Game Engines

Game engines provide a suite of visual development tools in addition to reusable software components. These tools are generally provided in an integrated development environment to enable simplified, rapid development of games in a data-driven manner. These games engines are sometimes called "game middleware" because, as with the business sense of the term, they provide a flexible and reusable software platform which provides all the core functionality needed, right out of the box, to develop a game application while reducing costs, complexities, and time-to-market—all critical factors in the highly competitive video game industry.

Most often, 3D engines or the rendering systems in game engines are built upon a graphics API such as Direct3D or OpenGL which provides a software abstraction of the GPU or video card. Low-level libraries such as DirectX, SDL, and OpenAL are also commonly used in games as they provide hardware-independent access to other computer hardware such as input devices (mouse, keyboard, and joystick), network cards, and sound cards. Before hardware-accelerated 3D graphics, software renderers had been used. Software rendering is still used in some modeling tools or for still-rendered images.

Some companies now specialize in developing software suites known as "middleware." Middleware developers attempt to "pre-invent the wheel" by developing robust software suites which include many elements a game developer may need to build a game. Most middleware programs provide facilities that ease development, such as graphics, sound, physics and AI functions. Gamebryo and RenderWare are such widely used middleware programs.

Opt-in E-mail Advertising

Opt-in e-mail advertising, or permission marketing, is a method of advertising via e-mail whereby the recipient of the advertisement has consented to receive it. This method is one of several developed by marketers to eliminate the disadvantages of e-mail marketing.

Opt-in e-mail marketing may evolve into a technology that uses a handshake protocol between the sender and receiver. This system is intended to eventually result in a high degree of satisfaction between consumers and marketers. If opt-in e-mail advertising is used, the material that is e-mailed to consumers will be "anticipated". It is assumed that the consumer wants to receive it, which makes it unlike unsolicited advertisements sent to the consumer. Ideally, opt-in e-mail advertisements will be more personal and relevant to the consumer than untargeted advertisements.

A common example of permission marketing is a newsletter sent to an advertising firm's customers. Such newsletters inform customers of upcoming events or promotions, or new products. In this type of advertising, a company that wants to send a newsletter to their customers may ask them at the point of purchase if they would like to receive the newsletter.

With a foundation of opted-in contact information stored in their database, marketers can send out promotional materials automatically. They can also segment their promotions to specific market segments.

Nishan Shanaka Korala Gamage
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Author: Eye Think

Adobe CS5 Master Collection Description

Discover breakthrough interactive design tools that enable you to create, deliver, and optimize beautiful, high-impact digital experiences across media and devices. Create once and deliver that same experience virtually everywhere, thanks to the highly anticipated releases of the Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 and Adobe AIR® 2 runtimes. Maximize the impact of what you've created through integration of signature Omniture® technologies

Nishan Shanaka Korala Gamage
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Author: Eye Think

Differeces in RGB and CMYK

RGB is the primary color model used by display devices.
CMYK is the primary color model used by color printers.

In RGB, images are created by using Red, Green, and Blue light. This process can create millions of different colors by using different concentrations of the primaries.

CMYK, in contrast, creates different colors in a subtractive process mixing four colors or inks: Cyan (blue), Magenta (red), Yellow, and Black.

CMYK works by removing color from a white background, whereas RGB adds color to a black background. CMYK pigments absorb most of the white light that hits them, reflecting only part of the spectrum back to the eye. Similarly to RGB, CMYK creates various colors by combining the Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black inks in different proportions.

The differences between RGB and CMYK become crucial when desktop publishers attempt to move documents from their screens onto hard copy. There are many RGB colors that CMYK printers cannot reproduce. To overcome this limitation, many applications allow you to work with an image by specifying CMYK color instead of RGB. On the hardware side, high-end printers can supplement CMYK inks with specific spot color inks that improve the printed output's fidelity to the original.

Recommended Doctype Declarations to use in your Web document.

What are the differences is Strict, Transitional and Frameset

Strict - This DTD contains all HTML elements and attributes, but does NOT INCLUDE presentational or deprecated elements (like font). Framesets are not allowed.

Transitional - This DTD contains all HTML elements and attributes, INCLUDING presentational and deprecated elements (like font). Framesets are not allowed.

Frameset - This DTD is equal to Transitional, but allows the use of frameset content.

(X)HTML Doctype Declarations List

HTML 4.01
Strict - !DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd">

Transitional - !DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">

Frameset - !DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Frameset//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/frameset.dtd">

XHTML 1.0
Strict - !DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">

Transitional - !DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">

Frameset - !DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Frameset//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-frameset.dtd">

XHTML 1.1
!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">

XHTML Basic 1.1
!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML Basic 1.1//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml-basic/xhtml-basic11.dtd">

HTML 5
!DOCTYPE HTML>

Nishan Shanaka Korala Gamage
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Author: Eye Think

Maps In Modern Web Design - Unconventional Maps

While the majority of maps in this article are of physical locations, don’t feel that you have to stick to that. Geographical maps are not the only kind of maps out there. Maps can also be used to explore more abstract information, not unlike static infographics. GOOD illustrates this with its “Roadmap to Harmony” presentation. The result is both logical and inspiringly creative.

Nishan Shanaka Korala Gamage
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Author: Eye Think

MySQL Enterprise Server 5.1

What is new in MySQL 5.1

* Partitioning to improve performance and management of very large database environments
* Row-based/Hybrid Replication for improved replication security
* Event Scheduler to create and schedule jobs that perform various database tasks
* XPath Support
* Dynamic General/Slow Query Log
* Performance/Load Testing Utility (mysqlslap)

What are the enhancements and updates

* Full Text Search (faster, new dev templates)
* Archive engine (better compression, more features)
* User session and problem SQL identification
* MySQL embedded library (libmysqld)

Other interesting stuff

* Additional INFORMATION_SCHEMA objects
* Faster data import operations (parallel file load)
* ACID Transactions to build reliable and secure business critical applications
* Stored Procedures to improve developer productivity
* Triggers to enforce complex business rules at the database level
* Views to ensure sensitive information is not compromised
* Information Schema to provide easy access to metadata
* Plugable Storage Engine Architecture for maximum flexibility
* Archive Storage Engine for historical and audit data