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• getting Cannot identify image file when trying to create thumbnail in django

  - by Mo J. Mughrabi

  Am trying to create a thumbnail in django, am trying to build a custom class specifically to be used for generating thumbnails. As following from StringIO import StringIO from PIL import Image class Thumbnail(object): source = '' size = (50, 50) output = '' def __init__(self): pass @staticmethod def load(src): self = Thumbnail() self.source = src return self def generate(self, size=(50, 50)): if not isinstance(size, tuple): raise Exception('Thumbnail class: The size parameter must be an instance of a tuple.') self.size = size # resize properties box = self.size factor = 1 fit = True image = Image.open(self.source) # Convert to RGB if necessary if image.mode not in ('L', 'RGB'): image = image.convert('RGB') while image.size[0]/factor > 2*box[0] and image.size[1]*2/factor > 2*box[1]: factor *=2 if factor > 1: image.thumbnail((image.size[0]/factor, image.size[1]/factor), Image.NEAREST) #calculate the cropping box and get the cropped part if fit: x1 = y1 = 0 x2, y2 = image.size wRatio = 1.0 * x2/box[0] hRatio = 1.0 * y2/box[1] if hRatio > wRatio: y1 = int(y2/2-box[1]*wRatio/2) y2 = int(y2/2+box[1]*wRatio/2) else: x1 = int(x2/2-box[0]*hRatio/2) x2 = int(x2/2+box[0]*hRatio/2) image = image.crop((x1,y1,x2,y2)) #Resize the image with best quality algorithm ANTI-ALIAS image.thumbnail(box, Image.ANTIALIAS) # save image to memory temp_handle = StringIO() image.save(temp_handle, 'png') temp_handle.seek(0) self.output = temp_handle return self def get_output(self): return self.output.read() the purpose of the class is so i can use it inside different locations to generate thumbnails on the fly. The class works perfectly, I've tested it directly under a view.. I've implemented the thumbnail class inside the save method of the forms to resize the original images on saving. in my design, I have two fields for thumbnails. I was able to generate one thumbnail, if I try to generate two it crashes and I've been stuck for hours not sure whats the problem. Here is my model class Image(models.Model): article = models.ForeignKey(Article) title = models.CharField(max_length=100, null=True, blank=True) src = models.ImageField(upload_to='publication/image/') r128 = models.ImageField(upload_to='publication/image/128/', blank=True, null=True) r200 = models.ImageField(upload_to='publication/image/200/', blank=True, null=True) uploaded_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now=True) Here is my forms class ImageForm(models.ModelForm): """ """ class Meta: model = Image fields = ('src',) def save(self, commit=True): instance = super(ImageForm, self).save(commit=True) file = Thumbnail.load(instance.src) instance.r128 = SimpleUploadedFile( instance.src.name, file.generate((128, 128)).get_output(), content_type='image/png' ) instance.r200 = SimpleUploadedFile( instance.src.name, file.generate((200, 200)).get_output(), content_type='image/png' ) if commit: instance.save() return instance the strange part is, when i remove the line which contains instance.r200 in the form save. It works fine, and it does the thumbnail and stores it successfully. Once I add the second thumbnail it fails.. Any ideas what am doing wrong here? Thanks Update: I tried earlier doing the following but I still got the same error class ImageForm(models.ModelForm): """ """ class Meta: model = Image fields = ('src',) def save(self, commit=True): instance = super(ImageForm, self).save(commit=True) instance.r128 = SimpleUploadedFile( instance.src.name, Thumbnail.load(instance.src).generate((128, 128)).get_output(), content_type='image/png' ) instance.r200 = SimpleUploadedFile( instance.src.name, Thumbnail.load(instance.src).generate((200, 200)).get_output(), content_type='image/png' ) if commit: instance.save() return instance

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• Please Describe Your Struggles with Minimizing Use of Global Variables

  - by MetaHyperBolic

  Most of the programs I write are relatively flowchartable processes, with a defined start and hoped-for end. The problems themselves can be complex but do not readily lean towards central use of objects and event-driven programming. Often, I am simply churning through great varied batches of text data to produce different text data. Only occasionally do I need to create a class: As an example, to track warnings, errors, and debugging message, I created a class (Problems) with one instantiation (myErr), which I believe to be an example of the Singleton design pattern. As a further factor, my colleagues are more old school (procedural) than I and are unacquainted with object-oriented programming, so I am loath to create things they could not puzzle through. And yet I hear, again and again, how even the Singleton design pattern is really an anti-pattern and ought to be avoided because Global Variables Are Bad. Minor functions need few arguments passed to them and have no need to know of configuration (unchanging) or program state (changing) -- I agree. However, the functions in the middle of the chain, which primarily control program flow, have a need for a large number of configuration variables and some program state variables. I believe passing a dozen or more arguments along to a function is a "solution," but hardly an attractive one. I could, of course, cram variables into a single hash/dict/associative array, but that seems like cheating. For instance, connecting to the Active Directory to make a new account, I need such configuration variables as an administrative username, password, a target OU, some default groups, a domain, etc. I would have to pass those arguments down through a variety of functions which would not even use them, merely shuffle them off down through a chain which would eventually lead to the function that actually needs them. I would at least declare the configuration variables to be constant, to protect them, but my language of choice these days (Python) provides no simple manner to do this, though recipes do exist as workarounds. Numerous Stack Overflow questions have hit on the why? of the badness and the requisite shunning, but do not often mention tips on living with this quasi-religious restriction. How have you resolved, or at least made peace with, the issue of global variables and program state? Where have you made compromises? What have your tricks been, aside from shoving around flocks of arguments to functions?

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• Week in Geek: USDA Chooses Microsoft for Cloud Services Edition

  - by Asian Angel

  This week we learned how to create geeky LED holiday lights with old bottles, dig deeper in Windows Defrag via the command prompt, use Google Chrome’s drag/drop feature to upload files easier, find great gift recommendations by looking through the How-To Geek holiday gift guide, and have fun adding Merry Christmas fonts to our computers. Photo by ntr23. Random Geek Links It has been a busy week, so we have extra news link goodness with information that is good for you to know. USDA making the move to Microsoft The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that it has chosen Microsoft to host things like e-mail, instant messaging, and collaboration through the software giant’s Business Productivity Online Suite. Google says it was cut off from USDA project bid Google is claiming that it was not given a chance to bid on a cloud-computing project for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, for which the contract was awarded to rival Microsoft. Apache is being forced into a Java Fork When Oracle rolled over Apache and Google’s objections to its Java plans in December, the scene was set for Apache to leave and, eventually, force a Java code fork. Tumblr explains daylong outage After experiencing an outage that started on Sunday afternoon and stretched through most of the day yesterday, Tumblr has explained what happened. Google demos Chrome OS, launches pilot program During a press briefing this week in San Francisco, Google launched the Chrome application store and demonstrated Chrome OS, its browser-centric netbook operating system. Don’t expect Spotify in U.S. this holiday season As of last week, Spotify had yet to sign a single licensing deal with a major label, after spending more than a year negotiating, multiple music sources told CNET. December 2010 Patch Tuesday will come with most bulletins ever According to the Microsoft Security Response Center, Microsoft will issue 17 Security Bulletins addressing 40 vulnerabilities on Tuesday, December 14. It will also host a webcast to address customer questions the following day. Hacker plants back door in Symbian firmware Indian hacker Atul Alex has had a look at the firmware for Symbian S60 smartphones and come up with a back door for it. PC quarantines raise tough complexities The concept of quarantining PCs to prevent widespread infection is “interesting, but difficult to implement, with far too many problems”, said security experts. Symantec: DDoS attacks hard to defend It has surfaced that the distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on Visa and MasterCard Web sites on Wednesday were carried out by a toolkit known as low orbit ion cannon (LOIC). Web Sockets and the risks of unfinished standards Enthusiasm for a promising new standard called Web Sockets has quickly cooled in some quarters as a potential security problem led some browser makers to hastily postpone support. Internet Explorer 9 to get tracking protection Microsoft is making changes to Internet Explorer 9’s security features that will better enable users to keep sites from tracking their activity across browsing sessions. NASA sold PCs with sensitive data NASA failed to remove sensitive data from computers that it sold, according to an audit report released this week. Cybercrooks create fake Amazon receipts The bad guys have created yet another online scam, this one involving fake Amazon receipts. World of Warcraft character move fees waived Until December 22, Blizzard will allow free realm transfers from 25 highly populated servers to alleviate log-in queues or performance issues. (The free transfers are one-way and one-time only.) SpaceX Dragon reaches orbit atop a Falcon with a fiery tail The Space Exploration Technologies corporation has become the first nongovernmental entity to put a vehicle into low Earth orbit. Geek Video of the Week If birds have wings, then why are the Angry Birds using slingshots? Photo by Dorkly Bits. Wait… Birds have Wings, Why are the Angry Ones Using Slingshots? Sysadmin Geek Tips How To Setup Email Alerts on Linux Using Gmail or SMTP Linux machines may require administrative intervention in countless ways, but without manually logging into them how would you know about it? Here’s how to setup emails to get notified when your machines want some tender love and attention. Random TinyHacker Links Red Panda Webcam Support Firefox and the Knoxville Zoo’s Red Panda program. Christmas Icons (Icons we like) Superb set of holiday icons by lgp85 at deviantArt. Download the .zip and use as .png or convert to .ico at Convertico.com or with tiny app Imagicon. Super User Questions Enjoy reading the great answers to this week’s popular questions from Super User Useful USB boot disks? DVD/CD burning .zip: is it more reliable, faster, longer lasting to burn a zip of files rather than the files as a folder? What are other ways to backup my files if I do not have an external drive? Anti virus what is the difference between these all? How can I block all Facebook elements/content? How-To Geek Weekly Article Recap Have you had a busy week between work and preparing for the holidays? Get caught up on your HTG reading with our hottest articles of the week. 20 Windows Keyboard Shortcuts You Might Not Know The 50 Best Registry Hacks that Make Windows Better LCD? LED? Plasma? The How-To Geek Guide to HDTV Technology HTG Explains: Which Linux File System Should You Choose? How to Use and Customize Google Chrome Web Apps One Year Ago on How-To Geek This week’s batch of retro geeky goodness is all about customizing Windows 7. ClassicShell Adds Classic Start Menu and Explorer Features to Windows 7 Get an Aero-Styled Classic Start Menu in Windows 7 Customize the Windows 7 Logon Screen Get the Classic Style Network Activity Indicator Back in Windows 7 How To Enable Check Boxes for Items In Windows 7 The Geek Note We would like you to join us in welcoming Jason Fitzpatrick to the writing staff here at How-To Geek. He started with us this past week, so take some time to read through his articles about the Wii, Kindle, & PlayStation 2 Peripherals and leave a friendly comment to say “Hi”! Got a great tip to share? Make sure to send it in to us at [email protected]. Photo by real00. Latest Features How-To Geek ETC The 50 Best Registry Hacks that Make Windows Better The How-To Geek Holiday Gift Guide (Geeky Stuff We Like) LCD? LED? Plasma? The How-To Geek Guide to HDTV Technology The How-To Geek Guide to Learning Photoshop, Part 8: Filters Improve Digital Photography by Calibrating Your Monitor Our Favorite Tech: What We’re Thankful For at How-To Geek Settle into Orbit with the Voyage Theme for Chrome and Iron Awesome Safari Compass Icons Set Escape from the Exploding Planet Wallpaper Move Your Tumblr Blog to WordPress Pytask is an Easy to Use To-Do List Manager for Your Ubuntu System Snowy Christmas House Personas Theme for Firefox

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• Basics of Join Predicate Pushdown in Oracle

  - by Maria Colgan

  Happy New Year to all of our readers! We hope you all had a great holiday season. We start the new year by continuing our series on Optimizer transformations. This time it is the turn of Predicate Pushdown. I would like to thank Rafi Ahmed for the content of this blog.Normally, a view cannot be joined with an index-based nested loop (i.e., index access) join, since a view, in contrast with a base table, does not have an index defined on it. A view can only be joined with other tables using three methods: hash, nested loop, and sort-merge joins. Introduction The join predicate pushdown (JPPD) transformation allows a view to be joined with index-based nested-loop join method, which may provide a more optimal alternative. In the join predicate pushdown transformation, the view remains a separate query block, but it contains the join predicate, which is pushed down from its containing query block into the view. The view thus becomes correlated and must be evaluated for each row of the outer query block. These pushed-down join predicates, once inside the view, open up new index access paths on the base tables inside the view; this allows the view to be joined with index-based nested-loop join method, thereby enabling the optimizer to select an efficient execution plan. The join predicate pushdown transformation is not always optimal. The join predicate pushed-down view becomes correlated and it must be evaluated for each outer row; if there is a large number of outer rows, the cost of evaluating the view multiple times may make the nested-loop join suboptimal, and therefore joining the view with hash or sort-merge join method may be more efficient. The decision whether to push down join predicates into a view is determined by evaluating the costs of the outer query with and without the join predicate pushdown transformation under Oracle's cost-based query transformation framework. The join predicate pushdown transformation applies to both non-mergeable views and mergeable views and to pre-defined and inline views as well as to views generated internally by the optimizer during various transformations. The following shows the types of views on which join predicate pushdown is currently supported. UNION ALL/UNION view Outer-joined view Anti-joined view Semi-joined view DISTINCT view GROUP-BY view Examples Consider query A, which has an outer-joined view V. The view cannot be merged, as it contains two tables, and the join between these two tables must be performed before the join between the view and the outer table T4. A: SELECT T4.unique1, V.unique3 FROM T_4K T4,            (SELECT T10.unique3, T10.hundred, T10.ten             FROM T_5K T5, T_10K T10             WHERE T5.unique3 = T10.unique3) VWHERE T4.unique3 = V.hundred(+) AND       T4.ten = V.ten(+) AND       T4.thousand = 5; The following shows the non-default plan for query A generated by disabling join predicate pushdown. When query A undergoes join predicate pushdown, it yields query B. Note that query B is expressed in a non-standard SQL and shows an internal representation of the query. B: SELECT T4.unique1, V.unique3 FROM T_4K T4,           (SELECT T10.unique3, T10.hundred, T10.ten             FROM T_5K T5, T_10K T10             WHERE T5.unique3 = T10.unique3             AND T4.unique3 = V.hundred(+)             AND T4.ten = V.ten(+)) V WHERE T4.thousand = 5; The execution plan for query B is shown below. In the execution plan BX, note the keyword 'VIEW PUSHED PREDICATE' indicates that the view has undergone the join predicate pushdown transformation. The join predicates (shown here in red) have been moved into the view V; these join predicates open up index access paths thereby enabling index-based nested-loop join of the view. With join predicate pushdown, the cost of query A has come down from 62 to 32.  As mentioned earlier, the join predicate pushdown transformation is cost-based, and a join predicate pushed-down plan is selected only when it reduces the overall cost. Consider another example of a query C, which contains a view with the UNION ALL set operator.C: SELECT R.unique1, V.unique3 FROM T_5K R,            (SELECT T1.unique3, T2.unique1+T1.unique1             FROM T_5K T1, T_10K T2             WHERE T1.unique1 = T2.unique1             UNION ALL             SELECT T1.unique3, T2.unique2             FROM G_4K T1, T_10K T2             WHERE T1.unique1 = T2.unique1) V WHERE R.unique3 = V.unique3 and R.thousand < 1; The execution plan of query C is shown below. In the above, 'VIEW UNION ALL PUSHED PREDICATE' indicates that the UNION ALL view has undergone the join predicate pushdown transformation. As can be seen, here the join predicate has been replicated and pushed inside every branch of the UNION ALL view. The join predicates (shown here in red) open up index access paths thereby enabling index-based nested loop join of the view. Consider query D as an example of join predicate pushdown into a distinct view. We have the following cardinalities of the tables involved in query D: Sales (1,016,271), Customers (50,000), and Costs (787,766).  D: SELECT C.cust_last_name, C.cust_city FROM customers C,            (SELECT DISTINCT S.cust_id             FROM sales S, costs CT             WHERE S.prod_id = CT.prod_id and CT.unit_price > 70) V WHERE C.cust_state_province = 'CA' and C.cust_id = V.cust_id; The execution plan of query D is shown below. As shown in XD, when query D undergoes join predicate pushdown transformation, the expensive DISTINCT operator is removed and the join is converted into a semi-join; this is possible, since all the SELECT list items of the view participate in an equi-join with the outer tables. Under similar conditions, when a group-by view undergoes join predicate pushdown transformation, the expensive group-by operator can also be removed. With the join predicate pushdown transformation, the elapsed time of query D came down from 63 seconds to 5 seconds. Since distinct and group-by views are mergeable views, the cost-based transformation framework also compares the cost of merging the view with that of join predicate pushdown in selecting the most optimal execution plan. Summary We have tried to illustrate the basic ideas behind join predicate pushdown on different types of views by showing example queries that are quite simple. Oracle can handle far more complex queries and other types of views not shown here in the examples. Again many thanks to Rafi Ahmed for the content of this blog post.

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• TFS, G.I. Joe and Under-doing

  If I were to rank the most consistently irritating parts of my work day, using TFS would come in first by a wide margin. Even repeated network outages this week seem like a pleasant reprieve from this monolithic beast. This is not a reflexive anti-Microsoft feeling, that attitude just wouldnt work for a consultant who does .NET development. It is also not an utter dismissal of TFS as worthless; Ive seen people use it effectively on several projects. So why? Ill start with a laundry list of shortcomings. An out of the box UI for work items that is insultingly bad, a source control system that is confoundingly fragile when handling merges, folder renames and long file names, the arcane XML wizardry necessary to customize a template and a build system that adds an extra layer of oddness on top of msbuild. Im sure my legion of readers will soon point out to me how I can work around all these issues, how this is fixed in TFS 2010 or with this add-in, and how once you have everything set up, youre fine. And theyd be right, any one of these problems could be worked around. If not dirty laundry, what else? I thought about it for a while, and came to the conclusion that TFS is so irritating to me because it represents a vision of software development that I find unappealing. To expand upon this, lets start with some wisdom from those great PSAs at the end of the G.I. Joe cartoons of the 80s: Now you know, and knowing is half the battle. In software development, Id go further and say knowing is more than half the battle. Understanding the dimensions of the problem you are trying to solve, the needs of the users, the value that your software can provide are more than half the battle. Implementation of this understanding is not easy, but it is not even possible without this knowledge. Assuming we have a fixed amount of time and mental energy for any project, why does this spell trouble for TFS? If you think about what TFS is doing, its offering you a huge array of options to track the day to day implementation of your project. From tasks, to code churn, to test coverage. All valuable metrics, but only in exchange for valuable time to get it all working. In addition, when you have a shiny toy like TFS, the temptation is to feel obligated to use it. So the push from TFS is to encourage a project manager and team to focus on process and metrics around process. You can get great visibility, and graphs to show your project stakeholders, but none of that is important if you are not implementing the right product. Not just unimportant, these activities can be harmful as they drain your time and sap your creativity away from the rest of the project. To be more concrete, lets suppose your organization has invested the time to create a template for your projects and trained people in how to use it, so there is no longer a big investment of time for each project to get up and running. First, Id challenge if that template could be specific enough to be full featured and still applicable for any project. Second, the very existence of this template would be a indication to a project manager that the success of their project was somehow directly related to fitting management of that project into this format. Again, while the capabilities are wonderful, the mirage is there; just get everything into TFS and your project will run smoothly. Ill close the loop on this first topic by proposing a thought experiment. Think of the projects youve worked on. How many times have you been chagrined to discover youve implemented the wrong feature, misunderstood how a feature should work or just plain spent too much time on a screen that nobody uses? That sounds like a really worthwhile area to invest time in improving. How about going back to these projects and thinking about how many times you wished you had optimized the state change flow of your tasks or been embarrassed to not have a code churn report linked back to the latest changeset? With thanks to the Real American Heroes, Ill move on to a more current influence, that of the developers at 37signals, and their philosophy towards software development. This philosophy, fully detailed in the books Getting Real and Rework, is a vision of software that under does the competition. This is software that is deliberately limited in functionality in order to concentrate fully on making sure ever feature that is there is awesome and needed. Why is this relevant? Well, in one of those fun seeming paradoxes in life, constraints can be a spark for creativity. Think Twitter, the small screen of an iPhone, the limitations of HTML for applications, the low memory limits of older or embedded system. As long as there is some freedom within those constraints, amazing things emerge. For project management, some of the most respected people in the industry recommend using just index cards, pens and tape. They argue that with change the constant in software development, your process should be as limited (yet rigorous) as possible. Looking at TFS, this is not a system designed to under do anybody. It is a big jumble of components and options, with every feature you could think of. Predictably this means many basic functions are hard to use. For task management, many people just use an Excel spreadsheet linked up to TFS. Not a stirring endorsement of the tooling there. TFS as a whole would be far more appealing to me if there was less of it, but better. Id cut 50% of the features to make the other half really amaze and inspire me. And thats really the heart of the matter. TFS has great promise and I want to believe it can work better. But ultimately it focuses your attention on a lot of stuff that doesnt really matter and then clamps down your creativity in a mess of forms and dialogs obscuring what does.   --- Relevant Links --- All those great G.I. Joe PSAs are on YouTube, including lots of mashed up versions. A simple Google search will get you on the right track.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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• Long pause when accessing DFS namespace

  - by Matt

  We've recently migrated our Windows network to use DFS for shared files. DFS is working well, except for one annoying problem: users experience a significant delay when they try to access a DFS namespace that they have not accessed for some time. I have tried to troubleshoot the issue but have not had any success so far, and I was hoping someone here may have some pointers to help resolve the problem. Firstly, some background on our network: The network uses a Windows 2008 functional level Active Directory domain with two Windows 2008 DCs and two DNS servers (one on each of the DCs). The network is DNS only - no WINS. All computers are located at the same site and connected by Gigabit Ethernet. We have approximately 20 Domain-based DFS namespaces in Windows 2008 mode, and each DFS namespace has two Windows 2008 DFS namespace servers (the same two servers for all namespaces). All namespace servers are in FQDN mode and all folder targets are specified using their FQDN. All computers are up-to-date with Service Packs and patches. The actual folder targets (i.e. the SMB shares our DFS folders point to) are scattered across several file and application servers, all running Windows 2008 bar two application servers which run Windows 2003 R2, with no replication setup at all (e.g. all DFS folders currently only have one folder target). Some more detail on the problem: The namespace access delay is generally 1 - 10 seconds long and seems to occur when a particular computer has not accessed the requested namespace for approximately five minutes or more. For example, if the user has not accessed \\domain.name\namespace1\ for more than five minutes and attempts to access \\domain.name\namespace1\ via Windows Explorer, the Explorer window will freeze for 1 - 10 seconds before finally resuming and displaying the folders that exist in \\domain.name\namespace1. If they then close the Explorer window and attempt to access \\domain.name\namespace1\ again within five minutes the contents will be displayed almost instantly - if they wait longer than five minutes it will go through the 1 - 10 second pause again. Once "inside" the namespace everything is nice and snappy, it's just the initial connection to the namespace that is slow. The browsing delays seem to affect all variants of Windows that we use (Windows 2008 x64 SP2, Windows 2003 R2 x86 SP2, Windows XP Pro x86 SP3) - it is possibly a bit worse in Windows XP / 2003 than in Windows 2008, but I'm not sure if the difference isn't just psychological. Accessing the underlying folder targets directly exhibits no delay at all - i.e. if the SMB shares pointed to by DFS are accessed directly (bypassing DFS) then there is no pause. During trouble-shooting I noticed that the "Cache duration" for all of our DFS roots is set to 300 seconds - 5 minutes. Given that this is the same amount of time required to trigger the pause I assume that this caching is somehow related, although I am unsure exactly what is cached on the client and hence what needs to be looked up again after 5 minutes have elapsed. In trying to resolve the problem I have already tried / checked the following (without success): Run dcdiag on both Domain Controllers - no problems found Done some basic DNS server checks without finding any problems - I don't know how to check the DNS servers in detail, but I would add that the network is not exhibiting any other strange behavior that may point to a DNS problem Disabled Anti-virus on clients and servers Removing one of the namespace servers from a couple of namespaces - no difference So that's where I'm up to - and I'm out of ideas. Can anyone suggest what may be causing the delays and/or what I should be trying next?

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• The hidden cost of interrupting knowledge workers

  - by Piet

  The November issue of pragpub has an interesting article on interruptions. The article is written by Brian Tarbox, who also mentions the article on his blog. I like the subtitle: ‘Simple Strategies for Avoiding Dumping Your Mental Stack’. Brian talks about the effective cost of interrupting a ‘knowledge worker’, often with trivial questions or distractions. In the eyes of the interruptor, the interruption only costs the time the interrupted had to listen to the question and give an answer. However, depending on what the interrupted was doing at the time, getting fully immersed in their task again might take up to 15-20 minutes. Enough interruptions might even cause a knowledge worker to mentally call it a day. According to this article interruptions can consume about 28% of a knowledge worker’s time, translating in a $588 billion loss for US companies each year. Looking for a new developer to join your team? Ever thought about optimizing your team’s environment and the way they work instead? Making non knowledge workers aware You can’t. Well, I haven’t succeeded yet. And believe me: I’ve tried. When you’ve got a simple way to really increase your productivity (’give me 2 hours of uninterrupted time a day’) it wouldn’t be right not to tell your boss or team-leader about it. The problem is: only productive knowledge workers seem to understand this. People who don’t fall into this category just seem to think you’re joking, being arrogant or anti-social when you tell them the interruptions can really have an impact on your productivity. Also, knowledge workers often work in a very concentrated mental state which is described here as: It is the same mindfulness as ecstatic lovemaking, the merging of two into a fluidly harmonious one. The hallmark of flow is a feeling of spontaneous joy, even rapture, while performing a task. Yes, coding can be addictive and if you’re interrupting a programmer at the wrong moment, you’re effectively bringing down a junkie from his high in just a few seconds. This can result in seemingly arrogant, almost aggressive reactions. How to make people aware of the production-cost they’re inflicting: I’ve been often pondering that question myself. The article suggests that solutions based on that question never seem to work. To be honest: I’ve never even been able to find a half decent solution for this question. People who are not in this situations just don’t understand the issue, no matter how you try to explain it. Fun (?) thing I’ve noticed: Programmers or IT people in general who don’t get this are often the kind of people who just don’t get anything done. Interrupt handling (interruption management?) IRL Have non-urgent questions handled in a non-interruptive way It helps a bit to educate people into using non-interruptive ways to ask questions: “duh, I have no idea, but I’m a bit busy here now could you put it in an email so I don’t forget?”. Eventually, a considerable amount of people will skip interrupting you and just send an email right away. Some stubborn-headed people however will continue to just interrupt you, saying “you’re 10 meters from my desk, why can’t we just talk?”. Just remember to disable your email notifications, it can be hard to resist opening your email client when you know a new email just arrived. Use Do Not Disturb signals When working in a group of programmers, often the unofficial sign you can only be interrupted for something important is to put on headphones. And when the environment is quiet enough, often people aren’t even listening to music. Otherwise music can help to block the indirect distractions (someone else talking on the phone or tapping their feet). You might get a “they’re all just surfing and listening to music”-reaction from outsiders though. Peopleware talks about a team where the no-interruption sign was placing a shawl on the desk. If I remember correctly, I am unable to locate my copy of this really excellent must-read book. If you have all standardized on the same IM tool, maybe that tool has a ‘do not disturb’ setting. Also some phone-systems have a ‘DND’ (do not disturb) setting. Hide Brian offers a number of good suggestions, some obvious like: hide away somewhere they can’t find you. Not sure how long it’ll be till someone thinks you’re just taking a nap somewhere though. Also, this often isn’t possible or your boss might not understand this. And if you really get caught taking a nap, make sure to explain that your were powernapping. Counter-act interruptions Another suggestion he offers is when you’re being interrupted to just hold up your hand, blocking the interruption, and at least giving you time to finish your sentence or your block/line of code. The last suggestion works more as a way to make it obvious to the interruptor that they really are interrupting your work and to offload some of the cost on the interruptor. In practice, this can also helps you cool down a bit so you don’t start saying nasty things to the interruptor. Unfortunately I’ve sometimes been confronted with people who just ignore this signal and keep talking, as if they’re sure that whatever they’ve got to say is really worth listening to and without a doubt more important than anything you might be doing. This behaviour usually leaves me speechless (not good when someone just asked a question). I’ve noticed that these people are usually also the first to complain when being interrupted themselves. They’re generally not very liked as colleagues, so try not to imitate their behaviour. TDD as a way to minimize recovery time I don’t like Test Driven Development. Mainly for only one reason: It interrupts flow. At least, that’s what it does for me, but maybe I’m just not grown used to TDD yet. BUT a positive effect TDD has on me when I have to work in an interruptive environment and can’t really get into the ‘flow’ (also supposedly called ‘the zone’ by software developers, although I’ve never heard it 1st hand), TDD helps me to concentrate on the tasks at hand and helps me to get back at work after an interruption. I feel when using TDD, I can get by without the need for being totally ‘in’ the project and I can be reasonably productive without obtaining ‘flow’. Do you have a suggestion on how to make people aware of the concept of ‘flow’ and the cost of interruptions? (without looking like an arrogant ass or a weirdo)

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• Linux Server hacked?

  - by user115848

  I'm trying to determine if this linex webserver/openfire server has been compromised by some form of malware or a hacker. Can you please help me determine if this server has been hacked? The snippet of logs below are from the linux server running apache. A few days ago the moodle site, which is installed on the server, started to render the apache default page. Also the access logs show some activity im not sure of. Please see logs below. 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:13:31:01 -0600] "CONNECT 213.92.8.7:31204 HTTP/1.0" 405 303 "-" "-" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:13:31:01 -0600] "CONNECT 213.92.8.7:31204 HTTP/1.0" 405 303 "-" "-" 99.41.69.92 - - [02/Apr/2012:13:33:35 -0600] "GET /files/externallibs.php HTTP/1.1" 404 306 "-" "curl/7.18.0 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu) libcurl/7.18.0 OpenSSL/0.9.8g zlib/1.2.3.3 libidn/1.1" 212.34.151.92 - - [02/Apr/2012:14:01:46 -0600] "GET /phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php HTTP/1.1" 404 305 "-" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; MSIE 5.5; Windows NT 5.1) Opera 7.01 [en]" 212.34.151.92 - - [02/Apr/2012:14:01:46 -0600] "POST /phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php HTTP/1.1" 404 305 "http://173.164.35.181/phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php\r" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; MSIE 5.5; Windows NT 5.1) Opera 7.01 [en]" 82.223.140.4 - - [02/Apr/2012:14:05:03 -0600] "GET /phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php HTTP/1.1" 404 305 "-" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; MSIE 5.5; Windows NT 5.1) Opera 7.01 [en]" 82.223.140.4 - - [02/Apr/2012:14:05:04 -0600] "POST /phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php HTTP/1.1" 404 305 "_http://173.164.35.181/phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php\r" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; MSIE 5.5; Windows NT 5.1) Opera 7.01 [en]" 10.0.0.100 - - [02/Apr/2012:14:25:35 -0600] "GET / HTTP/1.1" 403 5043 "-" "Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux x86_64; en-US; rv:1.9.2.15) Gecko/20110330 CentOS/3.6-1.el5.centos Firefox/3.6.15" 10.0.0.100 - - [02/Apr/2012:14:25:38 -0600] "GET /favicon.ico HTTP/1.1" 404 295 "-" "Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux x86_64; en-US; rv:1.9.2.15) Gecko/20110330 CentOS/3.6-1.el5.centos Firefox/3.6.15" 50.17.41.60 - - [02/Apr/2012:14:27:29 -0600] "HEAD /icons/apache_pb.gif HTTP/1.0" 200 - "-" "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; NetcraftSurveyAgent/1.0; [email protected])" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:14:42:33 -0600] "CONNECT 213.92.8.7:31204 HTTP/1.0" 405 303 "-" "-" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:14:42:33 -0600] "POST _http://vlad-tepes.bofh.it/freenode-proxy-checker.txt HTTP/1.0" 404 307 "-" "-" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:14:42:33 -0600] "GET _http://vlad-tepes.bofh.it/freenode-proxy-checker.txt HTTP/1.0" 404 307 "-" "-" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:14:42:36 -0600] "CONNECT 213.92.8.7:31204 HTTP/1.0" 405 303 "-" "-" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:15:03:48 -0600] "POST _http://vlad-tepes.bofh.it/freenode-proxy-checker.txt HTTP/1.0" 404 307 "-" "-" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:15:03:48 -0600] "GET _http://vlad-tepes.bofh.it/freenode-proxy-checker.txt HTTP/1.0" 404 307 "-" "-" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:15:03:48 -0600] "CONNECT 213.92.8.7:31204 HTTP/1.0" 405 303 "-" "-" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:15:03:48 -0600] "CONNECT 213.92.8.7:31204 HTTP/1.0" 405 303 "-" "-" 66.233.63.54 - - [02/Apr/2012:15:12:19 -0600] "GET /files/externallibs.php HTTP/1.1" 404 306 "-" "Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.0; WOW64; rv:11.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/11.0" 70.114.161.135 - - [02/Apr/2012:15:17:12 -0600] "GET /files/externallibs.php HTTP/1.1" 404 306 "-" "Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 5.1; rv:11.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/11.0" 99.41.69.231 - - [02/Apr/2012:15:52:21 -0600] "GET /files/externallibs.php HTTP/1.1" 404 306 "-" "curl/7.18.0 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu) libcurl/7.18.0 OpenSSL/0.9.8g zlib/1.2.3.3 libidn/1.1" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:15:55:40 -0600] "GET _http://vlad-tepes.bofh.it/freenode-proxy-checker.txt HTTP/1.0" 404 307 "-" "-" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:15:55:40 -0600] "POST _http://vlad-tepes.bofh.it/freenode-proxy-checker.txt HTTP/1.0" 404 307 "-" "-" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:15:55:40 -0600] "CONNECT 213.92.8.7:31204 HTTP/1.0" 405 303 "-" "-" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:15:55:40 -0600] "CONNECT 213.92.8.7:31204 HTTP/1.0" 405 303 "-" "-" 10.0.0.253 - - [02/Apr/2012:16:01:45 -0600] "GET / HTTP/1.1" 403 5043 "-" "WWW-Mechanize/1.0.0 (http://rubyforge.org/projects/mechanize/)" 10.0.0.253 - - [02/Apr/2012:16:02:27 -0600] "GET / HTTP/1.1" 403 5043 "-" "WWW-Mechanize/1.0.0 (http://rubyforge.org/projects/mechanize/)" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:16:13:40 -0600] "POST _http://vlad-tepes.bofh.it/freenode-proxy-checker.txt HTTP/1.0" 404 307 "-" "-" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:16:13:40 -0600] "CONNECT 213.92.8.7:31204 HTTP/1.0" 405 303 "-" "-" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:16:13:40 -0600] "GET _http://vlad-tepes.bofh.it/freenode-proxy-checker.txt HTTP/1.0" 404 307 "-" "-" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:16:13:40 -0600] "CONNECT 213.92.8.7:31204 HTTP/1.0" 405 303 "-" "-" 89.135.124.125 - - [02/Apr/2012:16:20:47 -0600] "GET /phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php HTTP/1.1" 404 305 "_http://173.164.35.181/phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php" "Opera" 89.135.124.125 - - [02/Apr/2012:16:20:48 -0600] "POST /phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php HTTP/1.1" 404 305 "_http://173.164.35.181/phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php" "Opera" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:16:29:59 -0600] "CONNECT 213.92.8.7:31204 HTTP/1.0" 405 303 "-" "-" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:16:29:59 -0600] "GET http://vlad-tepes.bofh.it/freenode-proxy-checker.txt HTTP/1.0" 404 307 "-" "-" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:16:29:59 -0600] "CONNECT 213.92.8.7:31204 HTTP/1.0" 405 303 "-" "-" 85.190.0.3 - - [02/Apr/2012:16:29:59 -0600] "POST http://vlad-tepes.bofh.it/freenode-proxy-checker.txt HTTP/1.0" 404 307 "-" "-"

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• Time Tracking on an Agile Team

  - by Stephen.Walther

  What’s the best way to handle time-tracking on an Agile team? Your gut reaction to this question might be to resist any type of time-tracking at all. After all, one of the principles of the Agile Manifesto is “Individuals and interactions over processes and tools”.  Forcing the developers on your team to track the amount of time that they devote to completing stories or tasks might seem like useless bureaucratic red tape: an impediment to getting real work done. I completely understand this reaction. I’ve been required to use time-tracking software in the past to account for each hour of my workday. It made me feel like Fred Flintstone punching in at the quarry mine and not like a professional. Why You Really Do Need Time-Tracking There are, however, legitimate reasons to track time spent on stories even when you are a member of an Agile team.  First, if you are working with an outside client, you might need to track the number of hours spent on different stories for the purposes of billing. There might be no way to avoid time-tracking if you want to get paid. Second, the Product Owner needs to know when the work on a story has gone over the original time estimated for the story. The Product Owner is concerned with Return On Investment. If the team has gone massively overtime on a story, then the Product Owner has a legitimate reason to halt work on the story and reconsider the story’s business value. Finally, you might want to track how much time your team spends on different types of stories or tasks. For example, if your team is spending 75% of their time doing testing then you might need to bring in more testers. Or, if 10% of your team’s time is expended performing a software build at the end of each iteration then it is time to consider better ways of automating the build process. Time-Tracking in SonicAgile For these reasons, we added time-tracking as a feature to SonicAgile which is our free Agile Project Management tool. We were heavily influenced by Jeff Sutherland (one of the founders of Scrum) in the way that we implemented time-tracking (see his article http://scrum.jeffsutherland.com/2007/03/time-tracking-is-anti-scrum-what-do-you.html). In SonicAgile, time-tracking is disabled by default. If you want to use this feature then the project owner must enable time-tracking in Project Settings. You can choose to estimate using either days or hours. If you are estimating at the level of stories then it makes more sense to choose days. Otherwise, if you are estimating at the level of tasks then it makes more sense to use hours. After you enable time-tracking then you can assign three estimates to a story: Original Estimate – This is the estimate that you enter when you first create a story. You don’t change this estimate. Time Spent – This is the amount of time that you have already devoted to the story. You update the time spent on each story during your daily standup meeting. Time Left – This is the amount of time remaining to complete the story. Again, you update the time left during your daily standup meeting. So when you first create a story, you enter an original estimate that becomes the time left. During each daily standup meeting, you update the time spent and time left for each story on the Kanban. If you had perfect predicative power, then the original estimate would always be the same as the sum of the time spent and the time left. For example, if you predict that a story will take 5 days to complete then on day 3, the story should have 3 days spent and 2 days left. Unfortunately, never in the history of mankind has anyone accurately predicted the exact amount of time that it takes to complete a story. For this reason, SonicAgile does not update the time spent and time left automatically. Each day, during the daily standup, your team should update the time spent and time left for each story. For example, the following table shows the history of the time estimates for a story that was originally estimated to take 3 days but, eventually, takes 5 days to complete: Day Original Estimate Time Spent Time Left Day 1 3 days 0 days 3 days Day 2 3 days 1 day 2 days Day 3 3 days 2 days 2 days Day 4 3 days 3 days 2 days Day 5 3 days 4 days 0 days In the table above, everything goes as predicted until you reach day 3. On day 3, the team realizes that the work will require an additional two days. The situation does not improve on day 4. All of the sudden, on day 5, all of the remaining work gets done. Real work often follows this pattern. There are long periods when nothing gets done punctuated by occasional and unpredictable bursts of progress. We designed SonicAgile to make it as easy as possible to track the time spent and time left on a story. Detecting when a Story Goes Over the Original Estimate Sometimes, stories take much longer than originally estimated. There’s a surprise. For example, you discover that a new software component is incompatible with existing software components. Or, you discover that you have to go through a month-long certification process to finish a story. In those cases, the Product Owner has a legitimate reason to halt work on a story and re-evaluate the business value of the story. For example, the Product Owner discovers that a story will require weeks to implement instead of days, then the story might not be worth the expense. SonicAgile displays a warning on both the Backlog and the Kanban when the time spent on a story goes over the original estimate. An icon of a clock is displayed. Time-Tracking and Tasks Another optional feature of SonicAgile is tasks. If you enable Tasks in Project Settings then you can break stories into one or more tasks. You can perform time-tracking at the level of a story or at the level of a task. If you don’t break a story into tasks then you can enter the time left and time spent for the story. As soon as you break a story into tasks, then you can no longer enter the time left and time spent at the level of the story. Instead, the time left and time spent for a story is rolled up from its tasks. On the Kanban, you can see how the time left and time spent for each task gets rolled up into each story. The progress bar for the story is rolled up from the progress bars for each task. The original estimate is never rolled up – even when you break a story into tasks. A story’s original estimate is entered separately from the original estimates of each of the story’s tasks. Summary Not every Agile team can avoid time-tracking. You might be forced to track time to get paid, to detect when you are spending too much time on a particular story, or to track the amount of time that you are devoting to different types of tasks. We designed time-tracking in SonicAgile to require the least amount of work to track the information that you need. Time-tracking is an optional feature. If you enable time-tracking then you can track the original estimate, time left, and time spent for each story and task. You can use time-tracking with SonicAgile for free. Register at http://SonicAgile.com.

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• Windows 7 Pro sysprep not working

  - by Callum D

  Hello, I'm trying to sysprep a Windows 7 Professional machine, prior to grabbing an image for mass deployment on identical hardware, and am having a hard time getting sysprep to work (at all). I've created an XML answer file with WSIM, and have a basic setupcomplete.cmd file, but none of the configurations in the answer file seem to be applied. I've read technet articles and googled, and I still have no idea why this is happening. Is someone able to have a look at the answer file I've attached and let me know where I'm going wrong? thanks, Callum AutoUnattend.XML <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend"> <settings pass="specialize"> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <AutoLogon> <Password> <Value>**********************************</Value> <PlainText>false</PlainText> </Password> <Username>administrator</Username> <LogonCount>1</LogonCount> <Enabled>true</Enabled> </AutoLogon> <WindowsFeatures> <ShowMediaCenter>false</ShowMediaCenter> <ShowWindowsMediaPlayer>false</ShowWindowsMediaPlayer> </WindowsFeatures> <CopyProfile>true</CopyProfile> <DoNotCleanTaskBar>true</DoNotCleanTaskBar> <RegisteredOrganization>SomeCompany (UK) Ltd.</RegisteredOrganization> <RegisteredOwner>SomeCompany User</RegisteredOwner> <ShowWindowsLive>false</ShowWindowsLive> <TimeZone>GMT Standard Time</TimeZone> </component> <component name="Security-Malware-Windows-Defender" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <DisableAntiSpyware>true</DisableAntiSpyware> </component> </settings> <settings pass="oobeSystem"> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <SystemLocale>en-UK</SystemLocale> <UserLocale>en-UK</UserLocale> <UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage> <InputLocale>0809:00000809</InputLocale> </component> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <OOBE> <HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage> <HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>true</HideWirelessSetupInOOBE> <NetworkLocation>Work</NetworkLocation> <ProtectYourPC>1</ProtectYourPC> </OOBE> <UserAccounts> <AdministratorPassword> <Value>*************************************************=</Value> <PlainText>false</PlainText> </AdministratorPassword> </UserAccounts> </component> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Deployment" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <Reseal> <Mode>OOBE</Mode> </Reseal> </component> </settings> <settings pass="generalize"> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <SkipRearm>0</SkipRearm> </component> </settings> <settings pass="windowsPE"> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <UseConfigurationSet>true</UseConfigurationSet> </component> </settings> <cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="wim:c:/wim/install.wim#Windows 7 PROFESSIONAL" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" /> </unattend>

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• Windows 7 BSOD - ntoskrnl?

  - by Ken Mason

  2 new HP Pavilion notebooks with 7 Home Premium pre-loaded with Norton. My first act was to use the Norton Removal Tool and load ZoneAlarm free and AVG Free. Frequent random BSOD's ever since...I found my way into Debug and have had various reports regarding ntoskrnl, depending on the status of symbols. It's been many years since I played with (DOS 3.x) debug, so this has been a considerable fumble. Excerpts follow and any insights would be greatly appreciated, as I am not a developer: ADDITIONAL_DEBUG_TEXT: Use '!findthebuild' command to search for the target build information. If the build information is available, run '!findthebuild -s ; .reload' to set symbol path and load symbols. MODULE_NAME: nt FAULTING_MODULE: fffff8000305d000 nt DEBUG_FLR_IMAGE_TIMESTAMP: 4b88cfeb BUGCHECK_STR: 0x7f_8 CUSTOMER_CRASH_COUNT: 1 DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID: VISTA_DRIVER_FAULT CURRENT_IRQL: 0 LAST_CONTROL_TRANSFER: from fffff800030ccb69 to fffff800030cd600 STACK_TEXT: fffff80004d6fd28 fffff800030ccb69 : 000000000000007f 0000000000000008 0000000080050033 00000000000006f8 : nt+0x70600 fffff80004d6fd30 000000000000007f : 0000000000000008 0000000080050033 00000000000006f8 fffff80003095e58 : nt+0x6fb69 fffff80004d6fd38 0000000000000008 : 0000000080050033 00000000000006f8 fffff80003095e58 0000000000000000 : 0x7f fffff80004d6fd40 0000000080050033 : 00000000000006f8 fffff80003095e58 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 : 0x8 fffff80004d6fd48 00000000000006f8 : fffff80003095e58 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 : 0x80050033 fffff80004d6fd50 fffff80003095e58 : 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 : 0x6f8 fffff80004d6fd58 0000000000000000 : 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 : nt+0x38e58 STACK_COMMAND: kb FOLLOWUP_IP: nt+70600 fffff800`030cd600 48894c2408 mov qword ptr [rsp+8],rcx SYMBOL_STACK_INDEX: 0 SYMBOL_NAME: nt+70600 FOLLOWUP_NAME: MachineOwner IMAGE_NAME: ntoskrnl.exe BUCKET_ID: WRONG_SYMBOLS Followup: MachineOwner ...................................................................... 0: kd !lmi nt Loaded Module Info: [nt] Module: ntkrnlmp Base Address: fffff8000305d000 Image Name: ntkrnlmp.exe Machine Type: 34404 (X64) Time Stamp: 4b88cfeb Sat Feb 27 00:55:23 2010 Size: 5dc000 CheckSum: 545094 Characteristics: 22 perf Debug Data Dirs: Type Size VA Pointer CODEVIEW 25, 19c65c, 19bc5c RSDS - GUID: {7E9A3CAB-6268-45DE-8E10-816E3080A3B7} Age: 2, Pdb: ntkrnlmp.pdb CLSID 4, 19c658, 19bc58 [Data not mapped] Image Type: FILE - Image read successfully from debugger. ntkrnlmp.exe Symbol Type: PDB - Symbols loaded successfully from symbol server. d:\debugsymbols\ntkrnlmp.pdb\7E9A3CAB626845DE8E10816E3080A3B72\ntkrnlmp.pdb Load Report: public symbols , not source indexed d:\debugsymbols\ntkrnlmp.pdb\7E9A3CAB626845DE8E10816E3080A3B72\ntkrnlmp.pdb 0: kd !analyze -v * Bugcheck Analysis * * UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP (7f) This means a trap occurred in kernel mode, and it's a trap of a kind that the kernel isn't allowed to have/catch (bound trap) or that is always instant death (double fault). The first number in the bugcheck params is the number of the trap (8 = double fault, etc) Consult an Intel x86 family manual to learn more about what these traps are. Here is a portion of those codes: If kv shows a taskGate use .tss on the part before the colon, then kv. Else if kv shows a trapframe use .trap on that value Else .trap on the appropriate frame will show where the trap was taken (on x86, this will be the ebp that goes with the procedure KiTrap) Endif kb will then show the corrected stack. Arguments: Arg1: 0000000000000008, EXCEPTION_DOUBLE_FAULT Arg2: 0000000080050033 Arg3: 00000000000006f8 Arg4: fffff80003095e58 Debugging Details: BUGCHECK_STR: 0x7f_8 CUSTOMER_CRASH_COUNT: 1 DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID: VISTA_DRIVER_FAULT PROCESS_NAME: System CURRENT_IRQL: 2 LAST_CONTROL_TRANSFER: from fffff800030ccb69 to fffff800030cd600 STACK_TEXT: fffff80004d6fd28 fffff800030ccb69 : 000000000000007f 0000000000000008 0000000080050033 00000000000006f8 : nt!KeBugCheckEx fffff80004d6fd30 fffff800030cb032 : 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 : nt!KiBugCheckDispatch+0x69 fffff80004d6fe70 fffff80003095e58 : 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 : nt!KiDoubleFaultAbort+0xb2 fffff880089efc60 0000000000000000 : 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 : nt!SeAccessCheckFromState+0x58 STACK_COMMAND: kb FOLLOWUP_IP: nt!KiDoubleFaultAbort+b2 fffff800`030cb032 90 nop SYMBOL_STACK_INDEX: 2 SYMBOL_NAME: nt!KiDoubleFaultAbort+b2 FOLLOWUP_NAME: MachineOwner MODULE_NAME: nt IMAGE_NAME: ntkrnlmp.exe DEBUG_FLR_IMAGE_TIMESTAMP: 4b88cfeb FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: X64_0x7f_8_nt!KiDoubleFaultAbort+b2 BUCKET_ID: X64_0x7f_8_nt!KiDoubleFaultAbort+b2 Followup: MachineOwner I tried running Rootkit Revealer but I don't think it works on x64 systems. Similarly Blacklight seems to have aged off. I'm running Sophos Anti-Rootkit now. So far so good...

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• How accurate is "Business logic should be in a service, not in a model"?

  - by Jeroen Vannevel

  Situation Earlier this evening I gave an answer to a question on StackOverflow. The question: Editing of an existing object should be done in repository layer or in service? For example if I have a User that has debt. I want to change his debt. Should I do it in UserRepository or in service for example BuyingService by getting an object, editing it and saving it ? My answer: You should leave the responsibility of mutating an object to that same object and use the repository to retrieve this object. Example situation: class User { private int debt; // debt in cents private string name; // getters public void makePayment(int cents){ debt -= cents; } } class UserRepository { public User GetUserByName(string name){ // Get appropriate user from database } } A comment I received: Business logic should really be in a service. Not in a model. What does the internet say? So, this got me searching since I've never really (consciously) used a service layer. I started reading up on the Service Layer pattern and the Unit Of Work pattern but so far I can't say I'm convinced a service layer has to be used. Take for example this article by Martin Fowler on the anti-pattern of an Anemic Domain Model: There are objects, many named after the nouns in the domain space, and these objects are connected with the rich relationships and structure that true domain models have. The catch comes when you look at the behavior, and you realize that there is hardly any behavior on these objects, making them little more than bags of getters and setters. Indeed often these models come with design rules that say that you are not to put any domain logic in the the domain objects. Instead there are a set of service objects which capture all the domain logic. These services live on top of the domain model and use the domain model for data. (...) The logic that should be in a domain object is domain logic - validations, calculations, business rules - whatever you like to call it. To me, this seemed exactly what the situation was about: I advocated the manipulation of an object's data by introducing methods inside that class that do just that. However I realize that this should be a given either way, and it probably has more to do with how these methods are invoked (using a repository). I also had the feeling that in that article (see below), a Service Layer is more considered as a façade that delegates work to the underlying model, than an actual work-intensive layer. Application Layer [his name for Service Layer]: Defines the jobs the software is supposed to do and directs the expressive domain objects to work out problems. The tasks this layer is responsible for are meaningful to the business or necessary for interaction with the application layers of other systems. This layer is kept thin. It does not contain business rules or knowledge, but only coordinates tasks and delegates work to collaborations of domain objects in the next layer down. It does not have state reflecting the business situation, but it can have state that reflects the progress of a task for the user or the program. Which is reinforced here: Service interfaces. Services expose a service interface to which all inbound messages are sent. You can think of a service interface as a façade that exposes the business logic implemented in the application (typically, logic in the business layer) to potential consumers. And here: The service layer should be devoid of any application or business logic and should focus primarily on a few concerns. It should wrap Business Layer calls, translate your Domain in a common language that your clients can understand, and handle the communication medium between server and requesting client. This is a serious contrast to other resources that talk about the Service Layer: The service layer should consist of classes with methods that are units of work with actions that belong in the same transaction. Or the second answer to a question I've already linked: At some point, your application will want some business logic. Also, you might want to validate the input to make sure that there isn't something evil or nonperforming being requested. This logic belongs in your service layer. "Solution"? Following the guidelines in this answer, I came up with the following approach that uses a Service Layer: class UserController : Controller { private UserService _userService; public UserController(UserService userService){ _userService = userService; } public ActionResult MakeHimPay(string username, int amount) { _userService.MakeHimPay(username, amount); return RedirectToAction("ShowUserOverview"); } public ActionResult ShowUserOverview() { return View(); } } class UserService { private IUserRepository _userRepository; public UserService(IUserRepository userRepository) { _userRepository = userRepository; } public void MakeHimPay(username, amount) { _userRepository.GetUserByName(username).makePayment(amount); } } class UserRepository { public User GetUserByName(string name){ // Get appropriate user from database } } class User { private int debt; // debt in cents private string name; // getters public void makePayment(int cents){ debt -= cents; } } Conclusion All together not much has changed here: code from the controller has moved to the service layer (which is a good thing, so there is an upside to this approach). However this doesn't look like it had anything to do with my original answer. I realize design patterns are guidelines, not rules set in stone to be implemented whenever possible. Yet I have not found a definitive explanation of the service layer and how it should be regarded. Is it a means to simply extract logic from the controller and put it inside a service instead? Is it supposed to form a contract between the controller and the domain? Should there be a layer between the domain and the service layer? And, last but not least: following the original comment Business logic should really be in a service. Not in a model. Is this correct? How would I introduce my business logic in a service instead of the model?

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• CodePlex Daily Summary for Monday, May 19, 2014

  CodePlex Daily Summary for Monday, May 19, 2014Popular ReleasesLINQ to Twitter: LINQ to Twitter v3.0.3: Supports .NET 4.5x, Windows Phone 8.x, Windows 8.x, Windows Azure, Xamarin.Android, and Xamarin.iOS. New features include Status/Lookup, Mute APIs, and bug fixes. 100% Twitter API v1.1 coverage, Async, Portable Class Library (PCL).CS-Script for Notepad++ (C# intellisense and code execution): Release v1.0.26.0: Added access to the Release Notes during 'Check for Updates...'' Debug panels Added support for generic types members Members are grouped into 'Raw View' and 'Non-Public members' categories Implemented dedicated (array-like) view for Lists and Dictionaries http://download-codeplex.sec.s-msft.com/Download?ProjectName=csscriptnpp&DownloadId=846498ClosedXML - The easy way to OpenXML: ClosedXML 0.70.0: A lot of fixes. See history.SFDL.NET: SFDL.NET (2.2.9.2): Changelog: Neues Icon Xup.in CnL Plugin BugfixSEToolbox: SEToolbox 01.030.008 Release 1: Fixed cube editor failing to apply color to cubes. Added to cube editor, replace cube dialog, and Build Percent dialog. Corrected for hidden asteroid ore, allowing rare ore to show when importing an asteroid, or converting a 3d model to an asteroid (still appears to be limitations on rare ore in small asteroids). Allowed ore selection to Asteroid file import. (Can copy/import and convert existing asteroid to another ore). Added progress bars to common long running operations. Fixed ...Better Robocopy GUI: Command Line GUI for Robocopy: Better Robocopy GUI had become the primary plugin in Command Line GUI built on .NET 4Mini SQL Query: Mini SQL Query (1.0.71.456): Minor fixes and template corrections.HMS_TEST: ??1: ?? ???????TFS Planning and Disaster Recovery Avoidance Guide: v1.4.BETA - TFS, DR and Azure IaaS Planning Guides: Welcome to the TFS Planning and DR Avoidance Guidance What is new? A new crisper, more compact style, which is easier to consume on multiple devices without sacrificing any content. Also included are the new TFS on Azure IaaS guide and supplementary guides. Note Capacity planning workbook and posters are included in the Everything Zip package. Quality-Bar Detail Documentation has been reviewed by Visual Studio ALM Rangers Documentation has been through an independent technical review ...CRM Web API Lead Capture Example: CRM Web API Lead Capture Example: Sample Visual Studio 2013 project that provides an example of how you could use Web API and Microsoft Azure (could be deployed anywhere) to capture simple HTML form data into Dynamics CRM without directly having to integrate a .NET component.MB Tools: MDT Monitor Tool v1.4: This tool is used to connect to an MDT 2013 Monitor Webservice. The purpose is to provide an alternative to the MDT Deployment Workbench. Update: New in v1.4: Fixed bug where Dart Remote Viewer didnt work Option to show client local time instead of UTC, edit config.xml to enable/disable New in v1.2: Fixed Dart Remote Viewer not connection to full ip Issue: 1222 New in v1.1: Added timers for autorefresh of webservice info Added some better errorchecking and cleaned up the code a bit ...Bob The Simple Text Game: Bob The Simple Text Game: Bob The Simple Text GameWinAudit: WinAudit Freeware v3.0: WinAudit.exe v3.0 MD5: 88750CCF49FF7418199B2645755830FA Known Issues: 1. Report creation can be very slow when right-to-left (Hebrew) characters are present. 2. Emsisoft Anti-Malware may stop and/or quarantine WinAudit. This happens when WinAudit attempts to obtain a list if running programmes. You will need to set an exception rule in Emsisoft to allow WinAudit to run.crashme: crashme source tarball 2.7: Updated for 64-bit Linux environments with a system call to change the default no-execute-data protection. This tarball is equivalent to committed source revision 108727LUA for Windows CE: LUA 5.2.3 for Windows CE 5.0 (ARMV4I): LUA for Windows CE This is a preliminary porting of the latest LUA release (5.2.3) to the Windows CE platform. Command-line compiler, interpreter, dynamic-link-library, and import-library (both static and dynamic stubs) are provided as a binary release. In this release, the Windows CE compatibility CRT static library has been added, in order to embed statically the LUA interpreter. Moreover, the include files are present in the distribution archive, too.Jquery Dirty Flag: Beta Version 1.0: Simple Way to Manage Dirty Flag @ Client SideProView: ProView-2: Added a new short-cut key: Ctrl+D copies the value from the above cell to the current cell. The key combination Shift+NumPadMinus makes an underscore character Fixed a bug during renaming that displayed the message "The file is in use by another process" The spread sheet can now be customized with a highlighting row color for the currently displayed image.TerraMap (Terraria World Map Viewer): TerraMap 1.0.4: Added support for the new Terraria v1.2.4 update. New items, walls, and tiles Fixed Issue 35206: Hightlight/Find doesn't work for Demon Altars Fixed finding Demon Hearts/Shadow Orbs Added ability to find Enchanted Swords (in the stone) and Water Bolt books Fixed installer not uninstalling older versions The setup file will make sure .NET 4 is installed, install TerraMap, create desktop and start menu shortcuts, add a .wld file association, and launch TerraMap. If you prefer the zip ...WPF Localization Extension: v2.2.1: Issue #9277 Issue #9292 Issue #9311 Issue #9312 Issue #9313 Issue #9314CtrlAltStudio Viewer: CtrlAltStudio Viewer 1.2.1.41167 Release: This release of the CtrlAltStudio Viewer includes the following significant features: Oculus Rift support. Stereoscopic 3D display support. Variable walking / flying speed. Xbox 360 Controller support. Kinect for Windows support. Based on Firestorm viewer 4.6.5 codebase. For more details, see the release notes linked to below. Release notes: http://ctrlaltstudio.com/viewer/release-notes/1-2-1-41167-release Support info: http://ctrlaltstudio.com/viewer/support Privacy policy: http:/...New Projects.NET Development Library: .NET Development LibraryBizTalk Flow Visualizer: This tool has been designed to help BizTalk developers and administrators visualize the flow of messages through their implementation of BizTalk Server.BlackSwan: Provides tools for value investingCamel Case Parser: Simple method with unit tests for splitting an up or down camel cased word into the words that comprise it.eukota_sandbox: really just a repository for practicing with some students i mentor.Hyperlapse: Software repository for Hyperlapse, a Universal Store App for Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1, National Level entry in code.fun.do hackathon by Microsoft.Informiamoci Partecipando: Progetto presentato al #code4italyKipLink: MVC5 Web Api 2 EF DB First Oracle 11g Custom MembershipMatAcademyPlayground: MatAcademy 2014 playgroundOgCRM: Proyecto OgCRMPowerSYDI: This is an re-engineering of SYDI vbscript created by Patrick Ogenstad in PowerShell. SharpLightReporting: SharpLightReporting is a reporting system for .Net developers, based on open source SpreadsheetLight excel/spreadsheet automation system. T4 Template to pre-generate views for Entity Framework 5.0, .NET 4.5: T4 Template to pre-generate views for Entity Framework 6.0, .NET 4.5Task Board: Simple TaskboardWentex OS: Wentex das kostenfrei Betriebssystem für alleWinldTunnel - VIPBrowserProject: NoneWintcy: Wintcy's only function is to disable taskbar transparency that Microsoft for some reason has left in Windows 8.????????-????????【??】????????????: ????????????????????????,??????????,????,????,?????????、??????,??????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ???????????,?????????????? ??。????????、????、????、?????????? ???????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ???????????????????????:????、????、??????????????,????????。????????! ??????-【??】??????????: ???????????????????,????,????,????,???????,?????,?????.??????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????????????????????????:???????,??????,????,????,????,?????！ ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????????,??,??,??,??? ?,??,,??,??,??,??,??,??,????????,??????！ ??????-??????【??】??????????: ?????????????????,?????????????。????????????,???????,???????,?????,?????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ???????????? ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ??????? ?????，????????????????. ??????-??????【??】??????????: ???????????、????、????、??????、????、????????,????????、?????????,?????。 ???????-???????【??】???????????: ?????????????????????,??????????,????????、????,??????????,??????????。 ???????-???????【??】???????????: ???????????????????、????,??100%????,??????,????????????,???????????! ???????-???????【??】???????????: ?????????,??????:?????,?????,??????,??????????,????????。????????! ??????-??????【??】??????????: ???????【.????.????.????.????.】??【??】:、??、??、??、??、??、??、??、??、??、??、?????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ??????????????????,????,??.??.??.??.??.??.??.???，????，???????! ??????-??????【??】??????????: ??????????????????、????、??????、????????,????????????,???????????！ ??????-??????【??】??????????: ?????????????????,???????????????。???????????,??????:????、????、???????！ ??????-??????【??】??????????: ?????????????????????,????,????,??????????。???????????????,??,??,??????????,??????... ??????-??????【??】??????????: ??????????????,?????????????,????,?????????,?????????????,?????,?????! ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????????????，???????、???????????，????????、????、????、??????、????????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????????????、?????,????????????????????,????,????,??????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ?????????????:??????、????、????、????、????、??????、??????，???????! ??????-??????【??】??????????: ???????????? ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ??????? ?????，????????????????. ??????-??????【??】??????????: ???????????????:?????? ???? ??????,???????,??????,???????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????????,????,??????????? ???? ???? ?????????,???,??,?????! ??????-??????【??】??????????: ???????????,????,????,??????,????“????、????、????、????”????????,??????. ??????-??????【??】??????????: ???????????、????、????、??????、????、????????,????????、?????????,?????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ?????????????????,?????????????。????????????,???????,???????,?????,?????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ?????????????????????????????、????、????、???????????,????,????! ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????????????6?,???????????????????????????,??????????????,?????????！ ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????????????8?，????????,????????,??????????,?????,????? ,????????! ??????-??????【??】??????????: ?????????????????,??????????????、???????、???????、???????、?????！ ??????-??????【??】??????????: ??????????????????????????,???????????,????????,?????????????????????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????????????????,????????????????,????????????????,??????！ ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????????,????,??????????? ???? ???? ?????????,???,??,?????! ??????-??????【??】??????????: ???????????????????????????,???????????????????????,???????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????????????:?????? ???? ??????,???????,??????,???????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ?????????、???、??、??????????????????????????????,????????????????! ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????????????????,????????:??、??、???,?????????????????????! ??????-??????【??】??????????: ?????????????,?????,???????????,???????,????,????,????,?????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ???????????????,????,???????、???????????,???????????,????,?????,???????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ??????????????????,???????????,??????????????,??????????，??????????????！ ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????????????,?????????????? ??。??????????、????、????、?????????? ???????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????????,??????????、??????,??????????、????、????、???????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ?????????????、??????????????????,????????,?????,??????,????,????,????! ??????-??????【??】??????????: ??????????????????????,????????,??????????,?????,????? ,????????! ??????-??????【??】??????????: ??????????,????????,?????,???,???????????,???????????,?????,??????！ ??????-??????【??】??????????: ??????????,??????????????????????,???????????????,?????????????！ ??????-??????【??】??????????: ?????????????????????，?????????/?,,???????????,??????????????! ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????????????,?????????、??、??、????,??????????,?????????????！ ??????-??????【??】??????????: ???????????、????、????、??????????,???,?????,???????????????. ??????-??????【??】??????????: ??????????????????????,?????, ... ????????????,????,????,?????,???????。

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• Refactoring Part 1 : Intuitive Investments

  - by Wes McClure

  Fear, it’s what turns maintaining applications into a nightmare.  Technology moves on, teams move on, someone is left to operate the application, what was green is now perceived brown.  Eventually the business will evolve and changes will need to be made.  The approach to those changes often dictates the long term viability of the application.  Fear of change, lack of passion and a lack of interest in understanding the domain often leads to a paranoia to do anything that doesn’t involve duct tape and bailing twine.  Don’t get me wrong, those have a place in the short term viability of a project but they don’t have a place in the long term.  Add to it “us versus them” in regards to the original team and those that maintain it, internal politics and other factors and you have a recipe for disaster.  This results in code that quickly becomes unmanageable.  Even the most clever of designs will eventually become sub optimal and debt will amount that exponentially makes changes difficult.  This is where refactoring comes in, and it’s something I’m very passionate about.  Refactoring is about improving the process whereby we make change, it’s an exponential investment in the process of change. Without it we will incur exponential complexity that halts productivity. Investments, especially in the long term, require intuition and reflection.  How can we tackle new development effectively via evolving the original design and paying off debt that has been incurred? The longer we wait to ask and answer this question, the more it will cost us.  Small requests don’t warrant big changes, but realizing when changes now will pay off in the long term, and especially in the short term, is valuable. I have done my fair share of maintaining applications and continuously refactoring as needed, but recently I’ve begun work on a project that hasn’t had much debt, if any, paid down in years.  This is the first in a series of blog posts to try to capture the process which is largely driven by intuition of smaller refactorings from other projects. Signs that refactoring could help: Testability How can decreasing test time not pay dividends? One of the first things I found was that a very important piece often takes 30+ minutes to test.  I can only imagine how much time this has cost historically, but more importantly the time it might cost in the coming weeks: I estimate at least 10-20 hours per person!  This is simply unacceptable for almost any situation.  As it turns out, about 6 hours of working with this part of the application and I was able to cut the time down to under 30 seconds!  In less than the lost time of one week, I was able to fix the problem for all future weeks! If we can’t test fast then we can’t change fast, nor with confidence. Code is used by end users and it’s also used by developers, consider your own needs in terms of the code base.  Adding logic to enable/disable features during testing can help decouple parts of an application and lead to massive improvements.  What exactly is so wrong about test code in real code?  Often, these become features for operators and sometimes end users.  If you cannot run an integration test within a test runner in your IDE, it’s time to refactor. Readability Are variables named meaningfully via a ubiquitous language? Is the code segmented functionally or behaviorally so as to minimize the complexity of any one area? Are aspects properly segmented to avoid confusion (security, logging, transactions, translations, dependency management etc) Is the code declarative (what) or imperative (how)?  What matters, not how.  LINQ is a great abstraction of the what, not how, of collection manipulation.  The Reactive framework is a great example of the what, not how, of managing streams of data. Are constants abstracted and named, or are they just inline? Do people constantly bitch about the code/design? If the code is hard to understand, it will be hard to change with confidence.  It’s a large undertaking if the original designers didn’t pay much attention to readability and as such will never be done to “completion.”  Make sure not to go over board, instead use this as you change an application, not in lieu of changes (like with testability). Complexity Simplicity will never be achieved, it’s highly subjective.  That said, a lot of code can be significantly simplified, tidy it up as you go.  Refactoring will often converge upon a simplification step after enough time, keep an eye out for this. Understandability In the process of changing code, one often gains a better understanding of it.  Refactoring code is a good way to learn how it works.  However, it’s usually best in combination with other reasons, in effect killing two birds with one stone.  Often this is done when readability is poor, in which case understandability is usually poor as well.  In the large undertaking we are making with this legacy application, we will be replacing it.  Therefore, understanding all of its features is important and this refactoring technique will come in very handy. Unused code How can deleting things not help? This is a freebie in refactoring, it’s very easy to detect with modern tools, especially in statically typed languages.  We have VCS for a reason, if in doubt, delete it out (ok that was cheesy)! If you don’t know where to start when refactoring, this is an excellent starting point! Duplication Do not pray and sacrifice to the anti-duplication gods, there are excellent examples where consolidated code is a horrible idea, usually with divergent domains.  That said, mediocre developers live by copy/paste.  Other times features converge and aren’t combined.  Tools for finding similar code are great in the example of copy/paste problems.  Knowledge of the domain helps identify convergent concepts that often lead to convergent solutions and will give intuition for where to look for conceptual repetition. 80/20 and the Boy Scouts It’s often said that 80% of the time 20% of the application is used most.  These tend to be the parts that are changed.  There are also parts of the code where 80% of the time is spent changing 20% (probably for all the refactoring smells above).  I focus on these areas any time I make a change and follow the philosophy of the Boy Scout in cleaning up more than I messed up.  If I spend 2 hours changing an application, in the 20%, I’ll always spend at least 15 minutes cleaning it or nearby areas. This gives a huge productivity edge on developers that don’t. Ironically after a short period of time the 20% shrinks enough that we don’t have to spend 80% of our time there and can move on to other areas.   Refactoring is highly subjective, never attempt to refactor to completion!  Learn to be comfortable with leaving one part of the application in a better state than others.  It’s an evolution, not a revolution.  These are some simple areas to look into when making changes and can help get one started in the process.  I’ve often found that refactoring is a convergent process towards simplicity that sometimes spans a few hours but often can lead to massive simplifications over the timespan of weeks and months of regular development.

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• Probation is Over: PASS Board Year 1, Q2

  - by Denise McInerney

  Though it's not always official every job begins with a probation period. You start out with lots of questions and every day you find out how much more you have to learn. Usually after a few months you discover that you can actually answer some questions and have at least an idea of what you are supposed to be doing. Now at the end of my second quarter on the "job" of serving on the PASS Board I have reached that point. My probation period is over. The last three months were busy for the entire Board with the budget process, an in-person meeting and moving forward with PASS Global Growth plans. I had also set a specific goal for myself for my 2nd quarter: to see the Board to adopt a Code of Conduct for the PASS Summit. Code of Conduct When I ran for the Board I included my desire to see PASS establish a code of conduct in my campaign platform.  I was motivated to do this for a few reasons. Other technical conferences have had incidents of harassment. Most of these did not have a policy in place prior to having a problem, though several conference organizers have since adopted anti-harassment policies or codes of conduct. I felt it would be in PASS' interest to establish a policy so we would be prepared should there be an incident.   "This is Community" Adopting a code of conduct would reinforce our community orientation and send a message about the positive character of the Summit. PASS is a leader among technical organizations for its promotion and support of women. Adopting a code of conduct would further demonstrate our leadership in this area. After researching similar polices from other organizations I published a first draft in April. I solicited feedback from the Board, HQ staff and some PASS members. Incorporating that feedback I presented version 4 at the May Board meeting, where we had a good discussion. You can read the meeting minutes for details. I incorporated points from  the Board discussion as well as feedback from a legal review to produce a final version which has been submitted to the Board. It will be discussed at the Board meeting July 12. You can read the full text at the end of this post. Virtual Chapters In the first quarter we started ramping up marketing support for the Virtual Chapters. Since then each edition of the Connector has highlighted a different VC to help get out the message about the variety of eductional opporutnities that are offered. These VC profiles will continue in the coming months. I was very pleased to welcome the new DBA Fundamentals VC which is geared toward new DBAs, people who are considering entering the field and those transitioning from a different IT role. Thanks to the contributions of Erin Stellato, Michelle Nalliah and Karla Landrum we published a "Virtual Chapter Guidebook". This document includes great advice on how to build and promote a VC. It's also a reference for how things work, from budgets to webinar hosting. I think this document will be extremely valuable to all our VC leaders and am grateful to those who put it together. Board Meeting/SQL Rally The Board met in May in Dallas. Among the items discussed were Global Growth, the budget, future events and the upcoming elections. We covered a lot of ground in two days and I will again refer you to the meeting minutes for details. The meeting schedule allowed us to participate in the SQL Rally networking events and one full day of the conference. I enjoyed having the opportunity to meet and talk with many PASS members. And my hat is off to the SQL Rally organizers who put on an outstanding event. Global Growth PASS has undertaken a major intitiative to reach and engage SQL Server professionals around the world. This Global Growth plan is ambitious and will have a significant impact on the strategic direction of the organization. We have been reaching out to the community for feedback, including hosting Twitter chats and live Town Hall meetings. I co-hosted two of these events and appreciated hearing the different perspectives of the people who participated If you have not done so I encourage you to read about the Global Growth vision and proposed governance changes  and submit your feedback. FY13 Budget July 1 is the beginning of PASS' fiscal year, which makes the end of June the deadline for approving a budget. Each director submits a budget for his or her portfolio. For the Virtual Chapter portfolio I focused on how we can allocate resources to grow the VCs. Budgeting is a give-and-take process, and while I didn't get everything I asked for I'm pleased the FY13 budget includes a significant increase in financial support for the Virtual Chapters. Many people put a lot of work into the budget, but no two people deserve credit more than VP of Finance Douglas McDowell and Accounting Manager Sandy Cherry. Thanks to both of them for getting us across the goal line on time. SQL Saturday I attended SQL Saturdays in Orange Co. CA and Phoenix. It's always inspiring to see the enthusiasm in the community for learning and networking. These events are successful due to the hard work of many volunteers. Thanks to the organizers in both cities for all your efforts. Next Up This quarter we'll be gearing up plans for the VCs at the Summit and exploring ways the VCs can best support PASS' Global Growth work. I'll also be wrapping up work on the Code of Conduct and attending a Board meeting in September. And I will be at SQL Saturday #144 in Sacramento later this month. Here is the language of the Code of Conduct I have submitted to the Board for consideration: PASS Code of Conduct The PASS Summit provides database professionals from a variety of backgrounds with an opportunity to connect, share and learn.  We value the strong sense of community that characterizes this event and we seek to foster an inclusive, professional atmosphere. We are dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, religion or any other protected classification.  Everyone at the Summit is expected to follow the Code of Conduct. This includes but is not limited to: PASS Staff, Exhibitors, Speakers, Attendees and anyone affiliated with the event. Participants are expected to follow the Code of Conduct at all Summit events, including PASS-sponsored social events. Participant behavior Harassment includes, but is not limited to, offensive verbal comments related to gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, religion, or any other protected classification.  Intimidation, threats, stalking, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact and unwelcome attention will also be considered harassment. Similarly, sexual, racist, derogatory, threatening or other inappropriate language and imagery are not appropriate for any conference venue, including sessions.  Recourse If a participant engages in any conduct that is prohibited under this Code of Conduct, the conference organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expelling the offender from the conference. No refunds will be granted to attendees expelled from the Summit due to violations of the Code of Conduct. If you are being harassed, witness harassment, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of conference staff immediately. Conference staff can be identified by their “Headquarters/Staff” shirts and are trained to handle the situation appropriately. A Code of Conduct Committee (CCC) made up of the Executive Manager and three members of the Board of Directors designated by the President will be authorized to take action in response to an incident or behavior that violates the Code of Conduct.

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• CodePlex Daily Summary for Friday, May 16, 2014

  CodePlex Daily Summary for Friday, May 16, 2014Popular ReleasesTHN MVC Web Server: 2014 May 15 release: Added support for URL-encoded form data on HTTP Post.Mini SQL Query: Mini SQL Query (1.0.71.456): Minor fixes and template corrections.THN Web Server: 2014 May 15 Release: Added support for URL-encoded form data on POST.THN HTTP Stack: 2014 May 15 Release: Added support for URL-encoded form data on POSTQuickMon: Version 3.10: Adding the ability to see 'history' of Collector states (including details of errors or warnings at that time). The history size is configurable (default is switched off) and the Windows Service completely ignores keeping history (no UI or user to access it anyway). The Collector stats window now displays this history plus multiple collector stats windows can be opened at the same time. Additionally fixed a bug in the event log collector that reported an 'Error' state when an 'out of bounds' ...TFS Planning and Disaster Recovery Avoidance Guide: v1.4.BETA - TFS, DR and Azure IaaS Planning Guides: Welcome to the TFS Planning and DR Avoidance Guidance What is new? A new crisper, more compact style, which is easier to consume on multiple devices without sacrificing any content. Also included are the new TFS on Azure IaaS guide and supplementary guides. Note Capacity planning workbook and posters are included in the Everything Zip package. Quality-Bar Detail Documentation has been reviewed by Visual Studio ALM Rangers Documentation has been through an independent technical review ...WinAudit: WinAudit Freeware v3.0: WinAudit.exe v3.0 MD5: 88750CCF49FF7418199B2645755830FA Known Issues: 1. Report creation can be very slow when right-to-left (Hebrew) characters are present. 2. Emsisoft Anti-Malware may stop and/or quarantine WinAudit. This happens when WinAudit attempts to obtain a list if running programmes. You will need to set an exception rule in Emsisoft to allow WinAudit to run.Aspose for Sitefinity: Sitefinity Export to Microsoft Word and PDF: Aspose Sitefinity Content Export Add-on allow users to export online content into Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat PDF document using Aspose.Words. This Add-on makes it very simple and easy to have an offline copy of your favorite online content for editing, sharing and printing etc. in popular Microsoft Word Doc/Docx or PDF format. It adds simple Export to Word and Export to Pdf buttons at any desired location on the page and clicking the button dynamically exports the content of the page int...MVCwCMS - ASP.NET MVC CMS: MVCwCMS 2.2.2: Updated CKFinder config. For the installation instructions visit the documentation page: https://mvcwcms.codeplex.com/documentationTerraMap (Terraria World Map Viewer): TerraMap 1.0.4: Added support for the new Terraria v1.2.4 update. New items, walls, and tiles Fixed Issue 35206: Hightlight/Find doesn't work for Demon Altars Fixed finding Demon Hearts/Shadow Orbs Added ability to find Enchanted Swords (in the stone) and Water Bolt books Fixed installer not uninstalling older versions The setup file will make sure .NET 4 is installed, install TerraMap, create desktop and start menu shortcuts, add a .wld file association, and launch TerraMap. If you prefer the zip ...WPF Localization Extension: v2.2.1: Issue #9277 Issue #9292 Issue #9311 Issue #9312 Issue #9313 Issue #9314CtrlAltStudio Viewer: CtrlAltStudio Viewer 1.2.1.41167 Release: This release of the CtrlAltStudio Viewer includes the following significant features: Oculus Rift support. Stereoscopic 3D display support. Variable walking / flying speed. Xbox 360 Controller support. Kinect for Windows support. Based on Firestorm viewer 4.6.5 codebase. For more details, see the release notes linked to below. Release notes: http://ctrlaltstudio.com/viewer/release-notes/1-2-1-41167-release Support info: http://ctrlaltstudio.com/viewer/support Privacy policy: http:/...Grade Calculator For BTEC First Diploma in IT level 2: Grade Calculator For BTEC First Diploma in IT: Grade Calculator For BTEC First Diploma in IT level 2Spaghetti CMS: Version 1.50: New: Backend with new design, bootstrap integration New: Patch function for assigning themes, master page files to pages New: Wysiwyg editor (possible to link css file against editor) and filemanager New: Support time triggered content New: Edit css, js, skin, master file within the CMS New: Dynamically add controls to the CMS New: Change password for an user (usermanagement) New: Localize CMS In the near future we will open our new website for documentation and demo. http://...ExtJS based ASP.NET Controls: FineUI v4.0.6: FineUI（???） ?? ExtJS ??? ASP.NET ??? FineUI??? ?? No JavaScript，No CSS，No UpdatePanel，No ViewState，No WebServices ??????? ?????? IE 8.0+、Chrome、Firefox、Opera、Safari ???? Apache License v2.0 ?：ExtJS ?? GPL v3 ?????(http://www.sencha.com/license) ???? ??：http://fineui.com/ ??：http://fineui.com/bbs/ ??：http://fineui.com/demo/ ??：http://fineui.com/doc/ ??：http://fineui.codeplex.com/ FineUI ???? ExtJS ????????，???? ExtJS ?，?????： 1. ????? FineUI ? ExtJS ? http://fineui.com/bbs/forum.ph...Office App Model Samples: Office App Model Samples v2.0: Office App Model Samples v2.0Readable Passphrase Generator: KeePass Plugin 0.13.0: Version 0.13.0 Added "mutators" which add uppercase and numbers to passphrases (to help complying with upper, lower, number complexity rules). Additional API methods which help consuming the generator from 3rd party c# projects. 13,160 words in the default dictionary (~600 more than previous release).CS-Script for Notepad++ (C# intellisense and code execution): Release v1.0.25.0: Release v1.0.25.0 MemberInfo/MethodInfo popup is now positioned properly to fit the screen In MethodInfo popup method signatures are word-wrapped Implemented Debug text value visualizer Pining sub-values from Watch PanelR.NET: R.NET 1.5.12: R.NET 1.5.12 is a beta release towards R.NET 1.6. You are encouraged to use 1.5.12 now and give feedback. See the documentation for setup and usage instructions. Main changes for R.NET 1.5.12: The C stack limit was not disabled on Windows. For reasons possibly peculiar to R, this means that non-concurrent access to R from multiple threads was not stable. This is now fixed, with the fix validated with a unit test. Thanks to Odugen, skyguy94, and previously others (evolvedmicrobe, tomasp) fo...SEToolbox: SEToolbox 01.029.006 Release 1: Fix to allow keyboard search on load dialog. (type the first few letters of your save) Fixed check for new release. Changed the way ship details are loaded to alleviate load time for worlds with very large ships (100,000+ blocks). Fixed Image importer, was incorrectly listing 'Asteroid' as import option. Minor changes to menus (text and appearance) for clarity and OS consistency. Added in reading of world palette for color dialog editor. WIP on subsystem editor. Can now multiselec...New ProjectsAmqp.Net Lite: AMQP.Net Lite is a lightweight AMQP client library for use on a broad range of .Net Framework platforms, including .Net Micro Framework, .Net Compact.Aspose for JetBrains: Aspose for NetBeans allows developers to create an Aspose project through a wizard.Connecting Social Media with Sharepoint: Interaction with Twitter and Face book in sharepoint webparteNom DynamicDNS Updater: eNom Dynamic DNS updater client for your dns nameserver hosting with eNomFree Send SMS Software: send SMS from Desktop to Mobifone. Source Data is a Excel file, you can merge you data into SMS content. So each phone number will reveive a SMS with their infohareta_spc_wm: summaryIT eBooks API Info Library: Library to abstract the use of the IT-eBooks API Info.Library Management Mz: This project is aimed to help a librarian manage its daily tasks of book issues and returns etc. This project will make a library fast paced and efficient.PC/SC Tracker: A multi-platform graphical tool to track smart cards states and events.ProjectQLSVTTHH: haizaaaaREST Client: Use this for all your REST development/inspecting needs. Supports Basic authentication. Supports Query string parameters.SymDiff: A Platform for Differential Program Verification: SymDiff (aka Symbolic Differencing) is an infrastructure for leveraging and extending program verification to reason about relationship between two programs. TerminalNowhereplaceGrupo1: Terminal.Ticket to Ride Track Scorer: An HTML- and JavaScript-based track scoring UI for the Ticket to Ride board game.tihai: tihai project support web practise for working betterVerificador Vales 3: DESARROLLADO PARA AUTES 2014????-????【??】????????: ??????????????????,????????????,?????、??、????,?????,??????！ ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????!???????????,??????,????,?????????????,????????,??????,????,?????... ??????-??????【??】??????????: ???????????,??????????????????????:???????,??????,????,????,????,????,????,???????！ ????-????【??】????????: ????????!???????????,??????,????,?????????????,????????,??????,????,?????... ?????-?????【??】?????????: ??????????????,??????????????,???????????,??????,????,??????,??????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ??????????????????,???、???!???????,????????????????,????????????,???! ????-????【??】????????: ??????????????,?????????????? ??。??????????、????、????、?????????? ???????。 ?????-?????【??】?????????: ????????????、?????、?????、?????、?????、????,???????????,?????,??????！ ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????????????,??????????????????????:???????,??????,????,????,????,????,????,???????！ ????-????【??】????????: ??????????????,??????????????,???????????,??????,????,??????,??????。 ?????-?????【??】?????????: ????????????????,?????????????。?????????,???????,???????,?????????????。 ?????-?????【??】?????????: ??????????????,????,???????、???????????,???????????,????,?????,???????。

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• Yahoo is sending our server's transactional email to the Spam folder, even though we have set up SPF and DKIM

  - by Derrick Miller

  Yahoo Mail is sending our server's transactional emails to the Spam folder, even though we have taken quite a few anti-spam steps. By contrast, Gmail allows the messages through to the inbox just fine. Here are the things which are in place: SPF is set up for the domain holsteinplaza.com. Yahoo reports spf=pass in the message headers. DKIM is set up for the domain holsteinplaza.com. Yahoo reports dkim=pass in the message headers. We have a proper reverse DNS entry for the sending mail server. Name - IP matches IP - Name. Neither Domainkeys nor SenderID are set up. From what I can tell, DKIM is the way of the future, and there is not much to be gained from adding Domainkeys or SenderID. Following are the headers. Any ideas what more I should do to get Yahoo to stop flagging the emails as spam? From Holstein Plaza Auctions Sat Jun 25 18:30:08 2011 X-Apparently-To: [email protected] via 98.138.90.132; Sat, 25 Jun 2011 18:30:11 -0700 Return-Path: <[email protected]> X-YahooFilteredBulk: 70.32.113.42 Received-SPF: pass (domain of holsteinplaza.com designates 70.32.113.42 as permitted sender) X-YMailISG: i_vaA_QWLDuLOmXhDjUv3aBKJl5Un6EiP6Yk2m4yn3jeEuYK MkhpqIt9zDUbHARCwXrhl9pqjTANurGVca7gytSs.mryWVQcbWBx.DaItWRb VcyrIzwMzXKCSeu06H2a.cJ7HG5vJLJaKmHUUI_1ttXKn_Aegiu5yHvFX83R Lpth0witO9zfaKvOMaJV3LAxpIpFOydwvq1cqjZ8nURxQbxM3Cl.QW7MxxrC 09qLVn_D_xSdU94QdU22IsVmlaRHv.uU5dnIazu.KSkhKpYykDoZA2SH0SY4 JmTZj3LP8N926xXVDzYQ5K6QvKuJL5g0d9pYZx3KC59sgIu5oHlJ3Q15RdKb f3OJw0PR6oIyJ2yStVr8vfbDgOfj3qig03.Tw6g6MMNpv1G7Cuol4oJeUaYP xELxX6dHgBgCSuWMcbsrxbK4BIXcS2qhpMqYQ4Isk.XXyA8uvmFXyvgc1ds5 8jo0rW.Wsw.55Z.KTPaQ0gHXj0T3OGppYMELSJv1iuhPyyAnZpmq01CU0Qd5 CcRgdyW3HaqhmpXqJCS0Clo16zXA4HmAjR0tgIQrHRLc3D9N02AOzvmDgCb1 vCh0p00QeKVq8UNkcShPRxZFKi9khtkLhPBlXEKkhJ76zyDmHUxTY.dQHVVD 8D2hx7BxbqI9DINI8x5oR5Q8hYkZqHYQsmGNkaU77O2BnsEv5WxMEmzrBJ4Z h8zGCidgYPiZycZfnfaBp0Xb4tya2WMTN45W02JFcO1qq_UMJ9xPeqZhPEj. j9YvBAC8324GGF.c8eWcNB2VB34QHgTcVUl3.c0XUCuncls9Cyg4L7AoIdCi HvAklSzDDu9nW6732VEipV9FJ_JkDupDNQU2hfiPG.3OeF8GwTnVYnEn0EiZ aO0NCnZhXuLDcN3K7ml3846yRdASvzPFs9s4aJkzR0FkhVvptiMBEOdRkKdG wHWmvWpK4GTZpW4yU7CnKpW2MiWWn1MP0h_CCZFKs5.3mfmfPjPVIABN_RuU Q8ex5hdKnKlQiqK56LzcPRnYmNtrwdsUX9CYn9d6cPpXR_Bi5jrNJMNzdFvq lGO0CBT4QPe2V45U8PtpMitttuDA1cCvmyBPFswxNlL0jyX0a_W.vl0YW5.d HhDItpHhDxKRUscM28IR.exetq4QCzyM X-Originating-IP: [70.32.113.42] Authentication-Results: mta1267.mail.ac4.yahoo.com from=holsteinplaza.com; domainkeys=neutral (no sig); from=holsteinplaza.com; dkim=pass (ok) Received: from 127.0.0.1 (EHLO predator.axis80.com) (70.32.113.42) by mta1267.mail.ac4.yahoo.com with SMTP; Sat, 25 Jun 2011 18:30:11 -0700 Received: (qmail 1440 invoked by uid 48); 25 Jun 2011 21:30:09 -0400 To: [email protected] Subject: this is a test X-PHPMAILER-DKIM: phpmailer.worxware.com DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha1; q=dns/txt; l=203; s=auction; t=1309051808; c=relaxed/simple; h=From:To:Subject; d=holsteinplaza.com; [email protected]; z=From:=20Holstein=20Plaza=20Auctions=20<[email protected]> |To:[email protected] |Subject:=20this=20is=20a=20test; bh=B3Tw5AQb1va627KEoazuFEBZ0fg=; b=oQ5uFq+oekPTGhszyIritjuuIAi3qPNyeitu+aWMhdx3oC6O2j5hJsDFpK0sS5fms7QdnBkBcEzT0iekEvn9EfAdCkGZ2KrtEC0yv7QKQcrjXxy07GJpj9nq0LYbgOuPdw8mGvKxlRZ+jFBX0DRJm0xXFLkr+MEaILw7adHTCCM= Date: Sat, 25 Jun 2011 21:30:08 -0400 From: Holstein Plaza Auctions <[email protected]> Reply-to: Holstein Plaza Auctions <[email protected]> Message-ID: <[email protected]> X-Priority: 3 X-Mailer: PHPMailer 5.1 (phpmailer.sourceforge.net) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Length: 195

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• First PC Build (Part 1)

  - by Anthony Trudeau

  Originally posted on: http://geekswithblogs.net/tonyt/archive/2014/08/05/157959.aspxA couple of months ago I made the decision to build myself a new computer. The intended use is gaming and for using the last real version of Photoshop. I was motivated by the poor state of console gaming and a simple desire to do something I haven’t done before – build a PC from the ground up. I’ve been using PCs for more than two decades. I’ve replaced a component hear and there, but for the last 10 years or so I’ve only used laptops. Therefore, this article will be written from the perspective of someone familiar with PCs, but completely new at building. I’m not an expert and this is not a definitive guide for building a PC, but I do hope that it encourages you to try it yourself. Component List Research There was a lot of research necessary, because building a PC is completely new to me, and I haven’t kept up with what’s out there. The first thing you want to do is nail down what your goals are. Your goals are going to be driven by what you want to do with your computer and personal choice. Don’t neglect the second one, because if you’re doing this for fun you want to get what you want. In my case, I focused on three things: performance, longevity, and aesthetics. The performance aspect is important for gaming and Photoshop. This will drive what components you get. For example, heavy gaming use is going to drive your choice of graphics card. Longevity is relevant to me, because I don’t want to be changing things out anytime soon for the next hot game. The consequence of performance and longevity is cost. Finally, aesthetics was my next consideration. I could have just built a box, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as fun for me. Aesthetics might not be important to you. They are for me. I also like gadgets and that played into at least one purchase for this build. I used PC Part Picker to put together my component list. I found it invaluable during the process and I’d recommend it to everyone. One caveat is that I wouldn’t trust the compatibility aspects. It does a pretty good job of not steering you wrong, but do your own research. The rest of it isn’t really sexy. I started out with what appealed to me and then I made changes and additions as I dived deep into researching each component and interaction I could find. The resources I used are innumerable. I used reviews, product descriptions, forum posts (praises and problems), et al. to assist me. I also asked friends into gaming what they thought about my component list. And when I got near the end I posted my list to the Reddit /r/buildapc forum. I cannot stress the value of extra sets of eyeballs and first hand experiences. Some of the resources I used: PC Part Picker Tom’s Hardware bit-tech Reddit Purchase PC Part Picker favors certain vendors. You should look at others too. In my case I found their favorites to be the best. My priorities were out-the-door price and shipping time. I knew that once I started getting parts I’d want to start building. Luckily, I timed it well and everything arrived within the span of a few days. Here are my opinions on the vendors I ended up using in alphabetical order. Amazon.com is a good, reliable choice. They have excellent customer service in my experience, and I knew I wouldn’t have trouble with them. However, shipping time is often a problem when you use their free shipping unless you order expensive items (I’ve found items over $100 ship quickly). Ultimately though, price wasn’t always the best and their collection of sales tax in my state turned me off them. I did purchase my case from them. I ordered the mouse as well, but I cancelled after it was stuck four days in a “shipping soon” state. I purchased the mouse locally. Best Buy is not my favorite place to do business. There’s a lot of history with poor, uninterested sales representatives and they used to have a lot of bad anti-consumer policies. That’s a lot better now, but the bad taste is still in my mouth. I ended up purchasing the accessories from them including mouse (locally) and headphones. NCIX is a company that I’ve never heard of before. It popped up as a recommendation for my CPU cooler on PC Part Picker. I didn’t do a lot of research on the company, because their policy on you buying insurance for your orders turned me off. That policy makes it clear to me that the company finds me responsible for the shipment once it leaves their dock. That’s not right, and may run afoul of state laws. Regardless they shipped my CPU cooler quickly and I didn’t have a problem. NewEgg.com is a well known company. I had never done business with them, but I’m glad I did. They shipped quickly and provided good visibility over everything. The prices were also the best in most cases. My main complaint is that they have a lot of exchange only return policies on components. To their credit those policies are listed in the cart underneath each item. The visibility tells me that they’re not playing any shenanigans and made me comfortable dealing with that risk. The vast majority of what I ordered came from them. Coming Next In the next part I’ll tackle my build experience.

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• CodePlex Daily Summary for Saturday, May 17, 2014

  CodePlex Daily Summary for Saturday, May 17, 2014Popular ReleasesSEToolbox: SEToolbox 01.030.008 Release 1: Fixed cube editor failing to apply color to cubes. Added to cube editor, replace cube dialog, and Build Percent dialog. Corrected for hidden asteroid ore, allowing rare ore to show when importing an asteroid, or converting a 3d model to an asteroid (still appears to be limitations on rare ore in small asteroids). Allowed ore selection to Asteroid file import. (Can copy/import and convert existing asteroid to another ore). Added progress bars to common long running operations. Fixed ...Better Robocopy GUI: Command Line GUI for Robocopy: Better Robocopy GUI had become the primary plugin in Command Line GUI built on .NET 4CTI Text Encryption: CTI Text Encryption 5.3: Change Log: - Remove read only behavior of text area of encrypted text. - Minor UI functionality update.Mini SQL Query: Mini SQL Query (1.0.71.456): Minor fixes and template corrections.QuickMon: Version 3.10: Adding the ability to see 'history' of Collector states (including details of errors or warnings at that time). The history size is configurable (default is switched off) and the Windows Service completely ignores keeping history (no UI or user to access it anyway). The Collector stats window now displays this history plus multiple collector stats windows can be opened at the same time. Additionally fixed a bug in the event log collector that reported an 'Error' state when an 'out of bounds' ...TFS Planning and Disaster Recovery Avoidance Guide: v1.4.BETA - TFS, DR and Azure IaaS Planning Guides: Welcome to the TFS Planning and DR Avoidance Guidance What is new? A new crisper, more compact style, which is easier to consume on multiple devices without sacrificing any content. Also included are the new TFS on Azure IaaS guide and supplementary guides. Note Capacity planning workbook and posters are included in the Everything Zip package. Quality-Bar Detail Documentation has been reviewed by Visual Studio ALM Rangers Documentation has been through an independent technical review ...WinAudit: WinAudit Freeware v3.0: WinAudit.exe v3.0 MD5: 88750CCF49FF7418199B2645755830FA Known Issues: 1. Report creation can be very slow when right-to-left (Hebrew) characters are present. 2. Emsisoft Anti-Malware may stop and/or quarantine WinAudit. This happens when WinAudit attempts to obtain a list if running programmes. You will need to set an exception rule in Emsisoft to allow WinAudit to run.Aspose for Sitefinity: Sitefinity Export to Microsoft Word and PDF: Aspose Sitefinity Content Export Add-on allow users to export online content into Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat PDF document using Aspose.Words. This Add-on makes it very simple and easy to have an offline copy of your favorite online content for editing, sharing and printing etc. in popular Microsoft Word Doc/Docx or PDF format. It adds simple Export to Word and Export to Pdf buttons at any desired location on the page and clicking the button dynamically exports the content of the page int...MVCwCMS - ASP.NET MVC CMS: MVCwCMS 2.2.2: Updated CKFinder config. For the installation instructions visit the documentation page: https://mvcwcms.codeplex.com/documentationTerraMap (Terraria World Map Viewer): TerraMap 1.0.4: Added support for the new Terraria v1.2.4 update. New items, walls, and tiles Fixed Issue 35206: Hightlight/Find doesn't work for Demon Altars Fixed finding Demon Hearts/Shadow Orbs Added ability to find Enchanted Swords (in the stone) and Water Bolt books Fixed installer not uninstalling older versions The setup file will make sure .NET 4 is installed, install TerraMap, create desktop and start menu shortcuts, add a .wld file association, and launch TerraMap. If you prefer the zip ...WPF Localization Extension: v2.2.1: Issue #9277 Issue #9292 Issue #9311 Issue #9312 Issue #9313 Issue #9314CtrlAltStudio Viewer: CtrlAltStudio Viewer 1.2.1.41167 Release: This release of the CtrlAltStudio Viewer includes the following significant features: Oculus Rift support. Stereoscopic 3D display support. Variable walking / flying speed. Xbox 360 Controller support. Kinect for Windows support. Based on Firestorm viewer 4.6.5 codebase. For more details, see the release notes linked to below. Release notes: http://ctrlaltstudio.com/viewer/release-notes/1-2-1-41167-release Support info: http://ctrlaltstudio.com/viewer/support Privacy policy: http:/...ParserIO: ParserIO v1.0.0.3: Fixed some bug about AIM Symbology IDSSIS SFTP Task Control Flow Component: SSIS SFTP v2 for SQL Server 2012: Please report you to the Documentation page for installation instructions.Grade Calculator For BTEC First Diploma in IT level 2: Grade Calculator For BTEC First Diploma in IT: Grade Calculator For BTEC First Diploma in IT level 2Spaghetti CMS: Version 1.50: New: Backend with new design, bootstrap integration New: Patch function for assigning themes, master page files to pages New: Wysiwyg editor (possible to link css file against editor) and filemanager New: Support time triggered content New: Edit css, js, skin, master file within the CMS New: Dynamically add controls to the CMS New: Change password for an user (usermanagement) New: Localize CMS In the near future we will open our new website for documentation and demo. http://...ExtJS based ASP.NET Controls: FineUI v4.0.6: FineUI（???） ?? ExtJS ??? ASP.NET ??? FineUI??? ?? No JavaScript，No CSS，No UpdatePanel，No ViewState，No WebServices ??????? ?????? IE 8.0+、Chrome、Firefox、Opera、Safari ???? Apache License v2.0 ?：ExtJS ?? GPL v3 ?????(http://www.sencha.com/license) ???? ??：http://fineui.com/ ??：http://fineui.com/bbs/ ??：http://fineui.com/demo/ ??：http://fineui.com/doc/ ??：http://fineui.codeplex.com/ FineUI ???? ExtJS ????????，???? ExtJS ?，?????： 1. ????? FineUI ? ExtJS ? http://fineui.com/bbs/forum.ph...Office App Model Samples: Office App Model Samples v2.0: Office App Model Samples v2.0Readable Passphrase Generator: KeePass Plugin 0.13.0: Version 0.13.0 Added "mutators" which add uppercase and numbers to passphrases (to help complying with upper, lower, number complexity rules). Additional API methods which help consuming the generator from 3rd party c# projects. 13,160 words in the default dictionary (~600 more than previous release).CS-Script for Notepad++ (C# intellisense and code execution): Release v1.0.25.0: Release v1.0.25.0 MemberInfo/MethodInfo popup is now positioned properly to fit the screen In MethodInfo popup method signatures are word-wrapped Implemented Debug text value visualizer Pining sub-values from Watch PanelNew ProjectsAllowing Multiple Attachments for SharePoint 2013 Custom Lists: This code supports basic upload multiple attachments to Custom List item and should be able to attach the existing file name override.Azure File Depot: The Azure File Depot is an effort to provide sample implementations of various tasks related to using blob storage to move files around.CRM Customization Comparer - 2011 and 2013: Compare your Dynamics CRM Solution files via XML Diff. Graphical interface to quickly assess changes. Features: - Graphical UI - Supports CRM 2011 and 2013ElectrosLtd DSA Assignment: This program was created in order to make use of models views and controllersGPS Tracking: A GPS Tracker App.OOP-2112110195: mon:OOP ten:mai duy tanPowerShell Task Control Flow Component for SSIS: Launch PowerShell Script/Commands from SSIS - An another Custom Control Flow Component with the new "PowerShell Task" (currently targets PowerShell 3.0)Quan ly giai bong da: Qu?n lý gi?i bóng dá ngo?i hang AnhSharePoint PDF OpenDocument: SharePoint PDF Content type (Sandbox solution) One OpenDocuments Com+ server for PDF content Adobe software not included but required.Useful Classes: Useful Classes is a DLL that I have written to include a ton of features from one file within your project. ??????-??????【??】??????????: ??????????????,??????????????????,????????,??????????????、????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????????????????,?????????。????????????,??????,????,????,?????????！ ????-????【??】????????: ????????????300??,????????、???????、????、????????、?????,??????:????,????,???????！ ?????-?????【??】?????????: ?????????????????????,?? ???????,??????? ???,????? , ???? ?????,?????????????。 ?????-?????【??】?????????: ???????????? , ???? ?????,??????????????,????,????,??????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????????????,????(??)????????，??????，????，???，????，???????! ??????-??????【??】??????????: ?????????????????????,????????,????????,????,????,??????，???????! ?????-?????【??】?????????: ?????????????????,?????,???，???、???、?????,???,?????,???????????????. ?????-?????【??】?????????: ???????????:???????,????,????,????,??????????,????,????,????。??????... ?????-?????【??】?????????: ??????????????????????，?????、???、????，????，???、???、???、???、???，????，?????！ ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????????、??、???????????,??????,????????,??????????????????...????。 ????-????【??】????????: ??????????????????????,?????????,??????????,????????,?????! ????-????【??】????????: ?????????????、???????,?????????,???????????????,?????????????。 ?????-?????【??】?????????: ?????????????、?????????,?????????,????,????????,????????????????! ?????-?????【??】?????????: ?????????????????,????????,??????????????,?????????,????,????,??????。

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• CodePlex Daily Summary for Sunday, May 18, 2014

  CodePlex Daily Summary for Sunday, May 18, 2014Popular ReleasesClosedXML - The easy way to OpenXML: ClosedXML 0.70.0: A lot of fixes. See history.TBox - tool to make developer's life easier.: TBox 1.29: Bug fixing. Add LocalizationTool pluginYAXLib: Yet Another XML Serialization Library for the .NET Framework: YAXLib 2.13: Fixed a bug and added unit tests related to serializing path like aliases with one letter (e.g., './B'). Thanks go to CodeProject user B.O.B. for reporting this bug. Added `Bin/*.dll.mdb` to `.gitignore`. Fixed the issue with Indexer properties. Indexers must not be serialized/deserialized. YAXLib will ignore delegate (callback/function pointer) properties, so that the exception upon serializing them is prevented. Significant improve in cycling object reference detection Self Referr...SFDL.NET: SFDL.NET (2.2.9.2): Changelog: Neues Icon Xup.in CnL Plugin BugfixSEToolbox: SEToolbox 01.030.008 Release 1: Fixed cube editor failing to apply color to cubes. Added to cube editor, replace cube dialog, and Build Percent dialog. Corrected for hidden asteroid ore, allowing rare ore to show when importing an asteroid, or converting a 3d model to an asteroid (still appears to be limitations on rare ore in small asteroids). Allowed ore selection to Asteroid file import. (Can copy/import and convert existing asteroid to another ore). Added progress bars to common long running operations. Fixed ...Better Robocopy GUI: Command Line GUI for Robocopy: Better Robocopy GUI had become the primary plugin in Command Line GUI built on .NET 4Mini SQL Query: Mini SQL Query (1.0.71.456): Minor fixes and template corrections.Visual Studio Settings Switcher: Settings Switcher 1.1: Settings Switcher is compatible with Visual Studio 2012 and Visual Studio 2013. Express editions are not supported. NewFull support for Visual Studio 2013. Solution Settings Files (see Documentation for details.) Bug fixes and general usability improvements. There are two ways to install Settings Switcher: DOWNLOAD FROM CODEPLEXDownload the installer (.vsix) from the link above. Close all instances of Visual Studio. Double-click the .vsix file to install Settings Switcher. DOWNLOA...SharePoint Online Automation Cmdlets: Apps, Solutions and Permissions: Solutions can now be activated/deactivated/updated :-) See documentation for examples. Added Add-SPOApp and Install-SPOApp for uploading and activating apps on non-developer site collections. Also adding groups and permission levels has been included. Install Instructions Install the SharePoint Online Client components. Download and run the MSI file from the downloads section.TFS Planning and Disaster Recovery Avoidance Guide: v1.4.BETA - TFS, DR and Azure IaaS Planning Guides: Welcome to the TFS Planning and DR Avoidance Guidance What is new? A new crisper, more compact style, which is easier to consume on multiple devices without sacrificing any content. Also included are the new TFS on Azure IaaS guide and supplementary guides. Note Capacity planning workbook and posters are included in the Everything Zip package. Quality-Bar Detail Documentation has been reviewed by Visual Studio ALM Rangers Documentation has been through an independent technical review ...CRM Web API Lead Capture Example: CRM Web API Lead Capture Example: Sample Visual Studio 2013 project that provides an example of how you could use Web API and Microsoft Azure (could be deployed anywhere) to capture simple HTML form data into Dynamics CRM without directly having to integrate a .NET component.MB Tools: MDT Monitor Tool v1.4: This tool is used to connect to an MDT 2013 Monitor Webservice. The purpose is to provide an alternative to the MDT Deployment Workbench. Update: New in v1.4: Fixed bug where Dart Remote Viewer didnt work Option to show client local time instead of UTC, edit config.xml to enable/disable New in v1.2: Fixed Dart Remote Viewer not connection to full ip Issue: 1222 New in v1.1: Added timers for autorefresh of webservice info Added some better errorchecking and cleaned up the code a bit ...WinAudit: WinAudit Freeware v3.0: WinAudit.exe v3.0 MD5: 88750CCF49FF7418199B2645755830FA Known Issues: 1. Report creation can be very slow when right-to-left (Hebrew) characters are present. 2. Emsisoft Anti-Malware may stop and/or quarantine WinAudit. This happens when WinAudit attempts to obtain a list if running programmes. You will need to set an exception rule in Emsisoft to allow WinAudit to run.TerraMap (Terraria World Map Viewer): TerraMap 1.0.4: Added support for the new Terraria v1.2.4 update. New items, walls, and tiles Fixed Issue 35206: Hightlight/Find doesn't work for Demon Altars Fixed finding Demon Hearts/Shadow Orbs Added ability to find Enchanted Swords (in the stone) and Water Bolt books Fixed installer not uninstalling older versions The setup file will make sure .NET 4 is installed, install TerraMap, create desktop and start menu shortcuts, add a .wld file association, and launch TerraMap. If you prefer the zip ...Amqp.Net Lite: 0.1: This is the Alpha-quality release of the AMQP.Net Lite library.TSS.MSR: TSS.MSR v1.1: MSR's TPM2.0 access libraries and sample applications.WPF Localization Extension: v2.2.1: Issue #9277 Issue #9292 Issue #9311 Issue #9312 Issue #9313 Issue #9314Hime Parser Generator: Hime Parser Generator v1.0.0: This releases the stable version of the Hime parser generator. This release contains many bugfixes and performance enhancement. It also provides a clean API for the manipulation and debugging of context-free grammars.CtrlAltStudio Viewer: CtrlAltStudio Viewer 1.2.1.41167 Release: This release of the CtrlAltStudio Viewer includes the following significant features: Oculus Rift support. Stereoscopic 3D display support. Variable walking / flying speed. Xbox 360 Controller support. Kinect for Windows support. Based on Firestorm viewer 4.6.5 codebase. For more details, see the release notes linked to below. Release notes: http://ctrlaltstudio.com/viewer/release-notes/1-2-1-41167-release Support info: http://ctrlaltstudio.com/viewer/support Privacy policy: http:/...ExtJS based ASP.NET Controls: FineUI v4.0.6: FineUI（???） ?? ExtJS ??? ASP.NET ??? FineUI??? ?? No JavaScript，No CSS，No UpdatePanel，No ViewState，No WebServices ??????? ?????? IE 8.0+、Chrome、Firefox、Opera、Safari ???? Apache License v2.0 ?：ExtJS ?? GPL v3 ?????(http://www.sencha.com/license) ???? ??：http://fineui.com/ ??：http://fineui.com/bbs/ ??：http://fineui.com/demo/ ??：http://fineui.com/doc/ ??：http://fineui.codeplex.com/ FineUI ???? ExtJS ????????，???? ExtJS ?，?????： 1. ????? FineUI ? ExtJS ? http://fineui.com/bbs/forum.ph...New ProjectsCheburashka: Static Code Analysis Rule-set for Visual Studio SSDT projectsFree Workflow: Free Workflow Project aim to use Microsoft Workflow Manager as hosting environment to Business Process Workflow , it has its own database to manage users tasks.Jenkins Tray: Jenkins tray real time notifyMoneyManagement: ?? WCF ??????????????WCF?????。??????????????????????????????。MoonSharp: An interpreter for a very close cousin of the Lua language, written in C# for the .NET, Mono, Xamarin and Unity3D platforms.OITPMS_MVC: Online Issue Tracking and Project Management System This project was created for Bug tracking and issues that comes while creating project or on going projectSpiral Chrome: Spiral Chrome, the quick, simple, and user friendly method of phishing. Throttling Suite for Web API: The Throttling Suite provides throttling control capabilities to the .NET Web API applications. It is highly customizable product, yet simple to use.TP2 .NET: Trabajo practico 2 para la clase de .net??????-??????【??】??????????: ?????????????????,???????????????。???????????,??????:????、????、???????！ ????-????【??】????????: ????????????????,???????????,??????????????,??????????，??????????????！?????-?????【??】?????????: ??????????????????,?????????????,????,?????????,?????????????,?????,?????! ??????-??????【??】??????????: ??????????????????、????,??100%????,??????,????????????,???????????! ????-????【??】????????: ?????????????????????:????、????、??????????????,????????。????????! ?????-?????【??】?????????: ???????????????????,??????????,????????、????,??????????,??????????。 ?????-?????【??】?????????: ???????,??????:?????,?????,??????,??????????,????????。????????! ??????-??????【??】??????????: ?????????????????,??????????、??????,??????????、????、????、???????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ?????????????、??????????????????,????????,?????,??????,????,????,????! ????-????【??】????????: ???????????????????????????、????、????、???????????,????,????! ?????-?????【??】?????????: ?????????????????????,???????????????,????????????????????! ?????-?????【??】?????????: ?????????????????????,???????????????,???????,?????,?????,????? !!! ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????????????????,????????:??、??、???,?????????????????????! ??????-??????【??】??????????: ??????????????????????,????“???????,???????”?????,????????????！ ??????-??????【??】??????????: ???????????,????,????,??????,????“????、????、????、????”????????,??????. ??????-??????【??】??????????: ?????????????,?????,???????????,???????,????,????,????,?????。 ?????-?????【??】?????????: ????????????,?????,???????????,???????,????,????,????,?????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ?????????????????????????????,??????????,????,????,?????????、??????,??????。 ????-????【??】????????: ????????????????????????,????,????,??????????。???????????????,??,??,??????????,??????... ?????-?????【??】?????????: ???????????????,?????????????? ??。????????、????、????、?????????? ???????。 ??????-??????【??】??????????: ????????????、???、??、??????????????????????????????,????????????????! ????-????【??】????????: ??????????????6?,???????????????????????????,??????????????,?????????！ ?????-?????【??】?????????: ???????????????8?，????????,????????,??????????,?????,????? ,????????!

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• VPS 512 MB RAM with WordPressMU comes to consumes lots of memory

  - by CAPitalZ

  I have googled for days and gathered all optimization suggestions and tried. My sites are not getting any high hits. May be like 100 hits per day [all my sites combined]. Here are my specs I have 512 MB RAM VPS with burstable 1024 MB. Centos 5 32-bit & cPanel/WHM Apache 2.2 MySQL 5.0 PHP 5.3.2 Here is my Configs I have 2 WordPressMU production sites, and 1 test site my.cnf # The following options will be passed to all MySQL clients [client] #password = your_password port = 3306 socket = /var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock # Here follows entries for some specific programs # The MySQL server [mysqld] port = 3306 socket = /var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock skip-locking skip-bdb skip-innodb key_buffer = 16M max_allowed_packet = 1M table_cache = 64 sort_buffer_size = 512K net_buffer_length = 8K read_buffer_size = 256K read_rnd_buffer_size = 512K myisam_sort_buffer_size = 8M #CAPitalZ thread_cache_size=8 thread_concurrency=4 #query_cache_type=1 #query_cache_limit=1M query_cache_size=16M concurrent_insert=2 low_priority_updates=1 max_connections=50 tmp_table_size=16M max_heap_table_size=16M join_buffer_size=1M interactive_timeout=25 wait_timeout=1000 #connect_timout=10 not able to restart mysql max_connect_errors=10 # Don't listen on a TCP/IP port at all. This can be a security enhancement, # if all processes that need to connect to mysqld run on the same host. # All interaction with mysqld must be made via Unix sockets or named pipes. # Note that using this option without enabling named pipes on Windows # (via the "enable-named-pipe" option) will render mysqld useless! # skip-networking # Disable Federated by default skip-federated # Replication Master Server (default) # binary logging is required for replication log-bin=mysql-bin # required unique id between 1 and 2^32 - 1 # defaults to 1 if master-host is not set # but will not function as a master if omitted server-id = 1 [mysqld_safe] open_files_limit=8192 [mysqldump] quick max_allowed_packet = 16M [mysql] no-auto-rehash # Remove the next comment character if you are not familiar with SQL #safe-updates [isamchk] key_buffer = 20M sort_buffer_size = 20M read_buffer = 2M write_buffer = 2M [myisamchk] key_buffer = 20M sort_buffer_size = 20M read_buffer = 2M write_buffer = 2M [mysqlhotcopy] interactive-timeout httpd.conf I have unselected many modules and recompiled using EasyApache in WHM. Only have the following modules built Deflate Expires Fileprotect Imagemap MPM Prefork Version [default] EAccelerator for PHP Bcmath Calendar CurlSSL [I'm using Curl. But I don't have any https sites] Expat GD [for image cropping] Gettext Imap Mbregex [default] Mbstring [need both Mbregex and Mbstring for utf-8] Mysql of the system MySQL "Improved" extension. Sockets TTF (FreeType) [I'm using custom font] Zlib Under Global Configuration I only have FollowSymLinks enabled I Have TraceEnable, ServerSignature, FileETag OFF ServerTokens ProductOnly DirectoryIndex Priority has index.php as the first one I have removed Clamd [Clam Anti-virus] SpamAssasin is Off Under Tweak Settings Default catch-all/default address behavior for new accounts. This is set to "fail" All stats programs turned off I have eAccelerator installed and checked in phpinfo and its working [Pre VirtualHost Include under WHM] Timeout 20 KeepAlive On MaxKeepAliveRequests 200 KeepAliveTimeout 3 MinSpareServers 1 MaxSpareServers 3 StartServers 1 ServerLimit 50 MaxClients 50 MaxRequestsPerChild 4000 ExtendedStatus Off #ServerType standalone this throws error HostnameLookups Off <Directory "/"> AllowOverride None </Directory> My sites will take ages to load and WHM/CPanel will not even load. adadaa.com/ http://adadaa.net/ kadais.ca/ My average memory consumption is like 1000 MB! [yes always bursting] The process that consumes most CPU and also most memory is mysql But I also get like 15 httpd processes [when its bursting] I already got warning from cpuwatchcheck saying "While processing, the cpu has been maxed out for more than a 6 hour period. The current load/uptime line on the server at the time of this email is 07:00:37 up 11:30, 0 users, load average: 14.64, 16.79, 20.07" I don't know, I have tried switching these config values many different times, but nothing seems to work. Please show some light... Thanks

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• Hoster not fulfilling contract: how to get money back?

  - by plua

  For several years, we have as a small webdesign company rented a dedicated server at a large hosting provider. They had several support levels. When we signed up for this, we had very limited in-house knowledge about server maintenance, and were very worried about the security of our server. We therefore took one of the more expensive support packages. An important aspect in this were these claims: [PROVIDER] verifies the availability of the latest security updates and sends you a notification to see if you are interested to have them installed [PROVIDER] verifies the availability of the latest supported software updates and sends you a notification to see if you are interested to have them installed These items were clearly stated on their website as being part of the advantage of this package.; With not enough knowledge about installing and updating such software on a Linux server, we decided to go for this package. We paid a premium of $50 per month over the maintenance package that is next in line ($100 vs $50). Over the years, we have paid several thousand dollars for this service. Then came the moment that I learned more and more about server management. And I found out step by step that our server was horrendously outdated! We had an OS that was hardly updated, our anti-virus was not working because it needed certain more recent packages on the OS, and in general there were a whole bunch of security vulnerabilities and fixes that were lacking. Shocked, I wrote the provider. Turns out, they decided unilaterally that they would not send out any notifications to clients because clients would get too many e-mails. This is a quote from their explanation: [...] We have decided not to spam its clients with OS and security updates and only install them whenever asked by the client I was shocked! They had never mentioned that they would drop this service, and in fact the claims about updating their clients through e-mail was still on their website, after they apparently stopped doing this years ago! Upon finding this out, I requested they refund all that we have paid as a premium over the other package, and make it available as future credit with their own company. I thought this was a very reasonable request. However, they said they would only go back one year and provide credit for this one year. Mails went back and forth, but they were not willing to give credit for the whole period, which I felt I was entitled to. So ultimately I left the hosting company, and filed a complaint with the BBB a while ago. Now, I am not the kind of person who runs to a lawyer for any minor thing, but in this case I am really considering taking action. I have been paying for years for a service I did not receive (the premium package had a few other pluses, but we took it primarily for these two points, and I can prove that we did not use the other benefits). For our small company the hosting costs were a very large part of our budget, and I feel it is very unfair how this large provider just does not care about not fulfilling its obligations. So my question is: what action should I take? Is a lawyer the only next step, or are there other suggestions? And am I right here to claim this money, or are they right that there is some sort of statue of limitations on such claims? Any feedback is appreciated.

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• OpenVPN Error : TLS Error: local/remote TLS keys are out of sync: [AF_INET]

  - by Lucidity

  Fist off thanks for reading this, I appreciate any and all suggestions. I am having some serious problems reconnecting to my OpenVPN client using Riseup.net's VPN. I have spent a few days banging my head against the wall in attempts to set this up on my iOS devices....but that is a whole other issue. I was however able to set it up on my Mac OS X specifically on my Windows Vista 32 bit BootCamp VM with relatively little trouble. To originally connect I only had to modify the recommended Config file very slightly (Config file included at the end of this post): - I had to enter the code directly into my config file - And change "dev tap" to "dev tun" So I was connected. (Note - I did test to ensure the VPN was actually working after I originally connected, it was. Also verified the .pem file (inserted as the coding in my config file) for authenticity). I left the VPN running. My computer went to sleep. Today I went to use the internet expecting (possibly incorrectly - I am now unsure if I was wrong to leave it running) to still be connected to the VPN. However I saw immediately I was not. I went to reconnect. And was (am) unable to. My logs after attempting to connect (and getting a connection failed dialog box) show everything working as it should (as far as I can tell) until the end where I get the following lines: Mon Sep 23 21:07:49 2013 us=276809 Initialization Sequence Completed Mon Sep 23 21:07:49 2013 us=276809 MANAGEMENT: >STATE:1379995669,CONNECTED,SUCCESS, OMITTED Mon Sep 23 21:22:50 2013 us=390350 Authenticate/Decrypt packet error: packet HMAC authentication failed Mon Sep 23 21:23:39 2013 us=862180 TLS Error: local/remote TLS keys are out of sync: [AF_INET] VPN IP OMITTED [2] Mon Sep 23 21:23:57 2013 us=395183 Authenticate/Decrypt packet error: packet HMAC authentication failed Mon Sep 23 22:07:41 2013 us=296898 TLS: soft reset sec=0 bytes=513834601/0 pkts=708032/0 Mon Sep 23 22:07:41 2013 us=671299 VERIFY OK: depth=1, C=US, O=Riseup Networks, L=Seattle, ST=WA, CN=Riseup Networks, [email protected] Mon Sep 23 22:07:41 2013 us=671299 VERIFY OK: depth=0, C=US, O=Riseup Networks, L=Seattle, ST=WA, CN=vpn.riseup.net Mon Sep 23 22:07:46 2013 us=772508 Data Channel Encrypt: Cipher 'BF-CBC' initialized with 128 bit key Mon Sep 23 22:07:46 2013 us=772508 Data Channel Encrypt: Using 160 bit message hash 'SHA1' for HMAC authentication Mon Sep 23 22:07:46 2013 us=772508 Data Channel Decrypt: Cipher 'BF-CBC' initialized with 128 bit key Mon Sep 23 22:07:46 2013 us=772508 Data Channel Decrypt: Using 160 bit message hash 'SHA1' for HMAC authentication Mon Sep 23 22:07:46 2013 us=772508 Control Channel: TLSv1, cipher TLSv1/SSLv3 DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA, 2048 bit RSA So I have searched for a solution online and I have included what I have attempted below, however I fear (know) I am not knowledgeable enough in this area to fix this myself. I apologize in advance for my ignorance. I do tech support for a living, but not this kind of tech support unfortunately. Other notes and troubleshooting done - - Windows Firewall is disabled completely, as well as other Anti-virus programs - Tor is disabled completely - No Proxies running - Time is correct in all locations - Router Firmware is up to date - Able to connect to the internet and as far as I can tell all necessary ports are open. - No settings have been altered since I was able to connect successfully. - Ethernet as well as wifi connections attempted, resulted in same error. Also tried adding the following lines to my config file (without success or change in error): persist-key persist-tun proto tcp (after reading that this error generally occurs on UDP connections, and is extremely rare on TCP) resolv-retry infinite (thinking the connection may have timed out since the issues occurred after leaving VPN connected during about 10 hrs of computer in sleep mode) All attempts resulted in exact same error code included at the top of this post. The original suggestions I found online stated - (regarding the TLS Error) - This error should resolve itself within 60 seconds, or if not quit wait 120 seconds and try again. (Which isnt the case here...) (regarding the Out of Sync" error) - If you continue to get "out of sync" errors and the link does not come up, then it means that something is probably wrong with your config file. You must use either ping and ping-restart on both sides of the connection, or keepalive on the server side of a client/server connection, in order to gracefully recover from "local/remote TLS keys are out of sync" errors. I wouldn't be surprised if my config file is lacking, or not correct. However I can confirm I followed the instructions to a tee. And was able to connect originally (and have not modified my settings or config file since I was able to connect to when the error began occurring). I have a very simple config file: client dev tun tun-mtu 1500 remote vpn.riseup.net auth-user-pass ca RiseupCA.pem redirect-gateway verb 4 <ca> -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- [OMITTED] -----END CERTIFICATE----- </ca> I would really appreciate any help or suggestions. I am at a total loss here, I know I'm asking a lot here. Though I am a new user on this site I help others on many forums including Microsoft's support community and especially Apple's support communities, so I will definitely pass on anything I learn here to help others. Thanks so so so much in advance for reading this.

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• Blocking a distributed, consistent spam attack? Could it be something more serious?

  - by mattmcmanus

  I will do my best to try and explain this as it's strange and confusing to me. I posted a little while ago about a sustained spike in mysql queries on a VPS I had recently setup. It turned out to be a single post on a site I was developmenting. The post had over 30,000 spam comments! Since the site was one I was slowly building I hadn't configured the anti-spam comment software yet. I've since deleted the particular post which has given the server a break but the post's url keeps on getting hit. The frustrating thing is every hit is from a different IP. How do I even start to block/prevent this? Is this even something I need to worry about? Here are some more specific details about my setup, just to give some context: Ubuntu 8.10 server with ufw setup The site I'm building is in Drupal which now has Mollom setup for spam control. It wasn't configured before. The requests happen inconsistently. Sometimes it's every couple seconds and other times it's a an or so between hits. However it's been going on pretty much constantly like that for over a week. Here is a sample of my apache access log from the last 15 minutes just for the page in question: dev.domain-name.com:80 97.87.97.169 - - [28/Mar/2010:06:47:40 +0000] "POST http://dev.domain-name.com/comment/reply/3 HTTP/1.1" 404 5895 "http://dev.domain-name.com/blog/2009/11/23/another" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1)" dev.domain-name.com:80 202.149.24.193 - - [28/Mar/2010:06:50:37 +0000] "POST /comment/reply/3 HTTP/1.1" 404 5895 "http://dev.domain-name.com/blog/2009/11/23/another" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1)" dev.domain-name.com:80 193.106.92.77 - - [28/Mar/2010:06:50:39 +0000] "POST /comment/reply/3 HTTP/1.1" 404 5895 "http://dev.domain-name.com/blog/2009/11/23/another" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1)" dev.domain-name.com:80 194.85.136.187 - - [28/Mar/2010:06:52:03 +0000] "POST /comment/reply/3 HTTP/1.1" 404 5895 "http://dev.domain-name.com/blog/2009/11/23/another" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1)" dev.domain-name.com:80 220.255.7.13 - - [28/Mar/2010:06:52:14 +0000] "POST /comment/reply/3 HTTP/1.1" 404 5895 "http://dev.domain-name.com/blog/2009/11/23/another" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1)" dev.domain-name.com:80 195.70.55.151 - - [28/Mar/2010:06:53:41 +0000] "POST /comment/reply/3 HTTP/1.1" 404 5895 "http://dev.domain-name.com/blog/2009/11/23/another" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1)" dev.domain-name.com:80 71.91.4.31 - - [28/Mar/2010:06:56:07 +0000] "POST http://dev.domain-name.com/comment/reply/3 HTTP/1.1" 404 5895 "http://dev.domain-name.com/blog/2009/11/23/another" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1)" dev.domain-name.com:80 98.209.203.170 - - [28/Mar/2010:06:56:10 +0000] "POST http://dev.domain-name.com/comment/reply/3 HTTP/1.1" 404 5895 "http://dev.domain-name.com/blog/2009/11/23/another" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1)" dev.domain-name.com:80 24.255.137.159 - - [28/Mar/2010:06:56:19 +0000] "POST http://dev.domain-name.com/comment/reply/3 HTTP/1.1" 404 5895 "http://dev.domain-name.com/blog/2009/11/23/another" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1)" dev.domain-name.com:80 77.242.20.18 - - [28/Mar/2010:07:00:15 +0000] "POST /comment/reply/3 HTTP/1.1" 404 5895 "http://dev.domain-name.com/blog/2009/11/23/another" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1)" dev.domain-name.com:80 94.75.215.42 - - [28/Mar/2010:07:01:34 +0000] "POST /comment/reply/3 HTTP/1.0" 404 5895 "http://dev.domain-name.com/blog/2009/11/23/another" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1)" dev.domain-name.com:80 89.115.2.128 - - [28/Mar/2010:07:03:20 +0000] "POST /comment/reply/3 HTTP/1.1" 404 5895 "http://dev.domain-name.com/blog/2009/11/23/another" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1)" dev.domain-name.com:80 75.65.230.252 - - [28/Mar/2010:07:05:05 +0000] "POST http://dev.domain-name.com/comment/reply/3 HTTP/1.1" 404 5895 "http://dev.domain-name.com/blog/2009/11/23/another" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1)" dev.domain-name.com:80 206.251.255.61 - - [28/Mar/2010:07:06:46 +0000] "POST /comment/reply/3 HTTP/1.0" 404 5895 "http://dev.domain-name.com/blog/2009/11/23/another" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1)" dev.domain-name.com:80 213.194.120.14 - - [28/Mar/2010:07:07:22 +0000] "POST /comment/reply/3 HTTP/1.1" 404 5895 "http://dev.domain-name.com/blog/2009/11/23/another" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1)" I understand this is an open ended question, but any help or insight you could give would be much appreciated.

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• Email sent from server with rDNS & SPF being blocked by Hotmail

  - by Canadaka

  I have been unable to send email to users on hotmail or other Microsoft email servers for some time. Its been a major headache trying to find out why and how to fix the issue. The emails being sent that are blocked from my domain canadaka.net. I use Google Aps to host my regular email serverice for my @canadaka.net email addresses. I can sent email from my desktop or gmail to a hotmail without any problem. But any email sent from my server on behalf of canadaka.net is blocked, not even arriving in the junk email. The IP that the emails are being sent from is the same IP that my site is hosted on: 66.199.162.177 This IP is new to me since August 2010, I had a different IP for the previous 3-4 years. This IP is not on any credible spam lists http://www.anti-abuse.org/multi-rbl-check-results/?host=66.199.162.177 The one list spamcannibal.org my IP is listed on seems to be out of my control, says "no reverse DNS, MX host should have rDNS - RFC1912 2.1". But since I use Google for my email hosting, I don't have control over setting up RDNS for all the MX records. I do have Reverse DNS setup for my IP though, it resolves to "mail.canadaka.net". I have signed up for SNDS and was approved. My ip says "All of the specified IPs have normal status." Sender Score: 100 https://www.senderscore.org/lookup.php?lookup=66.199.162.177&ipLookup.x=55&ipLookup.y=14 My Mcafee threat level seems fine I have a TXT SPF record setup, I am currently using xname.org as my DNS, and they don't have a field for SPF, but their FAQ says to add the SPF info as a TXT entry. v=spf1 a include:_spf.google.com ~all Some "SPF checking" tools ive used detect that my domain has a valid SPF, but others don't. Like Microsoft's SPF wizard, i think this is because its specifically looking for an SPF record and not in the TXT. "No SPF Record Found. A and MX Records Available". From my home I can run "nslookup -type=TXT canadaka.net" and it returns: Server: google-public-dns-a.google.com Address: 8.8.8.8 Non-authoritative answer: canadaka.net text = "v=spf1 a include:_spf.google.com ~all" One strange thing I found is i'm unable to ping hotmail.com or msn.com or do a "telnet mail.hotmail.com 25". I am able to ping gmail.com and many other domains I tried. I tried changing my DNS servers to Google's Public DNS and did a ipconfig /flushdns but that had no effect. I am however able to connect with telnet to mx1.hotmail.com This is what the email headers look like when I send to a Google email server and I receive the email with no troubles. You can see that SPF is passing. Delivered-To: [email protected] Received: by 10.146.168.12 with SMTP id q12cs91243yae; Sun, 27 Feb 2011 18:01:49 -0800 (PST) Received: by 10.43.48.7 with SMTP id uu7mr4292541icb.68.1298858509242; Sun, 27 Feb 2011 18:01:49 -0800 (PST) Return-Path: Received: from canadaka.net ([66.199.162.177]) by mx.google.com with ESMTP id uh9si8493137icb.127.2011.02.27.18.01.45; Sun, 27 Feb 2011 18:01:48 -0800 (PST) Received-SPF: pass (google.com: domain of [email protected] designates 66.199.162.177 as permitted sender) client-ip=66.199.162.177; Authentication-Results: mx.google.com; spf=pass (google.com: domain of [email protected] designates 66.199.162.177 as permitted sender) [email protected] Message-Id: <[email protected] Received: from coruscant ([127.0.0.1]:12907) by canadaka.net with [XMail 1.27 ESMTP Server] id for from ; Sun, 27 Feb 2011 18:01:29 -0800 Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2011 18:01:29 -0800 Subject: Test To: [email protected] From: XXXX Reply-To: [email protected] X-Mailer: PHP/5.2.13 I can send to gmail and other email services fine. I don't know what i'm doing wrong! UPDATE 1 I have been removed from hotmails IP block and am now able to send emails to hotmail, but they are all going directly to the JUNK folder. UPDATE 2 I used Telnet to send a test message to port25.com, seems my SPF is not being detected. Result: neutral (SPF-Result: None) canadaka.net. SPF (no records) canadaka.net. TXT (no records) I do have a TXT record, its been there for years, I did change it a week ago. Other sites that allow you to check your SPF detect it, but some others like Microsofts Wizard doesn't. This iw what my SPF record in my xname.org DNS file looks like: canadaka.net. 86400 IN TXT "v=spf1 a include:_spf.google.com ~all" I did have a nameserver as my 4th option that doens't have the TXT records since it doens't support it. So I removed it from the list and instead added wtfdns.com as my 4th adn 5th nameservers, which does support TXT.

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