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  • Help Improve Oracle Products Usability at OOW

    - by Shay Shmeltzer
    We already wrote about all the great ADF related activities at OOW. But we wanted to also let you know about an additional activity you can participate in at OpenWorld: The Oracle Middleware User Experience team will be conducting focus groups and customer feedback activities at Oracle OpenWorld 2012 (Oct. 1st - Oct. 3rd). Customer participation helps Oracle develop outstanding products and solutions. Professionals of all types are invited to participate: Directors, Project & Product Managers, Finance, Sales, Human Resources, Marketing, Recruiters, Budget Managers,  and more. **To participate in these sessions you do not have to be registered for Oracle OpenWorld.** If you or someone you know is interested in participating, please email [email protected] with the following information: Name: Company Name:  Job Title: Email: Phone Number (work, mobile, include country code):

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  • GDD-BR 2010 [1B] What's New in Google App Engine and GAE for Business

    GDD-BR 2010 [1B] What's New in Google App Engine and GAE for Business Speaker: Patrick Chanezon Track: Cloud Computing Time: B[11:15 - 12:00] Room: 1 Level: 151 Learn what's new with Java on App Engine. We'll take a whirlwind tour through the changes since last year, walk through a code sample for task queues and the new blobstore service, and demonstrate techniques for improving your application's performance. We'll top it off with a glimpse into some new features that we've planned for the year ahead. This session will include an overview of Google App Engine for Business. From: GoogleDevelopers Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 49:20 More in Science & Technology

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  • Clone Unity Dock for All Users?

    - by jduc
    I've spent 3 days trying to figure out how to clone the Unity dock from my firstuser profile in Ubuntu 12.04 to all of the other profiles I'm hoping to create. I've read where the /etc/skel folder contents get populated to all new profiles but this doesn't seem to include the dock or the desktop folders and icons. I've also copied the entire contents of my /home/firstuser folder to my /home/seconduser folder (including .* files) but the dock is still showing the stock icons and not the icons I've designated in my firstuser profile dock. Does anyone have any suggestions?

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  • How access PhysicalMaterial from Actor Class?

    - by EmAdpres
    I use Projectile for my weapon system and UDKProjectile has two main function to handle Hit of projectiles(=bullet of my weapon): simulated function ProcessTouch(Actor Other, Vector HitLocation, Vector HitNormal) // For Actors simulated event HitWall(vector HitNormal, actor Wall, PrimitiveComponent WallComp) // Everything except Actors ( I guess) the first method, the function just give me the actor which I hit and my question is How I can get that actor's physical material by first parameter ( Other ), in order to make a proper react about it ( for example a proper Sound of collide ) ... A tricky (but hateful ) way which I knew works is, make a Trace from a little back of that actor to that actor, and use HitInfo parameter which include physical Material ! But there should be a more standard way !

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  • How are larger games organized?

    - by Matthew G.
    I'm using Java, but the language I'm using here is probably irrelevant. I'd like to create an economy based on an ancient civilization. I'm not sure how to design it. If I were working on a smaller game, like a copy of "Space Invaders", I'd have no problem structuring it like this. Game -Main Control Class --Graphics Class --Player Class --Enemy class I'd pass the graphics class to both the player and enemy class so they could call graphics functions. I don't understand how I'd do this for larger projects. Do I create a country class that contains a bunch of towns? Do the towns contain a lot building class, most contain classes of people? Do I make a path finding class that the player can access to get around? How exactly do I structure this and pass all these references around? Thanks.

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  • Stop Google Analytics from appending hostname?

    - by Nick Q.
    I've come across an Analytics profile that is appending the rest of a URL to the end of a page's path. For example when looking at the page that exists at http://example.com/page I would expect to see /page but instead it shows me /page/http://example.com/. The profile has no filters applied to it, and until July was reporting as expected (/page), in July the site in question switched hosts (and absolutely nothing else, so I'm not sure that's the problem). The analytics code on the site is the standard Google Async code with a domain set. All other profiles for the site show /page as expected. Any ideas as to how I can get the profile to function as expected?

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  • London Nov-8: Desktop Virtualisation Seminar

    - by mprove
    >> Simplify Application and Data Access with Oracle Desktop VirtualisationMany companies claim they’ll handle your application access needs, and yet only Oracle can provide you with every component needed for secure and reliable access to Oracle Applications and other enterprise software from a variety of devices. This means you can design your deployment knowing that all of the pieces work together, from applications and virtualisation to servers and storage systems.Join us to learn how Oracle desktop virtualisation helps you get the most from your valuable IT resources. Topics we’ll cover and demonstrate in this productive half-day event include: How to provide secure access to applications and data from nearly anywhere on a wide range of devices Use cases for desktop virtualisation How desktop virtualisation can support a wider business transformation agenda Reasons to embrace employees using their own devices for work-related activities How virtualisation can extend the life of your PCs and other devices How desktop virtualisation can decrease your carbon footprint and IT costs << Register here for the free event

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  • Webcast: AutoInvoice Overview & Data Flow

    - by Annemarie Provisero-Oracle
    Webcast: AutoInvoice Overview & Data Flow Date: June 4, 2014 at 11:00 am ET, 9:00 am MT, 4:00 pm GMT, 8:30 pm IST This one-hour session is part one of a three part series on AutoInvoice and is recommended for technical and functional users who would like a better understanding of what AutoInvoice does, required setups and how data flows through the process. We will also cover diagnostic scripts used in with AutoInvoice. Topics will include: Why Using AutoInvoice? AutoInvoice Setups Data flow Diagnostic tools Details & Registration: Doc ID 1671931.1

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  • How to Add Policy-based Audit Compliance to you existing MySQL applications

    - by Rob Young
    As a follow up to an earlier blog on the subject, please join us today at 0900 US PT to learn how to easily add policy-based auditing compliance to your existing MySQL applications.  This brief, informative session will provide an overview of the new MySQL Enterprise Audit plugin and will include a simple, practical step-by-step "how to" approach to get up and running with the new functionality. You can learn more and secure your seat for the presentation here.  Thanks for your continued support of MySQL!

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  • Detailed Modern Opengl Tutorial?

    - by Kogesho
    I am asking for a specific modern opengl tutorial. I need a tutorial that does not skip to explain any lines of code. It should also include different independent objects moving/rotating (most tutorials use only one object), as well as imported 3d objects and collision detection for them. It should also avoid stuff that won't be used. Arcysnthesis for example gives a new concept, and after teaching it, in the next tutorial, it explains how bad it is for performance and introduces another method. Do you know any?

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  • Will Google penalize my website if I hide the H1 tag?

    - by mickburkejnr
    I've read an article today where the author stated that if you put keywords on to your page but then hide them with CSS, Google will penalize your site. This make sense. This got me thinking though about my own technique when I build a website. If for example when I build a website and the logo contains the name of the website, I tend to put the name of the website in a H1 tag and then hide this tag. I don't know why I do it, I've always done it. I also include any text held in an image in the alt attribute of the img tag. But because I am hiding the H1 tag, does this leave me open to Google penalizing the website because I've hidden this one tag?

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  • How to cache on CloudFlare images that are served to client as JSON?

    - by Askar Ibragimov
    I am using a gallery on my website that gets list of images from a JSON sent by a php script. So, the javascript gallery calls PHP backend and it replies with complex JSON where images are specified as object fields. These fields not necessarily include full URLs, merely a path to needed images. I'd like to use Cloudflare and want these images to be cached there. How I could learn whether these are cached or not, and make sure that these would be cached and not considered some sort of dynamic content?

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  • Is software support an option for your career?

    - by Maria Sandu
    Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 If you have a technical background, why should you choose a career in support? We have invited Serban to answer these questions and to give us an overview of one of the biggest technical teams in Oracle Romania. He’s been with Oracle for 7 years leading the local PeopleSoft Financials & Supply Chain Support team. Back in 2013 Serban started building a new support team in Romania – Fusion HCM. His current focus is building a strong support team for Fusion HCM, latest solution for Business HR Professionals from Oracle. The solution is offered both on Premise (customer site installation) but more important as a Cloud offering – SaaS.  So, why should a technical person choose Software Support over other technical areas?  “I think it is mainly because of the high level of technical skills required to provide the best technical solutions to our customers. Oracle Software Support covers complex solutions going from Database or Middleware to a vast area of business applications (basically covering any needs that a large enterprise may have). Working with such software requires very strong skills both technical and functional for the different areas, going from Finance, Supply Chain Management, Manufacturing, Sales to other very specific business processes. Our customers are large enterprises that already have a support layer inside their organization and therefore the Oracle Technical Support Engineers are working with highly specialized staff (DBA’s, System/Application Admins, Implementation Consultants). This is a very important aspect for our engineers because they need to be highly skilled to match our customer’s specialist’s expectations”.  What’s the career path in your team? “Technical Analysts joining our teams have a clear growth path. The main focus is to become a master of the product they will support. I think one need 1 or 2 years to reach a good level of understanding the product and delivering optimal solutions because of the complexity of our products. At a later stage, engineers can choose their professional development areas based on the business needs and preferences and then further grow towards as technical expert or a management role. We have analysts that have more than 15 years of technical expertise and they still learn and grow in technical area. Important fact is, due to the expansion of the Romanian Software support center, there are various management opportunities. So, if you want to leverage your experience and if you want to have people management responsibilities Oracle Software Support is the place to be!”  Our last question to Serban was about the benefits of being part of Oracle Software Support. Here is what he said: “We believe that Oracle delivers “State of the art” Support level to our customers. This is not possible without high investment in our staff. We commit from the start to support any technical analyst that joins us (being junior or very senior) with any training needs they have for their job. We have various technical trainings as well as soft-skills trainings required for a customer facing professional to be successful in his role. Last but not least, we’re aiming to make Oracle Romania SW Support a global center of excellence which means we’re investing a lot in our employees.”  If you’re looking for a job where you can combine your strong technical skills with customer interaction Oracle Software Support is the place to be! Send us your CV at [email protected]. /* 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-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

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  • How to make a launcher that will first navigate to a folder and then execute a command that resides in normal /usr/bin/

    - by Nirmik
    Okay this Question is basically directed for using GRIVE the linux client for Google Drive Details on how to do it are Here. The thing is that,evrytime i want the folder to sync,I have to navigate to the google drive folder and then execute the grive commnd. I want to make it simple..I want to make a launcher(I know how to make a *.desktop file). But in a .desktop file you always give path to executable file(generally .sh). Here,there is no script in the Grive folder.The app is as usual in /usr/bin/grive Now how do I make the launcher to first navigate to the grive folder and then execut the grive command.. Thanx :)

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  • September issue of the Enterprise Manager Indepth Newsletter

    - by Javier Puerta
    The September issue of the Enterprise Manager Indepth Newsletter is now available here  Featured articles include: Oracle OpenWorld Preview: Don't-Miss Sessions, Hands-on Labs, and MoreBecause of the rapid and widespread adoption of Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c since its launch at Oracle OpenWorld 2011, conference organizers are expecting Oracle Enterprise Manager sessions to attract record crowds at Oracle OpenWorld 2012. Read More Oracle Cloud Builder Summit—Zero to Enterprise Cloud in Two HoursIn August, Oracle launched the worldwide Oracle Cloud Builder Summit series, an event where attendees learn firsthand how to plan, deploy, and manage an enterprise private cloud using Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c—all in a few hours. Read More WEBCASTS Reduce Database Testing Efforts While Maximizing ROIWatch this on-demand Webcast demonstrating how to manage database and system changes with confidence using Oracle Real Application Testing. Viewers will be among the first to hear results from Forrester Consulting's commissioned, multicustomer study, “Total Economic Impact of Oracle Real Application Testing.”

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  • Mobile traffic of my second site redirected to my base site [Edited,have a look]

    - by Faheem Rasheed
    I have a strange issue with my website and it seems i am unable to understand what cauese the problem.I would highly appreciate your help.The Scenario is I have two websites. Website A Website B Website A is simply hosted within the root directory of my hosting account.Within this root *directory* i have a sub folder " subfolder A " and within which is another subfolder " subfolder B " that contains my site Website B so the path looks like root/sublfolder_A/subfolder_B/ that contains my **Website B ( i.e subfolder_B) ** All goes fine.When i access the website B from my desktop/Laptop Website B is loaded normally. but when i access the Website through a mobile device , mobile site of Website A is loaded while as it should load website_B Also , to let you know , both websites have different URL's and not subdomain's or anything. What could be the problem ? htaccess of website B or website A ? or something else ? Here is the htaccess of my website B RewriteEngine On RewriteRule .* index.php [F] RewriteBase / RewriteRule .* - [E=HTTP_AUTHORIZATION:%{HTTP:Authorization}] RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} /component/|(/[^.]*|\.(php|html?|feed|pdf|vcf|raw))$ [NC] RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d RewriteRule .* index.php [L]

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  • Speed up executable program Linux. Bit Toggling

    - by AK_47
    I have a ZyBo circuit board which has a ArmV7 processor. I wrote a C program to output a clock and a corresponding data sequence on a PMOD. The PMOD has a switching speed of up to 50MHz. However, my program's created clock only has a max frequency of 115 Hz. I need this program to output as fast as possible because the PMOD I'm using is capable of 50MHz. I compiled my program with the following code line: gcc -ofast (c_program) Here is some sample code: #include <stdio.h> #include <stdlib.h> #define ARRAYSIZE 511 //________________________________________ //macro for the SIGNAL PMOD //________________________________________ //DATA //ZYBO Use Pin JE1 #define INIT_SIGNAL system("echo 54 > /sys/class/gpio/export"); system("echo out > /sys/class/gpio/gpio54/direction"); #define SIGNAL_ON system("echo 1 > /sys/class/gpio/gpio54/value"); #define SIGNAL_OFF system("echo 0 > /sys/class/gpio/gpio54/value"); //________________________________________ //macro for the "CLOCK" PMOD //________________________________________ //CLOCK //ZYBO Use Pin JE4 #define INIT_MYCLOCK system("echo 57 > /sys/class/gpio/export"); system("echo out > /sys/class/gpio/gpio57/direction"); #define MYCLOCK_ON system("echo 1 > /sys/class/gpio/gpio57/value"); #define MYCLOCK_OFF system("echo 0 > /sys/class/gpio/gpio57/value"); int main(void){ int myarray[ARRAYSIZE] = {//hard coded array for signal data 1,0,0,1,0,1,0,0,1,0,1,0,0,1,0,1,0,0,1,0,1,0,0,1,0,0,1,0,1,0,0,1,1,0,0,1,1,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,1,1,1,0,0,1,1,1,0,1,1,1,1,0,0,1,0,0,0,1,0,1,0,0,1,1,1,0,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,0,1,0,1,1,0,1,0,1,1,0,0,1,1,1,1,0,0,1,0,1,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,1,0,0,1,1,0,1,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,1,1,0,0,1,0,1,1,1,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,1,0,1,0,0,0,1,0,0,1,0,1,1,1,1,0,1,1,0,1,0,0,1,0,0,0,1,0,1,0,0,1,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,1,1,0,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,1,1,1,0,0,1,1,0,1,1,0,1,1,1,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,1,0,1,0,0,0,1,1,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,0,1,1,1,1,0,1,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,0,1,0,1,1,1,0,1,1,1,0,0,1,1,1,0,1,0,0,1,0,1,1,1,1,1,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,1,1,0,0,1,0,1,1,0,1,0,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,1,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,1,1,0,1,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,1,1,1,1,0,1,1,1,0,1,0,1,1,1,0,0,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,0,1,1,0,0,1,1,0,1,0,0,1,0,0,1,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,1,1,0,1,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,1,1,0,1,1,0,0,1,1,0,1,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,0,1,1,1,0,1,1,0,0,0,0,1,1,0,1,1,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,1,0,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0 }; INIT_SIGNAL INIT_MYCLOCK; //infinite loop int i; do{ i = 0; do{ /* 1020 is chosen because it is twice the size needed allowing for the changes in the clock. (511= 0-510, 510*2= 1020 ==> 0-1020 needed, so 1021 it is) */ if((i%2)==0) { MYCLOCK_ON; if(myarray[i/2] == 1){ SIGNAL_ON; }else{ SIGNAL_OFF; } } else if((i%2)==1) { MYCLOCK_OFF; //dont need to change the signal since it will just stay at whatever it was. } ++i; } while(i < 1021); } while(1); return 0; } I'm using the 'system' call to tell the system to output 1 volt or 0 volts onto a pin on the board (to represent the data signal and clock signal. One pin for the data and another for the clock). That was the only way I knew to tell the system to output a voltage. What can I do to make my executable program output to be at least in the magnitude of MegaHertz?

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  • How to find out which process actually locks your dll when SharePoint Solution deployment failed

    - by ybbest
    When your SharePoint Solution package include third party or external dlls , you will often see your solution fail to deploy due to the locking of the dlls. Today I will show you how to find which process locks your dlls using Process Explorer. 1. Here is an example that your solution fails to deploy due to dll being locked. 2. Start the explorer by double click the procexp.exe 3. From the find tab click Find Handle or DLL 4.Type the your dll name and click Search 5. I can see all the processes that use my dlls at the moment, it looks like the iis , visual studio and SharePoint timer services might be the trouble. From my experience , it could be Visual studio. 6. Close visual studio and redeploy my solution, it works like charm. Re-search the dll, you can see Visual studio is not in the results.

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  • Wanted Now: Your Feedback on Java EE 7!

    - by reza_rahman
    Work on Java EE 7 presses on under JSR 342. Things are shaping up nicely and Java EE 7 is now in the Early Draft Review stage. You can find out more and get involved by visiting the Java.net project for Java EE. There are now a number of important open issues that the Java EE expert group would like to get broad community feeback on. These issues include what new JSRs to add to the Java EE Full/Web Profile as well as how to better align CDI with Java EE. Help shape the future and voice your opinion on these critical open issues by taking the short survey posted here.

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  • Wanted Now: Your Feedback on Java EE 7!

    - by reza_rahman
    Work on Java EE 7 presses on under JSR 342. Things are shaping up nicely and Java EE 7 is now in the Early Draft Review stage. You can find out more and get involved by visiting the Java.net project for Java EE. There are now a number of important open issues that the Java EE expert group would like to get broad community feeback on. These issues include what new JSRs to add to the Java EE Full/Web Profile as well as how to better align CDI with Java EE. Help shape the future and voice your opinion on these critical open issues by taking the short survey posted here.

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  • How to remove "Search and launch"?

    - by user38489
    Is it possible to remove the "Search and launch" whateveritis from my "desktop"? I've actually tried both Desktop and Netbook modes, but it stays there in both of them. I'm not afraid of editing files in the ~/.kde dir, but I would be really disappointed if this is the only way to do it. [more details/rants] I was able to wipe out several things but I've ended up with a black window that's movable (Alt-click) but not removable. Beside being surprised by the performances, I find Kubuntu extremely unfriendly, and I can't find the logic behind the items of the interface. I've tried to search for documentation, but what I've found is not updated and doesn't include the Netbook interface.

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  • CommonFilter 0.3D now released on CodePlex.

    CommonFilter is a subset of the CommonData project, containing just the functions and unit tests for filtering user input. The functions include filters for: Input of upper case and lower case alpha Input of numeric fields Input of text containing HTML markup to check that it only contains permitted markup. The general functions are available both as a form that silently drops non-permitted characters or in a try-parse format....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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  • LAN or workgroup with Ubuntu server and windows clients

    - by Kenneth Fernando
    I have 35 windows7 standalone computers right now and planning to setup a LAN/workgroup using ubuntu as a server if its a LAN. Purpose for network.. Files from client computers to be accessed by me and vice versa through a shared folder on the server. Files only include word documents and very small project files. The network wont have Internet at the moment. What I would like to know.. How would i configure the ubuntu server to recognize the clients and will the clients be able to view the shared folders through their windows machines simultaneously? Would appreciate feedback. Thanks

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  • Cron doesn't execute one of the scheduled jobs

    - by user288633
    I'm using a lubuntu desktop, distribution Ubuntu 13.10, i686. This is my problem: in the job list scheduled by cron a job hasn't effect, but in /var/log/syslog its execution is traced. This is the relative log line: Jun 4 09:06:01 kiosk CRON[14189]: (root) CMD (/usr/bin/xinput set-prop 12 --type=float "Coordinate Transformation Matrix" 0 -1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 /tmp/mybackup.log) This job should rotate touchscreen mapping. I try different solutions: I substitute in crontab the with bash -c "", I set "export DISPLAY=:0.0" ("for Graphics related job in Unix Environment we need to set first the DISPLAY...") before the command,...and many other! I know there are a lots of details affect cron execution (path, environment variables, special character and other) and I have no more idea by now :( Could some gentleman suggest me an idea? where can I find the problem? Thanks in advance!

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  • IE9, LightSwitch Beta 2 and Zune HD: A Study in Risk Management?

    - by andrewbrust
    Photo by parl, 'Risk.’ Under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License This has been a busy week for Microsoft, and for me as well.  On Monday, Microsoft launched Internet Explorer 9 at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, TX.  That evening I flew from New York to Seattle.  On Tuesday morning, Microsoft launched Visual Studio LightSwitch, Beta 2 with a Go-Live license, in Redmond, and I had the privilege of speaking at the keynote presentation where the announcement was made.  Readers of this blog know I‘m a fan of LightSwitch, so I was happy to tell the app dev tools partners in the audience that I thought the LightSwitch extensions ecosystem represented a big opportunity – comparable to the opportunity when Visual Basic 1.0 was entering its final beta roughly 20 years ago.  On Tuesday evening, I flew back to New York (and wrote most of this post in-flight). Two busy, productive days.  But there was a caveat that impacts the accomplishments, because Monday was also the day reports surfaced from credible news agencies that Microsoft was discontinuing its dedicated Zune hardware efforts.  While the Zune brand, technology and service will continue to be a component of Windows Phone and a piece of the Xbox puzzle as well, speculation is that Microsoft will no longer be going toe-to-toe with iPod touch in the portable music player market. If we take all three of these developments together (even if one of them is based on speculation), two interesting conclusions can reasonably be drawn, one good and one less so. Microsoft is doubling down on technologies it finds strategic and de-emphasizing those that it does not.  HTML 5 and the Web are strategic, so here comes IE9, and it’s a very good browser.  Try it and see.  Silverlight is strategic too, as is SQL Server, Windows Azure and SQL Azure, so here comes Visual Studio LightSwitch Beta 2 and a license to deploy its apps to production.  Downloads of that product have exceeded Microsoft’s projections by more than 50%, and the company is even citing analyst firms’ figures covering the number of power-user developers that might use it. (I happen to think the product will be used by full-fledged developers as well, but that’s a separate discussion.) Windows Phone is strategic too…I wasn’t 100% positive of that before, but the Nokia agreement has made me confident.  Xbox as an entertainment appliance is also strategic.  Standalone music players are not strategic – and even if they were, selling them has been a losing battle for Microsoft.  So if Microsoft has consolidated the Zune content story and the ZunePass subscription into Xbox and Windows Phone, it would make sense, and would be a smart allocation of resources.  Essentially, it would be for the greater good. But it’s not all good.  In this scenario, Zune player customers would lose out.  Unless they wanted to switch to Windows Phone, and then use their phone’s battery for the portable media needs, they’re going to need a new platform.  They’re going to feel abandoned.  Even if Zune lives, there have been other such cul de sacs for customers.  Remember SPOT watches?  Live Spaces?  The original Live Mesh?  Microsoft discontinued each of these products.  The company is to be commended for cutting its losses, as admitting a loss isn’t easy.  But Redmond won’t be well-regarded by the victims of those decisions.  Instead, it gets black marks. What’s the answer?  I think it’s a bit like the 1980’s New York City “don’t block the box” gridlock rules: don’t enter an intersection unless you see a clear path through it.  If the light turns red and you’re blocking the perpendicular traffic, that’s your fault in judgment.  You get fined and get points on your license and you don’t get to shrug it off as beyond your control.  Accountability is key.  The same goes for Microsoft.  If it decides to enter a market, it should see a reasonable path through success in that market. Switching analogies, Microsoft shouldn’t make investments haphazardly, and it certainly shouldn’t ask investors to buy into a high-risk fund that is sold as safe and which offers only moderate returns.  People won’t continue to invest with a fund manager with a track record of over-zealous, imprudent, sub-prime investments.  The same is true on the product side for Microsoft, and not just with music players and geeky wrist watches.  It’s true of Web browsers, and line-of-business app dev tools, and smartphones, and cloud platforms and operating systems too.  When Microsoft is casual about its own risk, it raises risk for its customers, and weakens its reputation, market share and credibility.  That doesn’t mean all risk is bad, but it does mean no product team’s risk should be taken lightly. For mutual fund companies, it’s the CEO’s job to give his fund managers autonomy, but to make sure they’re conforming to a standard of rational risk management.  Because all those funds carry the same brand, and many of them serve the same investors. The same goes for Microsoft, its product portfolio, its executive ranks and its product managers.

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