL Technologies Will Stake Their Ground

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We’ve seen and heard interesting things from the NoSQL corners of the web this year… and by “interesting,” we don’t necessarily mean “good.”

NoSQL technologies have had some high-profile hiccups this year (remember that MongoDB/Foursquare disaster?), but we’ve been assured that what doesn’t kill NoSQL only makes it stronger and more stable.

That being said, we’re not predicting the demise of MySQL any time soon. As one astute Twitter friend wrote, “Relational databases have their place, as do NoSQL solutions. To blindly choose one over the other is shortsighted.”

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10. Open-Source Software Will See Unprecedented Growth

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Open-sourcing interesting or unused tech is a trend we like to see from companies like Google and Facebook. In fact, we hope to see even more open-source contributions from proprietary software giants in 2011.

It’s not just the big players who are writing great open-source code. We know a lot of web startups are working on internal tools that’ll also be open-sourced in 2011. There are more youngsters (and not-so-youngsters) joining the ranks of hackers every year; many of them are being encouraged by sites like this one to make valuable contributions to the open-source community.

We predict more awesome open-source software than ever in 2011. Will it be a victory by Stallman’s standards? Probably not, as it won’t be exclusive of proprietary software creation, sale and licensing. But the trend toward more FOSS is a good one, and one that we’ll continue to report on in the year to come.

Shared from Mashable.

If, like most people, you haven’t “layered” since last winter and only “merge” at speeds of 60 mph and over, getting accustomed to the lingo and layout of Photoshop can be daunting. These nine free resources are good places to learn how to lasso, dodge, burn, paint, filter or do whatever else you need to in order to accomplish your desired photo editing task.

If we didn’t mention your favorite Photoshop tutorial, add it in the comments below and let us know how it helped you in your design endeavors.

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1. Adobe Tutorials

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For a thorough introduction to the basics of Photoshop, starting at the source might be your best bet. Adobe provides tutorial videos that include everything from basic tool tours to step-by-step instructions on how to create a panorama. The commentary is a little vanilla, but it gets the job done.

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2. You Suck at Photoshop

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Mix together a healthy amount of sarcasm, a handful of cuss words, a narrator apparently bitter about a recent divorce, and Adobe’s tutorials, and you get the more entertaining and appropriately named Photoshop guide: You Suck at Photoshop. Using creative examples (like how to Photoshop a “treacherous commitment band” wedding ring out of a photo), Donnie Hoyle gives step-by-step instructions for practical Photoshop tricks.

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3. YouTube

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If there’s a Photoshop feat you’re hoping to conquer, chances are there is a YouTube video that can help you. These ten videos will get you started.

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4. Toolkit Tutorial

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Photoshop icons can be mystifying to the uninitiated, but it’s much easier to figure out how to work in Photoshop if you start with an awareness of its basic tools. This tutorial teaches you what all those little Photoshop graphics mean and when to use each tool.

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5. Keyboard Shortcut Cheat Sheet

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Learning the keyboard shortcuts for the most frequent operations will save your time and your wrists. Print out a cheat sheet to keep by your computer for easy reference as you memorize.

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6. Photoshop Forums

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Sometimes it’s best to ask. If you have a question about Photoshop, find it in an existing thread or create your own on this forum.

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7. Special Effect Tutorials

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Bored with cropping and color correction? Jump into dramatic layouts and artistic effects — like “How to create a space girl photo manipulation” — on this site.

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8. Free Brush Roundup

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Like painters, Photoshop geeks choose different brushes to create different effects on photos. Brushes determine the shape of the line that the paint brush tool and eraser create. Experiment with the free brushes that are rounded up on this site. This tutorial will teach you how to install them, and this tutorial will help you “brush up” on potential designs using brushes.

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9. Troubleshooting Photoshop for Dummies

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Like most large programs, Photoshop occasionally freezes, freaks out or otherwise ignores what you want it to do. Follow the steps in this free troubleshooting guide to fix the problem or to bail by shutting the program down.

These nine resources should have you on your way to being a Photoshop pro. Let us know which Photoshop tutorials and resources you recommend in the comments below.

via Android wallpaper app that takes your data was downloaded by millions | VentureBeat.

Android malware steals info from one million phone owners

Beyond the Checkin: Where Location-Based Social Networks Should Go Next. (from Mashable.com)

Yan-David Erlich is the founder & CEO of photography app Mopho. He was also the founder and CEO of Social.im and a product manager in the digital media consumer web group at Google.

Location-based social networks are currently enjoying a great deal of attention, and companies are rushing to get in on new services like checkins and geo-location. But before we all jump on the bandwagon, we need to ask ourselves what we really want to accomplish with social media.

While location is a major part of navigation and mapping services like Google () Maps, social networking’s real purpose is to get users to create, share and communicate. Adding location data to social networks can enhance these experiences, but it is not the end goal.

Location — the “where” of a social experience — is not the most important characteristic of social media. In order to create lasting value, location-aware social networks need to look at what motivates their users to share with one another and make it central to the app’s design and user experience.

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Location is a Supporting Attribute

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Most location-based services have already figured out that simply checking-in is not enough to keep users engaged. Companies are adding new and evolving features in order to remain competitive and interesting.

Foursquare () uses checkins to give users new information and award badges. These can then translate into special deals or privileges. Similarly, Gowalla () users can check-in to leave their own tips, trips, and photos.

But those companies — and others in the same space, such as Loopt and Brightkite () — have got their priorities backwards. They’ve tried to tack a sense of purpose onto an action (checking in) that is essentially uninteresting. Their services are built around the checkin.

Instead, these companies should focus on the reverse. Features and services should come first, and checking-in should be viewed as an accessory. We have to move from creating services that are location-based to those that are “location-enhanced.”

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Why We Share

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Whether an application is intended to capture the smile on your mother’s face, give you a competitive challenge, or help you snag a free cup of coffee, it should provide real-world value.

Location-enhanced services need to put the “why” at the forefront of their user experience. When I take out my phone to snap a picture, it’s because I want to capture a moment that is meaningful and share it with others. The main purpose of that photo is to share an experience. The ability to geo-tag that photo should be an afterthought.

Several emerging companies have figured this out and are using location as an enhancement, rather than a purpose. For example, location awareness can facilitate or augment the experience of listening to live music (Superglued ()), networking and attending events (SitBy.Us), making payments (TabbedOut), using personal reminders and alerts (Plerts), and taking photos. Booyah’s MyTown is another great application that puts the game playing first, and includes location as an interesting (but secondary) attribute of that experience.

While their specific functions are wildly different, all of these services have one important thing in common: They understand why their users pull their phone out of their pockets in the first place.

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Life Is Not A Trivial Game

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In my opinion, checkins will never appeal to the mainstream. Checking-in is viewed by non-adopters as a trivial game, gratuitous to both the unique experiences and daily drudge of the places we visit. The relentless chore of updating one’s location has even spawned a new phrase: “Checkin fatigue.”

If checking-in isn’t compelling to most people, then why do so many apps still make it a central to their user experience? Perhaps these companies think it’s too late to rethink the basics, or they’re afraid of veering away from what has given them a small trending foothold.

In fact, Foursquare recently released their own app store in an attempt to solidify “location” as a feature on which developers can build a variety of services, enticing big brands like Nabisco to jump in on the trend.

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What’s Next?

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Ultimately, the location-based social networks that will thrive in the long-term are the ones that design their user experiences around users’ real motivations. The checkin, as a stand-alone act, is fundamentally empty. It begs to be put into context.

As part of a more comprehensive experience instead of a contrived first act, location can provide an intrinsically rich layer to social experiences. By itself, the checkin faces fatigue, or worse.

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Image courtesy of iStockphoto (), mattjeacock

We recently lost someone very dear to us to heart disease. Please, everyone, get healthy and be there for the ones you love as long as you possibly can! Download this brochure from the American Heart Association for some great tips on getting and staying active!

36415676-Healthy-You-Healthy-Planet-Brochure

…don’t ever use Comic Sans or Papyrus!!

Among other things, you must validate the ownership of your site with the search engines.  Bing.com gives the following instructions:

Authenticate your website

Before you can use the Webmaster Center tools, you must demonstrate that you own the website by placing a Webmaster Center-provided authentication code at the root of your website. Webmaster Center uses authentication to ensure that only the rightful owners are provided with information about their websites.

A website is authenticated when, once you successfully log in to Webmaster Center, you click its link on the Site List webpage. If the authentication is successful, you are given access to the Webmaster Center tools for exploring the website.

Authentication methods

There are two methods of authentication, both of which rely on Webmaster Center accessing the authentication code you’ve added to a registered website. The authentication code, which must be available to Webmaster Center at the root folder of your website’s registered host name space, can be added in two ways:

Upload an XML file to the root folder

Bing provides you with a custom XML file containing your authentication code that you can save to the root folder of your website. The name of the file is LiveSearchSiteAuth.xml.

The format of the authentication code content within the XML file should look similar to this example:

<?xml version=”1.0″?>

<users>

<user>0123456789ABCDEF0123456789ABCDEF</user>

</users>

Add a <meta> tag to the default webpage

You can add a <meta> tag containing the authentication code to the <head> section of your default webpage. The format of the authentication code entry within the <head> section should look similar to this example:

<meta name=”msvalidate.01″ content=”0123456789ABCDEF0123456789ABCDEF” />

Note

The authentication codes shown above are samples. The specific authentication code for your website can be found, once logged in to Webmaster Center, by browsing to the Site List.

Choosing which authentication method to use

Using the XML file. If you only have one Webmaster Center account for a website and you have easy access to the website’s root folder, using the XML file for authentication is a great choice. Just download the LiveSearchSiteAuth.xml file from the Authenticate ownership of your website webpage and save that file to the root folder of your website’s registered host name space. You can use the XML file method to simultaneously authenticate multiple user accounts by editing the XML file to include the unique authentication code for each additional account as a new <user> tag inside the <users> section of the XML file.

Using the <meta> tag. If you don’t have access to the root folder of your website, adding a <meta> tag in the <head> section of your default webpage might be a better option. To authenticate multiple user accounts, simply add an additional <meta> tag for each user account’s authentication code. Alternatively, you can have all members of your webmaster team use the same Webmaster Center tools logon account and just use one authentication code for your website.

Notes

When you add a website to Webmaster Center, you are automatically taken to the Authenticate Ownership of Website webpage. To go back later on to this webpage to access your authentication data again, log into Webmaster Center, browse to the Profile tool webpage, and then click Learn about the authentication process.

You can implement both authentication methods simultaneously if you want.

How authentication works

Webmaster Center provides authentication codes based on user accounts rather than the user’s individual web addresses. When you create a new authentication code, you can use that same new code for multiple websites (even updating the codes for previously registered websites if you want).

Webmaster Center auto-detects the authentication method used on your website. The XML file is the default method of authentication for Webmaster Center and is checked first with newly registered websites. However, once a website is authenticated, the last authentication method successfully used becomes the new default method for authenticating that website.

Notes

Because the XML file method is the initial default method for authentication, newly registered websites using the <meta> tag method might take a bit longer to authenticate on their first attempt.

The time-out duration for each method of authenticating a website is 14 seconds, after which an error is generated. If the first authentication method fails, the second method is automatically attempted. For information on resolving problems with authentication to Webmaster Center, see Authentication errors.

All websites registered with Webmaster Center before November 19, 2008, were issued authentication codes on a per-website basis. Each of those codes will continue to work going forward for their specific website. No change is required of your existing websites to continue using all of the Webmaster Center tools. However, all new Webmaster Center authentication codes created as of November 19, 2008, are issued on a per-account basis and can be repeatedly used to authenticate all of your registered websites, including previously registered websites. To get a new authentication code that works on a per-account basis, go to Add a site.

When you log in to Webmaster Center and click a website to use within your account, Webmaster Center uses a bot to authenticate your website. If the correct authentication code is found, then Webmaster Center stores a cookie on your computer that gives you access to the site for a 20-minute interval. If you exceed that time while logged in, Webmaster Center seamlessly re-authenticates your website and updates the cookie.

If your website redirects your default webpage to another location, the Webmaster Center authentication bot is usually able to follow that redirect and authenticate the website based on the information in the new webpage. Likewise, if you redirect your LiveSearchSiteAuth.xml file, Webmaster Center also follows that redirect as well. The user agent the Webmaster Center authentication bot uses is:

msnbot-webmaster/1.0 (+http://search.msn.com/msnbot.htm)

Common issues with authentication

Cloaking. This is when a website shows different content to a search engine web crawler than it shows a user with a web browser. If you have implemented cloaking on your website, it might be interfering with the Webmaster Center authentication bot’s ability to see the <meta> tags or LiveSearchSiteAuth.xml file on your website.

Redirects. If your website redirects your default webpage to multiple other webpages, then the Webmaster Center authentication bot might either stop following the redirects or time-out waiting for the final webpage to load.

Performance. If your web server is slow, if network congestion exists, or there are a great number of router hops between your web server and the Webmaster Center servers, the authentication bot can time-out waiting for the webpage to load.

Content Management Systems. Several content management systems block the user’s direct access to both the <head> tag within the HTML on their webpage and from adding files to the website’s root folder. In these cases, Webmaster Center is currently unable to authenticate the website, and subsequently these webmasters can’t log in.

Raise your hand if you made a mistake this weekend. Maybe sent a scathing Facebook message to an ex who broke your heart? Told everyone — via Twitter — how much you hate your boss? Uploaded something scandalous to YouTube? Well, it’s too bad we waited until Sunday afternoon to tell you about the Social Media Sobriety Test, now isn’t it?

This week, web security company Webroot released a new Firefox () plugin called “The Social Media Sobriety Test” with the tagline, “Nothing good happens online after 1 a.m.”

The deal is simple, download the plugin and customize the settings for a variety of social media sites — from Facebook () to MySpace () to Tumblr () (for the bloggers among us) to e-mail accounts like Gmail () or Hotmail.

Set your hours of intoxication, and if you try to sign on to one of those sites during those times, you’ll be asked to pass a test. I tried it out — about five minutes ago and fully sober — and failed said test, however. You try typing the alphabet backwards. It’s not as easy as it looks.

We would like to say that a tool such as this is merely a fun diversion, but judging from the neverending supply of material on Texts From Last Night, it’s probably rather necessary.

NB: This plugin doesn’t work on mobile devices, which means that when one is out and about — Android () or iPhone in hand — one’s only protection is one’s own common sense. Good luck with that.

Photo courtesy of Flickr (), Egan Snow

Facebook’s page for Media’s Journalist and Developer’s tabs have awesome tips and tricks for anyone who wants to get their business noticed on Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/media?v=app_4949752878