Software : Round up: Top 5 best iTunes download alternatives

Round up: Top 5 best iTunes download alternatives
Industry voice: When crafting your API strategy, put design first
Round up: Top 5 best WinRAR download alternatives
Twitter's in-tweet buy button appears to be gaining steam

Round up: Top 5 best iTunes download alternatives

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Introduction

If you've ever used one of Apple's smartphones, tablets or Macs, you'll likely have come across iTunes, its software for playing music, videos and transferring media onto devices.

Many people have a love/hate relationship with iTunes as it used to be the only program that could sync music to iPhones, iPads and other Apple devices. It's also been criticised for its slow loading times (especially in Windows), lack of features and non-existent support for a number of popular file formats, leading many to seek out an alternative.

Apple's rivals caught on, and it's now possible to perform many of the actions previously tied to the program - such as synching media to iOS devices - using other media players. We've picked out five of the best to tickle your music fancy.

It should be noted that while the following Windows programs are free, they will attempt to install third-party add-ons that aren't necessary for the programs to run. As such, you might want to manually opt out during the installation process.

1. Spotify

Spotify has quickly risen to become one of, if not the most popular music player around. It has a huge library of songs stored in the cloud that you can stream over the internet from your computer, smartphone or other mobile device. With new music being added all the time, Spotify has put an end to the days of ripping your CD collection to store in programs like Windows Media Player. The company has struck numerous deals with many large and "indie" record labels alike, meaning it has one of the most eclectic online song libraries around.

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You can also add your own computer's music to a Local Library to sit alongside music in the cloud. In addition to creating and sharing playlists, Spotify allows you to "follow" artists and other users, queue up songs (handy for parties) and listen to tons of internet radio stations. Better yet, you can sync music from your library Apple devices, making it a potential iTunes replacement even for die-hard Apple enthusiasts.

2. MediaMonkey

MediaMonkey is the music player of choice for the discerning music organiser. If you've previously filed hundreds of vinyls and CDs in cardboard boxes by genre, alphabetically or some other way, it will allow you to tame your collation obsession. The first time you load it up it will speedily scan your computer to find audio and video files, allowing you to then tag and sort them into columns - including by artist name, album, genre, composer, year, publisher, rating and so on.

Media Monkeys

Where other media managers top out after a certain limit, MediaMonkey lets you add a massive 100,000 tracks. It's compatible with a wide range of formats - including MP3, WMA, W4A and M4P - and like iTunes, you can sync your library with iPhones, iPads and other Apple devices. Visually, the program isn't a million miles away from iTunes, and if you don't like it you can change its appearance by downloading "skins".

3. Google Chrome (MP3 Player add-on)

Through extensions, Google's Chrome browser can perform many tasks usually undertaken on the desktop - and that includes sorting and playing media files. Through one particularly nifty extension imaginatively called MP3 Player, you can listen to music stored on your computer within Chrome, saving you from having to duck out to your music player.

Chrome MP3

It comes with a few other features, including the retrieval of song lyrics, YouTube clips, relevant information about the artist playing and links to their Wikipedia page. On the negative side, it only supports MP3 and OGG formats, and it's not much of a looker. If you value convenience over aesthetics, MP3 Player could be for you.

4. Winamp

Venerable media player Winamp has been through some tough times since launching 18 years ago (including being killed off before being resurrected in 2014), but it's held its own against newer, fresher rivals surprisingly well. In a similar vein to MediaMonkey, it allows masses of music to be loaded into a central library, tagged and sorted to your heart's content. Additional functionality is provided through a rich database of plug-ins that let you do anything from installing jazzy visualisations to burning DVDs.

Winamp

Winamp is unashamedly retro and may be a better fit in its original form for anyone still on Windows XP or Vista. That said, a chance to blend the old with the new came when the makers of Spotify released Spotiamp, a lightweight media player that streams Spotify's extensive database of music in Winamp's original skin. If you're feeling nostalgic for Winamp's original look but don't want to leave your vast cloud-based music collection behind, Spotiamp is the answer to your prayers.

5. RealPlayer

Launched back in 1995, RealPlayer is a golden oldie. The program has matured into a slick multimedia tool that supports of a wide range of video formats - including proprietary RealAudio and RealVideo (RA, RM, RV and RMVB), in addition to MP3, MPEG, Windows Media Player and Flash Video (FLV).

Real Player

By acting as a central repository for all of your media files, RealPlayer lets you make playlists, bookmark videos on webpages, burn CDs, DVDs, stream videos and more. Recent versions have improved mobile support, and you can now transfer music from your smartphone to your PC, and visa versa. There's also support for Google's Chromecast streaming dongle, which means you can now plug one into your HDMI-equipped TV and download the RealPlayer app (on iOS or Android) to take advantage of a myriad of services - from Netflix and YouTube to BBC iPlayer.

Industry voice: When crafting your API strategy, put design first

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One of the best parts of my job is working with companies on their API strategy. You learn a lot about them that way. Opening up services with an API is more than an engineering project. For most, it's a new way of thinking about their business.

And having seen these projects close up, I can tell you that certain approaches to APIs work, and others work, let's say, less well.

Even experienced developers tend to fall into a short-term mentality when building APIs. It usually goes like this. They work backward from the application to arrive at the spec. They start a whirlwind of coding, check the boxes on features and functionality and bring in the project, hopefully on time and on budget. Well done and off to the pub, right?

Not quite.

What could possibly go wrong?

This isn't Field of Dreams. Just because you build an API, that doesn't mean anyone will use it. If you're not designing your API to delight your consumers - in this case, your developer community and even your own team - you're setting yourself up for failure. It's as true with an API as it is with a smartphone.

The most successful API projects take what I call a "design-first" approach. Fundamentally, design-first is about creating an experience that delights your audience. Before writing any code, think about the people who will use your API. Ask yourself: "Am I creating an experience that will attract a community, inspire engagement and provide value?" Most of all, "Would I want to develop with this API?"

Here's how to make sure you can answer yes to those questions.

Design for consistency

Planning too little is dangerous. But so is planning too much. This isn't a science experiment to find the ideal design. Perfection isn't the goal: consistency is.

Do your users a favor and settle on well-defined patterns and common design elements you'll use again and again as your application evolves. If you have two teams building two APIs for your software, users shouldn't be able to detect any difference.

Security should behave the same way. Versioning, URL schemes, API keys and error codes should look and work the same in all parts of your API. The same goes for querying and receiving data. These might seem like the basics, but they're so rarely followed in practice—and so powerful when they are. Planning out your API with a modeling language like RAML can help you stick to best practices.

If you need another incentive to be consistent, remember that you're doing yourself a favor too. All the work you're doing on your API right now, you're going to do again someday. Maybe at the moment you're building a native mobile app. Over time, you'll want to add features. You might want to support different platforms. When you do, the last thing you want is to spend time rearchitecting your API. A clear, consistent design will serve you in good stead over the lifetime of your application.

Design for scale

Your API needs to be built to last, but planning for growth can be tricky. You can't invest too much in scalability until you generate the traffic. But you need to invest enough to grow without affecting your users. It's a delicate balance.

The easiest solution is to publish your APIs on a cloud platform, where scalability is built in. That way, if you get spikes in activity, your service won't crumble under the load.

You also need to choose your API management platform carefully. It can't be an afterthought. It's a powerful tool to ensure that all your users have a good experience. It allows you to prescribe in great detail how you API will be accessed. It provides a safe, secure experience for end users, and gives you visibility into how the API is being accessed. It's Mission Control for your API, and you can't neglect it.

Design for people

Having said all that, developers are the single most important factor that determines the success or failure of an API. No matter how elegant your code, it won't be enough to make people engage.

People don't want to think too much. Software design practices can get wrapped up in the quagmire of edge cases; the litany of possible things a random developer might do one day. Define what you can do with the API and what you can't; leave the kitchen sink in the kitchen. The process of design should direct focus. It's better to start narrow and broaden over time. It's also critical to explicitly define the boundaries of your v1.0 API so developers have context of what to expect.

You need to be thinking about the engagement experience of your API up front. Once you've launched, you need to help developers discover your API and succeed with it through documentation and tutorials. You need to promote it, gather feedback, involve the community in improving it. An API needs to evolve, just like the businesses it supports.

Want some good examples? Take a cue from companies like Stripe and Twilio, where their API is the product. If they don't attract a community, their business goes under. You can bet they're getting engagement right.

In summary

Creating a strong API strategy is a challenging, exhilarating experience. It forces you to think not just about what your application is like now but what it will be in the future. If you keep your focus on user experience through good design up front and plan for the long term, you'll have an architecture that can support your digital business for years to come.

Ross Mason is Founder and VP of Product Strategy at MuleSoft.

Round up: Top 5 best WinRAR download alternatives

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The ability to compress (or "zip") files has become a necessity over the years due to the growing volumes of data stored on computers and devices. Whether you need to unzip an application, archive a set of holiday photos or backup your music collection, the need for a stable, reliable and most of all fast compression tool is a must.

A good compression tool makes it possible to reduce the size of both individual and groups of files, making it easier to transfer them onto removable storage or over the internet. Some go further by adding features such as encryption and use faster compression techniques.

Windows 8.1 has built-in compression support, but it offers little functionality beyond the basic unzipping and compressing of files. If you're on an older operating system, or you're looking for more functionality, there are a number of third-party options out there. One of the most well-known file compression tools is WinRAR, by RARLab, which can self-extract files, split archives into multiple volumes and even repair damaged files.

WinRAR is a popular choice, but it's far from the only one out there. We've served up five alternatives, and it's worth nothing that while the following Windows programs are free, they will attempt to install third-party add-ons that aren't necessary for them to function properly. As such, we recommend that you opt out of installing them when asked.

If you have any suggestions for alternatives to WinRAR that aren't in our list, let us know in the comments below.

1. 7-Zip

7-Zip is an open-source compression program that that sports a minimal user interface and makes use of space-saving file compression algorithms. It's easy to use and supports a wide range of archive formats - including ZIP, GZ and TAR. Where it really shines, however, it when it's used to compress or unzip files in its own official format, .7z.

7-Zip

Though it isn't as widely used as ZIP, using its .7z format, 7-Zip can pack files even tighter to save more space, shrinking batches of files more than 30% compared to WinZip during our tests. 7-Zip also comes with a command line module, providing more advanced users with method of using it. If you're looking for a fast and free alternative to WinRAR and WinZIP, 7-Zip is one of the more established and functional offerings out there.

2. TrueCrypt

TrueCrypt isn't a direct replacement for WinRAR as it's not a straightforward zip and compression tool. However, if you're looking for an alternative program to encrypt files with a high level of security (in a similar manner to making an encrypted .zip file), TrueCrypt is one of the best.

TrueCrypt

Instead of creating an ordinary .zip file and encrypting it, TrueCrypt turns them into virtual drives, meaning that each time you open a file inside a .zip archive, it's decompressed and decrypted into a temporary folder on your hard drive. Where a program like 7-Zip would simply delete the file after you've closed it (which can be recovered by those with the right tools), using TrueCrypt prevents it from being traced as the program temporarily stores the .zip's files in RAM, rather than on your hard drive.

3. Winzip

WinZIP is a true classic and the program that most people associate with when talking about file compression. It's been around since the early days of Windows and has recently been refreshed with a slicker interface and support for social media websites - including Facebook and Twitter.

Winzip

Recentl releases have also added the ability to manage ZIP archives on cloud storage services like Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Drive. You can also shrink images, convert files into PDFs and apply watermarks to them. Many basic functions - such as compressing files into archives and unzipping them - are free, but you'll have to buy a license to unlock some of its more complicated functions.

4. Chrome (Zip Extractor add-on)

ZIP Extractor is a useful Chrome browser extension that lets you decompress .zip files to Google Drive, Google's cloud storage service, directly within the Chrome browser. This is especially useful if you have a large amount of ZIP files on your desktop that need unzipping and uploading to the Google Drive Cloud, saving you from clicking on each one to extract and upload the contents manually, which can become a slow and laborious process.

Chrome

Because it's a Chrome extension, there are no files to download as everything is integrated into the browser. It also has the handy ability of allowing you to unzip individual files to extract them from archives, whereas many compression tools make you unzip the whole lot in one go.

5. Daemon Tools Lite

As with TrueCrypt, Daemon Tools Lite isn't a direct replacement for WinRAR but instead provides an alterantive way of archiving files that you may have stored in encrypted zip files. Daemon Tools Lite lets you add virtual drives to your machine, meaning that instead of archiving files on physical discs - such as CDs or DVD ROMs - you can compress them and keep them stored in an ISO image format on your hard drive until you want to retrieve them.

Daemon Tools Lite

Daemon Tools Lite works with most ISO image formats and comes with a simple graphical user interface that makes creating virual drives and mounting images on them a breeze. If you don't like the idea of archiving data in .zip files or intend to eventually burn it to physical media then backing it up to an ISO image using Daemon Tools Lite would be a quick, simple and effective option.

Twitter's in-tweet buy button appears to be gaining steam

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It's been rumored for years that Twitter would let users buy products from within tweets, and now that dream may finally be coming true.

Before you break out the champagne, note that this report is unsubstantiated at this time, but Re/code heard from "multiple industry sources" that Twitter has finally partnered with payments startup Stripe to make it happen.

This is the same company that was rumored to have been negotiating with Twitter all the way back in January 2014, and they've reportedly reached an agreement.

Businesses who want to let Twitter users buy their products directly from tweets will need to sign up with Stripe, these sources said, but users won't have to leave the Twitter app to finish a transaction.

Oh good, more ways to shop

Currently Stripe is believed to be Twitter's only partner in this initiative, but Re/code notes that that might change in the long run.

Users will be able to purchase goods and services by simply clicking or tapping on a "buy" button (or something similar) within a tweet.

They can then enter payment and/or shipping information, or - one can imagine - confirm information that's already been stored with Stripe or Twitter.

Twitter users on Android reported in early August that a "payments and shipping" option had appeared in their settings, although tapping on it had no effect. And in June a "buy now" button appeared in some tweets, linking to the website Fancy.

It looks like buying from Tweets is really happening, and given that assumption it seems likely that it will launch in time for the holidays. Who wouldn't want to do their holiday shopping and their tweeting at the same time?

Another weird Twitter experiment is treating favourites like retweets

Yahuui Blog

Monday, August 25, 2014