Search Results

Search found 4142 results on 166 pages for 'lost hobbit'.

Page 28/166 | < Previous Page | 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35  | Next Page >

  • Anyone else experiencing high rates of linux server crashes today?

    - by Bron Gondwana
    Just today, Sat June 30th - starting soon after the start of the day GMT. We've had a handful of blades in different datacentres as managed by different teams all go dark - not responding to pings, screen blank. They're all running Debian Squeeze - with everything from stock kernel to custom 3.2.21 builds. Most are Dell M610 blades, but I've also just lost a Dell R510 and other departments have lost machines from other vendors too. There was also an older IBM x3550 which crashed and which I thought might be unrelated, but now I'm wondering. The one crash which I did get a screen dump from said: [3161000.864001] BUG: spinlock lockup on CPU#1, ntpd/3358 [3161000.864001] lock: ffff88083fc0d740, .magic: dead4ead, .owner: imapd/24737, .owner_cpu: 0 Unfortunately the blades all supposedly had kdump configured, but they died so hard that kdump didn't trigger - and they had console blanking turned on. I've disabled console blanking now, so fingers crossed I'll have more information after the next crash. Just want to know if it's a common thread or "just us". It's really odd that they're different units in different datacentres bought at different times and run by different admins (I run the FastMail.FM ones)... and now even different vendor hardware. Most of the machines which crashed had been up for weeks/months and were running 3.1 or 3.2 series kernels. The most recent crash was a machine which had only been up about 6 hours running 3.2.21.

    Read the article

  • SBD killing both cluster nodes when there are even small SAN network problems

    - by Wieslaw Herr
    I am having problems with stonith SBD in a openais-based cluster. Some background: The active/passive cluster has two nodes, node1 and node2. They are configured to provide an NFS service to users. To avoid problems with split-brain, they are both configured to use SBD. SBD is using two 1MB disks available to the hosts via an multipath fibre-channel network. The problems start if something happens with the SAN network. For example, today one of the brocade switches got rebooted and both nodes lost 2 out of 4 paths to each disks, which resulted in both nodes committing suicide and rebooting. This, of course, was highly undesirable because a) there were paths left b) even if the switch would be out for 10-20 seconds a reboot cycle of both nodes would take 5-10 minutes and all NFS-locks would be lost. I tried increasing the SBD timeout values (to 10sec+ values, dump attached at the end), however a "WARN: Latency: No liveness for 4 s exceeds threshold of 3 s" hints that something isn't working as I would it expect to. Here is what I would like to know: a) Is SBD working as it should killing nodes when 2 paths are available? b) If not, is the multipath.conf file attached correct? The storage controller we use is an IBM SVC (IBM 2145), should there be any specific configuration for it? (as in multipath.conf.defaults) c) How should I go about increasing the timeouts in SBD attachements: Multipath.conf and sbd dump (http://hpaste.org/69537)

    Read the article

  • starting oracle 10g on ubuntu, Listener failed to start.

    - by tsegay
    I have installed oracle 10g on a ubuntu 10.x, This is my first time installation. After installing I tried to start it with the command below. tsegay@server-name:/u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1/bin$ lsnrctl LSNRCTL for Linux: Version 10.2.0.1.0 - Production on 29-DEC-2010 22:46:51 Copyright (c) 1991, 2005, Oracle. All rights reserved. Welcome to LSNRCTL, type "help" for information. LSNRCTL> start Starting /u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1/bin/tnslsnr: please wait... TNSLSNR for Linux: Version 10.2.0.1.0 - Production System parameter file is /u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1/network/admin/listener.ora Log messages written to /u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1/network/log/listener.log Error listening on: (DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=IPC)(KEY=EXTPROC1))) TNS-12555: TNS:permission denied TNS-12560: TNS:protocol adapter error TNS-00525: Insufficient privilege for operation Linux Error: 1: Operation not permitted Listener failed to start. See the error message(s) above... my listener.ora file looks like this: # listener.ora Network Configuration File: /u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1/network/admin/listener.ora # Generated by Oracle configuration tools. SID_LIST_LISTENER = (SID_LIST = (SID_DESC = (SID_NAME = PLSExtProc) (ORACLE_HOME = /u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1) (PROGRAM = extproc) ) ) LISTENER = (DESCRIPTION_LIST = (DESCRIPTION = (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = IPC)(KEY = EXTPROC1)) (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = acct-vmserver)(PORT = 1521)) ) ) I can guess the problem is with permission issue, But i dont know where I have to do the change on permission. Any help is appreciated ... EDIT## When i run with the command sudo, i got this tsegay@server-name:/u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1$ sudo ./bin/lsnrctl start LSNRCTL for Linux: Version 10.2.0.1.0 - Production on 30-DEC-2010 01:01:03 Copyright (c) 1991, 2005, Oracle. All rights reserved. Starting ./bin/tnslsnr: please wait... ./bin/tnslsnr: error while loading shared libraries: libclntsh.so.10.1: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory TNS-12547: TNS:lost contact TNS-12560: TNS:protocol adapter error TNS-00517: Lost contact Linux Error: 32: Broken pipe

    Read the article

  • ORA- 01157 / Cant connect to database

    - by Tom
    Hi everyone, this is a follow up from this question. Let me start by saying that i am NOT a DBA, so i'm really really lost with this. A few weeks ago, we lost contact with one of our SID'S. All the other services are working, but this one in particular is not. What we got was this message when trying to connect ORA-01033: ORACLE initialization or shutdown in progress An attempt to alter database open ended up in ORA-01157: cannot identify/lock data file 6 - see DBWR trace file ORA-01110: data file 6: '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/xxx/xxx_data.dbf' I tried to shutdown / restart the database, but got this message. Total System Global Area 566231040 bytes Fixed Size 1220604 bytes Variable Size 117440516 bytes Database Buffers 444596224 bytes Redo Buffers 2973696 bytes Database mounted. ORA-01157: cannot identify/lock data file 6 - see DBWR trace file ORA-01110: data file 6: '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/xxx/xxx_data.dbf' When all continued the same, I erased the dbf files (rm xxx_data.dbf xxx_index.dbf), and recreated them using touch xxx_data.dbf. I also tried to recreate the tablespaces using `CREATE TABLESPACE DATA DATAFILE XXX_DATA.DBF` and got Database not open As I said, i don't know how bad this is, or how far i'm from gaining access to my database (well, to this SID at least, the others are working). I would imagine that a last resource would be to throw everything away, and recreating it, but I don't know how to, and I was hoping there's a less destructive solution. Any help will be greatly appreciated . Thanks in advance.

    Read the article

  • Software to monitor bill payment to mission critical IT service providers (ISP, DNS etc.)

    - by Sholom
    Hi All, The Problem: Our very likable but absent minded bookkeeper keeps neglecting to pay our IT vendors on time. Just this past week our internet service was disconnected. Same could happen to many other mission critical accounts (domain registrar, backup MX, anti-virus license, HackerSafe (McAfee secure) service and even an 800 number to name a few). As the sysadmin, i monitor my severs to make sure they are plugged into the power-outlet. I believe i should also monitor my services to make sure they are plugged in to their money-outlet. To compound the problem, when the power goes out someone else will likely notice and notify me. But if a bill is not payed, no one will ever notice until service is lost. Lost as in losing our domain name which would cause a lot more damage then the power failing on our server. [Solution] = [Doesn't work because]: Retrain the bookkeeper = Wishful thinking. Notify my manager = Already have (via email). Protects me, does not solve problem. Fire bookkeeper = What makes you so sure the next one will never forget? Bottom line: Humans are humans and sooner or later something critical will be royally messed up. We need to partner with a machine to help us out here. Anybody have the same problem? What software/solution do you use? I would like software that emails me when a bill is passed due just like i get an email when the power outlet fails. Anyone hear of anything like that? Thanks

    Read the article

  • What is the correct way to move a file?

    - by Joe McDonald
    We had an issue at my work where I cut and pasted some files. Immediately when I did it, a ton of files were lost. I've been working in IT for 10+ years. I know how to cut and paste a file. Well, when it went up to my managers as to why the files were lost, they deemed it to my cut and paste that caused all the problems and asked why in the world someone as knowledgeable as me would ever cut and paste a file, and didn't I know that was totally the wrong way to move a file? The correct way to move a file is to drag the file. When cutting and pasting, it moves that 1+ GB file (on the server) to the clipboard (on my PC), which, obviously, will cause problems. Dragging a file never hits the clipboard. Be honest, I don't believe that for a minute. I believe when I cut and paste text, it goes to the clipboard. I've seen it in the old versions of windows. But when right clicking on 100+ files that equals 1+ GB, I can't believe that all that data is copied immediately out of whatever share I'm on at the server across my wireless on my laptop to my local clipboard to just go back to the server to another share. It seems they would build some logic in the server OS or my local OS (more likely my local OS) that would say when copying files, don't perform the move action until I click paste and if the files are staying local to where they were before, just move them. So, who's right?

    Read the article

  • How to make an "import image" button/field in a PDF form?

    - by Joe
    How to make an "import image" button/field in a PDF form? I am designing a "Lost Pet" poster for a local animal shelter. The idea is to make a PDF file that users of the shelter's website can download, insert their pet's information, and then print it out if their pet goes missing. I will be designing the poster in InDesign CS3, and then exporting it to a PDF file. I will then add form fields for the user to fill out. I am ok with making text entry form fields. That is a simple matter. What's not so simple is figuring out a way to allow the user to insert a photo of their lost pet into the PDF, save the file, and then print it out with the photo in it. I am running Adobe Acrobat Professional 8. I am running it on a Mac. All of the searches I've done have told me that if I was running Acrobat in Windows, I'd have access to this other program called LiveCycle Designer which has pre-built form item libraries, including a Image Field. But I cannot find any similar option on the Mac version. Has anyone has any experience doing something like this? If so, I could certainly use some tips on making this work. Just a quick clarification... This is a volunteer design project that I am doing for the shelter, so I don't want to spend money on any extra software/addons at all. I am hoping this can be done somehow with the pre-existing software I have.

    Read the article

  • Should I use "Raid 5 + spare" or "Raid 6"?

    - by Trevor Boyd Smith
    What is "Raid 5 + Spare" (excerpt from User Manual, Sect 4.17.2, P.54): RAID5+Spare: RAID 5+Spare is a RAID 5 array in which one disk is used as spare to rebuild the system as soon as a disk fails (Fig. 79). At least four disks are required. If one physical disk fails, the data remains available because it is read from the parity blocks. Data from a failed disk is rebuilt onto the hot spare disk. When a failed disk is replaced, the replacement becomes the new hot spare. No data is lost in the case of a single disk failure, but if a second disk fails before the system can rebuild data to the hot spare, all data in the array will be lost. What is "Raid 6" (excerpt from User Manual, Sect 4.17.2, P.54): RAID6: In RAID 6, data is striped across all disks (minimum of four) and a two parity blocks for each data block (p and q in Fig. 80) is written on the same stripe. If one physical disk fails, the data from the failed disk can be rebuilt onto a replacement disk. This Raid mode can support up to two disk failures with no data loss. RAID 6 provides for faster rebuilding of data from a failed disk. Both "Raid 5 + spare" and "Raid 6" are SO similar ... I can't tell the difference. When would "Raid 5 + Spare" be optimal? And when would "Raid 6" be optimal"? The manual dumbs down the different raid with 5 star ratings. "Raid 5 + Spare" only gets 4 stars but "Raid 6" gets 5 stars. If I were to blindly trust the manual I would conclude that "Raid 6" is always better. Is "Raid 6" always better?

    Read the article

  • Expanding iSCSI LUNs (NTFS)

    - by Fatih
    I have a 4TB iSCSI LUN that formated as NTFS in Windows 2008. I've shared this formated volume as a folder over SMB. When the capacity of this volume is not enough, I have to add more iSCSI LUNs, but the end-users must see only the folder that I've shared before. So, when I expand the NTFS volume that is currently 4TB, with more iSCSI LUNS(for example 2 more 4TB LUN), if one of the luns is failed, or missing, will all of my data in the folder be lost? I imagine that the expanding ntfs volume is like RAID 0(striped). if it is like RAID 0, then all my data will be lost when one of the luns is failed, or missing. In brief, there are two questions in here: 1- What will be happened, if one of the luns is missing in an expanded ntfs volume? 2- Is there another way to merge all of iscsi luns as only a folder, in that way the users don't see any extra folder even if I add extra iscsi luns to the file server.(I don't mention about DFS) Regards.

    Read the article

  • Seagate 3TB hard drive loses format information

    - by Victor Bugarin
    I have a Windows 7x64 Ultimate, 6 GB memory, 1 TB HD. 3TB Barracuda XT HDD. The HDD is installed on a StarTech 4 bays external enclosure I had troubles so I converted to a GPT, created 1 partition and formatted as NTFS. The hard drive I can write and read to and from the hard drive but it will become unreadable at some point while I am copying files or after I have copied files to it. I have copied large Bluray movies and diverse video files, I have also copied 32 GB of pictures, and I have copied about 86 thousand music files in different formats. At some point the partition becomes unreadable and I have to format the partition again (all files lost) and I have to start the whole process again. At some point I have been unable to copy large ISO (Bluray movies) file images. I have partitioned the HDD in 2 partitions P1 - 2TB, P2 - 1TB and I have lost every single file in either partition the same way. I reformat the HDD and it seems fine. I have run seatools to check the hard drive and it reports to be OK. What gives?

    Read the article

  • ZFS Data Loss Scenarios

    - by Obtuse
    I'm looking toward building a largish ZFS Pool (150TB+), and I'd like to hear people experiences about data loss scenarios due to failed hardware, in particular, distinguishing between instances where just some data is lost vs. the whole filesystem (of if there even is such a distinction in ZFS). For example: let's say a vdev is lost due to a failure like an external drive enclosure losing power, or a controller card failing. From what I've read the pool should go into a faulted mode, but if the vdev is returned the pool should recover? or not? or if the vdev is partially damaged, does one lose the whole pool, some files, etc.? What happens if a ZIL device fails? Or just one of several ZILs? Truly any and all anecdotes or hypothetical scenarios backed by deep technical knowledge are appreciated! Thanks! Update: We're doing this on the cheap since we are a small business (9 people or so) but we generate a fair amount of imaging data. The data is mostly smallish files, by my count about 500k files per TB. The data is important but not uber-critical. We are planning to use the ZFS pool to mirror 48TB "live" data array (in use for 3 years or so), and use the the rest of the storage for 'archived' data. The pool will be shared using NFS. The rack is supposedly on a building backup generator line, and we have two APC UPSes capable of powering the rack at full load for 5 mins or so.

    Read the article

  • Help - since adding an elastic load balancer to my EC2 web application I cannot connect with the MySQL database (not in AWS)

    - by undefined
    I have a web application that uses an EC2 instance to receive uploaded images, resize and store on S3 and update my MySQL database with the image record. This database is hosted outside Amazon Web Services and so obviously involves communication between the EC2 instance and the database. Images are posted to the upload server from a Flash client which receives the IP address of the upload server when it is loaded and so sends images to 1.12.23.34/resize_script.php This has worked great .. until i started to try and include a load balancer. Since the ELBs do not use an IP address but a DNS address I am now passing this to Flash. Now when I upload images I get the following response from the server - Could not connect to MySQL: Lost connection to MySQL server at 'reading initial communication packet', system error: 111 What might be causing the lost connection to MySQL server. Is there any additional steps I need to take to allow my upload servers to be load balanced? I have set the host property of my MySQL privileges for this user to % any pointers greatly appreciated thanks.

    Read the article

  • return an ArrayList method

    - by Bopeng Liu
    This is a drive method for two other classes. which i posted here http://codereview.stackexchange.com/questions/33148/book-program-with-arraylist I need some help for the private static ArrayList getAuthors(String authors) method. I am kind a beginner. so please help me finish this drive method. or give me some directions. Instruction some of the elements of the allAuthors array contain asterisks “*” between two authors names. The getAuthors method uses this asterisk as a delimiter between names to store them separately in the returned ArrayList of Strings. import java.util.ArrayList; public class LibraryDrive { public static void main(String[] args) { String[] titles = { "The Hobbit", "Acer Dumpling", "A Christmas Carol", "Marley and Me", "Building Java Programs", "Java, How to Program" }; String[] allAuthors = { "Tolkien, J.R.", "Doofus, Robert", "Dickens, Charles", "Remember, SomeoneIdont", "Reges, Stuart*Stepp, Marty", "Deitel, Paul*Deitel, Harvery" }; ArrayList<String> authors = new ArrayList<String>(); ArrayList<Book> books = new ArrayList<Book>(); for (int i = 0; i < titles.length; i++) { authors = getAuthors(allAuthors[i]); Book b = new Book(titles[i], authors); books.add(b); authors.remove(0); } Library lib = new Library(books); System.out.println(lib); lib.sort(); System.out.println(lib); } private static ArrayList<String> getAuthors(String authors) { ArrayList books = new ArrayList<String>(); // need help here. return books; } }

    Read the article

  • SQL SERVER – Repair a SQL Server Database Using a Transaction Log Explorer

    - by Pinal Dave
    In this blog, I’ll show how to use ApexSQL Log, a SQL Server transaction log viewer. You can download it for free, install, and play along. But first, let’s describe some disaster recovery scenarios where it’s useful. About SQL Server disaster recovery Along with database development and administration, you must work on a good recovery plan. Disasters do happen and no one’s immune. What you can do is take all actions needed to be ready for a disaster and go through it with minimal data loss and downtime. Besides creating a recovery plan, it’s necessary to have a list of steps that will be executed when a disaster occurs and to test them before a disaster. This way, you’ll know that the plan is good and viable. Testing can also be used as training for all team members, so they can all understand and execute it when the time comes. It will show how much time is needed to have your servers fully functional again and how much data you can lose in a real-life situation. If these don’t meet recovery-time and recovery-point objectives, the plan needs to be improved. Keep in mind that all major changes in environment configuration, business strategy, and recovery objectives require a new recovery plan testing, as these changes most probably induce a recovery plan changing and tweaking. What is a good SQL Server disaster recovery plan? A good SQL Server disaster recovery strategy starts with planning SQL Server database backups. An efficient strategy is to create a full database backup periodically. Between two successive full database backups, you can create differential database backups. It is essential is to create transaction log backups regularly between full database backups. Keep in mind that transaction log backups can be created only on databases in the full recovery model. In other words, a simple, but efficient backup strategy would be a full database backup every night, a transaction log backup every hour, or every 15 minutes. The frequency depends on how much data you can afford to lose and how busy the database is. Another option, instead of creating a full database backup every night, is to create a full database backup once a week (e.g. on Friday at midnight) and differential database backup every night until next Friday when you will create a full database backup again. Once you create your SQL Server database backup strategy, schedule the backups. You can do that easily using SQL Server maintenance plans. Why are transaction logs important? Transaction log backups contain transactions executed on a SQL Server database. They provide enough information to undo and redo the transactions and roll back or forward the database to a point in time. In SQL Server disaster recovery situations, transaction logs enable to repair a SQL Server database and bring it to the state before the disaster. Be aware that even with regular backups, there will be some data missing. These are the transactions made between the last transaction log backup and the time of the disaster. In some situations, to repair your SQL Server database it’s not necessary to re-create the database from its last backup. The database might still be online and all you need to do is roll back several transactions, such as wrong update, insert, or delete. The restore to a point in time feature is available in SQL Server, but for large databases, it is very time-consuming, as SQL Server first restores a full database backup, and then restores transaction log backups, one after another, up to the recovery point. During that time, the database is unavailable. This is where a SQL Server transaction log viewer can help. For optimal recovery, besides having a database in the full recovery model, it’s important that you haven’t manually truncated the online transaction log. This ensures that all transactions made after the last transaction log backup are still in the online transaction log. All you have to do is read and replay them. How to read a SQL Server transaction log? SQL Server doesn’t provide an option to read transaction logs. There are several SQL Server commands and functions that read the content of a transaction log file (fn_dblog, fn_dump_dblog, and DBCC PAGE), but they are undocumented. They require T-SQL knowledge, return a large number of not easy to read and understand columns, sometimes in binary or hexadecimal format. Another challenge is reading UPDATE statements, as it’s necessary to match it to a value in the MDF file. When you finally read the transactions executed, you have to create a script for it. How to easily repair a SQL database? The easiest solution is to use a transaction log reader that will not only read the transactions in the transaction log files, but also automatically create scripts for the read transactions. In the following example, I will show how to use ApexSQL Log to repair a SQL database after a crash. If a database has crashed and both MDF and LDF files are lost, you have to rely on the full database backup and all subsequent transaction log backups. In another scenario, the MDF file is lost, but the LDF file is available. First, restore the last full database backup on SQL Server using SQL Server Management Studio. I’ll name it Restored_AW2014. Then, start ApexSQL Log It will automatically detect all local servers. If not, click the icon right to the Server drop-down list, or just type in the SQL Server instance name. Select the Windows or SQL Server authentication type and select the Restored_AW2014 database from the database drop-down list. When all options are set, click Next. ApexSQL Log will show the online transaction log file. Now, click Add and add all transaction log backups created after the full database backup I used to restore the database. In case you don’t have transaction log backups, but the LDF file hasn’t been lost during the SQL Server disaster, add it using Add.   To repair a SQL database to a point in time, ApexSQL Log needs to read and replay all the transactions in the transaction log backups (or the LDF file saved after the disaster). That’s why I selected the Whole transaction log option in the Filter setup. ApexSQL Log offers a range of various filters, which are useful when you need to read just specific transactions. You can filter transactions by the time of the transactions, operation type (e.g. to read only data inserts), table name, SQL Server login that made the transaction, etc. In this scenario, to repair a SQL database, I’ll check all filters and make sure that all transactions are included. In the Operations tab, select all schema operations (DDL). If you omit these, only the data changes will be read so if there were any schema changes, such as a new function created, or an existing table modified, they will be ignored and database will not be properly repaired. The data repair for modified tables will fail. In the Tables tab, I’ll make sure all tables are selected. I will uncheck the Show operations on dropped tables option, to reduce the number of transactions. Click Next. ApexSQL Log offers three options. Select Open results in grid, to get a user-friendly presentation of the transactions. As you can see, details are shown for every transaction, including the old and new values for updated columns, which are clearly highlighted. Now, select them all and then create a redo script by clicking the Create redo script icon in the menu.   For a large number of transactions and in a critical situation, when acting fast is a must, I recommend using the Export results to file option. It will save some time, as the transactions will be directly scripted into a redo file, without showing them in the grid first. Select Generate reconstruction (REDO) script , change the output path if you want, and click Finish. After the redo T-SQL script is created, ApexSQL Log shows the redo script summary: The third option will create a command line statement for a batch file that you can use to schedule execution, which is not really applicable when you repair a SQL database, but quite useful in daily auditing scenarios. To repair your SQL database, all you have to do is execute the generated redo script using an integrated developer environment tool such as SQL Server Management Studio or any other, against the restored database. You can find more information about how to read SQL Server transaction logs and repair a SQL database on ApexSQL Solution center. There are solutions for various situations when data needs to be recovered, restored, or transactions rolled back. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.sqlauthority.com)Filed under: PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, T SQL

    Read the article

  • CodePlex Daily Summary for Wednesday, July 24, 2013

    CodePlex Daily Summary for Wednesday, July 24, 2013Popular ReleasesGeoTransformer: GeoTransformer 4.5: Extensions can now be installed and uninstalled from the application. The extensions update the same way as the application - silently and automatically. Added ability to search for caches by pressing CTRL+F in the table views. (Thanks to JanisU for implementing this request) Added ability to remove edited customizations for multiple caches at once (use SHIFT or CTRL to select multiple lines in the table). A new experimental version for Windows 8 RT (on ARM processor) is also made availa...Kartris E-commerce: Kartris v2.5003: This fixes an issue where search engines appear to identify as IE and so trigger the noIE page if there is not a non-responsive skin specified.VG-Ripper & PG-Ripper: VG-Ripper 2.9.45: changes NEW: Added Support for "ImgBabes.com" links NEW: Added Support for "ImagesIon.com" linksFamily Tree Analyzer: Version 1.5.3.0: Added a new Lost Cousins Report to the Lost Cousins tab. This report displays colour coded boxes for each census showing whether census data has been found and entered into Lost Cousins website for all the UK census years.Magelia WebStore Open-source Ecommerce software: Magelia WebStore 2.4: Magelia WebStore version 2.4 introduces new and improved features: Basket and order calculation have been redesigned with a more modular approach geographic zone algorithms for tax and shipping calculations have been re-developed. The Store service has been split in three services (store, basket, order). Product start and end dates have been added. For variant products a unique code has been introduced for the top (variable) product, product attributes can now be defined at the top ...LINQ to Twitter: LINQ to Twitter v2.1.08: Supports .NET 3.5, .NET 4.0, .NET 4.5, Silverlight 4.0, Windows Phone 7.1, Windows Phone 8, Client Profile, Windows 8, and Windows Azure. 100% Twitter API coverage. Also supports Twitter API v1.1! Also on NuGet.AndroidCopyAndPaste: Capood: Erstes Release für Evaluation --> Changeset 26675AcDown?????: AcDown????? v4.4.3: ??●AcDown??????????、??、??、???????。????,????,?????????????????????????。???????????Acfun、????(Bilibili)、??、??、YouTube、??、???、??????、SF????、????????????。 ●??????AcPlay?????,??????、????????????????。 ● AcDown???????C#??,????.NET Framework 2.0??。?????"Acfun?????"。 ??v4.4.3 ?? ??Bilibili????????????? ???????????? ????32??64? Windows XP/Vista/7/8 ???? 32??64? ???Linux ????(1)????????Windows XP???,????????.NET Framework 2.0???(x86),?????"?????????"??? (2)???????????Linux???,????????Mono?? ??2.10?...Magick.NET: Magick.NET 6.8.6.601: Magick.NET linked with ImageMagick 6.8.6.6. These zip files are also available as a NuGet package: https://nuget.org/profiles/dlemstra/C# Intellisense for Notepad++: Initial release: Members auto-complete Integration with native Notepad++ Auto-Completion Auto "open bracket" for methods Right-arrow to accept suggestions51Degrees.mobi - Mobile Device Detection and Redirection: 2.1.19.4: One Click Install from NuGet This release introduces the 51Degrees.mobi IIS Vary Header Fix. When Compression and Caching is used in IIS, the Vary header is overwritten, making intelligent caching with dynamic content impossible. Find out more about installing the Vary Header fix. Changes to Version 2.1.19.4Handlers now have a ‘Count’ property. This is an integer value that shows how many devices in the dataset that use that handler. Provider.cs -> GetDeviceInfoByID to address a problem w...SalarDbCodeGenerator: SalarDbCodeGenerator v2.1.2013.0719: Version 2.1.2013.0719 2013/7/19 Pattern Changes: * DapperContext pattern is added. * All patterns are updated to work with one-to-one relations. Changes: * One-to-one relation is supported. * Minor bug fixes.PantheR's GraphX for .NET: GraphX for .NET v0.9.5 BETA: BETA 0.9.5 + Added GraphArea.SaveAsImage() method that supports different image formats + Added GraphArea.UseNativeObjectArrange property. True by default. If set to False it will use different coordinates handling that helps to soften vertex drag issues to the top and left area sides. + Added GraphArea.Translation property. It is needed to get correct translation coordinates when determining object position from the mouse coordinates. + Added new VertexControl.PositionChanged event along wit....NET Code Migrator for Dynamics CRM: v1.0.12: Combined the main macros, generated macros from a sample organization, and the CreateVisualStudioMacros utility into a single package.DARF: Dynamic Application Runtime Framework: DARF.Demo: This demo is DARF.IDE application plus a sample file (calculator.xda) which describes a very simple calculator. All you need to do is to unzip the package, run DARF.IDE.exe and load calculator.xda then press F5 or select 'Execute' from 'Code' menu to see the execution of the application. The calculator.xda file is fully commented so you can inspect the file and get a feeling of the way DARF works. This sample application makes use of some pre-written blocks (namely button, textbox and ...) ...Player Framework by Microsoft: Player Framework for Windows and WP (v1.3 beta 2): Includes all changes in v1.3 beta 1 Additional support for Windows 8.1 Preview New API (JS): addTextTrack New API (JS): msKeys New API (JS): msPlayToPreferredSourceUri New API (JS): msSetMediaKeys New API (JS): onmsneedkey New API (Xaml): SetMediaStreamSource method New API (Xaml): Stretch property New API (Xaml): StretchChanged event New API (Xaml): AreTransportControlsEnabled property New API (Xaml): IsFullWindow property New API (Xaml): PlayToPreferredSourceUri proper...CodeGen Code Generator: CodeGen 4.2.11: Changes in this release include: Added several new alternate forms of the <FIELD_SELWND> token to provide template developers better control over the case of field selection window names. Also added a new token <FIELD_SELWND_ORIGINAL> to preserve the case of selection window names in the same way that <FIELD_SELWND> used to. Enhanced UI Toolkit window script selection window processing (-ws) so that selection window names are no longer case sensitive (they aren't in UI Toolkit). Also the -w...Outlook 2013 Add-In: Multiple Calendars: As per popular request, this new version includes: - Support for multiple calendars. This can be enabled in the configuration by choosing which ones to show/hide appointments from. In some cases (public folders) it may time out and crash, and so far it only supports "My Calendars", so not shared ones yet. Also they're currently shown in the same font/color so there are no confusions with color categories, but please drop me a line on any suggestions you'd like to see implemented. - Added fri...Circuit Diagram: Circuit Diagram 2.0 Beta 2: New in this release: Show grid in editor Cut/copy/paste support Bug fixesCommunity TFS Build Extensions: July 2013: The July 2013 release contains VS2010 Activities(target .NET 4.0) VS2012 Activities (target .NET 4.5) VS2013 Activities (target .NET 4.5.1) Community TFS Build Manager VS2012 The Community TFS Build Manager can also be found in the Visual Studio Gallery here where updates will first become available. A version supporting VS2010 is also available in the Gallery here.New Projects.NET Weaver: This project is a base project to weave code in existing assemblies.AAP WB: aam aadmi party west bengal facebook appajax call wcf: it's about how to call wcf use ajax in asp.netBMI: Test ProjectCarWebOOB: Website for learning subject about object oriented databaseCloud Ninja Polyglot Persistence: The Cloud Ninja Polyglot Persistence project is a sample that demonstrates the use of multiple and different types of repositories to persist application data.ConsoleGamePacMan: C# console Implementation of popular game Pac-MancrawlerTeam: crawlerDB-Team-Project-Mimosa: Telerik Database Project Team MimosaDemoJS: Nonedeployspsolution: powershell snapin that mimics publishing behaviour of wsp sharepoint solution in visual studio.Du Lich Thanh Nien: Du L?ch Thanh NiênElectronic Commerce Resource Planning: Electronic Commerce Resource PlanningGnuPGNotepad: A notepad based GUI for GnuPG (PGP) which allows you to Encrypt/Decrypt on the fly, or save & load encrypted to disk without using temporary clear text files.modbusclasslabrarycsharp: Summary MvcAppTestSolution: MVCNext Inventory: NextInventory is an open source application. Native in the ASP.Net MVC4.Org Chart in SharePoint 2010 using Google API.: Organization Chart webpart for SharePoint 2010 using Google API and SharePoint list as the data source. Good for small organizations with no AD hierarchy.Parsec SWTOR Parser: .NET Combat Log Parser Windows Application for SWTOR (Star Wars the Old Republic)Portable Imaging Library for .NET: Portable Imaging Library for asynchronous loading, modifying and saving images from any thread (out of UI thread for WPF/WP8).Powershell MetadataExplorer: Windows Powershell SnapIn that includes the Get-ItemMetadata cmdlet. The Get-ItemMetadata cmdlet retrieves extended metadata associated with file system items.Pseudogenerator: Pseudogenerator es un generador de numeros pseudoaleatorios compatible con una variedad de metodos de generacion. Muy util en el area de simulaciones digitales.PushIt!: Very interesting arcade game.S3Console: This project is an initiative to create shell like interactive console application to administer amazon s3 using c#.net.Sample VariableSizedWrapGrid Windows Phone: This example gives an idea of ​​how to make the size of a list item dynamically. In this case a user control that has been created by VariableSizedWrapGrid kinnSchool CMS: School CMS is a school content management system, written in PHP and run from a single MySQL Database. Anyone can use school cms.Sys: This is library of collection of most used .NET components implemented in C#VariousPublicExperiments: This project contains various experiments, publish for educational purposes. These projects may later on be branched to their own repositories.VBDownloader: *VBDownloader* _The open source solution for downloading_wechat demo: wechat demoZing State Explorer: Zing is a state explorer for models of concurrent and asynchronous programs.

    Read the article

  • Performance issues in android game

    - by user1446632
    I am making an android game, but however, the game is functioning like it should, but i am experiencing some performance issues. I think it has something to do with the sound. Cause each time i touch the screen, it makes a sound. I am using the standard MediaPlayer. The method is onTouchEvent() and onPlaySound1(). Could you please help me with an alternate solution for playing the sound? Thank you so much in advance! It would be nice if you also came up with some suggestions on how i can improve my code. Take a look at my code here: package com.mycompany.mygame; import java.util.ArrayList; import android.content.Context; import android.content.Intent; import android.graphics.Bitmap; import android.graphics.BitmapFactory; import android.graphics.Canvas; import android.graphics.Color; import android.graphics.Paint; import android.media.MediaPlayer; import android.os.Handler; import android.os.Message; import android.util.Log; import android.view.Menu; import android.view.MenuInflater; import android.view.MenuItem; import android.view.MotionEvent; import android.view.SurfaceHolder; import android.view.SurfaceView; import android.view.View; import android.webkit.WebView; import android.widget.TextView; import android.widget.Toast; public class ExampleView extends SurfaceView implements SurfaceHolder.Callback { class ExampleThread extends Thread { private ArrayList<Parachuter> parachuters; private Bitmap parachuter; private Bitmap background; private Paint black; private boolean running; private SurfaceHolder mSurfaceHolder; private Context mContext; private Context mContext1; private Handler mHandler; private Handler mHandler1; private GameScreenActivity mActivity; private long frameRate; private boolean loading; public float x; public float y; public float x1; public float y1; public MediaPlayer mp1; public MediaPlayer mp2; public int parachuterIndexToResetAndDelete; public int canvasGetWidth; public int canvasGetWidth1; public int canvasGetHeight; public int livesLeftValue; public int levelValue = 1; public int levelValue1; public int parachutersDown; public int difficultySet; public boolean isSpecialAttackAvailible; public ExampleThread(SurfaceHolder sHolder, Context context, Handler handler) { mSurfaceHolder = sHolder; mHandler = handler; mHandler1 = handler; mContext = context; mActivity = (GameScreenActivity) context; parachuters = new ArrayList<Parachuter>(); parachuter = BitmapFactory.decodeResource(getResources(), R.drawable.parachuteman); black = new Paint(); black.setStyle(Paint.Style.FILL); black.setColor(Color.GRAY); background = BitmapFactory.decodeResource(getResources(), R.drawable.gamescreenbackground); running = true; // This equates to 26 frames per second. frameRate = (long) (1000 / 26); loading = true; mp1 = MediaPlayer.create(getContext(), R.raw.bombsound); } @Override public void run() { while (running) { Canvas c = null; try { c = mSurfaceHolder.lockCanvas(); synchronized (mSurfaceHolder) { long start = System.currentTimeMillis(); doDraw(c); long diff = System.currentTimeMillis() - start; if (diff < frameRate) Thread.sleep(frameRate - diff); } } catch (InterruptedException e) { } finally { if (c != null) { mSurfaceHolder.unlockCanvasAndPost(c); } } } } protected void doDraw(Canvas canvas) { canvas.drawRect(0, 0, canvas.getWidth(), canvas.getHeight(), black); //Draw for (int i = 0; i < parachuters.size(); i++) { canvas.drawBitmap(parachuter, parachuters.get(i).getX(), parachuters.get(i).getY(), null); parachuters.get(i).tick(); } //Remove for (int i = 0; i < parachuters.size(); i++) { if (parachuters.get(i).getY() > canvas.getHeight()) { parachuters.remove(i); onPlaySound(); checkLivesLeftValue(); checkAmountOfParachuters(); } else if(parachuters.get(i).isTouched()) { parachuters.remove(i); } else{ //Do nothing } } } public void loadBackground(Canvas canvas) { //Load background canvas.drawBitmap(background, 0, 0, black); } public void checkAmountOfParachuters() { mHandler.post(new Runnable() { @Override public void run() { if(parachuters.isEmpty()) { levelValue = levelValue + 1; Toast.makeText(getContext(), "New level! " + levelValue, 15).show(); if (levelValue == 3) { drawParachutersGroup1(); drawParachutersGroup2(); drawParachutersGroup3(); drawParachutersGroup4(); } else if (levelValue == 5) { drawParachutersGroup1(); drawParachutersGroup2(); drawParachutersGroup3(); drawParachutersGroup4(); drawParachutersGroup5(); } else if (levelValue == 7) { drawParachutersGroup1(); drawParachutersGroup2(); drawParachutersGroup3(); drawParachutersGroup4(); drawParachutersGroup5(); drawParachutersGroup6(); } else if (levelValue == 9) { //Draw 7 groups of parachuters drawParachutersGroup1(); drawParachutersGroup2(); drawParachutersGroup3(); drawParachutersGroup4(); drawParachutersGroup5(); drawParachutersGroup6(); drawParachutersGroup1(); } else if (levelValue > 9) { //Draw 7 groups of parachuters drawParachutersGroup1(); drawParachutersGroup2(); drawParachutersGroup3(); drawParachutersGroup4(); drawParachutersGroup5(); drawParachutersGroup6(); drawParachutersGroup1(); } else { //Draw normal 3 groups of parachuters drawParachutersGroup1(); drawParachutersGroup2(); drawParachutersGroup3(); } } else { //Do nothing } } }); } private void checkLivesLeftValue() { mHandler.post(new Runnable() { @Override public void run() { Log.d("checkLivesLeftValue", "lives = " + livesLeftValue); // TODO Auto-generated method stub if (livesLeftValue == 3) { //Message to display: "You lost! Log.d("checkLivesLeftValue", "calling onMethod now"); parachuters.removeAll(parachuters); onMethod(); } else if (livesLeftValue == 2) { Toast.makeText(getContext(), "Lives left=1", 15).show(); livesLeftValue = livesLeftValue + 1; Log.d("checkLivesLeftValue", "increased lives to " + livesLeftValue); } else if (livesLeftValue == 1) { Toast.makeText(getContext(), "Lives left=2", 15).show(); livesLeftValue = livesLeftValue + 1; Log.d("checkLivesLeftValue", "increased lives to " + livesLeftValue); } else { //Set livesLeftValueText 3 Toast.makeText(getContext(), "Lives left=3", 15).show(); livesLeftValue = livesLeftValue + 1; Log.d("checkLivesLeftValue", "increased lives to " + livesLeftValue); } } }); } public void onMethod() { mHandler.post(new Runnable() { @Override public void run() { try { Toast.makeText(getContext(), "You lost!", 15).show(); livesLeftValue = 0; //Tell the user that he lost: android.content.Context ctx = mContext; Intent i = new Intent(ctx, playerLostMessageActivity.class); i.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK); i.putExtra("KEY","You got to level " + levelValue + " And you shot down " + parachutersDown + " parachuters"); i.putExtra("levelValue", levelValue); ctx.startActivity(i); System.exit(0); } catch (Exception e) { // TODO Auto-generated catch block e.printStackTrace(); //Exit activity and start playerLostMessageActivity Toast.makeText(getContext(), "You lost!", 15).show(); livesLeftValue = 0; //Tell the user that he lost: android.content.Context ctx = mContext; Intent i = new Intent(ctx, playerLostMessageActivity.class); i.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK); i.putExtra("KEY","You got to level " + levelValue + " And you shot down " + parachutersDown + " parachuters"); i.putExtra("levelValue", levelValue); System.exit(0); ctx.startActivity(i); System.exit(0); } } }); } public void onPlaySound() { try { mp1.start(); } catch (Exception e) { e.printStackTrace(); mp1.release(); } } public void onDestroy() { try { parachuters.removeAll(parachuters); mp1.stop(); mp1.release(); } catch (Exception e) { e.printStackTrace(); } } public void onPlaySound1() { try { mp2 = MediaPlayer.create(getContext(), R.raw.airriflesoundeffect); mp2.start(); } catch (Exception e) { e.printStackTrace(); mp2.release(); } } public boolean onTouchEvent(MotionEvent event) { if (event.getAction() != MotionEvent.ACTION_DOWN) releaseMediaPlayer(); x1 = event.getX(); y1 = event.getY(); checkAmountOfParachuters(); removeParachuter(); return false; } public void releaseMediaPlayer() { try { mp1.release(); } catch (Exception e) { e.printStackTrace(); } } public void removeParachuter() { try { for (Parachuter p: parachuters) { if (x1 > p.getX() && x1 < p.getX() + parachuter.getWidth() && y1 > p.getY() && y1 < p.getY() + parachuter.getHeight()) { p.setTouched(true); onPlaySound1(); parachutersDown = parachutersDown + 1; p.setTouched(false); } } } catch (Exception e) { e.printStackTrace(); } } public void initiateDrawParachuters() { drawParachutersGroup1(); } public void drawParachutersGroup1() { // TODO Auto-generated method stub //Parachuter group nr. 1 //Parachuter nr. 2 x = 75; y = 77; Parachuter p1 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p1); //Parachuter nr.1 x = 14; y = 28; Parachuter p = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p); //Parachuter nr. 3 x = 250; y = 94; Parachuter p3 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p3); //Parachuter nr. 3 x = 275; y = 80; Parachuter p2 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p2); //Parachuter nr. 5 x = 280; y = 163; Parachuter p5 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p5); x = 125; y = 118; Parachuter p4 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p4); //Parachuter nr. 7 x = 126; y = 247; Parachuter p7 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p7); //Parachuter nr. 6 x = 123; y = 77; Parachuter p6 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p6); } public void drawParachutersGroup2() { // TODO Auto-generated method stub //Parachuter group nr. 2 //Parachuter nr. 5 x = 153; y = 166; Parachuter p5 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p5); x = 133; y = 123; Parachuter p4 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p4); //Parachuter nr. 7 x = 170; y = 213; Parachuter p7 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p7); //Parachuter nr. 6 x = 190; y = 121; Parachuter p6 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p6); } public void drawParachutersGroup3() { // TODO Auto-generated method stub //Parachuter group nr. 3 //Parachuter nr. 2 x = 267; y = 115; Parachuter p1 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p1); //Parachuter nr.1 x = 255; y = 183; Parachuter p = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p); //Parachuter nr. 3 x = 170; y = 280; Parachuter p3 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p3); //Parachuter nr. 3 x = 116; y = 80; Parachuter p2 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p2); //Parachuter nr. 5 x = 67; y = 112; Parachuter p5 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p5); x = 260; y = 89; Parachuter p4 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p4); //Parachuter nr. 7 x = 260; y = 113; Parachuter p7 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p7); //Parachuter nr. 6 x = 178; y = 25; Parachuter p6 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p6); } public void drawParachutersGroup4() { // TODO Auto-generated method stub //Parachuter group nr. 1 //Parachuter nr. 2 x = 75; y = 166; Parachuter p1 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p1); //Parachuter nr.1 x = 118; y = 94; Parachuter p = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p); //Parachuter nr. 3 x = 38; y = 55; Parachuter p3 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p3); //Parachuter nr. 3 x = 57; y = 18; Parachuter p2 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p2); //Parachuter nr. 5 x = 67; y = 119; Parachuter p5 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p5); x = 217; y = 113; Parachuter p4 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p4); //Parachuter nr. 7 x = 245; y = 234; Parachuter p7 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p7); //Parachuter nr. 6 x = 239; y = 44; Parachuter p6 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p6); } public void drawParachutersGroup5() { // TODO Auto-generated method stub //Parachuter group nr. 1 //Parachuter nr. 2 x = 59; y = 120; Parachuter p1 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p1); //Parachuter nr.1 x = 210; y = 169; Parachuter p = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p); //Parachuter nr. 3 x = 199; y = 138; Parachuter p3 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p3); //Parachuter nr. 3 x = 22; y = 307; Parachuter p2 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p2); //Parachuter nr. 5 x = 195; y = 22; Parachuter p5 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p5); x = 157; y = 132; Parachuter p4 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p4); //Parachuter nr. 7 x = 150; y = 183; Parachuter p7 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p7); //Parachuter nr. 6 x = 130; y = 20; Parachuter p6 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p6); } public void drawParachutersGroup6() { // TODO Auto-generated method stub //Parachuter group nr. 1 //Parachuter nr. 2 x = 10; y = 10; Parachuter p1 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p1); //Parachuter nr.1 x = 20; y = 20; Parachuter p = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p); //Parachuter nr. 3 x = 30; y = 30; Parachuter p3 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p3); //Parachuter nr. 3 x = 60; y = 60; Parachuter p2 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p2); //Parachuter nr. 5 x = 90; y = 90; Parachuter p5 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p5); x = 120; y = 120; Parachuter p4 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p4); //Parachuter nr. 7 x = 150; y = 150; Parachuter p7 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p7); //Parachuter nr. 6 x = 180; y = 180; Parachuter p6 = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p6); } public void drawParachuters() { Parachuter p = new Parachuter(x, y); parachuters.add(p); Toast.makeText(getContext(), "x=" + x + " y=" + y, 15).show(); } public void setRunning(boolean bRun) { running = bRun; } public boolean getRunning() { return running; } } /** Handle to the application context, used to e.g. fetch Drawables. */ private Context mContext; /** Pointer to the text view to display "Paused.." etc. */ private TextView mStatusText; /** The thread that actually draws the animation */ private ExampleThread eThread; public ExampleView(Context context) { super(context); // register our interest in hearing about changes to our surface SurfaceHolder holder = getHolder(); holder.addCallback(this); // create thread only; it's started in surfaceCreated() eThread = new ExampleThread(holder, context, new Handler() { @Override public void handleMessage(Message m) { // mStatusText.setVisibility(m.getData().getInt("viz")); // mStatusText.setText(m.getData().getString("text")); } }); setFocusable(true); } @Override public boolean onTouchEvent(MotionEvent event) { return eThread.onTouchEvent(event); } public ExampleThread getThread() { return eThread; } @Override public void surfaceChanged(SurfaceHolder arg0, int arg1, int arg2, int arg3) { // TODO Auto-generated method stub } public void surfaceCreated(SurfaceHolder holder) { if (eThread.getState() == Thread.State.TERMINATED) { eThread = new ExampleThread(getHolder(), getContext(), getHandler()); eThread.start(); } else { eThread.start(); } } @Override public void surfaceDestroyed(SurfaceHolder holder) { boolean retry = true; eThread.setRunning(false); while (retry) { try { eThread.join(); retry = false; } catch (InterruptedException e) { } } } }

    Read the article

  • Pigs in Socks?

    - by MightyZot
    My wonderful wife Annie surprised me with a cruise to Cozumel for my fortieth birthday. I love to travel. Every trip is ripe with adventure, crazy things to see and experience. For example, on the way to Mobile Alabama to catch our boat, some dude hauling a mobile home lost a window and we drove through a cloud of busting glass going 80 miles per hour! The night before the cruise, we stayed in the Malaga Inn and I crawled UNDER the hotel to look at an old civil war bunker. WOAH! Then, on the way to and from Cozumel, the boat plowed through two beautiful and slightly violent storms. But, the adventures you have while travelling often pale in comparison to the cult of personalities you meet along the way.  :) We met many cool people during our travels and we made some new friends. Todd and Andrea are in the publishing business (www.myneworleans.com) and teaching, respectively. Erika is a teacher too and Matt has a pig on his foot. This story is about the pig. Without that pig on Matt’s foot, we probably would have hit a buoy and drowned. Alright, so…this pig on Matt’s foot…this is no henna tatt, this is a man’s tattoo. Apparently, getting tattoos on your feet is very painful because there is very little muscle and fat and lots of nifty nerves to tell you that you might be doing something stupid. Pig and rooster tattoos carry special meaning for sailors of old. According to some sources, having a tattoo of a pig or rooster on one foot or the other will keep you from drowning. There are many great musings as to why a pig and a rooster might save your life. The most plausible in my opinion is that pigs and roosters were common livestock tagging along with the crew. Since they were shipped in wooden crates, pigs and roosters were often counted amongst the survivors when ships succumbed to Davy Jones’ Locker. I didn’t spend a whole lot of time researching the pig and the rooster, so consider these musings as you would a grain of salt. And, I was not able to find a lot of what you might consider credible history regarding the tradition. What I did find was a comfort, or solace, in the maritime tradition. Seems like raw traditions like the pig and the rooster are in danger of getting lost in a sea of non-permanence. I mean, what traditions are us old programmers and techies leaving behind for future generations? Makes me wonder what Ward Christensen has tattooed on his left foot.  I guess my choice would have to be a Commodore 64.   (I met Ward, by the way, in an elevator after he received his Dvorak awards in 1992. He was a very non-assuming individual sporting business casual and was very much a “sailor” of an old-school programmer. I can’t remember his exact words, but I think they were essentially that he felt it odd that he was getting an award for just doing his work. I’m sure that Ward doesn’t know this…he couldn’t have set a more positive example for a young 22 year old programmer. Thanks Ward!)

    Read the article

  • Silverlight Cream for April 29, 2010 -- #851

    - by Dave Campbell
    In this Issue: Carlos Figueira(-2-), Subodh Pushpak, Gergely Orosz, John Papa, Mike Snow(-2-), Rishi, Tim Heuer, Stefan Olson, and David Anson. Shoutouts: Josh Holmes blogged about a cool app the City of Miami has up: Miami 311: Built on Windows Azure Gergely Orosz reports on the state of a bug he found pre SL4: Silverlight 4 still displays large elements incorrectly Laura Foy and Charlie Kindel discuss WP7 on Channel 9: Windows Phone 7 Developer Tools Refresh Announced Charlie Kindel has an announcement, good instructions, and what's new notes on the Windows Phone Developer Tools CTP Refresh! Tim Heuer mentioned the workaround for this in his post (below), but I thought you might like to read Brandon Watson's debrief of what it's all about: Signed Assemblies Bug in the Windows Phone Tools CTP Refresh Laurent Bugnion posted about interrelations between versions of Blend and WP7 code... read it closely: Be careful when installing the Blend Windows Phone 7 Add-In From SilverlightCream.com: Consuming REST/POX services in Silverlight 4 Carlos Figueira has a pair of posts up about consuming services in Silverlight 4. This first one is about consuming REST/POX services. He provides a Service Contract that can be used with either and the full project code is available as well. Consuming REST/JSON services in Silverlight 4 In the second post, Carlos Figueira provides the code to allow WCF and Silverlight 4 to consume strongly-typed REST/JSON... and again, all the code is available. Silverlight and WCF caching Subodh Pushpak has a post up discussing caching in WCF, and has code demonstrating turning caching on at run-time. Detecting Silverlight Version Installed Gergely Orosz said it right when he said "Detecting the Silverlight version installed on a client machine isn’t entirely straightforward." ... and after reading this post, if you take the link to his ScottLogic blog, you'll get a full break-out of how it's done. Silverlight TV 22: Tim Heuer on Extending the SMF It's Thursday, and that means Silverlight TV! ... this week, John Papa has on Tim Heuer who has always been out there pushing media... and he's talking about SMF or Silverlight Media Framework for the uninitiated, and also extending it. Silverlight Tip of the Day #7 – Localized Resources Mike Snow has Tip Number 7 up and it's about localization... good end-to-end discussion and demonstration. Just thought I should use that to prove to my daughter that the tatoo she had put on the back of her neck actually reads "Eat More Broccoli" :) Silverlight Tip of the Day #8 – Detecting Alt, Shift, Control, Window & Apple Keys Combinations I just realized Mike Snow's site logo reads "Silverlight Tips of the Day" (bolding mine) ... that answers why I'm seeing more than one -- sorry Mike, couldn't pass it up :) ... Mike's second tip today and number 8 in the series is on detecting all the mouse button and ctl/alt/shift combinations in Silverlight. nRoute: More Wholesomeness, with SL 4 and .NET 4.0 Rishi has a post up announcing a new nRoute release for Silverlight 4 and .NET 4.0 He's tweaked the code to take advantages of enhancements in the new platforms, so check it out. Windows Phone 7 Developer Tools April 2010 Refresh Booya... Tim Heuer announced the release of the next drop in the WP7 tools ... dang wish I was at home today :) ... be sure to read the post for info such as the notes about Authenticode Assemblies and the release notes. Updates to Silverlight Multi-binding support Stefan Olson points up a SL4 change to Multi-binding support that he had previously blogged about. He shows the previous non-working example, and what you have to do to make it work now. Using XAML to create a custom wallpaper image for your mobile device David Anson has a solution for those pesky lost devices, and let me go on the record right now saying if anyone finds a WP7 phone laying around, just call me, it's mine :) [think that'd work??] ... ok, David's solution is a WPF app "MobileDeviceHomeScreenMaker" that you get the info set and it produces a png you then put on your device. But seriously about that lost phone... Stay in the 'Light! Twitter SilverlightNews | Twitter WynApse | WynApse.com | Tagged Posts | SilverlightCream Join me @ SilverlightCream | Phoenix Silverlight User Group Technorati Tags: Silverlight    Silverlight 3    Silverlight 4    Windows Phone MIX10

    Read the article

  • SQLAuthority News – Android Efficiency Tips and Tricks – Personal Technology Tip #003

    - by pinaldave
    I use my phone for lots of things.  I use it mainly to replace my tablet – I can e-mail, take and edit photos, and do almost everything I can do on a laptop with this phone.  And I am sure that there are many of you out there just like me.  I personally have a Galaxy S3, which uses the Android operating system, and I have decided to feature it as the third installment of my Technology Tips and Tricks series. 1) Shortcut to your favorite contacts on home screen Access your most-called contacts easily from your home screen by holding your finger on any empty spot on the home screen.  A menu will pop up that allows you to choose Shortcuts, and Contact.  You can scroll through your contact list and then just tap on the name of the person you want to be able to dial with a single click. 2) Keep track of your data usage Yes, we all should keep a close eye on our data usage, because it is very easy to go over our limits and then end up with a giant bill at the end of the month.  Never get surprised when you open that mobile phone envelope again.  Go to Settings, then Data Usage, and you can find a quick rundown of your usage, how much data each app uses, and you can even set alarms to let you know when you are nearing the limits.   Better yet, you can set the phone to stop using data when it reaches a certain limit. 3) Bring back Good Grammar We often hear proclamations about the downfall of written language, and how texting abbreviations, misspellings, and lack of punctuation are the root of all evil.  Well, we can show all those doomsdayers that all is not lost by bringing punctuation back to texting.  Usually we leave it off when we text because it takes too long to get to the screen with all the punctuation options.  But now you can hold down the period (or “full stop”) button and a list of all the commonly-used punctuation marks will pop right up. 4) Apps, Apps, Apps and Apps And finally, I cannot end an article about smart phones without including a list of my favorite apps.  Here are a list of my Top 10 Applications on my Android (not counting social media apps). Advanced Task Killer – Keeps my phone snappy by closing un-necessary apps WhatsApp - my favorite alternate to Text SMS Flipboard - my ‘timepass’ moments Skype – keeps me close to friends and family GoogleMaps - I am never lost because of this one thing Amazon Kindle – Books my best friends DropBox - My data always safe Pluralsight Player – Learning never stops for me Samsung Kies Air – Connecting Phone to Computer Chrome – Replacing default browser I have not included any social media applications in the above list, but you can be sure that I am linked to Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com)   Filed under: Best Practices, PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology Tagged: Android, Personal Technology

    Read the article

  • SQLAuthority News – Android Efficiency Tips and Tricks – Personal Technology Tip

    - by pinaldave
    I use my phone for lots of things.  I use it mainly to replace my tablet – I can e-mail, take and edit photos, and do almost everything I can do on a laptop with this phone.  And I am sure that there are many of you out there just like me.  I personally have a Galaxy S3, which uses the Android operating system, and I have decided to feature it as the third installment of my Technology Tips and Tricks series. 1) Shortcut to your favorite contacts on home screen Access your most-called contacts easily from your home screen by holding your finger on any empty spot on the home screen.  A menu will pop up that allows you to choose Shortcuts, and Contact.  You can scroll through your contact list and then just tap on the name of the person you want to be able to dial with a single click. 2) Keep track of your data usage Yes, we all should keep a close eye on our data usage, because it is very easy to go over our limits and then end up with a giant bill at the end of the month.  Never get surprised when you open that mobile phone envelope again.  Go to Settings, then Data Usage, and you can find a quick rundown of your usage, how much data each app uses, and you can even set alarms to let you know when you are nearing the limits.   Better yet, you can set the phone to stop using data when it reaches a certain limit. 3) Bring back Good Grammar We often hear proclamations about the downfall of written language, and how texting abbreviations, misspellings, and lack of punctuation are the root of all evil.  Well, we can show all those doomsdayers that all is not lost by bringing punctuation back to texting.  Usually we leave it off when we text because it takes too long to get to the screen with all the punctuation options.  But now you can hold down the period (or “full stop”) button and a list of all the commonly-used punctuation marks will pop right up. 4) Apps, Apps, Apps and Apps And finally, I cannot end an article about smart phones without including a list of my favorite apps.  Here are a list of my Top 10 Applications on my Android (not counting social media apps). Advanced Task Killer – Keeps my phone snappy by closing un-necessary apps WhatsApp - my favorite alternate to Text SMS Flipboard - my ‘timepass’ moments Skype – keeps me close to friends and family GoogleMaps - I am never lost because of this one thing Amazon Kindle – Books my best friends DropBox - My data always safe Pluralsight Player – Learning never stops for me Samsung Kies Air – Connecting Phone to Computer Chrome – Replacing default browser I have not included any social media applications in the above list, but you can be sure that I am linked to Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com)   Filed under: Best Practices, PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology Tagged: Android, Personal Technology

    Read the article

  • Postfix log.... spam attempt?

    - by luri
    I have some weird entries in my mail.log. What I'd like to ask is if postfix is avoiding correctly (according with the main.cf attached below) what seems to be relay attempts, presumably for spamming, or if I can enhance it's security somehow. Feb 2 11:53:25 MYSERVER postfix/smtpd[9094]: connect from catv-80-99-46-143.catv.broadband.hu[80.99.46.143] Feb 2 11:53:25 MYSERVER postfix/smtpd[9094]: warning: non-SMTP command from catv-80-99-46-143.catv.broadband.hu[80.99.46.143]: GET / HTTP/1.1 Feb 2 11:53:25 MYSERVER postfix/smtpd[9094]: disconnect from catv-80-99-46-143.catv.broadband.hu[80.99.46.143] Feb 2 11:56:45 MYSERVER postfix/anvil[9097]: statistics: max connection rate 1/60s for (smtp:80.99.46.143) at Feb 2 11:53:25 Feb 2 11:56:45 MYSERVER postfix/anvil[9097]: statistics: max connection count 1 for (smtp:80.99.46.143) at Feb 2 11:53:25 Feb 2 11:56:45 MYSERVER postfix/anvil[9097]: statistics: max cache size 1 at Feb 2 11:53:25 Feb 2 12:09:19 MYSERVER postfix/smtpd[9302]: connect from vs148181.vserver.de[62.75.148.181] Feb 2 12:09:19 MYSERVER postfix/smtpd[9302]: warning: non-SMTP command from vs148181.vserver.de[62.75.148.181]: GET / HTTP/1.1 Feb 2 12:09:19 MYSERVER postfix/smtpd[9302]: disconnect from vs148181.vserver.de[62.75.148.181] Feb 2 12:12:39 MYSERVER postfix/anvil[9304]: statistics: max connection rate 1/60s for (smtp:62.75.148.181) at Feb 2 12:09:19 Feb 2 12:12:39 MYSERVER postfix/anvil[9304]: statistics: max connection count 1 for (smtp:62.75.148.181) at Feb 2 12:09:19 Feb 2 12:12:39 MYSERVER postfix/anvil[9304]: statistics: max cache size 1 at Feb 2 12:09:19 Feb 2 14:17:02 MYSERVER postfix/smtpd[10847]: connect from unknown[202.46.129.123] Feb 2 14:17:02 MYSERVER postfix/smtpd[10847]: warning: non-SMTP command from unknown[202.46.129.123]: GET / HTTP/1.1 Feb 2 14:17:02 MYSERVER postfix/smtpd[10847]: disconnect from unknown[202.46.129.123] Feb 2 14:20:22 MYSERVER postfix/anvil[10853]: statistics: max connection rate 1/60s for (smtp:202.46.129.123) at Feb 2 14:17:02 Feb 2 14:20:22 MYSERVER postfix/anvil[10853]: statistics: max connection count 1 for (smtp:202.46.129.123) at Feb 2 14:17:02 Feb 2 14:20:22 MYSERVER postfix/anvil[10853]: statistics: max cache size 1 at Feb 2 14:17:02 Feb 2 20:57:33 MYSERVER postfix/smtpd[18452]: warning: 95.110.224.230: hostname host230-224-110-95.serverdedicati.aruba.it verification failed: Name or service not known Feb 2 20:57:33 MYSERVER postfix/smtpd[18452]: connect from unknown[95.110.224.230] Feb 2 20:57:33 MYSERVER postfix/smtpd[18452]: lost connection after CONNECT from unknown[95.110.224.230] Feb 2 20:57:33 MYSERVER postfix/smtpd[18452]: disconnect from unknown[95.110.224.230] Feb 2 21:00:53 MYSERVER postfix/anvil[18455]: statistics: max connection rate 1/60s for (smtp:95.110.224.230) at Feb 2 20:57:33 Feb 2 21:00:53 MYSERVER postfix/anvil[18455]: statistics: max connection count 1 for (smtp:95.110.224.230) at Feb 2 20:57:33 Feb 2 21:00:53 MYSERVER postfix/anvil[18455]: statistics: max cache size 1 at Feb 2 20:57:33 Feb 2 21:13:44 MYSERVER pop3d: Connection, ip=[::ffff:219.94.190.222] Feb 2 21:13:44 MYSERVER pop3d: LOGIN FAILED, user=admin, ip=[::ffff:219.94.190.222] Feb 2 21:13:50 MYSERVER pop3d: LOGIN FAILED, user=test, ip=[::ffff:219.94.190.222] Feb 2 21:13:56 MYSERVER pop3d: LOGIN FAILED, user=danny, ip=[::ffff:219.94.190.222] Feb 2 21:14:01 MYSERVER pop3d: LOGIN FAILED, user=sharon, ip=[::ffff:219.94.190.222] Feb 2 21:14:07 MYSERVER pop3d: LOGIN FAILED, user=aron, ip=[::ffff:219.94.190.222] Feb 2 21:14:12 MYSERVER pop3d: LOGIN FAILED, user=alex, ip=[::ffff:219.94.190.222] Feb 2 21:14:18 MYSERVER pop3d: LOGIN FAILED, user=brett, ip=[::ffff:219.94.190.222] Feb 2 21:14:24 MYSERVER pop3d: LOGIN FAILED, user=mike, ip=[::ffff:219.94.190.222] Feb 2 21:14:29 MYSERVER pop3d: LOGIN FAILED, user=alan, ip=[::ffff:219.94.190.222] Feb 2 21:14:35 MYSERVER pop3d: LOGIN FAILED, user=info, ip=[::ffff:219.94.190.222] Feb 2 21:14:41 MYSERVER pop3d: LOGIN FAILED, user=shop, ip=[::ffff:219.94.190.222] Feb 3 06:49:29 MYSERVER postfix/smtpd[25834]: warning: 71.6.142.196: hostname db4142196.aspadmin.net verification failed: Name or service not known Feb 3 06:49:29 MYSERVER postfix/smtpd[25834]: connect from unknown[71.6.142.196] Feb 3 06:49:29 MYSERVER postfix/smtpd[25834]: lost connection after CONNECT from unknown[71.6.142.196] Feb 3 06:49:29 MYSERVER postfix/smtpd[25834]: disconnect from unknown[71.6.142.196] Feb 3 06:52:49 MYSERVER postfix/anvil[25837]: statistics: max connection rate 1/60s for (smtp:71.6.142.196) at Feb 3 06:49:29 Feb 3 06:52:49 MYSERVER postfix/anvil[25837]: statistics: max connection count 1 for (smtp:71.6.142.196) at Feb 3 06:49:29 Feb 3 06:52:49 MYSERVER postfix/anvil[25837]: statistics: max cache size 1 at Feb 3 06:49:29 I have Postfix 2.7.1-1 running on Ubuntu 10.10. This is my (modified por privacy) main.cf: smtpd_banner = $myhostname ESMTP $mail_name (Ubuntu) biff = no append_dot_mydomain = no readme_directory = no smtpd_tls_cert_file = /etc/ssl/certs/smtpd.crt smtpd_tls_key_file = /etc/ssl/private/smtpd.key myhostname = mymailserver.org alias_maps = hash:/etc/aliases alias_database = hash:/etc/aliases myorigin = /etc/mailname mydestination = mymailserver.org, MYSERVER, localhost relayhost = mynetworks = 127.0.0.0/8, 192.168.1.0/24 mailbox_size_limit = 0 recipient_delimiter = + inet_interfaces = all inet_protocols = all home_mailbox = Maildir/ smtpd_recipient_restrictions = permit_sasl_authenticated,permit_mynetworks,reject_unauth_destination mailbox_command = smtpd_sasl_local_domain = smtpd_sasl_auth_enable = yes smtpd_sasl_security_options = noanonymous broken_sasl_auth_clients = yes smtpd_tls_security_level = may smtpd_tls_auth_only = no smtp_tls_note_starttls_offer = yes smtpd_tls_CAfile = /etc/ssl/certs/cacert.pem smtpd_tls_loglevel = 1 smtpd_tls_received_header = yes smtpd_tls_session_cache_timeout = 3600s tls_random_source = dev:/dev/urandom smtp_tls_security_level = may

    Read the article

  • SQLSaturday 33 Observations

    - by Geoff N. Hiten
    Along with a lot of my colleagues, I went to SQLSaturday #33 in Charlotte this last weekend.  Overall a really good event, especially for a first-time organizer.  There is some controversy over certain events where my name got mentioned so I thought I would clear the air. Before I get to the core controversy, let's get the details out of the way.  The Microsoft Offices in Charlotte were an excellent venue for this event.  I really appreciated the Microsoft employees that helped out by letting us in and out of normally secure areas.  This is definitely above and beyond on their part. Thanks to the organizers (especially Greg and Peter) for the great hospitality they showed to the speakers.  Now for the specifics.  Like most events of this type, there was a raffle at the end for some cool swag.  As a speaker I got raffle tickets just like any other attendee.  The raffle was clearly promoted as "must be present to win".  The problem is that for various reasons, the raffle kicked off immediately after the last speaker finished in the largest room.  That room was across the parking lot from all the other rooms for the event.  I happened to have one of the last sessions of the day, and not in the main room.  I also ran long since the audience was very interactive and there were a lot of follow-up questions.  (BTW, thanks to everyone who came and stayed for my session.  Sorry it cost you the chance to win too.).  My name was drawn for an very nice piece of swag (iPod Touch if you insist).  Since I wasn't there, I didn't win. Several folks mentioned I was still speaking and was "here" (as in at the event) just not "here in the room". Yes, I was mad when I found out about it. I think that was handled poorly.  I personally lost out as did my audience (dunno if anyone specific lost anything, but it is the idea that counts).  It was a mistake. Mistakes happen.  Nobody acted maliciously.  Heck, the guys running the event who made the decision are my friends and remain so.  I got over my mad.  We talked about this privately and we are all OK with what happened.  I am not going to let a gadget get in the way of a couple of good friendships. I think the mistake was mostly due to a lack of unity between the venue buildings   Pam Shaw had a similar challenge in Tampa a few weeks ago, including a speaker who ran long on the last session (not me that time).  She had a couple of teenage volunteers to act as gofers/runners.  They counted heads in sessions, pointed people to last-minute room and session changes, and generally helped connect the organizers to what was actually happening.  Note that this was not Pam's first SQLSaturday event.  She knew but the knowledge had not been institutionalized.  We (The SQL community in general and SQLSaturday organizers in particular) now know how essential gofers are to success. I know I spent most of this post focusing on the controversy, but I wanted to clear everything up.  I don't want to let a minor mistake, made in good faith, overshadow what was a tremendously good event for the community. As for the iPod Touch, someone in the SQL community is enjoying it, so it is not a total loss.  And if losing out on it is the price I pay so we can learn this, then that is what a community leader does.  Consider it a gift.  Besides, I really wanted a Zune 120 :)

    Read the article

  • Failure Sucks, But Does It Have To?

    - by steve.diamond
    Hey Folks--It's "elephant in the room" time. Imagine a representative from a CRM VENDOR discussing CRM FAILURES. Well. I recently saw this blog post from Michael Krigsman on "six ways CRM projects go wrong." Now, I know this may come off defensive, but my comments apply to ALL CRM vendors, not just Oracle. As I perused the list, I couldn't find any failures related to technology. They all seemed related to people or process. Now, this isn't about finger pointing, or impugning customers. I love customers! And when they fail, WE fail. Although I sit in the cheap seats, i.e., I haven't funded any multi-million dollar CRM initiatives lately, I kept wondering how to convert the perception of failure as something that ends and is never to be mentioned again (see Michael's reason #4), to something that one learns from and builds upon. So to continue my tradition of speaking in platitudes, let me propose the following three tenets: 1) Try and get ahead of your failures while they're very very small. 2) Immediately assess what you can learn from those failures. 3) With more than 15 years of CRM deployments, seek out those vendors that have a track record both in learning from "misses" and in supporting MANY THOUSANDS of CRM successes at companies of all types and sizes. Now let me digress briefly with an unpleasant (for me, anyway) analogy. I really don't like flying. Call it 'fear of dying' or 'fear of no control.' Whatever! I've spoken with quite a few commercial pilots over the years, and they reassure me that there are multiple failures on most every flight. We as passengers just don't know about them. Most of them are too miniscule to make a difference, and most of them are "caught" before they become LARGER failures. It's typically the mid-sized to colossal failures we hear about, and a significant percentage of those are due to human error. What's the point? I'd propose that organizations consider the topic of FAILURE in five grades. On one end, FAILURE Grade 1 is a minor/miniscule failure. On the other end, FAILURE Grade 5 is a colossal failure A Grade 1 CRM FAILURE could be that a particular interim milestone was missed. Why? What can we learn from that? How can we prevent that from happening as we proceed through the project? Individual organizations will need to define their own Grade 2 and Grade 3 failures. The opportunity is to keep those Grade 3 failures from escalating any further. Because honestly, a GRADE 5 failure may not be recoverable. It could result in a project being pulled, countless amounts of hours and dollars lost, and jobs lost. We don't want to go there. In closing, I want to thank Michael for opening my eyes up to the world of "color," versus thinking of failure as both "black and white" and a dead end road that organizations can't learn from and avoid discussing like the plague.

    Read the article

  • Inside Red Gate - Experimenting In Public

    - by Simon Cooper
    Over the next few weeks, we'll be performing experiments on SmartAssembly to confirm or refute various hypotheses we have about how people use the product, what is stopping them from using it to its full extent, and what we can change to make it more useful and easier to use. Some of these experiments can be done within the team, some within Red Gate, and some need to be done on external users. External testing Some external testing can be done by standard usability tests and surveys, however, there are some hypotheses that can only be tested by building a version of SmartAssembly with some things in the UI or implementation changed. We'll then be able to look at how the experimental build is used compared to the 'mainline' build, which forms our baseline or control group, and use this data to confirm or refute the relevant hypotheses. However, there are several issues we need to consider before running experiments using separate builds: Ideally, the user wouldn't know they're running an experimental SmartAssembly. We don't want users to use the experimental build like it's an experimental build, we want them to use it like it's the real mainline build. Only then will we get valid, useful, and informative data concerning our hypotheses. There's no point running the experiments if we can't find out what happens after the download. To confirm or refute some of our hypotheses, we need to find out how the tool is used once it is installed. Fortunately, we've applied feature usage reporting to the SmartAssembly codebase itself to provide us with that information. Of course, this then makes the experimental data conditional on the user agreeing to send that data back to us in the first place. Unfortunately, even though this does limit the amount of useful data we'll be getting back, and possibly skew the data, there's not much we can do about this; we don't collect feature usage data without the user's consent. Looks like we'll simply have to live with this. What if the user tries to buy the experiment? This is something that isn't really covered by the Lean Startup book; how do you support users who give you money for an experiment? If the experiment is a new feature, and the user buys a license for SmartAssembly based on that feature, then what do we do if we later decide to pivot & scrap that feature? We've either got to spend time and money bringing that feature up to production quality and into the mainline anyway, or we've got disgruntled customers. Either way is bad. Again, there's not really any good solution to this. Similarly, what if we've removed some features for an experiment and a potential new user downloads the experimental build? (As I said above, there's no indication the build is an experimental build, as we want to see what users really do with it). The crucial feature they need is missing, causing a bad trial experience, a lost potential customer, and a lost chance to help the customer with their problem. Again, this is something not really covered by the Lean Startup book, and something that doesn't have a good solution. So, some tricky issues there, not all of them with nice easy answers. Turns out the practicalities of running Lean Startup experiments are more complicated than they first seem!

    Read the article

  • Starting over and new to Ubuntu

    - by 2funnyyone
    We have been having repeated problems with our interent service and using windows xp & sp3 (users and premissions) I see no need for them. I started with computers long before windows. Every since sp 3 come out in 2009 I have had nothing but problems. I have lost so many computers to virius and trojans, we just stack them up. We are with Qwest/ Century link which is using advertising servers which I think is causing the problem. All the computers are networked together which is not how I set them up. I beleive Century link is networking them through assignment of a domain for our home. This causes all the computers to crash twice. This is getting expensive. We tried buying new harddrives but reinfect with hours of connecting to internet. I also beleive the modem, router and all computers are infected. I put combofix on this one and that is the only reason we are still online with this laptop. I am afraid to install new equipment because my partner and I are on SSDI and this cost a lot. I go to school at UOP and had to run off a flash and reboot this laptop to recovery every other day or so, this pass month. New plan is: We are getting ready to install new equipment but afraid to reinfect again. Need help to install new equipment. The plan is to use current internet services from Qwest/ now Century Link. The list of New equipment in order: Century link wireless modem is ZyXEL PK5000Z with 4 direct connect Ethernet ports Next Dell Optiplex 210L ( used auction purchase ) 2 gb ram 80 g hard drive Ubuntu 11.10 operating system Next Wireless D-Link router WBR-1310 with 4 direct connect Ethernet ports OK-------- Purchased Dell OEM disk for Repair or Reinstalling Windows XP Professional Operating system (2 roommates as well) All infected computers are Dell desktops or laptops with XP Pro Also purchasing Ubuntu 12.04 for 3 computers. We like the way it runs but still learning it. Questions 1] How do we fdisk the infected computers without infecting new system. We have Dos disks, but none have floppy dish drive. We do have a new floppy disk drive and usb adapter we purchased from Amazon. 2] We are thinking Avast internet security because of the boot scan. We want all software loaded before reconnecting. We can manually load our internet provider information. We purchased StopZilla $100 for 5 computers, but not sure that is what we need. But need how to setup ports security and services we will need. Really lost at this part. So we are safe when we go back on the internet. 3] Want to connect reloaded fdisk systems to router as public connection and no sharing. Do not want to network all computers. 4] Want parental/ ownership control from Ubuntu system for internet connection (Children and friends). Do we restrict at the modem and/ or router? Any help would be a blessing. I do not want to go alone on this anymore.

    Read the article

< Previous Page | 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35  | Next Page >