Search Results

Search found 17610 results on 705 pages for 'specific'.

Page 510/705 | < Previous Page | 506 507 508 509 510 511 512 513 514 515 516 517  | Next Page >

  • Yet another frustum culling question

    - by Christian Frantz
    This one is kinda specific. If I'm to implement frustum culling in my game, that means each one of my cubes would need a bounding sphere. My first question is can I make the sphere so close to the edge of the cube that its still easily clickable for destroying and building? Frustum culling is easily done in XNA as I've recently learned, I just need to figure out where to place the code for the culling. I'm guessing in my method that draws all my cubes but I could be wrong. My camera class currently implements a bounding frustum which is in the update method like so frustum.Matrix = (view * proj); Simple enough, as I can call that when I have a camera object in my class. This works for now, as I only have a camera in my main game class. The problem comes when I decide to move my camera to my player class, but I can worry about that later. ContainmentType CurrentContainmentType = ContainmentType.Disjoint; CurrentContainmentType = CamerasFrustrum.Contains(cubes.CollisionSphere); Can it really be as easy as adding those two lines to my foreach loop in my draw method? Or am I missing something bigger here? UPDATE: I have added the lines to my draw methods and it works great!! So great infact that just moving a little bit removes the whole map. Many factors could of caused this, so I'll try to break it down. cubeBoundingSphere = new BoundingSphere(cubePosition, 0.5f); This is in my cube constructor. cubePosition is stored in an array, The vertices that define my cube are factors of 1 ie: (1,0,1) so the radius should be .5. I least I think it should. The spheres are created every time a cube is created of course. ContainmentType CurrentContainmentType = ContainmentType.Disjoint; foreach (Cube block in cube.cubes) { CurrentContainmentType = cam.frustum.Contains(cube.cubeBoundingSphere); ///more code here if (CurrentContainmentType != ContainmentType.Disjoint) { cube.Draw(effect); } Within my draw method. Now I know this works because the map disappears, its just working wrong. Any idea on what I'm doing wrong?

    Read the article

  • Understanding the SQL Server 2008 R2 Installation Center

    - by Enrique Lima
    What is available to us through those links?  Have you taken the time to explore and identify what could be useful to you? One of many gems that has come to my attention is the possibility of provisioning SQL Server to work in an image based environment (hint: Virtualization Template perhaps?!?).   Planning: Includes requirements information, documentation, how to guides, online documentation installation and other tools. Among the other tools you will find the System Configuration checker and The Upgrade Advisor. Both tools very important to ensure your deployment and installation would be successful.     Installation:  This sections focuses on getting installations going, from standalone to cluster when it comes to new instances.  Add new nodes to an existing cluster, and also perform upgrades (in this case to SQL Server 2008 R2).  Also part of this is the option to find updates available.   Maintenance: We find in this section, options that will assist us in tasks like repairing corrupt installations to removing nodes from a cluster. An option that is interesting (and we should discuss benefits later in another post) is to be able to do an Edition Upgrade, this is a feature expansion and addition based on your product installation (Developer to Enterprise, for example)   Tools:  From the System Configuration Checker to identify readiness for deployment in a successful manner, to being able to report on features installed.  And being able to run upgrades of existing packages developed in the 2005 offering to the 2008 R2 release for SSIS.   Resources: Useful and essential links to gather information and guidance.   Advanced: Here is where it gets interesting.  I break this down into 3 main groups: Installation Automation: When you install SQL Server there is a configuration file that gets dropped (ConfigurationFile.ini) that would allow for you to perform automated installations.  There are switches and options that go with this to have that process working. Cluster configuration for Sysprep: Create images that are cluster ready, 2 options, start the prep work, and then the complete once at the final destination. Stand-alone configuration for Sysprep:  Like the clustering counterpart, 2 options, prep and complete.  Giving you the option to create standard templates for your SQL Server deployments. I find it fitting that the 3 topics listed here should (and will) be additional topics I will discuss.   Options: Very clear and specific about what this means. Select the Processor Type or the Installation Media Root Path.

    Read the article

  • Getting started with object detection - Image segmentation algorithm

    - by Dev Kanchen
    Just getting started on a hobby object-detection project. My aim is to understand the underlying algorithms and to this end the overall accuracy of the results is (currently) more important than actual run-time. I'm starting with trying to find a good image segmentation algorithm that provide a good jump-off point for the object detection phase. The target images would be "real-world" scenes. I found two techniques which mirrored my thoughts on how to go about this: Graph-based Image Segmentation: http://www.cs.cornell.edu/~dph/papers/seg-ijcv.pdf Contour and Texture Analysis for Image Segmentation: http://www.eng.utah.edu/~bresee/compvision/files/MalikBLS.pdf The first one was really intuitive to understand and seems simple enough to implement, while the second was closer to my initial thoughts on how to go about this (combine color/intensity and texture information to find regions). But it's an order of magnitude more complex (at least for me). My question is - are there any other algorithms I should be looking at that provide the kind of results that these two, specific papers have arrived at. Are there updated versions of these techniques already floating around. Like I mentioned earlier, the goal is relative accuracy of image segmentation (with an eventual aim to achieve a degree of accuracy of object detection) over runtime, with the algorithm being able to segment an image into "naturally" or perceptually important components, as these two algorithms do (each to varying extents). Thanks! P.S.1: I found these two papers after a couple of days of refining my search terms and learning new ones relevant to the exact kind of techniques I was looking for. :) I have just about reached the end of my personal Google creativity, which is why I am finally here! Thanks for the help. P.S.2: I couldn't find good tags for this question. If some relevant ones exist, @mods please add them. P.S.3: I do not know if this is a better fit for cstheory.stackexchange (or even cs.stackexchange). I looked but cstheory seems more appropriate for intricate algorithmic discussions than a broad question like this. Also, I couldn't find any relevant tags there either! But please do move if appropriate.

    Read the article

  • Is this an effective monetization method for an Android game? [on hold]

    - by Matthew Page
    The short version: I plan to make an Android puzzle game where the user tries to get 3-6 numbers to their predetermined goal numbers. The free version of the app will have three predetermined levels (easy, medium, hard). The full version ($0.99, probably) will have a level generator where there will be unlimited easy, medium, or hard levels, as well as a custom difficulty option where users can set specific vales to the number of numbers to equate to their goal, the number of buttons to use, etc. Users will also have the option to get a one-time "hint" for a fee of $0.49, or unlimited hints for a one-time fee of $2.99. The long version: Mechanics of Game and Victory The application is a number puzzle. When the user begins a new game, depending on the input by the user, between 3 and 6 numbers show up on the top of the screen, and between 3 and 6 buttons show up on the bottom of the screen. The buttons all have two options: to increase every number the same way, or decrease every number the same way. The buttons either use addition / subtraction, multiplication / division, or exponents / roots, all depending on the number displayed on the button. Addition buttons are green, multiplication buttons are blue, and exponential buttons are red. The user wins when all of the numbers displayed on the screen equate to their goal number, displayed below each number. Monetization If the user is playing the full (priced) version of the app, upon the start of the game, the user will be confronted with a dialogue asking for the number of buttons and the number of numbers to equate in the game. Then, based on the user input, a random puzzle will be generated. If the user is playing the free version of the app, the user will be asked to either play an “easy”, “hard”, or “expert” puzzle. A pre-determined puzzle from each category will be used in the game. If the user has played that puzzle before, a dialogue will show saying this to the user and advertising the full version of the app. The full version of the app will also be advertised upon the successful or in successful completion of a puzzle. Upon exiting this advertisement, another full screen advertisement will appear from a third party. Also, the solution to the puzzle should be stored by the program, and if the user pays a small fee, he/she can see a hint to the solution to the program. In the free version of the app, the user may use their first hint for free. Also, the user can use unlimited hints for a slightly larger fee. Is this an effective monetization method?

    Read the article

  • Watch ON-Demand Oracle's 4th Annual Primavera Virtual Summit

    - by Melissa Centurio Lopes
    v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* 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:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";} Did you miss Oracle's 4th Annual Primavera Virtual Summit? Or, maybe you attended the virtual event live, but want to re-watch some presentations or download industry-specific assets - well you can! Watch and visit here, on-demand.  Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* 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:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";} This event is now available On-Demand for your convenience. Feel free to log-in anytime to listen again about: New cloud based PPM solutions presentations. Special Primavera Roadmap presentation- what's new and what's coming. Customer stories highlighting their successes with Primavera Unifier, Oracle Instantis and Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management. And don't forget to visit the Resource Library to check out all the latest product information, whitepapers, and demos which are all available to download and read at your convenience. During your visit to the Virtual Summit ON-Demand, we would appreciate you visiting the Networking Lounge and taking a few minutes to fill out the survey. We would really like to hear what you think. You can also visit the Primavera Website for more information about the newest EPPM solutions and offerings.

    Read the article

  • Should library classes be wrapped before using them in unit testing?

    - by Songo
    I'm doing unit testing and in one of my classes I need to send a mail from one of the methods, so using constructor injection I inject an instance of Zend_Mail class which is in Zend framework. Example: class Logger{ private $mailer; function __construct(Zend_Mail $mail){ $this->mail=$mail; } function toBeTestedFunction(){ //Some code $this->mail->setTo('some value'); $this->mail->setSubject('some value'); $this->mail->setBody('some value'); $this->mail->send(); //Some } } However, Unit testing demands that I test one component at a time, so I need to mock the Zend_Mail class. In addition I'm violating the Dependency Inversion principle as my Logger class now depends on concretion not abstraction. Does that mean that I can never use a library class directly and must always wrap it in a class of my own? Example: interface Mailer{ public function setTo($to); public function setSubject($subject); public function setBody($body); public function send(); } class MyMailer implements Mailer{ private $mailer; function __construct(){ $this->mail=new Zend_Mail; //The class isn't injected this time } function setTo($to){ $this->mailer->setTo($to); } //implement the rest of the interface functions similarly } And now my Logger class can be happy :D class Logger{ private $mailer; function __construct(Mailer $mail){ $this->mail=$mail; } //rest of the code unchanged } Questions: Although I solved the mocking problem by introducing an interface, I have created a totally new class Mailer that now needs to be unit tested although it only wraps Zend_Mail which is already unit tested by the Zend team. Is there a better approach to all this? Zend_Mail's send() function could actually have a Zend_Transport object when called (i.e. public function send($transport = null)). Does this make the idea of a wrapper class more appealing? The code is in PHP, but answers doesn't have to be. This is more of a design issue than a language specific feature

    Read the article

  • Asynchronously returning a hierarchal data using .NET TPL... what should my return object "look" like?

    - by makerofthings7
    I want to use the .NET TPL to asynchronously do a DIR /S and search each subdirectory on a hard drive, and want to search for a word in each file... what should my API look like? In this scenario I know that each sub directory will have 0..10000 files or 0...10000 directories. I know the tree is unbalanced and want to return data (in relation to its position in the hierarchy) as soon as it's available. I am interested in getting data as quickly as possible, but also want to update that result if "better" data is found (better means closer to the root of c:) I may also be interested in finding all matches in relation to its position in the hierarchy. (akin to a report) Question: How should I return data to my caller? My first guess is that I think I need a shared object that will maintain the current "status" of the traversal (started | notstarted | complete ) , and might base it on the System.Collections.Concurrent. Another idea that I'm considering is the consumer/producer pattern (which ConcurrentCollections can handle) however I'm not sure what the objects "look" like. Optional Logical Constraint: The API doesn't have to address this, but in my "real world" design, if a directory has files, then only one file will ever contain the word I'm looking for.  If someone were to literally do a DIR /S as described above then they would need to account for more than one matching file per subdirectory. More information : I'm using Azure Tables to store a hierarchy of data using these TPL extension methods. A "node" is a table. Not only does each node in the hierarchy have a relation to any number of nodes, but it's possible for each node to have a reciprocal link back to any other node. This may have issues with recursion but I'm addressing that with a shared object in my recursion loop. Note that each "node" also has the ability to store local data unique to that node. It is this information that I'm searching for. In other words, I'm searching for a specific fixed RowKey in a hierarchy of nodes. When I search for the fixed RowKey in the hierarchy I'm interested in getting the results FAST (first node found) but prefer data that is "closer" to the starting point of the hierarchy. Since many nodes may have the particular RowKey I'm interested in, sometimes I may want to get a report of ALL the nodes that contain this RowKey.

    Read the article

  • Android - Force Close - Null Pointer on Canvas?

    - by user22241
    Please bear with me. I have a very odd problem. Basically, my app so far, has 3 activities (a main splash screen, an 'options/menu' screen and the main app). If I follow the very specific steps oulined below, I get a 'null pointer exception' in the 2nd activity) and the app force closes...... Here are the steps: Start the app (a game based on Surfaceview), tap through to the third activity so the game is running, then hit the home key so the game is paused and put to the background, the activity/app is ended through DDMS in the SDK then restarted on the device (all OK so far), now if I hit the back key on the device twice in quick succession, it happens. All other sequence of events is fine, even to the point of pressing the back key, waiting for the previous activity to show, then hitting back again - all OK. Only when the back key is pressed twice in quick succession following all the above steps does the problem occur. I'm assuming that the canvas isn't ready as it's showing as 'null' when this happens, but I'm not sure why this is happening as surely it's happening when I'm trying to go back to activity 1, but the logcat shows the error in activity 2. if I stop the activity running my 'doDraw' method (which referenced the canvas), then all is OK - so I can safely assume it is the canvas causing the problem. Also, if I skip my first activity (which is a very basic full-screen button which just displays a splashscreen and waits for the user to tap the screen), and make my 2nd activity the launch activity, again, it is OK. this is the part of the code that I think is probably relevant: @Override public void surfaceChanged(SurfaceHolder arg0, int arg1, int arg2, int arg3) { vheight = this.getHeight(); vwidth = this.getWidth(); } @Override public void surfaceCreated(SurfaceHolder holder) { vheight = this.getHeight(); vwidth = this.getWidth(); this.viewWidth = vwidth; this.viewHeight = vheight; if (runthread==false){ if (preThread.getState()==Thread.State.TERMINATED){ preThread = new OptionsThread(thisholder, thiscontext, thishandler); } preThread.setRunning(true); preThread.start();} } @Override public void surfaceDestroyed(SurfaceHolder holder) { preThread.setRunning(false); //Stop the loop boolean retry = true; //Stop the thread while (retry) { try { preThread.join(); retry = false; } catch (InterruptedException e) { } } Thank you all for any help you can offer

    Read the article

  • StringBuffer behavior in LWJGL

    - by Michael Oberlin
    Okay, I've been programming in Java for about ten years, but am entirely new to LWJGL. I have a specific problem whilst attempting to create a text console. I have built a class meant to abstract input polling to it, which (in theory) captures key presses from the Keyboard object and appends them to a StringBuilder/StringBuffer, then retrieves the completed string after receiving the ENTER key. The problem is, after I trigger the String return (currently with ESCAPE), and attempt to print it to System.out, I consistently get a blank line. I can get an appropriate string length, and I can even sample a single character out of it and get complete accuracy, but it never prints the actual string. I could swear that LWJGL slipped some kind of thread-safety trick in while I wasn't looking. Here's my code: static volatile StringBuffer command = new StringBuffer(); @Override public void chain(InputPoller poller) { this.chain = poller; } @Override public synchronized void poll() { //basic testing for modifier keys, to be used later on boolean shift = false, alt = false, control = false, superkey = false; if(Keyboard.isKeyDown(Keyboard.KEY_LSHIFT) || Keyboard.isKeyDown(Keyboard.KEY_RSHIFT)) shift = true; if(Keyboard.isKeyDown(Keyboard.KEY_LMENU) || Keyboard.isKeyDown(Keyboard.KEY_RMENU)) alt = true; if(Keyboard.isKeyDown(Keyboard.KEY_LCONTROL) || Keyboard.isKeyDown(Keyboard.KEY_RCONTROL)) control = true; if(Keyboard.isKeyDown(Keyboard.KEY_LMETA) || Keyboard.isKeyDown(Keyboard.KEY_RMETA)) superkey = true; while(Keyboard.next()) if(Keyboard.getEventKeyState()) { command.append(Keyboard.getEventCharacter()); } if (Framework.isConsoleEnabled() && Keyboard.isKeyDown(Keyboard.KEY_ESCAPE)) { System.out.println("Escape down"); System.out.println(command.length() + " characters polled"); //works System.out.println(command.toString().length()); //works System.out.println(command.toString().charAt(4)); //works System.out.println(command.toString().toCharArray()); //blank line! System.out.println(command.toString()); //blank line! Framework.disableConsole(); } //TODO: Add command construction and console management after that } } Maybe the answer's obvious and I'm just feeling tired, but I need to walk away from this for a while. If anyone sees the issue, please let me know. This machine is running the latest release of Java 7 on Ubuntu 12.04, Mate desktop environment. Many thanks.

    Read the article

  • Trying to use stencils in 2D while retaining layer depth

    - by Steve
    This is a screen of what's going on just so you can get a frame of reference. http://i935.photobucket.com/albums/ad199/fobwashed/tilefloors.png The problem I'm running into is that my game is slowing down due to the amount of texture swapping I'm doing during my draw call. Since walls, characters, floors, and all objects are on their respective sprite sheet containing those types, per tile draw, the loaded texture is swapping no less than 3 to 5+ times as it cycles and draws the sprites in order to layer properly. Now, I've tried throwing all common objects together into their respective lists, and then using layerDepth drawing them that way which makes things a lot better, but the new problem I'm running into has to do with the way my doors/windows are drawn on walls. Namely, I was using stencils to clear out a block on the walls that are drawn in the shape of the door/window so that when the wall would draw, it would have a door/window sized hole in it. This is the way my draw was set up for walls when I was going tile by tile rather than grouped up common objects. first it would check to see if a door/window was on this wall. If not, it'd skip all the steps and just draw normally. Otherwise end the current spriteBatch Clear the buffers with a transparent color to preserve what was already drawn start a new spritebatch with stencil settings draw the door area end the spriteBatch start a new spritebatch that takes into account the previously set stencil draw the wall which will now be drawn with a hole in it end that spritebatch start a new spritebatch with the normal settings to continue drawing tiles In the tile by tile draw, clearing the depth/stencil buffers didn't matter since I wasn't using any layerDepth to organize what draws on top of what. Now that I'm drawing from lists of common objects rather than tile by tile, it has sped up my draw call considerably but I can't seem to figure out a way to keep the stencil system to mask out the area a door or window will be drawn into a wall. The root of the problem is that when I end a spriteBatch to change the DepthStencilState, it flattens the current RenderTarget and there is no longer any depth sorting for anything drawn further down the line. This means walls always get drawn on top of everything regardless of depth or positioning in the game world and even on top of each other as the stencil has to happen once for every wall that has a door or window. Does anyone know of a way to get around this? To boil it down, I need a way to draw having things sorted by layer depth while also being able to stencil/mask out portions of specific sprites.

    Read the article

  • Platformer Collision Error [closed]

    - by Connor
    I am currently working on a relatively simple platform game that has an odd bug.You start the game by falling onto the ground (you spawn a few blocks above the ground), but when you land your feet get stuck INSIDE the world and you can't move until you jump. Here's what I mean: The player's feet are a few pixels below the ground level. However, this problem only occurs in 3 places throughout the map and only in those 3 select places. I'm assuming that the problem lies within my collision detection code but I'm not entirely sure, as I don't get an error when it happens. public boolean isCollidingWithBlock(Point pt1, Point pt2) { //Checks x for(int x = (int) (this.x / Tile.tileSize); x < (int) (this.x / Tile.tileSize + 4); x++) { //Checks y for(int y = (int) (this.y / Tile.tileSize); y < (int) (this.y / Tile.tileSize + 4); y++) { if(x >= 0 && y >= 0 && x < Component.dungeon.block.length && y < Component.dungeon.block[0].length) { //If the block is not air if(Component.dungeon.block[x][y].id != Tile.air) { //If the player is in contact with point one or two on the block if(Component.dungeon.block[x][y].contains(pt1) || Component.dungeon.block[x][y].contains(pt2)) { //Checks for specific blocks if(Component.dungeon.block[x][y].id == Tile.portalBlock) { Component.isLevelDone = true; } if(Component.dungeon.block[x][y].id == Tile.spike) { Health.health -= 1; Component.isJumping = true; if(Health.health == 0) { Component.isDead = true; } } return true; } } } } } return false; } What I'm asking is how I would fix the problem. I've looked over my code for quite a while and I'm not sure what's wrong with it. Also, if there's a more efficient way to do my collision checking then please let me know! I hope that is enough information, if it's not just tell me what you need and I'll be sure to add it. Thank you! [EDIT] Jump code: if(!isJumping && !isCollidingWithBlock(new Point((int) x + 2, (int) (y + height)), new Point((int) (x + width + 2), (int) (y + height)))) { y += fallSpeed; //sY is the screen's Y. The game is a side-scroller Component.sY += fallSpeed; } else { if(Component.isJumping) { isJumping = true; } } if(isJumping) { if(!isCollidingWithBlock(new Point((int) x + 2, (int) y), new Point((int) (x + width + 2), (int) y))) { if(jumpCount >= jumpHeight) { isJumping = false; jumpCount = 0; } else { y -= jumpSpeed; Component.sY -= jumpSpeed; jumpCount += 1; } } else { isJumping = false; jumpCount = 0; } }

    Read the article

  • Taking a Projects Development to the Next Level

    - by user1745022
    I have been looking for some advice for a while on how to handle a project I am working on, but to no avail. I am pretty much on my fourth iteration of improving an "application" I am working on; the first two times were in Excel, the third Time in Access, and now in Visual Studio. The field is manufacturing. The basic idea is I am taking read-only data from a massive Sybase server, filtering it and creating much smaller tables in Access daily (using delete and append Queries) and then doing a bunch of stuff. More specifically, I use a series of queries to either combine data from multiple tables or group data in specific ways (aggregate functions), and then I place this data into a table (so I can sort and manipulate data using DAO.recordset and run multiple custom algorithms). This process is then repeated multiple times throughout the database until a set of relevant tables are created. Many times I will create a field in a query with a value such as 1.1 so that when I append it to a table I can store information in the field from the algorithms. So as the process continues the number of fields for the tables change. The overall application consists of 4 "back-end" databases linked together on a shared drive, with various output (either front-end access applications or Excel). So my question is is this how many data driven applications that solve problems essentially work? Each backend database is updated with fresh data daily and updating each takes around 10 seconds (for three) and 2 minutes(for 1). Project Objectives. I want/am moving to SQL Server soon. Front End will be a Web Application (I know basic web-development and like the administration flexibility) and visual-studio will be IDE with c#/.NET. Should these algorithms be run "inside the database," or using a series of C# functions on each server request. I know you're not supposed to store data in a database unless it is an actual data point, and in Access I have many columns that just hold calculations from algorithms in vba. The truth is, I have seen multiple professional Access applications, and have never seen one that has the complexity or does even close to what mine does (for better or worse). But I know some professional software applications are 1000 times better then mine. So Please Please Please give me a suggestion of some sort. I have been completely on my own and need some guidance on how to approach this project the right way.

    Read the article

  • The Problem Should Define the Process, Not the Tool

    - by thatjeffsmith
    All around awesome tool, but not the only gadget in your toolbox.I’m stepping down from my SQL Developer pulpit today and standing up on my philosophical soap box. I’m frequently asked to help folks transition from one set of database tools over to Oracle SQL Developer, which I’m MORE than happy to do. But, I’m not looking to simply change the way people interact with Oracle database. What I care about is your productivity. Is there a faster, more efficient way for you to connect the dots, get from A to B, or just get home to your kids or to the pub for happy hour? If you have defined a business process around a specific tool, what happens when that tool ‘goes away?’ Does the business stop? No, you feel immediate pain until you are able to re-implement the process using another mechanism. Where I get confused, or even frustrated, is when someone asks me to redesign our tool to match their problem. Tools are just tools. Saying you ‘can’t load your data anymore because XYZ’ isn’t valid when you could easily do that same task via SQL*Loader, Create Table As Selects, or 9 other different mechanisms. Sometimes changes brings opportunity for improvement in the process. Don’t be afraid to step back and re-evaluate a problem with a fresh set of eyes. Just trying to replicate your process in another tool exactly as it was done in the ‘old tool’ doesn’t always make sense. Quick sidebar: scheduling a Windows program to kick off thousands if not millions of table inserts from Excel versus using a ‘proper’ server process using SQL*Loader and or external tables means sacrificing scalability and reliability for convenience. Don’t let old habits blind you to new solutions and possibilities. Of couse I’m not going to sit here and say that our tools aren’t deficient in some areas or can’t be improved upon. But I bet if we work together we can find something that’s not only better for the business, but is also better for you. What do you ‘miss’ since you’ve started using SQL Developer as your primary Oracle database tools? I’d love to start a thread here and share ideas on how we can better serve you and your organizations needs. The end solution might not look exactly what you have in mind starting out, but I had no idea I’d be a Product Manager when I started college either What can you no longer ‘do’ since you picked up SQL Developer? What hurts more than it should? What keeps you from being great versus just good?

    Read the article

  • Developing a Support Plan for Cloud Applications

    - by BuckWoody
    Last week I blogged about developing a High-Availability plan. The specifics of a given plan aren't as simple as "Step 1, then Step 2" because in a hybrid environment (which most of us have) the situation changes the requirements. There are those that look for simple "template" solutions, but unless you settle on a single vendor and a single way of doing things, that's not really viable. The same holds true for support. As I've mentioned before, I'm not fond of the term "cloud", and would rather use the tem "Distributed Computing". That being said, more people understand the former, so I'll just use that for now. What I mean by Distributed Computing is leveraging another system or setup to perform all or some of a computing function. If this definition holds true, then you're essentially creating a partnership with a vendor to run some of your IT - whether that be IaaS, PaaS or SaaS, or more often, a mix. In your on-premises systems, you're the first and sometimes only line of support. That changes when you bring in a Cloud vendor. For Windows Azure, we have plans for support that you can pay for if you like. http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/support/plans/ You're not off the hook entirely, however. You still need to create a plan to support your users in their applications, especially for the parts you control. The last thing they want to hear is "That's vendor X's problem - you'll have to call them." I find that this is often the last thing the architects think about in a solution. It's fine to put off the support question prior to deployment, but I would hold off on calling it "production" until you have that plan in place. There are lots of examples, like this one: http://www.va-interactive.com/inbusiness/editorial/sales/ibt/customer.html some of which are technology-specific. Once again, this is an "it depends" kind of approach. While it would be nice if there was just something in a box we could buy, it just doesn't work that way in a hybrid system. You have to know your options and apply them appropriately.

    Read the article

  • Developing a Support Plan for Cloud Applications

    - by BuckWoody
    Last week I blogged about developing a High-Availability plan. The specifics of a given plan aren't as simple as "Step 1, then Step 2" because in a hybrid environment (which most of us have) the situation changes the requirements. There are those that look for simple "template" solutions, but unless you settle on a single vendor and a single way of doing things, that's not really viable. The same holds true for support. As I've mentioned before, I'm not fond of the term "cloud", and would rather use the tem "Distributed Computing". That being said, more people understand the former, so I'll just use that for now. What I mean by Distributed Computing is leveraging another system or setup to perform all or some of a computing function. If this definition holds true, then you're essentially creating a partnership with a vendor to run some of your IT - whether that be IaaS, PaaS or SaaS, or more often, a mix. In your on-premises systems, you're the first and sometimes only line of support. That changes when you bring in a Cloud vendor. For Windows Azure, we have plans for support that you can pay for if you like. http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/support/plans/ You're not off the hook entirely, however. You still need to create a plan to support your users in their applications, especially for the parts you control. The last thing they want to hear is "That's vendor X's problem - you'll have to call them." I find that this is often the last thing the architects think about in a solution. It's fine to put off the support question prior to deployment, but I would hold off on calling it "production" until you have that plan in place. There are lots of examples, like this one: http://www.va-interactive.com/inbusiness/editorial/sales/ibt/customer.html some of which are technology-specific. Once again, this is an "it depends" kind of approach. While it would be nice if there was just something in a box we could buy, it just doesn't work that way in a hybrid system. You have to know your options and apply them appropriately.

    Read the article

  • Hierachies....from the Top Down

    - by Joe G
    I've been struggling with how to write on the topic of the importance of hierarchy design.  It's not so much that hierarchies haven't always been important, it's more of that with Fusion, the timing of when the hierarchies are designed should take a higher priority.    I will attempt to explain..... When I was implementing applications, back in the day, we had the list of detailed account values to enter with the obvious parent accounts. Then, after the setup was complete and things were functioning, the reporting phase started.  Users explained the elements that they want on the reports, what totals should be included, and how things should be compared.  Frequently, there was at least one calculation that became a nightmare either because it was based on very specific things that didn't relate to anything else or because it was "hardcoded" so that when something changed, someone need to "fix" the report. With Fusion, the process changes slightly.  You still want to enter all of the detailed accounts, but before you start adding parent values, you should investigate the reporting requirements from the top-down.  It's better to build hierarchies based on the reporting requirements than it is to build reports based on random hierarchies. Build reports based on hierarchies that resemble the reports themselves, and maintain the hierarchies without rework of the reports. For example, if you look at an income statement, you may have line items for Material Costs, Employee Costs, Travel & Entertainment, and Total Operating Expenses.  In your hierarchy, you have detail values that roll up to Material Costs, Employee Costs, and Travel & Entertainment which roll up to Total Operating Expenses. Balances are stored automatically in the cube for each of these.  When you define the report, you pick each of these members - no calculations required.  If a new detail value is added, you simply add it to the hierarchy, and there is no need to modify the report. I realize that there are always exceptions that require special handling, but I am confident that you will end up with much fewer exceptions if you make reporting a priority and design your hierarchies from the top-down.

    Read the article

  • rotating an object on an arc

    - by gardian06
    I am trying to get a turret to rotate on an arc, and have hit a wall. I have 8 possible starting orientations for the turrets, and want them to rotate on a 90 degree arc. I currently take the starting rotation of the turret, and then from that derive the positive, and negative boundary of the arc. because of engine restrictions (Unity) I have to do all of my tests against a value which is between [0,360], and due to numerical precision issues I can not test against specific values. I would like to write a general test without having to go in, and jury rig cases //my current test is: // member variables public float negBound; public float posBound; // found in Start() function (called immediately after construction) // eulerAngles.y is the the degree measure of the starting y rotation negBound = transform.eulerAngles.y-45; posBound = transform.eulerAngles.y+45; // insure that values are within bounds if(negBound<0){ negBound+=360; }else if(posBound>360){ posBound-=360; } // called from Update() when target not in firing line void Rotate(){ // controlls what direction if(transform.eulerAngles.y>posBound){ dir = -1; } else if(transform.eulerAngles.y < negBound){ dir = 1; } // rotate object } follows is a table of values for my different cases (please excuse my force formatting) read as base is the starting rotation of the turret, neg is the negative boundry, pos is the positive boundry, range is the acceptable range of values, and works is if it performs as expected with the current code. |base-|-neg-|-pos--|----------range-----------|-works-| |---0---|-315-|--45--|-315-0,0-45----------|----------| |--45--|---0---|--90--|-0-45,54-90----------|----x----| |-135-|---90--|-180-|-90-135,135-180---|----x----| |-180-|--135-|-225-|-135-180,180-225-|----x----| |-225-|--180-|-270-|-180-225,225-270-|----x----| |-270-|--225-|-315-|-225-270,270-315-|----------| |-315-|--270-|---0---|--270-315,315-0---|----------| I will need to do all tests from derived, or stored values, but can not figure out how to get all of my cases to work simultaneously. //I attempted to concatenate the 2 tests: if((transform.eulerAngles.y>posBound)&&(transform.eulerAngles.y < negBound)){ dir *= -1; } this caused only the first case to be successful // I attempted to store a opposite value, and do a void Rotate(){ // controlls what direction if((transform.eulerAngles.y > posBound)&&(transform.eulerAngles.y<oposite)){ dir = -1; } else if((transform.eulerAngles.y < negBound)&&(transform.eulerAngles.y>oposite)){ dir = 1; } // rotate object } this causes the opposite situation as indicated on the table. What am I missing here?

    Read the article

  • What ever happened to the Defense Software Reuse System (DSRS)?

    - by emddudley
    I've been reading some papers from the early 90s about a US Department of Defense software reuse initiative called the Defense Software Reuse System (DSRS). The most recent mention of it I could find was in a paper from 2000 - A Survey of Software Reuse Repositories Defense Software Repository System (DSRS) The DSRS is an automated repository for storing and retrieving Reusable Software Assets (RSAs) [14]. The DSRS software now manages inventories of reusable assets at seven software reuse support centers (SRSCs). The DSRS serves as a central collection point for quality RSAs, and facilitates software reuse by offering developers the opportunity to match their requirements with existing software products. DSRS accounts are available for Government employees and contractor personnel currently supporting Government projects... ...The DoD software community is trying to change its software engineering model from its current software cycle to a process-driven, domain-specific, architecture-based, repository-assisted way of constructing software [15]. In this changing environment, the DSRS has the highest potential to become the DoD standard reuse repository because it is the only existing deployed, operational repository with multiple interoperable locations across DoD. Seven DSRS locations support nearly 1,000 users and list nearly 9,000 reusable assets. The DISA DSRS alone lists 3,880 reusable assets and has 400 user accounts... The far-term strategy of the DSRS is to support a virtual repository. These interconnected repositories will provide the ability to locate and share reusable components across domains and among the services. An effective and evolving DSRS is a central requirement to the success of the DoD software reuse initiative. Evolving DoD repository requirements demand that DISA continue to have an operational DSRS site to support testing in an actual repository operation and to support DoD users. The classification process for the DSRS is a basic technology for providing customer support [16]. This process is the first step in making reusable assets available for implementing the functional and technical migration strategies. ... [14] DSRS - Defense Technology for Adaptable, Reliable Systems URL: http://ssed1.ims.disa.mil/srp/dsrspage.html [15] STARS - Software Technology for Adaptable, Reliable Systems URL: http://www.stars.ballston.paramax.com/index.html [16] D. E. Perry and S. S. Popovitch, “Inquire: Predicate-based use and reuse,'' in Proceedings of the 8th Knowledge-Based Software Engineering Conference, pp. 144-151, September 1993. ... Is DSRS dead, and were there any post-mortem reports on it? Are there other more-recent US government initiatives or reports on software reuse?

    Read the article

  • How to create a JMS durable subscriber in WebLogic Server?

    - by lmestre
    WebLogic Server Provides a set of examples that are very helpful to get started with Weblogic ServerHere you can check how to install the examples:http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E23943_01/doc.1111/e14142/prepare.htmAfter you have installed the examples, you can find the example you want to review, in this case TopicReceive, here:wlserver_10.3/samples/server/examples/src/examples/jms/topicTo review details of the specific example, you can open:wlserver_10.3/samples/server/examples/src/examples/jms/topic/instructions.htmlTo create a Durable Subscriber, you can just set the client ID  and invoke createDurableSubscriber instead of calling createSubscriber, i.e.:    tconFactory = (TopicConnectionFactory)       PortableRemoteObject.narrow(ctx.lookup(JMS_FACTORY),                                   TopicConnectionFactory.class);    tcon = tconFactory.createTopicConnection();    //Set Client ID for this Durable Subscriber    tcon.setClientID("GT2");    tsession = tcon.createTopicSession(false, Session.AUTO_ACKNOWLEDGE);    topic = (Topic)       PortableRemoteObject.narrow(ctx.lookup(topicName),                                   Topic.class);    // Create Durable Subscription    tsubscriber = tsession.createDurableSubscriber(topic, "Test");    tsubscriber.setMessageListener(this);    tcon.start(); Enjoy!   You can read more about this here:http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E23943_01/web.1111/e13727/advpubsub.htm#CHDEBABChttp://docs.oracle.com/cd/E23943_01/web.1111/e13727/manage_apps.htm#i1097671    http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E23943_01/apirefs.1111/e13943/WebLogic.Messaging.ISession.CreateDurableSubscriber_overload_2.html

    Read the article

  • Determining whether a visitor reached two different pages in one visit

    - by Shaun
    I have a funnel that I would like to track. Tracking this funnel won't work with the default "goal funnel" tracking in Google due to the fact that I am mixing events and pageviews. As such, I've created a series of reports: Visits to demo pages - An inclusion filter on "Page". Triggers an Event on these pages - An inclusion filter on "Page" and "Event Category". Does not bounce - An inclusion filter on "Page" and an exclusion filter on "Exit Page" for these same pages. Reach our storefront - ?? Purchase something - An inclusion filter on "Page" and a report that shows "Transactions". At a basic level, I need to track users who reached demo pages, then reached any page on our store. Intuitively, I created a segment, used two inclusive "Page" filters (one for the demo pages and one for any page in our store), and combined them with an "AND" operator. I thought this was working until I tried to do the same thing in a dashboard widget and on a custom report. When I tried the same thing in those areas, I got zero results. I figured this might be because widgets and custom report filters function differently from segment filters (the options are different for all of them), so I tried applying my "demo page && store page" segment to a report that gave me a general page list. All I saw was a list of the specific pages. I tried simplifying things by creating a custom report that showed all visits to store pages, then applied a segment that filtered for users who visited demo pages. This got me the same numbers as my "demo page && store page" segment, but showed a list of demo pages. This has led me to believe that the "demo page && store page segment" approach and the "demo segment && store report" functionally behave the same. However, this experience has left me questioning whether they're giving me what I want. Are these methods showing me all users who reached both sets of pages? Is there a better/easier/more standard way of doing this aside from looking at visitor flow reports? I'm trying to avoid a combination of custom variables/events and using the horizontal funnel approach since it would consume a large number of our limited goals and seems more complicated than is necessary for tracking this funnel.

    Read the article

  • Advantages to Multiple Methods over Switch

    - by tandu
    I received a code review from a senior developer today asking "By the way, what is your objection to dispatching functions by way of a switch statement?" I have read in many places about how pumping an argument through switch to call methods is bad OOP, not as extensible, etc. However, I can't really come up with a definitive answer for him. I would like to settle this for myself once and for all. Here are our competing code suggestions (php used as an example, but can apply more universally): class Switch { public function go($arg) { switch ($arg) { case "one": echo "one\n"; break; case "two": echo "two\n"; break; case "three": echo "three\n"; break; default: throw new Exception("Unknown call: $arg"); break; } } } class Oop { public function go_one() { echo "one\n"; } public function go_two() { echo "two\n"; } public function go_three() { echo "three\n"; } public function __call($_, $__) { throw new Exception("Unknown call $_ with arguments: " . print_r($__, true)); } } Part of his argument was "It (switch method) has a much cleaner way of handling default cases than what you have in the generic __call() magic method." I disagree about the cleanliness and in fact prefer call, but I would like to hear what others have to say. Arguments I can come up with in support of Oop scheme: A bit cleaner in terms of the code you have to write (less, easier to read, less keywords to consider) Not all actions delegated to a single method. Not much difference in execution here, but at least the text is more compartmentalized. In the same vein, another method can be added anywhere in the class instead of a specific spot. Methods are namespaced, which is nice. Does not apply here, but consider a case where Switch::go() operated on a member rather than a parameter. You would have to change the member first, then call the method. For Oop you can call the methods independently at any time. Arguments I can come up with in support of Switch scheme: For the sake of argument, cleaner method of dealing with a default (unknown) request Seems less magical, which might make unfamiliar developers feel more comfortable Anyone have anything to add for either side? I'd like to have a good answer for him.

    Read the article

  • Damaged external NTFS hard disk

    - by Thanos
    A few days ago, I used my external hard disk (a 2TB Seagate) in order to transfer some files on Windows Vista. During that, I noticed some malfunctions on my system (it was running too slow, Windows Explorer crashed). When Explorer crashed, file transportation stopped. I was afraid, but I tried to access my files and it seemed to be working. I tried to open a movie (from the external disk) but it couldn't load. I thought of restarting, but this took sooo long... So I unplugged the hard disk and at that time it managed to shut down. I logged on to Windows Vista but the hard disk couldn't be mounted. I plugged it but nothing happened. I unplugged it and I heard this specific sound that notifies that something has been unplugged. I thought of logging to Ubuntu 10.04 and see what I can do. I plugged the hard disk, but I couldn't see it. I opened GParted but I couldn't see it either. I tried with Disc Utility and there it was! I tried to mount it but a got an error message stating that an error occured with Windows, there is a file (0,0) that has problem or something like that. It suggested to log into Windows and run chkdsk /f and reboot twice. The thing is that I am somehow afraid to do so because I don't really know the impact on that. Plus I don't trust doing even a check on Vista... I finally risked it and I typed chkdsk/f on a cmd. I cannot, however, actually run it because I don't have admin privileges. So from search I found chkdsk, I right cliked and selected “run as administrator”. It run but I got a message like NTFS file system. It should check at the coming restart. At that point I am mistaken. I thought that f meant F but this is not the case here... Does anyone have any suggestions and advice?

    Read the article

  • Object Oriented Design of a Small Java Game

    - by user2733436
    This is the problem i am dealing with. I have to make a simple game of NIM. I am learning java using a book so far i have only coded programs that deal with 2 classes. This program would have about 4 classes i guess including the main class. My problem is i am having a difficult time designing classes how they will interact with each other. I really want to think and use a object oriented approach. So the first thing i did was design the Pile CLASS as it seemed the easiest and made the most sense to me in terms of what methods go in it. Here is what i have got down for the Pile Class so far. package Nim; import java.util.Random; public class Pile { private int initialSize; public Pile(){ } Random rand = new Random(); public void setPile(){ initialSize = (rand.nextInt(100-10)+10); } public void reducePile(int x){ initialSize = initialSize - x; } public int getPile(){ return initialSize; } public boolean hasStick(){ if(initialSize>0){ return true; } else { return false; } } } Now i need help in designing the Player Class. By that i mean i am not asking for anyone to write code for me as that defeats the purpose of learning i was just wondering how would i design the player class and what would go on it. My guess is that the player class would contain method for choosing move for computer and also receiving the move human user makes. Lastly i am guessing in the Game class i am guessing the turns would be handeled. I am really lost right now so i was wondering if someone can help me think through this problem it would be great. Starting with the player class would be appreciated. I know there are some solutions for this problem online but i refuse to look at because i want to develop my own approach to such problems and i am confident if i can get through this problem i can solve other problems. I apologize if this question is a bit poor but in specific i need help in designing the Player class.

    Read the article

  • URL slugs: ideal length, and the real SEO effects of these slugs

    - by tattvamasi
    this question is addressed widely on SO and outside it, but for some reason, instead of taking it as a good load of great advice, all this information is confusing me. ** Problem ** I already had, on one of my sites, "prettified" urls. I had taken out the query strings, rewritten the URLS, and the link was short enough for me, but had a problem: the ID of the item or post in the URL isn't good for users. One of the users asked is there's a way to get rid of numbers, and I thought it was better for users to just see a clue of the page content in the URL. ** Solution ** With this in mind, I am trying with a section of the site.Armed with 301 redirects, some parsing work, and a lot of patience, I have added the URL slugs to some blog entries, and the slug of the URL reports the title of the article (something close to http://example.com/my-news/terribly-boring-and-long-url-that-replaces-the-number-I-liked-so-much/ ** Problems after Solution ** The problem, as I see it, is that now the URL of those blog articles is very descriptive for sure, but it is also impossible to remember. So, this brings me to the same issue I had with my previous problem: if numbers say nothing and can't be remembered, what's the use of these slugs? I prefer to see http://example.com/my-news/1/ than http://example.com/my-news/terribly-boring-and-long-url-that-replaces-the-number-I-liked-so-much/ To avoid forcing my user to memorize my URLS, I have added a script that finds the closest match to the URL you type, and redirects there. This is something I like, because the page now acts as a sort of little search engine, and users can play with the URLS to find articles. ** Open questions ** I still have some open questions, and don't seem to be able to find an answer, because answers tend to contradict one another. 1) How many characters should an URL ideally be long? I've read the magic number 115 and am sticking to that, but am not sure. 2) Is this really good for SEO? One of those blog articles I have redirected, with ID number in the URL and all, ranked second on Google. I've just found this question, and the answer seems to be consistent with what I think URL slug and SEO - structure (but see this other question with the opposite opinion) 3) To make a question with a specific example, would this URL risk to be penalized? Is it acceptable? Is it too long? StackOverflow seems to have comparably long URLs, but I'm not sure it's a winning strategy in my case. I just wanted to facilitate my users without running into Google's algorithms.

    Read the article

  • Employer admits that its developers are underpaid and undervalued. Time to part ways?

    - by Psionic
    My employer recently posted an opening for a C# Developer with 3-5 years of experience. The requirements and expectations for the position were fair, up until the criteria for salary determination. It was stated clearly that compensation would depend ONLY on experience with C#, and that years of programming experience with other languages & frameworks would be considered irrelevant and not factored in. I brought up my concern with HR that good candidates would see this as a red flag and steer away. I attempted to explain that software development is about much more than specific languages, and that paying someone for their experience in a single language is a very shortsighted approach to hiring good developers (I'm telling this to the HR dept of a software company). The response: "We are tired of wasting time interviewing developers who expect 'big salaries' because they have lots of additional programming experience in languages other than what we require." The #1 issue here is that 'big salaries' = Market Rate. After some serious discussion, they essentially admitted that nobody at the company is paid near market rate for their skills, and there's nothing that can be done about it. The C-suite has the mentality that employees should only be paid for skills proven over years under their watch. Entry-level developers are picked up for less than $38K and may reach 50K after 3 years, which I'm assuming is around what they plan on offering candidates for the C# position. Another interesting discovery (not as relevant) - people 'promoted' to higher responsibilities do not get raises. The 'promotion' is considered an adjustment of the individuals' roles to better suit their 'strengths', which is what they're already being paid for. After hearing these hard truths straight from HR, I would assume that most people who are looking out for themselves would quickly begin searching for a new employer that has a better idea of what they're doing in the industry (this company fails in many other ways, but I don't want to write a book). Here is my dilemma however: This is the first official software development position I've held, for barely 1 year now. My previous position of 3 years was with a very small company where I performed many duties, among them software development (not in my official job description, but I tried very hard to make it so). I've identified local openings that I'm currently qualified for, most paying at least 50% more than I'm getting now. Question is, is it too soon for a jump? I am getting valuable experience in my current position, with no shortage of exciting projects. The work environment is very comfortable, and I'm told by many that I'm in the spotlight of the C-level guys for the stuff that I've been able to accomplish during my short time (for what that's worth). However, there is a clear opportunity cost to staying, knowing now with certainty that I will have to wait 3-5 years only to be capped at what I could potentially be earning elsewhere this year. I am also aware that 'job hopper' is a dangerous label to have, regardless of the reasons.

    Read the article

< Previous Page | 506 507 508 509 510 511 512 513 514 515 516 517  | Next Page >