The best free open source software for Mac OS X

If you live and work on a Mac, you'll want to try these 10 killer open source apps -- InfoWorld's top picks... more

Palm's Mojo SDK for the Pre mixes simplicity, rough edges

With Palm's WebOS and development tools, Web programming ascends to the throne and powers the app layer, but Palm's platform is clearly a work in progress... more

iPhone development tools that work the way you do

You don't need to master Cocoa and Objective C to create killer iPhone apps. Rhomobile, PhoneGap, Appcelerator, and Ansca tools leverage standard Web technologies and still tap native features... more

iPhone App Store roulette: A tale of rejection

Apple's random rules for iPhone app approval are a recipe for trivial apps and alienated developers... more

Bending the back office: Open source CRM and ERP

SugarCRM, Openbravo, and Compiere tap the power of open source development to make customization easy, but the line between community and commercial is quickly crossed... more

Java in the cloud: Google, Aptana, and Stax

Google App Engine, Aptana Cloud, and Stax for EC2 make it easy to spin up and scale a simple Java Servlet Container, but are still a far cry from the full Java EE... more

Sun Cloud looks beyond Java

Although Java is a key ingredient, Sun promises an all-purpose cloud akin to Amazon Web Services... more

Slacker databases break all the old rules

Amazon SimpleDB, CouchDB, Google App Engine, and Persevere may have a better way of storing data for your Web app... more

Open source and SaaS offerings rethink the database

Key-value repositories and other alternatives take aim at simplicity, scalability, and cloud services... more

Test Center review: Java fights Flash

Sun's JavaFX is a crisp, simple way to leverage existing Java code, Java 2D, and Java Web Start technology for more Web-savvy interfaces... more

The cross-platform option: Web apps for smartphones

Tailoring a Web application for iPhone, BlackBerry, and other top devices has many advantages over costly native development, and new techniques and approaches are closing the functionality gap... more

A developer's-eye view of smartphone platforms

As smartphones evolve into serious computers, the worlds of iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Nokia Symbian, Palm, and Windows Mobile offer developers new possibilities. Which world should you choose?... more

Why developers prefer Macs

Apple systems have become the tools of choice for coders of all kinds, but not without a few aches and pains... more

Test Center review: A Web-based app builder with a Microsoft twist

Caspio Bridge, like a Microsoft Access on the Web, allows nonprogrammers to easily create online databases and the Web forms to fill them... more

Dynamic programming futures

JavaScript, Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby, and other dynamic languages are remaking the Web and bringing programming to the masses. Where should developers place their bets?... more

Application builders in the sky

Do-it-yourself online tools are quickly moving beyond the creation of forms and spreadsheets to database-driven Web apps... more

Test Center review: Coghead clicks for non-coders

Web application for building Web applications shines with easy GUI for code-free development, but troubleshooting may require real programmers... more

JavaScript performance turns the tide

ECMA standards committee will steer toward a lighter JavaScript 2... more

Cloud versus cloud: A guided tour of Amazon, Google, AppNexus, and GoGrid

Cloud computing offerings differ in depth, breadth, style, and fine print; beneath the heady metaphor lurk familiar pitfalls, complex pricing, and many questions... more

Product review: Denodo brings old-school polish to new-fangled mashups

Denodo Platform marries sophisticated tools for working with relational databases and smart tools for importing data from Web, e-mail, and other unstructured sources... more