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• Installing Ubuntu on an External Drive

  - by Dom

  I am trying to install ububtu on an external drive. I am a programmer who wants to start using Linux. I downloaded the usb installer from the ubuntu website and followed all the steps. But when I get to the part where I have to setup the partitioning, it says an error when moving forward "No root file system is defined". I've been doing some research and I think that I have to partition the external drive but do not know how to do so. The problem is that I only want 20gb used from that external drive and let the rest be used for storage. I am also a musician and use Pro tools so I would like to keep all my files there, but I dont want ubuntu on my main hardrive since the external one is portable. I'd appreciate it also if you could provide me the steps.

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• Hide a 2nd Monitor from a Programs Print Screen

  - by jasondavis

  I run 2 monitors on a PC that also runs a program for the Freelancing site Elance.com. The program they provide, takes screenshots and uploads them to my account for a client to see at different intervals. My goal is to make the screenshot that the program takes and uploads, to somehow only take a shot of my "Main" or "Defualt" monitor and ignore my 2nd monitor. The main reason is my 2nd monitor generally has private data that I do not displayed to the world on a website. Does anyone know if there is any kind of program or trick I can use that will make it appear that I have 1 monitor when a Screenshot is taken? I am not sure how the program does it and how that works as I am a web developer and not a C++ or any kind of low level programmer. If the Elance program simply runs the same function that is called when a PrintScreen key is pressed on a keyboard, then I am thinking it might be possible to maybe trick that into only the default desktop? Any ideas or help would be appreciated, thank you

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• How do you hit modifier keys when touch typing?

  - by Bob Ueland

  I am a programmer and I want to learn to touch type. As all programmers know, using modifier keys like Control, Command and Alt are essential. When programming I think that every second or third word I use involves a modifier key. But most touch typing learning software do not address these keys, it is as if they do not exist. Not only do they not let you practice them, they do not even tell you which fingers to use to hit them. Actually there is a touch typing game that I use called StarTyper (http://lidenanna.com) that lets you practice modifier keys and even make up your own custom words containing modifier keys. But not even this game tells you which fingers to use when hitting the modifier keys. Has anybody addressed this problem. Or are there just homespun methods that work for one person but not for the other?

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• enable tcp_syncookies even after reboot

  - by Tim

  I'm running Scientific Linux 6.1 and would like to set net.ipv4.tcp_syncookies=1. I've set that in /etc/sysctl.conf and, if I do a sysctl -p then sysctl -q net.ipv4.tcp_syncookies it shows it's properly set. Sadly, if I reboot the machine, and sysctl -q again, it goes back to 0. I've tried to grep around and see if something else is resetting it to 0 during the boot process but haven't turned up anything. I've googled and everything points to sysctl.conf. The only thing I can think of is maybe networking isn't up by the time that file gets read but, honestly, I'm a developer and well beyond my natural skills here:) I'm tempted to just set it directly in /etc/init.d/network but then that feels hackish and so, I thought better of it and I'm here in search of the "right" way to do it. Any pointers?

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• Dictionary-based text auto-completion in Windows (i.e. Mozilla Thunderbird e-mail client)?

  - by None

  Most programmer's text editors and IDEs have it, automatic completion of the first few characters (letters) of a keyword or function name. Also, most address bars or search fields feature this (like the tag input below the posting form). I would like the same for a few, often-occuring words in business correspondance. Since I could not find an extension for the application in question, Mozilla Thunderbird, I would like to know if there are applications or methods that suggest the complete words from a dictionary like sup per eruser erfluent PS: Here's an article on Wikipedia: Word completion Here's a product for $25: Type Booster Ideally, the solution is free.

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• Alternative to Xcode [closed]

  - by Moshe

  For those familiar with Windows, I used to use "Programmer's Notepad" and "TextPad". I want a Text Editor, not an IDE, with the following few features (in no particular order): Syntax Highlighting Tabbed editing Projects (groups of files together in one "project" file) Spellcheck Lightweight - I prefer something other than Xcode. Updates I am looking for something primarily for web development. Must be Free. +1 For relevant link(s). GUI Based only Conclusion I realized that gEdit is available for OS X. I met it back on Ubuntu 6. Something-or-other. We have a winner. all for input.

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• Books or other materials to overcome Linux learning curve?

  - by Marek Osvald

  I was born in 1989 and am an active Windows user since 1993. I've always struggled with Linux, not being able to configure the system the way I would like, snooping through blogs and forums for answers, never actually overcame the barrier. The books I've seen and read are either completely command line oriented (and don't get me wrong it's awesome to know this stuff when you're working on a server for example) but seems rather impractical to me on a desktop computer that's partially my development environment. The other kind are user manual describing step-by-step the controls of simplest applications like the Calculator, totally useless to me. What would you recommend for a programmer who needs to learn how to work with Linux but already knows the basics? What materials did you use to learn how to start with Linux?

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• Does multi-platter hard-drive use all of their heads to read simultaneously?

  - by WiSaGaN

  Suppose we have a harddisk with 2 platters with characteristics below: Rotational rate: 10, 000 RPM Avg sectors/track: 1000 Surfaces: 4 Sector size: 512 bytes I was reading "Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective 2ed" when I found that it calculates transfer time as if it only uses ONE head to read a sector. If that's the case, why not use 4 heads to write(read) on 4 surfaces? So when I write a 2K bytes file, each head should only need to wait for the platters to rotate just one sector length instead of 4, thus reducing the transfer time by a factor of 4. Or even redesign sector to make each sector on one cylinder but on 4 tracks residing same position respectively on 4 surfaces. Each one of (512/4) bytes. So when the hd needs to read a sector of 512 bytes, we only need the disk to rotate roughly 1/4 compare to original time. The idea looks like RAID 0.

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• Does programmable hardware exist to allow hardware to be programmed by computers?

  - by agentbanks217

  I am a programmer and I have never really dealt with the hardware of anything, only software. I want to start building things that I can control from my computer using programming. My question is are there such devices on the market that have a programmable interface or API? For example, I want to build an automated window blinds opening/closing device, and I would like to be able to control it from my computer e.g. writing an app or some code to schedule them when to open and close. I would like to know if there are any devices that can be programmed to do that (the computer part)?

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• Does the ulkJSON library have limitations when dealing with base64 in Delphi 7?

  - by Da Gopherboy

  I'm working on a project that is using Delphi 7 to consume RESTful services. We are creating and decoding JSON with the ulkJSON library. Up to this point I've been able to successfully build and send JSON containing a base64 string that exceed 5,160kb. I can verify that the base64 is being received by the services and verify the integrity of the base64 once its there. In addition to sending, I can also receive and successfully decode JSON with a smaller (~ 256KB or less) base64. However I am experiencing some issues on the return trip when larger (~1,024KB+) base64 is involved for some reason. Specifically when attempting to use the following JSON format and function combination: JSON: { "message" : "/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQEAYABgAAD...." } Function: function checkResults(JSONFormattedString: String): String; var jsonObject : TlkJSONObject; iteration : Integer; i : Integer; x : Integer; begin jsonObject := TlkJSONobject.Create; // Validate that the JSONFormatted string is not empty. // If it is empty, inform the user/programmer, and exit from this routine. if JSONFormattedString = '' then begin result := 'Error: JSON returned is Null'; jsonObject.Free; exit; end; // Now that we can validate that this string is not empty, we are going to // assume that the string is a JSONFormatted string and attempt to parse it. // // If the string is not a valid JSON object (such as an http status code) // throw an exception informing the user/programmer that an unexpected value // has been passed. And exit from this routine. try jsonObject := TlkJSON.ParseText(JSONFormattedString) as TlkJSONobject; except on e:Exception do begin result := 'Error: No JSON was received from web services'; jsonObject.Free; exit; end; end; // Now that the object has been parsed, lets check the contents. try result := jsonObject.Field['message'].value; jsonObject.Free; exit; except on e:Exception do begin result := 'Error: No Message received from Web Services '+e.message; jsonObject.Free; exit; end; end; end; As mentioned above when using the above function, I am able to get small (256KB and less) base64 strings out of the 'message' field of a JSON object. But for some reason if the received JSON is larger than say 1,024kb the following line seems to just stop in its tracks: jsonObject := TlkJSON.ParseText(JSONFormattedString) as TlkJSONobject; No errors, no results. Following the debugger, I can go into the library, and see that the JSON string being passed is not considered to be JSON despite being in the format listed above. The only difference I can find between calls that work as expected and calls that do not work as expect appears to be the size of base64 being transmitted. Am I missing something completely obvious and should be shot for my code implementation (very possible)? Have I missed some notation regarding the limitations of the ulkJSON library? Any input would be extremely helpful. Thanks in advance stack!

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• Summer Programming Plans

  - by Gabe

  I've wanted to start "hacking" for many months now. But I put it off in favor of school and other things. Now, though, I'm free for the summer and want to learn as much as I can. I have a rough idea of what I want to try my hand at, but need some guidance as to what specifically - and how - I should learn. This is my plan so far: 1) Get good at programming in general. I plan to read up on how to think/work like a programmer. I'm waiting for the Pragmatic Programmer to arrive, which will be the first book I read. Q: What other books/ebooks should I look at? What more can I do here? 2) Learn/Improve at HTML/CSS. My first project will be to make a personal website/blog for myself using HTML and CSS. ----Then I hope to write/design articles like Dustin Curtis. After I finish this (and learn a programming language) I'll try to create user-based a user-focused website. Q: It's my understanding that just trying to design/manage websites is a good way to learn/improve at HTML/CSS. Is that all correct? 3) Try music development. This might be a sort of stretch for stackoverflow, but I'm interested in mixing/making techno songs. (Think Justice, or Daft Punk, or MSTRKRFT.) Q: I have a Mac. Any ideas on how I could start/learn music making? Any programs I should download, for instance? 4) My main goal: Learning a web development language/framework. I'm a year into learning/using C++. But what I really want to do is develop websites and web apps. I've searched online, and there seems to be great debate over which language/framework to learn first (and which is best). I think I've narrowed it down to three: Ruby (Rails), Python (Django), and PHP (?). Q #1: Which should I learn and use first? (Reasons?) Q #2: One reason I was leaning towards PHP is that I'm taking a PHP development course next semester. Learning it now would make that course easy. If PHP was not the answer to Q #1, is it worth learning both? Or, would it be better to just focus on PHP for this summer and next semester, and then transition thereafter to a better language? 5) iPhone/iPad Programming (Maybe). I've a number of simple, useful app ideas that I'd like to eventually get too. I just bought a Mac, as well as a few app development books. Q #1: Am I spreading myself thin trying to learn all of the above, and objective-C? Q #2: How much harder/easier is objective-C compared to the above languages? Also, how easy is it to learn obj-C after learning a web development language (and some C++)? Q #3: Yes or no? Should I go for it, or just keeep with #1-4 for now? Also: If you have any tips on how I should learn (or how you learned to hack), I'm all ears. I'd be especially interested in how you planned out learning: did you just hack whenever you felt like it, or did you "study" the language a few hours a day, or something else? Thanks so much, guys.

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• How to write a Mork File Format file in Java?

  - by Sumit Ghosh

  Iam working on a project which involves writing a Mork File (Mork is a database format used by Mozilla to store url history and other information.) It has been replaced by an enhanced version of SQLite in latest Mozilla 3.0. Now I have the code for parsing a Mork File , but Iam struggling a bit with this part of the the file. <(A9=3)(81=)([email protected])(80=0)(85=2)(86=4ac18267)(83=1) (87=Mark)(88=Colbath)(89=Mark Colbath)([email protected])(8B [email protected])(8C=512-282-2509)(8D=+504-9907-1342)(8E=512-282-2510) (8F=512-282-2511)(90=512-282-2512)(91=Two Blocks Past Oxen Team)(92 =Villa Alicia)(93=Siguatepeque)(94=Comayagua)(95=NA)(96=Honduras) (97=9309 Heatherwood Dr)(98=Apartment 1)(99=Austin)(9A=TX)(9B=78748) (9C=USA)(9D=Programmer)(9E=Programming)(9F=MPC Solutions)(A0 =rentaprogrammer)(A1=http://www.mpcsol.com)(A2 =http://www.jesuslovesthelittlechildren.org)(A3=Hannah)(A4=John) (A5=Faith)(A6=Timothy)(A7=Some notes go here.)(A8 [email protected])> {1:^80 {(k^C0:c)(s=9)} [1:^82(^BF=3)] [1(^83=)(^84=)(^85=)(^86=)(^87=)(^88=)(^89^82)(^8A^82)(^8B=)(^8C=) (^8D=)(^8E=0)(^8F=2)(^90=0)(^91=)(^92=)(^93=)(^94=)(^95=)(^96=) (^97=)(^98=)(^99=)(^9A=)(^9B=)(^9C=)(^9D=)(^9E=)(^9F=)(^A0=)(^A1=) (^A2=)(^A3=)(^A4=)(^A5=)(^A6=)(^A7=)(^A8=)(^A9=)(^AA=)(^AB=)(^AC=) (^AD=)(^AE=)(^AF=)(^B0=)(^B1=)(^B2=)(^B3=)(^B4=)(^B5=)(^B6=)(^B7=) (^B8=)(^B9=)(^BA=)(^BB=)(^BC^86)(^BD=1)] [2(^83^87)(^84^88)(^85=)(^86=)(^87^89)(^88=)(^89^8A)(^8A^8A)(^8B^8B) (^8C=)(^8D=)(^8E=2)(^8F=0)(^90=1)(^91^8C)(^92^8D)(^93^8E)(^94^8F) (^95^90)(^96=)(^97=)(^98=)(^99=)(^9A=)(^9B^91)(^9C^92)(^9D^93)(^9E^94) (^9F=NA)(^A0^96)(^A1^97)(^A2^98)(^A3^99)(^A4=TX)(^A5^9B)(^A6^9C) (^A7^9D)(^A8^9E)(^A9^9F)(^AA^A0)(^AB=)(^AC=)(^AD=)(^AE=)(^AF=)(^B0=) (^B1=)(^B2^A1)(^B3^A2)(^B4=)(^B5=)(^B6=)(^B7^A3)(^B8^A4)(^B9^A5) (^BA^A6)(^BB^A7)(^BC=0)(^BD=2)] [3(^83=)(^84=)(^85=)(^86=)(^87=)(^88=)(^89^A8)(^8A^A8)(^8B=)(^8C=) (^8D=)(^8E=0)(^8F=0)(^90=0)(^91=)(^92=)(^93=)(^94=)(^95=)(^96=) (^97=)(^98=)(^99=)(^9A=)(^9B=)(^9C=)(^9D=)(^9E=)(^9F=)(^A0=)(^A1=) (^A2=)(^A3=)(^A4=)(^A5=)(^A6=)(^A7=)(^A8=)(^A9=)(^AA=)(^AB=)(^AC=) (^AD=)(^AE=)(^AF=)(^B0=)(^B1=)(^B2=)(^B3=)(^B4=)(^B5=)(^B6=)(^B7=) (^B8=)(^B9=)(^BA=)(^BB=)(^BC=0)(^BD=3)]} Can someone tell me how this part of the Mork file relates to the data given below? run: NickName=,LastModifiedDate=4ac18267,FaxNumberType=,BirthMonth=,LastName=,HomePhone=,WorkCountry=,HomePhoneType=,PreferMailFormat=0,CellularNumber=,FamilyName=,[email protected],AnniversaryMonth=,HomeCity=,WorkState=,HomeCountry=,PhoneticFirstName=,PhoneticLastName=,HomeState=,WorkAddress=,WebPage1=,WebPage2=,HomeAddress2=,WorkZipCode=,_AimScreenName=,AnniversaryYear=,WorkPhoneType=,Notes=,WorkAddress2=,WorkPhone=,Custom3=,Custom4=,Custom1=,Custom2=,PagerNumber=,AnniversaryDay=,WorkCity=,AllowRemoteContent=0,CellularNumberType=,FaxNumber=,PopularityIndex=2,FirstName=,SpouseName=,CardType=,Department=,Company=,HomeAddress=,BirthDay=,SecondEmail=,RecordKey=1,DisplayName=,DefaultEmail=,DefaultAddress=,BirthYear=,Category=,PagerNumberType=,[email protected],JobTitle=,HomeZipCode=, NickName=,LastModifiedDate=0,FaxNumberType=,BirthMonth=,LastName=Colbath,HomePhone=+504-9907-1342,WorkCountry=USA,HomePhoneType=,PreferMailFormat=2,CellularNumber=512-282-2512,FamilyName=,[email protected],AnniversaryMonth=,HomeCity=Siguatepeque,WorkState=TX,HomeCountry=Honduras,PhoneticFirstName=,PhoneticLastName=,HomeState=Comayagua,WorkAddress=9309 HeatherwoodDr,WebPage1=http://www.mpcsol.com,WebPage2=http://www.jesuslovesthelittlechildren.org,HomeAddress2=VillaAlicia,WorkZipCode=78748,_AimScreenName=rentaprogrammer,AnniversaryYear=,WorkPhoneType=,Notes=Some notes go here.,WorkAddress2=Apartment 1,WorkPhone=512-282-2509,Custom3=Faith,Custom4=Timothy,Custom1=Hannah,Custom2=John,PagerNumber=512-282-2511,AnniversaryDay=,WorkCity=Austin,AllowRemoteContent=1,CellularNumberType=,FaxNumber=512-282-2510,PopularityIndex=0,FirstName=Mark,SpouseName=,CardType=,Department=Programming,Company=MPC Solutions,HomeAddress=Two Blocks Past Oxen Team,BirthDay=,[email protected],RecordKey=2,DisplayName=Mark Colbath,DefaultEmail=,DefaultAddress=,BirthYear=,Category=,PagerNumberType=,[email protected],JobTitle=Programmer,HomeZipCode=NA, NickName=,LastModifiedDate=0,FaxNumberType=,BirthMonth=,LastName=,HomePhone=,WorkCountry=,HomePhoneType=,PreferMailFormat=0,CellularNumber=,FamilyName=,[email protected],AnniversaryMonth=,HomeCity=,WorkState=,HomeCountry=,PhoneticFirstName=,PhoneticLastName=,HomeState=,WorkAddress=,WebPage1=,WebPage2=,HomeAddress2=,WorkZipCode=,_AimScreenName=,AnniversaryYear=,WorkPhoneType=,Notes=,WorkAddress2=,WorkPhone=,Custom3=,Custom4=,Custom1=,Custom2=,PagerNumber=,AnniversaryDay=,WorkCity=,AllowRemoteContent=0,CellularNumberType=,FaxNumber=,PopularityIndex=0,FirstName=,SpouseName=,CardType=,Department=,Company=,HomeAddress=,BirthDay=,SecondEmail=,RecordKey=3,DisplayName=,DefaultEmail=,DefaultAddress=,BirthYear=,Category=,PagerNumberType=,[email protected],JobTitle=,HomeZipCode=, I have been breaking my head for almost 2 days now, please someone who is part of the mozilla team can help, it would be really appreciated.

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• Better, simpler example of 'semantic conflict'?

  - by rhubbarb

  I like to distinguish three different types of conflict from a version control system (VCS): textual syntactic semantic A textual conflict is one that is detected by the merge or update process. This is flagged by the system. A commit of the result is not permitted by the VCS until the conflict is resolved. A syntactic conflict is not flagged by the VCS, but the result will not compile. Therefore this should also be picked up by even a slightly careful programmer. (A simple example might be a variable rename by Left and some added lines using that variable by Right. The merge will probably have an unresolved symbol. Alternatively, this might introduce a semantic conflict by variable hiding.) Finally, a semantic conflict is not flagged by the VCS, the result compiles, but the code may have problems running. In mild cases, incorrect results are produced. In severe cases, a crash could be introduced. Even these should be detected before commit by a very careful programmer, through either code review or unit testing. My example of a semantic conflict uses SVN (Subversion) and C++, but those choices are not really relevant to the essence of the question. The base code is: int i = 0; int odds = 0; while (i < 10) { if ((i & 1) != 0) { odds *= 10; odds += i; } // next ++ i; } assert (odds == 13579) The Left (L) and Right (R) changes are as follows. Left's 'optimisation' (changing the values the loop variable takes): int i = 1; // L int odds = 0; while (i < 10) { if ((i & 1) != 0) { odds *= 10; odds += i; } // next i += 2; // L } assert (odds == 13579) Right's 'optimisation' (changing how the loop variable is used): int i = 0; int odds = 0; while (i < 5) // R { odds *= 10; odds += 2 * i + 1; // R // next ++ i; } assert (odds == 13579) This is the result of a merge or update, and is not detected by SVN (which is correct behaviour for the VCS). int i = 1; // L int odds = 0; while (i < 5) // R { odds *= 10; odds += 2 * i + 1; // R // next i += 2; // L } assert (odds == 13579) The assert fails because odds is 37. So my question is as follows. Is there a simpler example than this? Is there a simple example where the compiled executable has a new crash? As a secondary question, are there cases of this that you have encountered in real code? Again, simple examples are especially welcome.

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• Xcode 3 or Xcode 4

  - by Randolf

  Hi. I'm starting to learn development for the mac (then I'll learn iOS development). I just buy an iOS developer program, and I see there are 2 IDEs available for download: Xcode 3.x and Xcode 4 (GM Status). So I don't know where to start. Site's says that Xcode 4 its now "integrated" so there is one app instead of 3, and that it's better for small screen because tabs and other features (I'm using a 13" macbook). But looking for books I see books only for 3.X. I'm a C# & .NET programmer, I know that the fundamental is the language and the framework (Cocoa) but I've been told that getting proficient with Mac Dev is getting proficient with Xcode. I think that if I start with Xcode 4, then I'll learn on the "next" IDE and since I have no hurry I can wait until apps made with Xcode 4 are deployable (on the app store). But, maybe I'm wrong and I should start with Xcode 3 and the largest set of books and references available. Any advice?

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• Parsing flat files using SSIS : SSIS Nugget

  - by jamiet

  Often when using SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) you will find there is more than one way of accomplishing a task and that the most obvious method of doing so might not be the optimal one. In the video below I demonstrate this by way of an experiment using SSIS’s Flat File Source component; I show different ways that you can pull data from a flat file into the SSIS dataflow and also how the nature of the data itself can influence your choice as to how this task should be accomplished. If you are having trouble viewing the video in your blog reader then head to http://sqlblog.com/blogs/jamie_thomson/archive/2010/03/25/parsing-flat-files-using-ssis-ssis-nugget.aspx to see it as it is hosted on my blog!  The main point I want to get across from this video is that a little bit of creative thinking when building your dataflows can sometimes be very beneficial for performance; quite often building a solution that isn’t the most obvious might actually turn out to be the best one. You’ll notice, if you have watched the video, that my editing skills weren’t quite up to snuff and I cut off the final few words however all I was saying was that if you have any feedback on this video then I would love to hear it either via email or preferably the comments section below. I hope this turns out to be useful to some of you. @Jamiet P.S. Incidentally the parsing that we do using SSIS expressions in the video would be much easier if we had a TOKENISE function in SSIS’s expression language and I have asked for the introduction of such a function on Connect at [SSIS] TOKEN(string, tokeniser_string, occurence) function. Feel free to go and vote that up if you think this feature would be useful! Share this post: email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit! | kick it! | live it!

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• Fitting it together, database, reporting, applications in C#

  - by alvonellos

  Introduction Preamble I was hesitant to post this, since it's an application whose intricate details are defined elsewhere, and answers may not be helpful to others. Within the past few weeks (I was actually going to write a blog post about this after I finished) I've discovered that the barrier I'm encountering is one that's actually quite common for newer developers. This question is not so much about a specific thing as it is about piecing those things together. I've searched the internet far and wide, and found many tutorials on how to create applications that are kind of similar to what I'm looking for. I've also looked at hiring another, more experienced, developer to help me along, but all I've gotten are unqualified candidates that don't have the experience necessary and won't take care of the client or project like I will. I'd rather have the project never transpire than to release a solution that is half-baked. I've asked professors at my school, but they've not turned up answers to my question. I'm an experienced developer, and I've written many applications that are -- very abstractly -- close to what I'm doing, but my experiences from those applications aren't giving me enough leverage to solve this particular problem. I just hope that posting this article isn't a mistake for me to write. Project Description I have a project I'm working on for a client that is a rewrite of an application, originally written in Foxpro 2.6 by someone before me, that performs some analysis (which, sadly, I'm not allowed to disclose as per of my employment contract) on financial data. One day, after a long talk between the client and I -- where he intimately described his frustrations with all the bugs I've been hacking out of this code for 6 months now -- he told me to just rewrite it and gave me a month to write a good 1/8 of this 65k LOC Foxpro monstrosity. this 65k line of code foxpro monstrosity. It'll take me a good 3 - 6 months to rewrite this software (I know things the original programmer did not, like inheritance) going as I am right now, but I'm quickly discovering that I'm going to need to use databases. Prior to this contract I didn't even know about foxpro, and so I've had to learn foxpro on the fly, write procedures and make modifications to the database. I've actually come to like it, and this project would be rewritten in Foxpro if it were still a supported language, because over the past few months, I've come to like the features of Foxpro that make it so easy to develop data-driven applications. I once perfomed an experiment, comparing C# to Foxpro. What took me 45 minutes in C# took me two in Foxpro, and I knew C# prior to Foxpro. I was hoping to leverage the power of C#, but it intimidates me that in foxpro, you can have one line of code and be using a database. Prior to this, I have never written any serious database development from scratch. All the applications that I've written are in a different league. They are either completely data-naive or data-naive enough that I can get away with not using a database through serialization or by designing algorithms that work with the data in a manner that is stateless, so there is no need to worry about databases. I've come to realize, very quickly, that serialization and my efficacy with data structures has been my crutch all these years that's prevented me from adventuring into databases, and has consequently hindered my success in real-world programming. Sure, I've written some database stuff in Perl and Python, and I've done forms and worked with relational databases and tables, I'm a wizard in Access and Excel (seriously) and can do just about anything, but it just feels unnatural writing SQL code in another language... I don't mind writing SQL, and I don't It's that bridge between the database and the program code that drives me absolutely bonkers. I hope I'm not the only one to think this, but it bothers me that I have to create statements like the following string sSql = "SELECT * from tablename" When there's really no reason for that kind of unchecked language binding between two languages and two API's. Don't get my wrong, SQL is great, but I don't like the idea that, when executing commands on a SQL database, that one must intermix database and application software, and there's no database independence, which means that different versions of different databases can break code. This isn't very nice. The nicest thing about Foxpro is the cohesiveness between programming language and database. It's so easy, and Foxpro makes it easy, because the tool just fits the task. I can see why so many developers have created a career with this language, because it lowered the barrier of entry to data-driven applications that so many businesses need. It was wonderful. For my purposes today, with the demands and need for community support, extensibility, and language features, Foxpro isn't a solution that I feel would be the right tool for the job. I'm also worried about working too heavy with the database, because I've seen data-driven .NET applications have issues with database caches, running out of memory, and objects in the database not being collected. (Memory leaks) And OH the queries. Which one, how, and why? There are a plethora of different ways that a database can be setup, I think I counted 5 or 6 different kinds of database applications alone that I can chose from. That is a great mountain for me to climb when I don't even know where to begin when it comes to writing data-driven applications. The problem isn't that I don't know SQL or that I don't know C#. I know both and have worked with both extensively. It's making them work together that's the problem, and it's something I've never done in C# before. Reports The client likes paper. The data needs to be printed out in a format that is extensible, layered, and easy to use. I have never done reporting before, and so this is a bit of a problem. From the data source comes crystal reports, and so there's a dependency on the database, from what I understand. Code reuse A large part of the design decision that I've gone through so far is to break the task of writing a piece of this software into routines and modular DLL's and so forth such that much of the code can be reused. For example, when I setup this database, I want to be able to reuse the same database code over and over again. I also want to make sure that when the day comes that another developer is here, that he/she will be able to pick up just where I left off. The quicker I develop these applications, the better off I am. Tasks & Goals In my project, I need to write routines that apply algorithms and look for predefined patterns in financial data. Additionally, I need to simulate trading based on predefined algorithms and data. Then I need to prepare reports on that data. Additionally, I need to have a way to change the code base for this application quickly and effectively, without hacking together some band-aid solution for a problem that really needs a trauma ward. Special Considerations The solution must be fast, run quickly on existing hardware, and not be too much of a pain to maintain and write. I understand that anything I write I'm married to -- I'm responsible for the things that I write because my reputation and livelihood is dependent on it. Do I really need a database? What about performance? Performance was such a big issue that I hand wrote a data structure that is capable of performing 2 billion operations, using a total of 4 gigs of memory in under 1/4 of a second using the standard core two duo processor. I could not find a similar, pre-written data structure in C# to perform this task. What setup do I use in terms of database? What about reporting? I'd prefer to have PDF's generated, but I'd like to be able to visually sketch those reports and then just have a ReportFactory of some sort, that when I pass some variables in, it just does that data. About Me I'm a lone developer for a small business in this area. This is the first time I've done this and I've never had the breadth and depth of my knowledge tested. I'm incredibly frustrated with this project because I feel incredibly overwhelmed with the task at hand. I'm looking for that entry level point where I can draw a line and say "this is what I need to do" Conclusion I may have not been clear enough on my post. I'm still new to this whole thing, and I've been doing my best to contribute back to the community that I've leached so much knowledge from. I'd be glad to edit my post and add more information if possible. I'm looking for a big-picture solution or design process that helps me get off the ground in this world of data-driven applications, because I have a feeling that it's going to be concentric to my entire career as a programmer for some time. Specifically, if you didn't get it from the rest of the post (I may not have been clear enough) I really need some guidance as to where to go in terms of the design decisions for this project. Some things that'll be useful will be a pro/con list for the different kinds of database projects available in VS2010. I've tried, but generating that list has been as hard as solving the problem itself... If you could walk a developer writing a data-driven application for the first time in C#, how would you do that? Where would you point them to?

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• Oracle Fusion Applications: Changing the Game

  - by kellsey.ruppel(at)oracle.com

  Originally posted in the Oracle Profit Magazine, November 2010 Edition. When the order processing system red-flags a customer's credit status, the IT department doesn't get the customer's call. When a supplier misses a delivery date for a key automotive assembly, it's not the CIO who has to answer for the error. Knowledge workers (known in IT circles as "users") are on the front lines when an exception occurs in an established business process. They're also the ones who study sales trends to decide when to open a new store in an up-and-coming neighborhood, which products are most profitable, how employee skill sets are evolving, and which suppliers are most efficient. In short, knowledge workers are masters of business as unusual. Traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and other familiar enterprise applications excel at automating, managing, and executing standard business processes. These programs shine when everything goes as planned. Life gets even trickier when a traditional application needs to be extended with a new service or an extra step is added to a business process when new products are brought to market, divisions are merged, or companies are acquired. Monolithic applications often need the IT department to step in and make the necessary adjustments--incurring additional costs and delays. Until now. When Oracle unveiled the much-anticipated family of Oracle Fusion Applications at Oracle OpenWorld in September 2010, knowledge workers in particular had a lot to cheer about. Business users will soon have ready access to analytical information and collaboration tools in the context of what they are working on, so they can make better decisions when problems or opportunities arise. Additionally, the Oracle Fusion Applications platform will make it easy for business users to tweak processes, create new capabilities, and find information, often without the need for IT department assistance and while still following company guidelines. And IT leaders will be happy to hear about new deployment options, guided implementation and setup tools, and cost-saving management capabilities. Just as important, the underlying technologies in Oracle Fusion Applications will allow organizations to choose among their existing investments and next-generation enterprise applications so they can introduce innovations at a pace that makes the most business and financial sense. "Oracle Fusion Applications are architected so you don't have to do rip and replace," says Jim Hayes, managing director of the consulting firm Accenture. "That's very important for creating a business case that will get through the steering committee and be approved by the board. It shows you can drive value and make a difference in the near term." For these and other reasons, analysts and early adopters are calling Oracle Fusion Applications a game changer for enterprise customers. The differences become apparent in three key areas: the way we innovate, work, and adopt technology. Game Changer #1: New Standard for InnovationChange is a constant challenge for most businesses, whether the catalysts are market dynamics, new competition, or the ever-expanding regulatory environment. And, in an ongoing effort to differentiate, business leaders are constantly looking for new ways to do business, serve constituents, and bring new products and services to market. In addition, companies face significant costs to keep their applications up-to-date. For example, when a company adds new suppliers to a procurement system, the IT shop typically has to invest time, effort, and even consulting fees for custom integrations that allow various ERP systems to communicate with each other. Oracle Fusion Applications were built on Web services and a modular SOA foundation to ease customizations and integration activities among all applications--whether from Oracle or another vendor. Interfaces and updates written in ubiquitous Java, rather than a proprietary coding language, allow organizations to tap into existing in-house technical skills rather than seek expensive outside specialists. And with SOA, organizations can extend a feature set or integrate with other SOA environments by combining Web services such as "look up customer" into a new business process managed by the BPEL orchestration engine. Flexibility like this has long-term implications. "Because users capture these changes at a higher metadata layer, not in the application's code, changes and additions are protected even as new versions of Oracle Fusion Applications are released," says Steve Miranda, senior vice president of applications development at Oracle. "This is a much more sustainable approach because you don't incur costly customizations that prevent upgrades and other innovations." And changes are easier to make: if one change is made in the metadata, that change is automatically reflected throughout the application interface, business intelligence, business process, and business logic. Game Changer #2: New Standard for WorkBoosting productivity comes down to doing the basics right: running business processes more efficiently and managing exceptions more effectively, so users can accomplish more in the course of a day or spend more quality time with the most profitable customers. The fastest way to improve process efficiency is to reduce the number of steps it takes to execute common tasks, such as ordering office equipment from an internal procurement system. Oracle Fusion Applications will deliver a complete role-based user experience with business intelligence and collaboration capabilities provided in the context of the work at hand. "We created every Oracle Fusion Applications screen by asking 'What does the user need to know?' 'What does he or she need to do?' and 'Who do they need to work with to get the job done?'" Miranda explains. So when the sales department heads need new laptops, the self-service procurement screen will not only display a list of approved vendors and configurations, but also a running list of reviews by coworkers who recently purchased the various models. Embedded intelligence may also display prevailing delivery lead times based on actual order histories, not the generic shipping dates vendors may quote. The pervasive business intelligence serves many other business activities across all areas of the enterprise. For example, a manager considering whether to promote a direct report can see the person's employee profile, with a salary history, appraisal summaries, and a rundown of skills and training. This approach to business intelligence also has implications for supply chain management. "One of the challenges at Ingersoll Rand is lack of visibility in our supply chain," says Mike Macrie, global director of enterprise applications for global industrial firm Ingersoll Rand. "Oracle Fusion Applications are going to provide the embedded intelligence to give us that visibility and give us the ability to analyze those orders at any point in our supply chain." Oracle Fusion Applications will also create a "role-based user experience" that displays a work list of events that need attention, based on user job function. Role awareness guides users with daily lists of action items and exceptions. So a credit manager may see seven invoices with discounts that are about to expire or 12 suppliers that have been put on hold because credit memos are awaiting approval. Individualization extends to the search capabilities of Oracle Fusion Applications. The platform uses Web-style search screens powered by an Oracle enterprise search engine, with a security framework that filters search results so individuals will only see the internal information they're authorized to access. A further aid to productivity is Oracle Fusion Applications' integration with Web 2.0 collaboration and social networking resources for business environments. Hover-over text will reveal relevant contact information whenever the name of a person appears in an Oracle Fusion Application. Users can connect via an online chat, phone call, or instant message without leaving the main application, reducing the time required for an accounts payable staffer to resolve a mismatch between an invoiced charge and the service record, for example. Addresses of suppliers, customers, or partners will also initiate hover-over text to show contact details and Web-based maps. Finally, Oracle Fusion Applications will promote a new way of working with purpose-driven communities that can bring new efficiencies to everything from cultivating sales leads to managing new projects. As soon as a lead or project materializes, the applications will automatically gather relevant participants into an online community that shares member contact information, schedules, discussion forums, and Wiki pages. "Oracle Fusion Applications will allow us to take it to the next level with embedded Web 2.0 tools and the embedded analytics," says Steve Printz, CIO and vice president, supply chain management, at window-and-door manufacturer Pella. "[This] allows those employees today who are processing transactions to really contribute to the success of the company and become decision-makers." Game Changer #3: New Standard for Technology AdoptionAs IT becomes a dominant component of how businesses run and compete, organizations need to lower the cost of implementing applications and introducing new application features. In the past, rolling out new code often required creating a test bed system, moving beta code to a separate system for user feedback, and--once all the revisions were made--moving version one of the software onto production systems, where business users could finally get the needed new features. Oracle Fusion Applications will use a dedicated setup manager application to streamline this process. First, the setup manager will help scope out the project, querying users about their requirements. "From those questions and answers we determine the steps and the order of those steps that will enable that task," Miranda says. Next, system utilities will assign tasks to owners, track completion status, and monitor the overall status of a programming effort. Oracle Fusion Applications can then recommend Web services that allow users to migrate setup choices and steps across all the various deployments of the application. Those setup capabilities automate the migration from test systems to production systems, as well as between different business units that may be using the same application. "The self-service ability of the setup manager helps business users change setups with very little intervention from the IT team," says Ravi Kumar, vice president at IT services company Infosys. "That to me is a big difference from how we've viewed enterprise applications before." For additional flexibility, organizations will be able to adopt Oracle Fusion Applications modules in either of two modes: a single-instance alternative uses one database for all Oracle Fusion Applications, while a "pillar mode" creates separate databases to underpin each application. This means IT departments running any one of Oracle's applications or even third-party applications can plug Oracle Fusion Applications modules into their environment and see additional business value created on top of their existing systems. And Oracle Fusion Applications offer a hybrid approach to deployment. The applications are all software-as-a-service-ready, so customers can choose on-premises, public or private cloud, or a combination of these to suit their business needs. It's that combination of flexibility and a roadmap for the future that may be the biggest game changer of all. "The Oracle Fusion Applications architecture allows us to migrate our company at a pace that's consistent with our business strategy, whereas before we might have had to do it with a massive upgrade," says Macrie of Ingersoll Rand. "We're looking forward to that architecture to really give us more flexibility in how we migrate over time." For More InformationUser Input Key to the Success of Oracle Fusion ApplicationsTransforming Coexistence into Strategic ValueUnder the HoodOracle Fusion ApplicationsOracle Service-Oriented Architecture  

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• Oracle Cloud Services Referral Program… Now Available!

  - by Kristin Rose

  The sky is falling, the sky is falling! Oh wait, it’s not the sky, it’s the Oracle Cloud Services Referral Program! This partner program was announced at Oracle OpenWorld 2012, and is now readily available to any Oracle PartnerNetwork member. In fact you can learn all about this program by simply visiting our Oracle Cloud Knowledge Zone. Just as a puffy cumulus should, Oracle Cloud Services are included in the Oracle Cloud Services Referral Partner program. Partners can start to capitalize on the growing demand for Cloud solutions with little investment through Oracle Cloud Services Referral Partner program, or choose to get Specialized. Have a look at all that is available below! Cloud Builder - a Specialization ideally suited for systems integrator and service providers creating private and hybrid cloud solutions with Oracle’s broad portfolio of cloud optimized hardware and software products. Learn more in this video of as part of a series of OPN PartnerCasts. Join the Cloud Builder KnowledgeZone to get started. Oracle Cloud Referral - for VARs or partners seeking to generate revenue with the Oracle Cloud. This program rewards partners referring Oracle Cloud opportunities to Oracle. Register your Oracle Cloud Referral. Oracle Cloud Specializations - provides partners with the expertise and skills to enable partner delivered RapidStart fixed-scope, consulting service packages for setup, configuration and deployment of Oracle Cloud software as a service. Cloud Resale - a resell program for partners to market, sell and deploy Oracle Cloud solutions. Available January 2013. And best of all, partners are already taking advantage of the referral opportunity for Oracle Cloud Services and are seeing tremendous success! Watch as Jeff Porter gives an overview of Oracle's Cloud Services, and be sure to check out the Cloud Computing Programs & Specializations FAQ’s for you, our partners! The Sky’s the Limit, The OPN Communications Team 

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• Who benefits from the use of Design Patterns?

  Who benefits from the use of design patterns is like asking who benefits from clean air or a good education. All of the stakeholders of a project benefit from the use of design patterns. Project Sponsor Project sponsors benefit from the use of design patterns because they promote reduced development time which translates in to shorter project timelines and greater return on investment compared to other projects that do not make use of design patterns. Project Manager Project managers benefit from the use of design patterns because they reduce the amount of time needed to design a system, and typically the sub components of the system already have a proven track record. System Architect/Engineer System architects/engineers benefit from the use of design patterns because reduce the amount of time needed to design the core a system. The additional time is used to alter the design pattern through the use of innovative design and common design principles to adhere to the project’s requirements. Programmer Programmers benefit from the use of design patterns because they can reuse existing code already established by the design pattern and only have to integrate the changes outlined by the system architects/engineers. Tester Testers benefit from the use of design patterns because they can alter the existing test established for the design pattern to take in to account the changes made by the system architects/engineers. User Users benefit from the use of design patterns because the software is typically delivered sooner than projects that do not incorporate the use of design patterns, and they are assumed that the system will work as designed because it was based on a system that was already proven to work properly.

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• SQLAuthority News – Best Complements – DBA Survivor: Become a Rock Star DBA

  - by pinaldave

  Today’s blog post is about the biggest complement I have ever received. I am very very happy and would like to share my feelings with you. Thomas Larock (Blog | Twitter) (known as SQLRockstar) keeps the excellent ranking of the blogger in SQL Server Arena. I am big fan of this list and have been referring lots of people. I was in the msdb database since the very first day of the ranking. Two days ago, I noticed that I am promoted to Model Database. I often receive complements about my blog but this is the biggest complement I have ever received. I have taken the snapshot of the same and listed here. Thomas is a SQL Server MVP and Board of Directors for the Professional Association for SQL Server. He is the author of DBA Survivor: Become a Rock Star DBA. The book is designed to give a junior to mid-level DBA a better understanding of what skills are needed in order to survive (and thrive) in their career. This book is currently not available in India, I am waiting for someone traveling from USA to bring the copy for me. I am very eager to read the book and promise to share the book review with all of you once I am done reading. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, SQLServer, T SQL, Technology

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• Are programmers bad testers?

  - by jhsowter

  I know this sounds a lot like other questions which have already being asked, but it is actually slightly different. It seems to be generally considered that programmers are not good at performing the role of testing an application. For example: Joel on Software - Top Five (Wrong) Reasons You Don't Have Testers (emphasis mine) Don't even think of trying to tell college CS graduates that they can come work for you, but "everyone has to do a stint in QA for a while before moving on to code". I've seen a lot of this. Programmers do not make good testers, and you'll lose a good programmer, who is a lot harder to replace. And in this question, one of the most popular answers says (again, my emphasis): Developers can be testers, but they shouldn't be testers. Developers tend to unintentionally/unconciously avoid to use the application in a way that might break it. That's because they wrote it and mostly test it in the way it should be used. So the question is are programmers bad at testing? What evidence or arguments are there to support this conclusion? Are programmers only bad at testing their own code? Is there any evidence to suggest that programmers are actually good at testing? What do I mean by "testing?" I do not mean unit testing or anything that is considered part of the methodology used by the software team to write software. I mean some kind of quality assurance method that is used after the code has been built and deployed to whatever that software team would call the "test environment."

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• Is Perl still a useful, viable language?

  - by Bob

  I know it may have been asked before, but here goes nothing... Is Perl still something that would be considered useful? If someone was a new programmer (either completely new to programming or just a few month/years of experience) would Perl be something to be considered worthwhile to learn? Is Perl still used with frequency? Is it still popular? Or is Perl dying out compared to languages like Python, Ruby, PHP, ASP, .NET, etc.? Basically it boils down to this: Is it still used/is it still used frequently? If yes, is it dying? If no, will it make a come back? Is it something that would be worth learning? How does it compare in demand to languages like Python in both popularity and usability/viability? Could languages like Python or Ruby be considered replacements for Perl? Also, will newer versions of Perl really bring a large improvement to the Perl community, and perhaps bring Perl back to centerstage compared to other languages? EDIT: Okay, I suppose here's a better, reworded question: Is Perl still growing, or is it "dying"? Is it still a language worth learning and using? What projects does it really "shine" in compared to other languages? What makes Perl a language to choose? Essentially: is Perl growing obsolete compared to other languages, and if so, do you expect that to change, or to continue? And thank you to everyone who has answered so far, the discussion has been really interesting!

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• Free .NET Training at DevCare in Dallas...

  - by [email protected]

  Come take an early look at the debugging experience in VS 2010 this Friday (3/25/2010) at TekFocus in Dallas, at the InfoMart, at 9 AM: In this session, we’ll … Dive deep into the new IntelliTrace (formerly, historical debugging) feature, which enables you to step back in time within your debugging session and inspect or re-execute code, without having to restart your application See how to manage large numbers of breakpoints with labeling, searching and filtering Extend “data tips” by adding comments, notes and strategically “pinning” these resources to maintain their visibility throughout your session Demonstrate “collaborative debugging,“ by debugging a portion of an application and then exporting breakpoints and labeled data tips, so that others can leverage your effort, without having to start over Leverage these new debugging features in applications built in earlier versions of the .NET Framework through the MultiTargeting features available in VS 2010 You’ll walk-away with a clear understanding of how you can use this upcoming technology to vastly increase your productivity and build better software.Register to attend ==>  http://www.dallasdevcares.com/upcoming-sessions/ DevCares is a monthly series of FREE half-day events sponsored by TekFocus and Microsoft. Targeted specifically at developers, the content is presented by experts on a variety of .NET topics. These briefings include expert testimonials, working demos and sample code designed to help you get the most out of application development with .NET. Events are held on the last Friday of each month at the TekFocus offices in the Infomart near downtown Dallas.TekFocus is a full-service technology training provider with a core business delivering Microsoft-certified technical training and product skills enhancements to customers worldwide    

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• Advise on how to move from a .net developer role to a web developer role

  - by dermd

  I've been working primarily as a .net developer for the past 4 years for a financial services company. I've worked on .net 1.1, 2.0, 3.5 and have done the 3.5 enterprise app developer cert (not that that's worth a whole lot!). Before that I worked as a java developer with a bit of Flex thrown in for just over a year. My educational background is an Electronic and computer engineering degree, a higher diploma in systems analysis as well as one in web development (this was mainly java - JSP, Spring, etc) and a science masters in software design and development. I really feel like a change and would like to move to a different field to experience something different. I've done some courses in RoR and played around with it a bit in my spare time. Similarly I've done various web and mobile courses and done up some mobile webapps along with android and ios equivalents (haven't tried pushing them up to the app stores yet but may be worth tidying them up and doing that). I currently work long enough hours so find it hard to find time to work on too many side projects to get a decent portfolio together. But when I do work on the web stuff I do find it really enjoyable so think it's something I'd like to do full time. However, since my experience is pretty much all .net and financial services I find it very hard to get my foot in the door anywhere or get past a phone screen unless their specifically looking for someone with .net knowledge. What is the best way to move into a web development role without starting from scratch again. I do think a lot of the skills I have translate over but I seem to just get paired with .net jobs whenever I look around? Apart from js, jquery, html5, objective C are there any other technologies I should be looking into?

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• Faq and Best tips Regarding Learning Database ?

  - by AdityaGameProgrammer

  For a programmer with no prior exposure to databases What would be a good database to learn Oracle vs SQLserver vs MySQLvs PostgreSQL? I have come across lot of discussion MySQL and PostgreSQL and frankly I am confused on which to start with. Are these very different, in the sense if one had to switch, would the exposure to one be counter-productive to learning the other? Is working with databases heavily platform dependent? What exactly do people mean by Data base programming vs. administration? Do people chose databases based on the programming language used for the application developed? In general, Working with databases is it implicit that we work with some server? Does the choice of databases differ when it comes to game development? If so what factors does it differ by? What are the Best Tips that you have found to be useful when learning databases Edit: Some FAQ i had and found the same on SO What should every developer know about databases? Which database if learning from scratch in 2010? For a beginner, is there much difference between MySQL and PostgreSQL What RDBMS should I learn/use? (MySql/SQL Server/Oracle etc.) To what extent should a developer learn database? How are database programmers different from other programmers? what kind of database are used in games?

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