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• Software development stack 2012

  A couple of months ago, I posted on Google+ about my evaluation period for a new software development stack in general. "Analysing existing 'jungle' of multiple applications and tools in various languages for clarification and future design decisions. Great fun and lots of headaches... #DevelopersLife" Surprisingly, there was response... ;-) - And this series of articles is initiated by this post. Thanks Olaf. The past few years... Well, after all my first choice of software development in the past was Microsoft Visual FoxPro 6.0 - 9.0 in combination with Microsoft SQL Server 2000 - 2008 and Crystal Reports 9.x - XI. Honestly, it is my main working environment due to exisiting maintenance and support plans with my customers, but also for new project requests. And... hands on, it is still my first choice for data manipulation and migration options. But the earth is spinning, and as a software craftsman one has to be flexible with the choice of tools. In parallel to my knowledge and expertise in the above mentioned tools, I already started very early to get my hands dirty with the Microsoft .NET Framework. If I remember correctly, I started back in 2002/2003 with the first version ever. But this was more out of curiousity. During the years this kind of development got more serious and demanding, and I focused myself on interop and integrational libraries and applications. Mainly, to expose exisitng features of the .NET Framework to Visual FoxPro - I even had a session about that at the German Developer's Conference in Frankfurt. Observation of recent developments With the recent hype on Javascript and HTML5, especially for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 development, I had several 'Deja vu' events... Back in early 2006 (roughly) I had a conversation on the future of Web and Desktop development with my former colleagues Golo Roden and Thomas Wilting about the underestimation of Javascript and its root as a prototype-based, dynamic, full-featured programming language. During this talk with them I took the Mozilla applications, namely Firefox and Thunderbird, as a reference which are mainly based on XML, CSS, Javascript and images - besides the core rendering engine. And that it is very simple to write your own extensions for the Gecko rendering engine. Looking at the Windows Vista Sidebar widgets, just underlines this kind of usage. So, yes the 'Modern UI' of Windows 8 based on HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript didn't come as any surprise to me. Just allow me to ask why did it take so long for Microsoft to come up with this step? A new set of tools Ok, coming from web development in HTML 4, CSS and Javascript prior to Visual FoxPro, I am partly going back to that combination of technologies. What is the other part of the software development stack here at IOS Indian Ocean Software Ltd? Frankly, it is easy and straight forward to describe: Microsoft Visual FoxPro 9.0 SP 2 - still going strong! Visual Studio 2012 (C# on latest .NET Framework) MonoDevelop Telerik DevCraft Suite WPF ASP.NET MVC Windows 8 Kendo UI OpenAccess ORM Reporting JustCode CODE Framework by EPS Software MonoTouch and Mono for Android Subversion and additional tools for the daily routine: Notepad++, JustCode, SQL Compare, DiffMerge, VMware, etc. Following the principles of Clean Code Developer and the Agile Manifesto Actually, nothing special about this combination but rather a solid fundament to work with and create line of business applications for customers.Honestly, I am really interested in your choice of 'weapons' for software development, and hopefully there might be some nice conversations in the comment section. Over the next coming days/weeks I'm going to describe a little bit more in detail about the reasons for my decision. Articles will be added bit by bit here as reference, too. Please bear with me... Regards, JoKi

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• HTML Presence Controls for Communications Server 14 CodePlex Project

  Showing Presence on the Web If youre running Office Communicator Server 2007 R2, you know that your only out-of-the-box option for showing presence on the web is to use the NameControl ActiveX control that ships as part of Office.  Being an ActiveX control, this obviously means that youre limited to Internet Explorer.  Also, nobody likes ActiveX controls What if you want to show the presence of users in a pure ASP.NET or HTML application and cant assume that the user has Communicator installed you need anASP.NET or HTML presence control.  HTML Presence Controls for Microsoft Communications Server 14 We recently worked with the UC team at Microsoft on a keynote demo for TechEd 2010 in New Orleans.  The demo was for a fictitious airline Fabrikam Airlines that wanted to show the presence of customer service and reservations agents on its website.  Customers could also start an instant message conversation with the agents using a Silverlight web chat window that used WCF to communicate with the backend UCMA application. We built HTML Presence Controls that use AJAX to poll a REST-based WCF service running in IIS and hosting a UCMA 3.0 presence subscription application.   Microsoft has graciously allowed us to publish these on CodePlex so that the development community can benefit from them:  http://htmlpresencecontrols.codeplex.com/ We will be maintaining the CodePlex project as new builds of UCMA 3.0 become available.  Check out the project home page on CodePlex for some more in-depth details on how the controls are implemented. ASP.NET Server Control Implementation Were providing an ASP.NET Server Control implementation that you can use stand-alone or in a GridView or Repeater (or other layout control).  The control has properties that allow you to control its appearance, e.g. you can choose whether or not to show the contacts name or availability text. You can also use the server control in a layout control such as a GridView by putting it in a TemplateColumn and binding to the Sip Uri in the data source. Disclaimer Once we started working on these, we realized why Microsoft hasnt shipped such controls as part of the product.  There are some tradeoffs you have to be aware of when using these controls, heres the high level. Privacy The backend UCMA 3.0 application that subscribes to presence of contacts runs as a trusted application and can thus retrieve the presence of any user in the organization.  Theres currently no good way in UCMA to apply any privacy rules to ensure that the consumer of the presence controls has permission to see the presence of the contacts that the controls are bound to.  Just to be absolutely crystal clear These controls provide a way to query the presence of any user in the organization, regardless of the privacy relationship between the person consuming the controls and the contacts whose presence is being displayed. Were exploring options for a design pattern that would allow you to inject some privacy controls.  Keep in mind though that you would most likely be responsible for implementing this logic, as there is currently no functionality in UCMA that allows you to do that. Polling the WCF REST Service The controls poll the backend WCF service to retrieve the presence of contacts - you can control the refresh interval so that they poll less often. We implemented a caching layer so that the WCF service is always communicating with a presence cache it never communicates directly with Communications Server.  For example, if your web page is showing the presence of sip:[email protected] and 500 people have the page open, the presence cache only contains one instance of the subscription Communications Server is not being polled 500 times for the presence of that contact. Once the presence of a contact changes, it is updated in the cache.  There are some server-based push mechanisms that would work nicely here, such as the one that Outlook Web Access 2010 uses.  Unfortunately we didnt have time to explore these options. Community Contribution Take a look at the project Issue Tracker, there are a couple of things we can use some help with.  Shoot me a note if youre interested in contributing to the project. Did you know that DotNetSlackers also publishes .net articles written by top known .net Authors? We already have over 80 articles in several categories including Silverlight. Take a look: here.

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• Bad Spot to Be In: Playing Catch-up with Mobile Advertising

  - by Mike Stiles

  You probably noticed, there’s a mass migration going on from online desktop/laptop usage to smartphone/tablet usage.  It’s an indicator of how we live our lives in the modern world: always on the go, with no intention of being disconnected while out there. Consequently, paid as it relates to mobile advertising is taking the social spotlight. eMarketer estimated that in 2013, US adults would spend about 2 hours, 21 minutes a day on mobile, not counting talking time. More people in the world own smartphones than own toothbrushes (bad news I suppose if you’re marketing toothpaste). They’re using those mobile devices to access social networks, consuming at least 17% of their mobile time on them. Frankly, you don’t need a deep dive into mobile usage stats to know what’s going on. Just look around you in any store, venue or coffee shop. It’s really obvious…our mobile devices are now where we “are,” so that’s where marketers can increasingly reach us. And it’s a smart place for them to do just that. Mobile devices can be viewed more and more as shopping facilitators. Usually when someone is on mobile, they are not in passive research mode. They are likely standing near a store or in front of a product, using their mobile to seek reassurance that buying that product is the right move. They are the hottest of hot prospects. Consider that 4 out of 5 consumers use smartphones to shop, 52% of Americans use mobile devices for in-store for research, 70% of mobile searches lead to online action inside of an hour, and people that find you on mobile convert at almost 3x the rate as those that find you on desktop or laptop. But what are marketers doing? Enter statistics from Mary Meeker’s latest State of the Internet report. Common sense says you buy advertising where people are spending their eyeball time, right? But while mobile is 20% of media use and rising, the ad spend there is 4%. Conversely, while print usage is at 5% and falling, ad spend there is 19%. We all love nostalgia, but come on. There are reasons marketing dollar migration to mobile has not matched user migration, including the availability of mobile ad products and the ability to measure user response to mobile ads. But interesting things are happening now. First came Facebook’s mobile ad, which let app developers pay to get potential downloads. Then their mobile ad network was announced at F8, allowing marketers to target users across non-Facebook apps while leveraging the wealth of diverse data Facebook has on those users, a big deal since Nielsen has pointed out mobile apps make up 89% of the media time spent on mobile. Twitter has a similar play in motion with their MoPub acquisition. And now mobile deeplinks have arrived, which can take users straight to sub-pages of mobile apps for a faster, more direct shopper/researcher user experience. The sooner the gratification, the smoother and faster the conversion. To be clear, growth in mobile ad spending is well underway. After posting $13.1 billion in 2013, Gartner expects global mobile ad spending to reach $18 billion this year, then go to $41.9 billion by 2017. Cheap smartphones and data plans are spreading worldwide, further fueling the shift to mobile. Mobile usage in India alone should grow 400% by 2018. And, of course, there’s the famous statistic that mobile should overtake desktop Internet usage this year. How can we as marketers mess up this opportunity? Two ways. We could position ourselves in perpetual “catch-up” mode and keep spending ad dollars where the public used to be. And we could annoy mobile users with horrid old-school marketing practices. Two-thirds of users told Forrester they think interruptive in-app ads are more annoying than TV ads. Make sure your brand’s social marketing technology platform is delivering a crystal clear picture of your social connections so the mobile touch point is highly relevant, mobile optimized, and delivering real value and satisfying experiences. Otherwise, all we’ve done is find a new way to be unwanted. @mikestiles @oraclesocialPhoto: Kate Mallatratt, freeimages.com

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• Merging Social Accounts: What We Learned This Weekend

  - by Mike Stiles

  Guest Post by Erika BrookesWe learned that it’s not always as easy as you think it’s going to be. While it’s widely accepted that merging multiple owned Facebook Pages that are duplicating communities and putting out the same type of content is a best practice, actually pulling it off without rattling fans is a trickier proposition. Facebook is nice and clear about how to merge Facebook Pages. Although content is not carried over, Likes from the pages you’re merging are. So you can imagine the surprise when such fans start seeing posts in their News Feed from a page they don’t believe they ever Liked. One community member accurately likened it to having your bank come under another bank’s brand name. The Facebook Page changes to the new brand, just like your debit card, emails, signs and other communication. This weekend we did our merge. The Facebook communities of Vitrue, Involver and Collective Intellect were pulled into one community, Oracle Social. Could we have handled it better? Oh yeah. Our intent was to make sure, to the fullest extent possible, that the fans of the Vitrue, Involver, and Collective Intellect brand pages were well-informed about the pending page merges in ADVANCE of the merge. While many were aware that Oracle acquired the three companies, many were not. We learned from fan feedback that we should have sent notifications MUCH earlier to make the brand Page merge crystal clear and to answer any questions. That was our bad, our responsibility and we apologize for Oracle Social showing up in your News Feed if you were not aware that it was a result of your fandom of Vitrue, Involver or Collective Intellect. It was our job to make you aware well in advance. Some felt they had never Liked the fan Pages of Vitrue, Involver or Collective Intellect, so they were understandably upset (some cultures may call it “fit to be tied”) when they found themselves fans of Oracle Social. One thing to consider is that since 2009, brands and developers have used and enjoyed free Involver tab apps like Twitter, RSS and YouTube (1.2 million of which are currently active), which included an opt-in Liking the Involver Page. Often, when Liking happens in a manner outside of the traditional clicking of a Like button on a brand Page, it’s easy to forget a Page was indeed Liked. Lastly, a few felt that their Like of the Page had been “bought.” It was not. No fans or Likes were separately purchased. Yes, the companies and the social properties of Vitrue, Involver and Collective Intellect were acquired by Oracle. Those brands are now being coordinated into the larger Oracle brand. In social media, that means those brands are being integrated into the Oracle Social community. So what now? We apologize and apply lessons learned. We learned that you not only have to communicate thoroughly and clearly, but you have to communicate well in advance of any actionable items that will affect fans. We’re more than willing to walk straight to the woodshed when we deserve it. Going forward, the social team here is dedicated to facilitating content, discussion and sharing around social for marketers, agencies, IT stakeholders and social staffs, including community managers. We anticipate Oracle Social being the premier gathering place for true social innovators as we move into social’s exciting next phase of development. Inevitably, some will still feel they are fans of the Page in error. While we hate to see you go, you may unlike the Page if it’s not relevant or useful to you. Let’s continue to contribute, participate, foster our desire to learn, and move forward together positively and constructively - both for current fans of the community and the many fans to come.

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• What Color is your Jetpack ?

  - by JoshReuben

  I’m a programmer, Im approaching 40, and I’m fairly decent at my job – I’ll keep doing what I’m doing for as long as they let me!   So what are your career options if you know how to code? A Programmer could be ..   An Algorithm developer Pros Interesting High barriers of entry, potential for startup competitive factor Cons Do you have the skill, qualifications? What are working conditions n this mystery niche ? micro-focus An Academic Pros Low pressure Job security – or is this an illusion ? Cons Low Pay Need a PhD A Software Architect Pros: strategic, rather than tactical Setting technology platform and high level vision You say how it should work, others have to figure out why its not working the way its supposed to ! broad view – you are paid to learn (how do you con people into paying for you to learn ??) Cons: Glorified developer – more often than not! competitive – everyone wants to do it ! loose touch with underlying tech in tough times, first guy to get the axe ! A Software Engineer Pros: interesting, always more to learn fun I can do it Fallback Cons: Nothing new under the sun – been there, done that Dealing with poor requirements, deadlines, other peoples code, overtime C#, XAML, Web - Low barriers of entry –> à race to the bottom A Team leader Pros: Setting code standards and proposing technology choices Cons: Glorified developer – more often than not! Inspecting other peoples code and debugging the problems they cannot fix Dealing with mugbies and prima donas Responsible for QA of others A Project Manager Pros No need for debugging other peoples code Cons Low barrier of entry High pressure Responsible for QA of others Loosing touch with technology A lot of bullshit meetings Have to be an asshole A Product Manager Pros No need for debugging other peoples code Learning new skillset of sales and marketing Cons Travel (I'm a family man) May need to know the bs details of an uninteresting product things I want to work with: AI, algorithms, Numerical Computing, Mathematica, C++ AMP – unfortunately, the work here is few & far between. VS & TFS Extensibility, DSLs (Workflow , Lightswitch), Code Generation – one day, code will write code ! Unity3D, WebGL – fun, fun, fun ! Modern Web – Knockout, SignalR, MVC, Node.Js ??? (tentative – I'll wait until things stabilize as this area is undergoing a pre-Cambrian explosion) Things I don’t want to work with: (but will if I'm asked to !) C# – same old, same old – not learning anything new here Old code – blech ! Environment with code & fix mentality , ad hoc requirements, excessive overtime Pc support, System administration – even after 20 years, people still ask you to do this sometimes ! debugging – my skills are just not there yet Oracle Old tech: VB 6, XSLT, WinForms, Net 3.51 or less Old style Web dev Information Systems: ASP.NET webforms, Reporting services / crystal reports, SQL Server CRUD with manual data layer, XAML MVVM – variations of the same concept, ad nauseaum. Low barriers of entry –> race to the bottom.  Metro – an elegant API coupled to a horrendous UX – I'll wait for market penetration viability before investing further in this.   Conclusion So if you are in a slump, take heart: Programming is a great career choice compared to every other job !

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• Migrating VB6 to HTML5 is not a fiction - Customer success story

  - by Webgui

  All of you VB developers in the present or past would probably find it hard to believe that the old VB code can be migrated and modernized into the latest .NET based HTML5 without having to rewrite the application. But we have been working on such tools for the past couple of years and already have several real world applications that were fully 'transposed' from VB6. The solution is called Instant CloudMove and its main tool is called the TranspositionStudio. It is a unique solution that relies on the concept of transposition. Transposition comes from mathematics and music and refers to exchanging elements while everything else remains the same or moving an element as is from one environment to another. This means that we are taking the source code and put it in a modern technological environment with relatively few adjustments.The concept is based on a set of Mapping Expressions which are basically links between an element in the source environment and one in the target environment that has the same functionality. About 95% of the code is usually mapped out-of-the-box and the rest is handled with easy-to-use mapping tools designed for Visual Studio developers providing them with a familiar environment and concepts for completing the mapping and allowing them to extend and customize existing mapping expressions. The solution is also based on a circular workflow that enables developers to make any changes as required until the result is satisfying.As opposed to existing migration solutions that offer automation are usually a “black box” to the user, the transposition concept enables full visibility, flexibility and control over the code and process at all times allowing to also add/change functionalities or upgrade the UI within the process and tools.This is exactly the case with our customer’s aging VB6 PMS (Property Management System) which needed a technological update as well as a design refresh. The decision was to move the VB6 application which had about 1 million lines of code into the latest web technology. Since the application was initially written 13 years ago and had many upgrades since the code must be very patchy and includes unused sections. As a result, the company Mihshuv Group considered rewriting the entire application in Java since it already had the knowledge. Rewrite would allow starting with a clean slate and designing functionality, database architecture, UI without any constraints. On the other hand, rewrite entitles a long and detailed specification work as well as a thorough QA and this translates into a long project with high risk and costs.So the company looked for a migration solution as an alternative; the research lead to Gizmox and after examining the technology it was decided to perform a hybrid project which would include an automatic transposition of the core of the VB6 application (200,000 lines of code) while they redesigning the UI, adding new functionality, deleting unused code and rewriting about 140 reports with Crystal Reports will be done manually using Visual WebGui development tools.The migration part of the project was completed in 65 days by 3 developers from Mihshuv Group guided by Gizmox migration experts while the rewrite and UI upgrade tasks took about the same. So in only a few months period Mihshuv Group generated an up-to-date product, written in the latest Web technology with modern, friendly UI and improved functionality. Guest selection screen of the original VB6 PMS Guest selection screen on the new web–based PMS Compared to the initial plan to rewrite the entire application in Java, the hybrid migration/rewrite approach taken by Mihshuv Group using Gizmox technology proved as a great decision. In terms of time and cost there were substantial savings; from a project that was priced for at least a year (without taking into account the huge risk and uncertainty) it became a few months project only. More about this and other customer stories can be found here

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• DataSet does not support System.Nullable<>

  - by a_m0d

  I'm trying to set the DataSource for a Crystal Reports report, but I've run into a few problems. I've been following a guide written by Mohammad Mahdi Ramezanpour, and have managed to get all the way to the last part now (setting the DataSource). However, I have a problem that Mohammad does not seem to have - when I pass the results of my query to the report, I end up with the following exception: DataSet does not support System.Nullable< This is the query I am using: public IQueryable<Part> GetPartsToDisplayOnStockReport() { return from part in db.Parts where part.showOnStockReport == true select part; } and the way I pass it to the Report: public ActionResult ViewStockReport() { StockReport stockReport = new StockReport(); var parts = ordersRepository.GetPartsToDisplayOnStockReport().ToList(); stockReport.SetDataSource(parts); Stream stream = stockReport.ExportToStream(CrystalDecisions.Shared.ExportFormatType.PortableDocFormat); return File(stream, "application/pdf"); } I have also tried changing my query to this code, in the hope that it would fix my problem: return (from part in db.Parts where part.showOnStockReport == true select part) ?? db.Parts.DefaultIfEmpty(); but it still complained about the same problem. How can I pass the results of this query to my report, to use it as a data source? Also, if each of my Parts object contains other objects / collections of other objects, will I be able to reference them in the report with a datasource like this?

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• What is the worst programming language you ever worked with? [closed]

  - by Ludwig Weinzierl

  If you have an interesting story to share, please post an answer, but do not abuse this question for bashing a language. We are programmers, and our primary tool is the programming language we use. While there is a lot of discussion about the best one, I'd like to hear your stories about the worst programming languages you ever worked with and I'd like to know exactly what annoyed you. I'd like to collect this stories partly to avoid common pitfalls while designing a language (especially a DSL) and partly to avoid quirky languages in the future in general. This question is not subjective. If a language supports only single character identifiers (see my own answer) this is bad in a non-debatable way. EDIT Some people have raised concerns that this question attracts trolls. Wading through all your answers made one thing clear. The large majority of answers is appropriate, useful and well written. UPDATE 2009-07-01 19:15 GMT The language overview is now complete, covering 103 different languages from 102 answers. I decided to be lax about what counts as a programming language and included anything reasonable. Thank you David for your comments on this. Here are all programming languages covered so far (alphabetical order, linked with answer, new entries in bold): ABAP, all 20th century languages, all drag and drop languages, all proprietary languages, APF, APL (1), AS400, Authorware, Autohotkey, BancaStar, BASIC, Bourne Shell, Brainfuck, C++, Centura Team Developer, Cobol (1), Cold Fusion, Coldfusion, CRM114, Crystal Syntax, CSS, Dataflex 2.3, DB/c DX, dbase II, DCL, Delphi IDE, Doors DXL, DOS batch (1), Excel Macro language, FileMaker, FOCUS, Forth, FORTRAN, FORTRAN 77, HTML, Illustra web blade, Informix 4th Generation Language, Informix Universal Server web blade, INTERCAL, Java, JavaScript (1), JCL (1), karol, LabTalk, Labview, Lingo, LISP, Logo, LOLCODE, LotusScript, m4, Magic II, Makefiles, MapBasic, MaxScript, Meditech Magic, MEL, mIRC Script, MS Access, MUMPS, Oberon, object extensions to C, Objective-C, OPS5, Oz, Perl (1), PHP, PL/SQL, PowerDynamo, PROGRESS 4GL, prova, PS-FOCUS, Python, Regular Expressions, RPG, RPG II, Scheme, ScriptMaker, sendmail.conf, Smalltalk, Smalltalk , SNOBOL, SpeedScript, Sybase PowerBuilder, Symbian C++, System RPL, TCL, TECO, The Visual Software Environment, Tiny praat, TransCAD, troff, uBasic, VB6 (1), VBScript (1), VDF4, Vimscript, Visual Basic (1), Visual C++, Visual Foxpro, VSE, Webspeed, XSLT The answers covering 80386 assembler, VB6 and VBScript have been removed.

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• How to print data form C#

  - by Hybryd

  I've searched Stackoverflow and google and found many ways how I can print stuff in C#. The best way for me would be to populate blank white windows form with some label, textbox and picturebox elements and print it as a windows form. This way is very poor because it prints in 72 DPI, and is not flexible for multiple pages print. Next way that I found that would be good is using iTextSharp, but there is a problem that iTextSharp only generates PDF-s, and you have to open it in PDF viewer and print from there. I love this way of thinking where I create a paragraph, and then fill it with text and graphic, so I found this thread http://www.devarticles.com/c/a/C-Sharp/Printing-Using-C-sharp/ where it discusses how to create your own printing engine in C#, something like iTextSharp, but very lightweight... Now that I've said that, I want to know is there any ready to use printing engine that would be like iTextSharp, made for printing, not for PDF generation? What is the best way to print something, without using reporting services like CrystalReports. I think Crystal Reports wouldn't work for my case cause I don't want to print generic reports, but some text and graphics that I need to dynamicaly generate every time I need to print.

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• How to run autoconf in OSX linking to specified OS SDK

  - by kroko

  Hello! I have written a small command line tool that includes some GPL code. Everything runs smothly. Using os 10.6. The external code used has a config.h header file, made by calling autoconf. I'd like to deploy the tool to different OS versions. Thus config.h could look like // config.h #if MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED == MAC_OS_X_VERSION_10_4 // autoconf created config.h content for 10.4 comes here #elif MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED == MAC_OS_X_VERSION_10_5 // autoconf created config.h content for 10.5 comes here #elif MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED == MAC_OS_X_VERSION_10_6 // autoconf created config.h content for 10.6 comes here #else #error "muahahaha" #endif What is the way to tell autoconf to use /Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.XXXX.sdk/usr/ while generating the config.h? In order to test it I have run #!/bin/bash # for 10.6 export CC="/usr/bin/gcc-4.2" export CXX="/usr/bin/g++-4.2" export MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET="10.6" export OSX_SDK="/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.6.sdk" export OSX_CFLAGS="-isysroot $OSX_SDK -arch x86_64 -arch i386" export OSX_LDFLAGS="-Wl,-syslibroot,$OSX_SDK -arch x86_64 -arch i386" export CFLAGS=$OSX_CFLAGS export CXXFLAGS=$OSX_CFLAGS export LDFLAGS=$OSX_LDFLAGS before calling ./configure on OS 10.6. I know that the configure script looks for libintl.h, which is not in the "out of box 10.6 / SDK", but is present in the local machine under /usr/local The config.h header file produced with method described above has info that libintl.h is in the system- thus "linking" autoconf only to SDK has failed. Is it happening because... "we don't have a crystal ball"? :). Or is it incorrect "setup"/flag-export before running autoconf, which I hope is the case? If so, then what would be the correct way to set up envvariables? Many thanks in advance.

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• Advice for Windows XP Scripting, WSH versus PowerShell

  - by Greg Graham

  After much experience scripting in the Unix/Linux open-source world, using languages such as Bourne Shell, Perl, Python, and Ruby, I now find myself needing to do some Windows XP admin scripting. It appears that the legacy environment is Windows Script Host (WSH), which can use various scripting languages, but the primary language is VBScript, and is based on COM objects. However, the future appears to be Windows PowerShell, which is based on .NET. I haven't done Basic since Applesoft in the 70s, so I'm not keen on learning VBScript, although I did learn enough to write a small script to mount network drives. If I'm going to spend time to really learn this, I'm leaning towards investing my time in the .NET PowerShell environment, if it truly is the future. I did some C# Windows Forms programming a couple of years ago, so I have some exposure to .NET, which also makes PowerShell attractive. Understanding that no one has a crystal ball to predict the future of Microsoft, I would like hear from anyone who is a PowerShell user and thinks it's worthwhile, or if there is anyone that knows of serious drawbacks to PowerShell, and recommends that I stay away from it. Update: I ended up using WSH/VBScript for a particular script that I am installing as a startup script on user's Windows XP workstations. All I have to do is copy it to their Startup folder, and I'm done. However, I only learned enough WSH to accomplish this one job. I am glad to see that PowerShell is the future, and when I have more complicated scripting tasks, I'll to turn PowerShell.

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• Seeking reporting or templating tool to generate large formatted PDF reports from dataset

  - by Mr. Tacos

  Say I have some data in MySQL or a big ole CSV file. I also have a report. It's a PDF, call it 100 pages long. I need to generate variations on this PDF for slices of the data. More specific example: I have a CSV file with each StackOverflow user in a row and each column contains various statistics about that user. I have a report called "Your StackOverflow Performance". Its got lots of text, always the same, but each section contains something like: "You Vs. The Average StackOverflow Poster on this metric". I want a table that appears there that has the average data, which is the same in every run of the PDF, in one column. In the second column, I want your data, which is different for each PDF/row in the CSV file/user of StackOverflow. I'm pretty sure people use things like Crystal for this? Is there something in MS SQL Server that's good for this? An open source template language? I'm not even really sure if what I need is called a 'reporting' tool (since I don't really need to do any crunching, the data in this case is being crunched by a series of scripts and SPSS, I don't need bands and subbands and so on) or 'templating'. Is there even such a thing as templating PDFs? Natch, I'd be fine with something that generates output easily scriptable to PDF, like eps, but not something like HTML. The report formatting is fussy and done and externally determined and handed down from on high. It's print-oriented, not webby. Thanks in advance.

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• How can I use "Dependency Injection" in simple php functions, and should I bother?

  - by Tchalvak

  I hear people talking about dependency injection and the benefit of it all the time, but I don't really understand it. I'm wondering if it's a solution to the "I pass database connections as arguments all the time" problem. I tried reading wikipedia's entry on it, but the example is written in Java so I don't solidly understand the difference it is trying to make clear. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dependency_injection ). I read this dependency-injection-in-php article ( http://www.potstuck.com/2009/01/08/php-dependency-injection/ ), and it seems like the objective is to not pass dependencies to an object directly, but to cordon off the creation of an object along with the creation of it's dependencies. I'm not sure how to apply that in a using php functions context, though. Additionally, is the following Dependency Injection, and should I bother trying to do dependency injection in a functional context? Version 1: (the kind of code that I create, but don't like, every day) function get_data_from_database($database_connection){ $data = $database_connection->query('blah'); return $data; } Version 2: (don't have to pass a database connection, but perhaps not dependency injection?) function get_database_connection(){ static $db_connection; if($db_connection){ return $db_connection; } else { // create db_connection ... } } function get_data_from_database(){ $conn = get_database_connection(); $data = $conn->query('blah'); return $data; } $data = get_data_from_database(); Version 3: (the creation of the "object"/data is separate, and the database code is still, so perhaps this would count as dependency injection?) function factory_of_data_set(){ static $db_connection; $data_set = null; $db_connection = get_database_connection(); $data_set = $db_connection->query('blah'); return $data_set; } $data = factory_of_data_set(); Anyone have a good resource or just insight that makes the method and benefit -crystal- clear?

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• Where and how to start on C# and .Net Framework ?

  - by Rachel

  Currently, I have been working as an PHP developer for approximately 1 year now and I want learn about C# and .Net Framework, I do not have any experience with .Net Framework and C# and also there is not firm basis as to why I am going for C# and .Net Framework vs Java or any other programming languages, this decision is mere on career point of view and job opportunities. So my question is about: Is my decision wise to go for C# and .Net Framework route after working for sometime as an PHP Developer ? What are the good resources which I can refer and learn from to get knowledge on C# and .NET Framework ? How should I go about learning on C# and .NET Framework ? What all technologies should I be learning OR have experience with to be considered as an C#/.Net Developer, I am mentioning some technologies, please add or suggest one, if am missing out any ? Technologies C#-THE LANGUAGE GUI APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT WINDOWS CONTROL LIBRARY DELEGATES DATA ACCESS WITH ADO.NET MULTI THREADING ASSEMBLIES WINDOWS SERVICES VB INTRODUCTION TO VISUAL STUDIO .NET WINDOWS CONTROL LIBRARY DATA ACCESS WITH ADO.NET ASP.NET WEB TECHNOLOGIES CONTROLS VALIDATION CONTROL STATE MANAGEMENT CACHING ASP.NET CONFIGURATION ADO.NET ASP.NET TRACING & SECURITY IN ASP.NET XMLPROGRAMMING WEB SERVICES CRYSTAL REPORTS SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services) MS-Reports LINQ: NET Language-Integrated Query NET Language-Integrated Query LINQ to SQL: SQL Integration WCF: Windows Communication Foundation What Is Windows Communication Foundation? Fundamental Windows Communication Foundation Concepts Windows Communication Foundation Architecture WPF: Windows Presentation Foundation Getting Started (WPF) Application Development WPF Fundamentals What are your thoughts, suggestions on this and from Job and Market Perspective, what areas of C#/.Net Development should I put my focus on ? I know this is very subjective and long question but advice would be highly appeciated. Thanks.

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• Technology Plan - Which tools should I use?

  - by Armadillo

  Hi, Soon, I'll start my own software company. My primary product/solution will be a Billing/Invoice Software. In a near future, I pretend to expand this first module to an ERP. My app should be able to run as a stand-alone application and as a Web-based application (so there will be, probably two GUI for the same Database). My problem, now, is to choose the right tools; I'm talking about what programming language(s) should I use, what kind of database should I choose, and stuff like that. I'm primarily a VB6 programmer, so probably I'll choose the .net framework (vb/c#). But I'm seriously thinking about Java. Java has 2 "pros" that I really like: write once, run anywhere and it is free (I think...). I've been thinking about RIAs too, but I just don't have any substantial feedback about them... Then, I'll need a report tool. Crystal Reports? HTML based Reports? Other? Databases: I'm not sure if I should use SQL-Server Express or PostgreSQL (or other). I'd be happy to hear any comments and advices Thanks

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• Good web hosting for ASP.NET MVC 1.0 app

  - by magellings

  I'm looking for hosting for an ASP.NET MVC 1.0 app. I've narrowed down with research to either asphostportal, asphostcentral, godaddy, or 1&1. I've ruled out crystaltech and softsyshosting due to price with better plans. Will be running a small e-commerce site written with ASP.NET MVC 1.0 and want to be sure it will work, as well as looking for cheapest price with best value in regards to disk space/bandwidth. And bandwidth is basically how much data can be sent from your site per month right? Any opinions appreciated as I'm finding this tough to narrow down. I know you can bin deploy MVC but heard full trust mode is required as well as some routing rules in IIS. 1&1 says they can't enable full trust. This is what I was looking at: name data(disk space/bandwidth) price MVCenabled crystal tech 500MB/50GB 7.95 + 7.95 setup 2000MB/200GB 16.95 softsyshosting 500MB/5GB 3.50 + 12/year domain 1000MB/10GB 5.84 3000MB/30GB 13.33 asphostportal 5GB/50GB 5.75 + 8.99/year yes 10GB/100GB 10.25 asphostcentral 2GB/15GB 4.99 yes 3GB/30GB 7.99/month domain free 5GB/40GB 11.99 godaddy 10GB/300GB 10.69 + 4.74/month 150GB/1500GB 6.99/month 1&1 10GB/unlimited 3.99 + free domain 150GB/unlimited 6.99 1&1 seems to be best value if MVC app will work. I'm a bit confused on bandwidth being unlimited. May seem like a good thing, but what if one website on the server is a resource hog because of this?

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• What .NET reporting tools are best for dynamic report generation?

  - by bvanderw

  Perhaps I need to define "dynamic generation". By this I mean using graphics primitives to draw on the page (such as DrawText or DrawLine, etc) This is what System.Drawing.Printing provides. I often need to create forms and reports for Windows applications that either require dynamic generation or where I need control over the formatting that stretches or goes beyond the capabilities of most report designers. Essentially, I need to ability to create my own pages using graphics primitives like you can do with System.Drawing.Printing that are part of package that also provides a report designer, exporting to PDF, etc. In my Delphi days, I used Rave Reports (along with the exporting add-ons from Gnostice) because it was the only Delphi reporting tool that gave you that kind of fine control. I've been struggling with the reporting tools provided by Developer Express and I have given up trying to make them do what I need to do. I downloaded a trial of ActiveReports and was able to completely create one of my dynamic reports (using their Page class) in a few hours one afternoon. It's likely I will buy their product, but it's a bit frustrating to have to do so after investing in the Developer Express tools. Before I do so, are there any other products that offer this functionality that I should investigate? As far as I can tell, Crystal Reports does not - is this correct? Thanks.... --Bruce

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• Rewriting a for loop in pure NumPy to decrease execution time

  - by Statto

  I recently asked about trying to optimise a Python loop for a scientific application, and received an excellent, smart way of recoding it within NumPy which reduced execution time by a factor of around 100 for me! However, calculation of the B value is actually nested within a few other loops, because it is evaluated at a regular grid of positions. Is there a similarly smart NumPy rewrite to shave time off this procedure? I suspect the performance gain for this part would be less marked, and the disadvantages would presumably be that it would not be possible to report back to the user on the progress of the calculation, that the results could not be written to the output file until the end of the calculation, and possibly that doing this in one enormous step would have memory implications? Is it possible to circumvent any of these? import numpy as np import time def reshape_vector(v): b = np.empty((3,1)) for i in range(3): b[i][0] = v[i] return b def unit_vectors(r): return r / np.sqrt((r*r).sum(0)) def calculate_dipole(mu, r_i, mom_i): relative = mu - r_i r_unit = unit_vectors(relative) A = 1e-7 num = A*(3*np.sum(mom_i*r_unit, 0)*r_unit - mom_i) den = np.sqrt(np.sum(relative*relative, 0))**3 B = np.sum(num/den, 1) return B N = 20000 # number of dipoles r_i = np.random.random((3,N)) # positions of dipoles mom_i = np.random.random((3,N)) # moments of dipoles a = np.random.random((3,3)) # three basis vectors for this crystal n = [10,10,10] # points at which to evaluate sum gamma_mu = 135.5 # a constant t_start = time.clock() for i in range(n[0]): r_frac_x = np.float(i)/np.float(n[0]) r_test_x = r_frac_x * a[0] for j in range(n[1]): r_frac_y = np.float(j)/np.float(n[1]) r_test_y = r_frac_y * a[1] for k in range(n[2]): r_frac_z = np.float(k)/np.float(n[2]) r_test = r_test_x +r_test_y + r_frac_z * a[2] r_test_fast = reshape_vector(r_test) B = calculate_dipole(r_test_fast, r_i, mom_i) omega = gamma_mu*np.sqrt(np.dot(B,B)) # write r_test, B and omega to a file frac_done = np.float(i+1)/(n[0]+1) t_elapsed = (time.clock()-t_start) t_remain = (1-frac_done)*t_elapsed/frac_done print frac_done*100,'% done in',t_elapsed/60.,'minutes...approximately',t_remain/60.,'minutes remaining'

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• Did I implement clock drift properly?

  - by David Titarenco

  I couldn't find any clock drift RNG code for Windows anywhere so I attempted to implement it myself. I haven't run the numbers through ent or DIEHARD yet, and I'm just wondering if this is even remotely correct... void QueryRDTSC(__int64* tick) { __asm { xor eax, eax cpuid rdtsc mov edi, dword ptr tick mov dword ptr [edi], eax mov dword ptr [edi+4], edx } } __int64 clockDriftRNG() { __int64 CPU_start, CPU_end, OS_start, OS_end; // get CPU ticks -- uses RDTSC on the Processor QueryRDTSC(&CPU_start); Sleep(1); QueryRDTSC(&CPU_end); // get OS ticks -- uses the Motherboard clock QueryPerformanceCounter((LARGE_INTEGER*)&OS_start); Sleep(1); QueryPerformanceCounter((LARGE_INTEGER*)&OS_end); // CPU clock is ~1000x faster than mobo clock // return raw return ((CPU_end - CPU_start)/(OS_end - OS_start)); // or // return a random number from 0 to 9 // return ((CPU_end - CPU_start)/(OS_end - OS_start)%10); } If you're wondering why I Sleep(1), it's because if I don't, OS_end - OS_start returns 0 consistently (because of the bad timer resolution, I presume). Basically, (CPU_end - CPU_start)/(OS_end - OS_start) always returns around 1000 with a slight variation based on the entropy of CPU load, maybe temperature, quartz crystal vibration imperfections, etc. Anyway, the numbers have a pretty decent distribution, but this could be totally wrong. I have no idea.

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• How do I append Word templates to a new document in VB.NET?

  - by Tom

  I'm poking around to see if this app can be done. Basically the end user needs to create a bunch of export documents that are populated from a database. There will be numerous document templates (.dot) and the end result will be the user choosing templates x y and z to include for documentation, click a button and have the app create a new Word document, append the templates, and then populate the templates with the appropriate data. The reason it needs to be done in Word as opposed to something like Crystal Reports is that the user may customize some fields before printing the documents as it can vary from export to export. Is this possible to do through VB.NET (VS 2010)? I assume it is but I'm having difficulty tracking down a solution. Or alternatively is there a better solution? Here's what I have so far (not much I know) Import Microsoft.Office.Interop Public Class Form1 Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click Dim oWord As Word.Application Dim oDoc As Word.Document oWord = CreateObject("Word.Application") oWord.Visible = False oDoc = oWord.Documents.Add 'Open templates x.dot, y.dot, z.dot 'Append above templates to new document created 'Populate new document oWord.Visible = True End Sub End Class Thanks.

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• changing the intensity of lighten/darken on bitmaps using PorterDuffXfermode in the Android Paint class

  - by user1116836

  Ok my orignal question has changed. How do i change the intensity of how something like this is effected? DayToNight.setXfermode(new PorterDuffXfermode(Mode.DST_IN)); in my dream world it would have worked like this DayToNight.setXfermode(new PorterDuffXfermode(Mode.DST_IN(10))); the 10 being a level of intensity. An example would be if I had a flickering candle, when the candle burns bright I want the bitmaps I am drawing to the screen to retain their origanol color and brightness, when it flickers I want the bitmaps to be almost blacked out, and I want to darken the Bitmaps as the light dims. I have equations, timers and all that figured out, just not how to actually apply it to change the color/brightness. Maybe burning the images is what im looking for? I just want to change the lightness lol. I feel like using paint.setShader might be a solution, but the information in this area is pretty limited from what i have been able to find. Any help would be appreciated. edit: to be crystal clear, i am looking for a way to lighten/darken bitmaps as I draw them to the canvas

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• Why is the server performance so poor? What can be done to improve the speed of the server?

  - by fslsyed

  Very slow processing using Windows Server2008 R2 Standard with Service Pack One. Situation: Read a text file using the text data to populate a series of MS Sql tables. The converted data is used to generate monthly PDF invoice files; the PDF files are saved directly to the hard drive. The application is multi-threading with one thread used for the text conversion and three threads for PDF invoice generation. The text conversion is occurring concurrently with the invoice generation. Application Software: C# using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate. Crystal Report Writer 2011 with runtime 13_0_3 64 bit version. Targeted platform is x64; also tested as x86, and Any CPU with similar results. Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0. Microsoft Sql 2008 Issue: The software is running very slowly. The conversion of the text file is approximately six hundred fifty records per second and generation of the PDF files is approximately twelve invoices per minute. The text file to be converted is six hundred Meg with seven thousand invoices to be generated. The software was installed on three different machines from the same distribution files. The same text file was converted on each machine. The user executing the application was an administrator on each machine. The only variances were the machine and operating system. The configurations are as follows: Server: Operating System: Windows Server2008 R2 Standard 64-bit (6.1, Build7601) SP1 Service Pack: System Manufacturer: IBM System Model: System x3550 M3-[7944AC1]- BIOS: Default System BIOS Processor: Intel® Xeon® CPU E5620@ 2.4GHz (16 CPUs) Memory: 16384MB Notebook: Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium Standard 64-bit (6.1, Build7601) System Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard System Model: HP Pavilion dv7 Notebook PC BIOS: Default System BIOS Processor: AMD Phenom II N640 Dual-Core Processor 2.9GHz (2 CPUs) Memory: 6144MB Desktop: Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (6.1, Build7601) SP1 System Manufacturer: Dell Inc. System Model: OptiPlex 960 BIOS: Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A11 Processor: Intel Core™2 Quad CPU Q9650 @3.00GHZ (4 CPUs) Memory: 16384MB Processing results per machine: The applications were executed seven times with the averages being displayed below. Machine Text Records Invoices Generated Converted Per Minute Per Minute Server (1) 650 12 Notebook 980 17 Desktop 2,100 45 (1) The server is dedicated to execution of this application; no additional applications are being executed. Question: Why is the server performance so poor? What can be done to improve the speed of the server?

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• Windows Server 2008 Software Raid 5 - Data integrity issues

  - by Fopedush

  I've got a server running Windows Server 2008 R2, with a (windows native) software raid-5 array. The array consists of 7x 1TB Western Digital RE3 and RE4 drives. I have offline backups of this array. The problem is this: I noticed a few days ago after copying a large file to the disk that there was an integrity issue with that file - it was a ~12GB file that I had downloaded via uTorrent. After moving it to the raid array, I used uTorrent to relocate the download location, and performed a re-check so I could seed it from that location. The recheck found that only 6308/6310 chunks of the copied file were intact. My next step was to write a quick powershell script that would copy files to the array, while performing a SHA1 hash of the original and resultant files and comparing them. Smaller files (100-1000MB) copied over just fine. When I started copying larger data (~15GB), I found that the hash check failed about 2/3rds of the time. The corrupt files had very, very small inconsistencies - less than .01%. I further eliminated the possibility of networking or client issues by placing this large file on the C:\ of the server, and copying it repeatedly from there to the array, seeing similar results. Copying the data via explorer, powershell, or the standard windows command prompt yield the same results. None of the copies fail or report any problems. The raid array itself is listed as healthy in disk management. After a few experiments, I shut down the server and ran memtest overnight. No errors were detected. A basic run of chkdsk found no problems, but I did not use the /R flag, as I was unsure how that might affect a software raid-5 volume. I next ran Crystal Disk Info to check the smart data on the drives - but found that CDI only detected 5 out of 7 of the disks in the array. I have no idea why. Nevertheless, CDI shows the following "caution" flags on a single one of the drives: 05 199 199 140 000000000001 Reallocated Sectors Count C5 200 200 __0 000000000001 Current Pending Sector Count Which is a little bit alarming, but I don't really know what to do with the information. I hardly feel like one reallocated sector could be causing this. At this point, I'm looking for some guidance on what to do next. I need to determine the cause of this issue, but I'm hesitant to run chkdsk /R or any bootable disk health checkers because I'm afraid they might break the array. I've considered triggering a re-sync of the array, but I'm not actually sure how to do that without doing something silly like manually dropping a disk and then restoring it. Any advice that could help me ferret out the precise cause of this issue would be greatly appreciated.

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• Specs, Form and Function – What am I Missing?

  - by Barry Shulam

  0 0 1 628 3586 08041 29 8 4206 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Friday October 26th the Microsoft Surface RT arrived at the office.  I was summoned to my boss’s office for the grand unpacking.  If I had planned ahead I could have used my iPhone 4 to film the event and post it on YouTube however the desire to hold the device and turn it ON was more inviting than becoming a proxy reviewer for Engadget’s website.  1980 was the first time we had a personal computer in our house.  It was a  Kaypro computer. It weighed 29 pounds more than any persons lap could hold.  Then the term “portable computer” meant you could remove it from the building and take it else where.  Today I am typing on this entry on a Macbook Air which weighs 2.38 pounds. This morning Amazons front page main title is: “Much More for Much Less” I was born at the right time to start with the CPM operating system on the Kaypro thru the DOS, Windows, Linux, Mac OSX and mobile phone operating systems and languages.  If you are not aware Technology is moving at a rapid pace.  The New iPad (those who are keeping score – iPad4) is replacing a 7 month old machine the New iPad (iPad 3) I have used and owned many technology devices in my life.  The main point that most of the reader who are in the USA overlook is the fact that we are in the USA.  The devices we purchase have a great digital garden to support them.  The Kaypro computer had a 7-inch screen.  It was a TV tube with two colors – Black and Green.  You could see the 80-column screen flicker with characters – have you every played Pac-Man emulated on the screen with the ABC characters. Traveling across the world you will find that not all apps on your device will function as they did back home because they are not offered outside of your country of origin. I think the main question a buyer of technology should be asking is Function.  The greatest Specs with out function limit you.  The most beautiful form with out function is the same as a crystal vase on your shelf – not a good cereal bowl in the morning. Microsoft Surface RT, Amazon Kindle Fire and Apple iPad all great devices in their respective customers hands. My advice for those looking to purchase on this year:  If the device is your only technology device you buy what you WANT and LIKE. Consider this parallel universe if its not your only device?  Ever go shopping for clothing, shoes, and accessories with your wife, girlfriend, sister or mother?  If you listen carefully you will hear the little voices coming out of there heads saying:  “This goes well with that and I can use it also with that outfit” ”Do you think this clashes with that?”  “Ohh I love how that combination looks on you”.  Portable devices such as tablets and computers can offer a whole lot more when they are combined with the digital echo system you have at home and the manufacturer offers online. Pros of each Device: Microsoft Surface RT: There is a new functionality named SmartGlass which will let you share the content off your tablet to your XBOX 360.  Microsoft office is loaded on the tablet.  You can have more than one user profile on the tablet if you share it with others.   Amazon Kindle or Kindle HD: If you are an Amazon consumer with an annual Amazon Prime service you can consume videos and read books off the Amazon site.  Its the cheapest device.  Its a step up from the kindle reader in many ways.   Apple Ipad or Ipad mini: Over 270 Thousand applications.  Airplay permits you the ability to share to your TV screen. If you are a cord cutter (a person who gets their entertainment content over the web or air vs Cable Providers) the Airplay or Smart glass are a huge bonus.  iPad mini or not: The mini will fit in a purse where the larger one will not.  Its lighter which makes it nice to hold for prolonged periods.  It has an option for LTE wireless which non of the other sub 9 inch tables offer.  The screen is non retina which means the applications are smaller.  Speaking with individuals who are above 50 in age that wear glasses they retina does not make a difference for them however they prefer the larger iPad over the new mini.   Happy Shopping this Channuka Season.   The Kosher Coder.   Follow me on twitter @KosherCoder

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• Thoughts on streamlining multiple .Net apps

  - by John Virgolino

  We have a series of ASP.Net applications that have been written over the course of 8 years. Mostly in the first 3-4 years. They have been running quite well with little maintenance, but new functionality is being requested and we are running into IDE and platform issues. The apps were written in .Net 1.x and 2.x and run in separate spaces but are presented as a single suite of applications which use a common navigation toolbar (implemented as a user control). Every time we want to add something to a menu in the nav we have to modify it in all the apps which is a pain. Also, the various versions of Crystal reports and that we used tables to organize the visual elements and we end up with a mess, especially with all the multi-platform .Net versions running. We need to streamline the suite of apps and make it easier to add on new apps without a hassle. We also need to bring all these apps under one .Net platform and IDE. In addition, there is a WordPress blog styled to match the style of the application suite "integrated" into the UI and a link to a MediaWiki Wiki application as well. My current thinking is to use an open source content management system (CMS) like Joomla (PHP based unfortunately, but it works well) as the user interface framework for style templating and menu management. Joomla's article management would allow us to migrate the Wiki content into articles which could be published without interfering with the .Net apps. Then essentially use an IFrame within an "article" to "host" the .Net application, then... Upgrade the .Net apps to VS2010, strip out all the common header/footer controls and migrate the styles to use the style sheets used in the CMS. As I write this, I certainly realize this is a lot of work and there are optimization issues which this may cause as well as using IFrames seems a bit like cheating and I've read about issues with IFrames. I know that we could use .Net application styling, but it seems like a lot more work (not sure really). Also, the use of a CMS to handle the blog and wiki also seems appealing, unless there is a .Net CMS out there that can handle all of these requirements. Given this information, I am looking to know if I am totally going in the wrong direction? We tried to use open source and integrate it over time, but not this has become hard to maintain. Am I not aware of some technology out there that will meet our requirements? Did we do this right and should we just focus on getting the .Net streamlined? I understand that no matter what we do, it's going to be a lot of work. The communities considerable experience would be helpful. Thanks!! PS - A complete rewrite is not an option.

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