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• Debugging EXC_BAD_ACCESS that occurs only on release target for an iPhone app?

  - by Bobby Moretti

  I'm developing an iPhone application. I have an EXC_BAD_ACCESS that occurs only in the release target; when I build the debug target the exception does not occur. However, when I set the NSZombieEnabled environment variable to YES, I still get the EXC_BAD_ACCESS with no further information. Is it even possible for NSZombieEnabled to work when executing the release target? I don't see why not, since gdb is running in both cases... Update: here is a printout of the top of the stack: #0 0x33369ebc in objc_msgSend () #1 0x3144f968 in -[EAInputStream _streamEventTrigger] () #2 0x3144fe78 in __streamEventTrigger () #3 0x338ae3a6 in CFRunLoopRunSpecific () #4 0x338adc1e in CFRunLoopRunInMode () #5 0x32ed6966 in -[NSRunLoop(NSRunLoop) runMode:beforeDate:] () #6 0x00005b06 in -[IOStreamDelegate removeMsg:] (self=0x142cc0, _cmd=<value temporarily unavailable, due to optimizations>, message=0x2fffe544) at /Users/robertmoretti/Documents/XXXXXXX/IOStreamDelegate.m:191 Here is a gdb session from inside the objc_msgSend call at the top: (gdb) p/x $r0 $6 = 0x3100000 (gdb) x/s $r1 0x32d7cff8: "release" (gdb) disassemble $pc Dump of assembler code for function objc_msgSend: 0x33369ea8 <objc_msgSend+0>: teq r0, #0 ; 0x0 0x33369eac <objc_msgSend+4>: moveq r1, #0 ; 0x0 0x33369eb0 <objc_msgSend+8>: bxeq lr 0x33369eb4 <objc_msgSend+12>: push {r3, r4, r5, r6} 0x33369eb8 <objc_msgSend+16>: ldr r4, [r0] 0x33369ebc <objc_msgSend+20>: ldr r5, [r4, #8] 0x33369ec0 <objc_msgSend+24>: ldr r6, [r5] 0x33369ec4 <objc_msgSend+28>: add r3, r5, #8 ; 0x8 0x33369ec8 <objc_msgSend+32>: and r5, r6, r1, lsr #2 0x33369ecc <objc_msgSend+36>: ldr r4, [r3, r5, lsl #2] 0x33369ed0 <objc_msgSend+40>: teq r4, #0 ; 0x0 0x33369ed4 <objc_msgSend+44>: add r5, r5, #1 ; 0x1 0x33369ed8 <objc_msgSend+48>: beq 0x33369efc <objc_msgSend+84> 0x33369edc <objc_msgSend+52>: ldr r12, [r4] 0x33369ee0 <objc_msgSend+56>: teq r1, r12 0x33369ee4 <objc_msgSend+60>: and r5, r5, r6 0x33369ee8 <objc_msgSend+64>: bne 0x33369ecc <objc_msgSend+36> 0x33369eec <objc_msgSend+68>: ldr r12, [r4, #8] 0x33369ef0 <objc_msgSend+72>: teq r4, r4 0x33369ef4 <objc_msgSend+76>: pop {r3, r4, r5, r6} 0x33369ef8 <objc_msgSend+80>: bx r12 0x33369efc <objc_msgSend+84>: pop {r3, r4, r5, r6} 0x33369f00 <objc_msgSend+88>: b 0x33369f04 <objc_msgSend_uncached> End of assembler dump. (gdb) p/x *$r0 $9 = 0x0 The exception occurs on the line 0x33369ebc <objc_msgSend+20>: ldr r5, [r4, #8]. r4 has just been given the value pointed to by r0, which happens to be 0. I am wondering what is supposed to be in the memory region of 0x3100000. Here's a memory dump of that area: (gdb) x/256w 0x3100000 0x3100000: 0x00000000 0x0000a293 0xaa650505 0x00000000 0x3100010: 0x0000a294 0xaa670505 0x00000000 0x0000a295 0x3100020: 0xaa690505 0x00000000 0x0000a296 0xaa6b0505 0x3100030: 0x00000000 0x0000a297 0xaa6d0505 0x00000000 0x3100040: 0x0000a298 0xaa6f0505 0x00000000 0x0000a299 0x3100050: 0xaa710505 0x00000000 0x0000a29a 0xaa730505 0x3100060: 0x00000000 0x0000a29b 0xaa750505 0x00000000 0x3100070: 0x0000a29c 0xaa770505 0x00000000 0x0000a29d 0x3100080: 0xaa790505 0x00000000 0x0000a29e 0xaa7b0505 0x3100090: 0x00000000 0x0000a29f 0xaa7d0505 0x00000000 0x31000a0: 0x0000a2a0 0xaa7f0505 0x00000000 0x0000a2a1 0x31000b0: 0xaa810505 0x00000000 0x0000a2a2 0xaa830505 0x31000c0: 0x00000000 0x0000a2a3 0xaa850505 0x00000000 0x31000d0: 0x0000a2a4 0xaa870505 0x00000000 0x0000a2a5 0x31000e0: 0xaa890505 0x00000000 0x0000a2a6 0xaa8b0505 0x31000f0: 0x00000000 0x0000a2a7 0xaa8d0505 0x00000000 0x3100100: 0x0000a2a8 0xaa8f0505 0x00000000 0x0000a2a9 0x3100110: 0xaa910505 0x00000000 0x0000a2aa 0xaa930505 0x3100120: 0x00000000 0x0000a2ab 0xaa950505 0x00000000 0x3100130: 0x0000a2ac 0xaa970505 0x00000000 0x0000a2ad 0x3100140: 0xaa990505 0x00000000 0x0000a2ae 0xaa9b0505 0x3100150: 0x00000000 0x0000a2af 0xaa9d0505 0x00000000 0x3100160: 0x0000a2b0 0xaa9f0505 0x00000000 0x0000a2b1 0x3100170: 0xaaa10505 0x00000000 0x0000a2b2 0xaaa30505 0x3100180: 0x00000000 0x0000a2b3 0xaaa50505 0x00000000 0x3100190: 0x0000a2b4 0xaaa70505 0x00000000 0x0000a2b5 0x31001a0: 0xaaa90505 0x00000000 0x0000a2b6 0xaaab0505 0x31001b0: 0x00000000 0x0000a2b7 0xaaad0505 0x00000000 0x31001c0: 0x0000a2b8 0xaaaf0505 0x00000000 0x0000a2b9 0x31001d0: 0xaab10505 0x00000000 0x0000a2ba 0xaab30505 0x31001e0: 0x00000000 0x0000a2bb 0xaab50505 0x00000000 0x31001f0: 0x0000a2bc 0xaab70505 0x00000000 0x0000a2bd 0x3100200: 0xaab90505 0x00000000 0x0000a2be 0xaabb0505 0x3100210: 0x00000000 0x0000a2bf 0xaabd0505 0x00000000 0x3100220: 0x0000a2c0 0xaabf0505 0x00000000 0x0000a2c1 0x3100230: 0xaac10505 0x00000000 0x0000a2c2 0xaac30505 0x3100240: 0x00000000 0x0000a2c3 0xaac50505 0x00000000 0x3100250: 0x0000a2c4 0xaac70505 0x00000000 0x0000a2c5 0x3100260: 0xaac90505 0x00000000 0x0000a2c6 0xaacb0505 0x3100270: 0x00000000 0x0000a2c7 0xaacd0505 0x00000000 0x3100280: 0x0000a2c8 0xaacf0505 0x00000000 0x0000a2c9 0x3100290: 0xaad10505 0x00000000 0x0000a2ca 0xaad30505 0x31002a0: 0x00000000 0x0000a2cb 0xaad50505 0x00000000 0x31002b0: 0x0000a2cc 0xaad70505 0x00000000 0x0000a2cd 0x31002c0: 0xaad90505 0x00000000 0x0000a2ce 0xaadb0505 0x31002d0: 0x00000000 0x0000a2cf 0xaadd0505 0x00000000 0x31002e0: 0x0000a2d0 0xaadf0505 0x00000000 0x0000a2d1 0x31002f0: 0xaae10505 0x00000000 0x0000a2d2 0xaae30505 0x3100300: 0x00000000 0x0000a2d3 0xaae50505 0x00000000 0x3100310: 0x0000a2d4 0xaae70505 0x00000000 0x0000a2d5 0x3100320: 0xaae90505 0x00000000 0x0000a2d6 0xaaeb0505 0x3100330: 0x00000000 0x0000a2d7 0xaaed0505 0x00000000 0x3100340: 0x0000a2d8 0xaaef0505 0x00000000 0x0000a2d9 0x3100350: 0xaaf10505 0x00000000 0x0000a2da 0xaaf30505 0x3100360: 0x00000000 0x0000a2db 0xaaf50505 0x00000000 0x3100370: 0x0000a2dc 0xaaf70505 0x00000000 0x0000a2dd 0x3100380: 0xaaf90505 0x00000000 0x0000a2de 0xaafb0505 0x3100390: 0x00000000 0x0000a2df 0xaafd0505 0x00000000 0x31003a0: 0x0000a2e0 0xab050505 0x00000000 0x0000a2e1 0x31003b0: 0xab070505 0x00000000 0x0000a2e2 0xab090505 0x31003c0: 0x00000000 0x0000a2e3 0xab0b0505 0x00000000 0x31003d0: 0x0000a2e4 0xab0d0505 0x00000000 0x0000a2e5 0x31003e0: 0xab0f0505 0x00000000 0x0000a2e6 0xab110505 0x31003f0: 0x00000000 0x0000a2e7 0xab130505 0x00000000 I don't really know what else to try; hopefully someone with more iphone experience will be able to recognize this memory as something meaningful.

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• How could I refactor this into more manageable code?

  - by ChaosPandion

  private static JsonStructure Parse(string jsonText, bool throwException) { var result = default(JsonStructure); var structureStack = new Stack<JsonStructure>(); var keyStack = new Stack<string>(); var current = default(JsonStructure); var currentState = ParserState.Begin; var invalidToken = false; var key = default(string); var value = default(object); foreach (var token in Lexer.Tokenize(jsonText)) { switch (currentState) { case ParserState.Begin: switch (token.Type) { case TokenType.OpenBrace: currentState = ParserState.ObjectKey; current = result = new JsonObject(); break; case TokenType.OpenBracket: currentState = ParserState.ArrayValue; current = result = new JsonArray(); break; default: invalidToken = true; break; } break; case ParserState.ObjectKey: switch (token.Type) { case TokenType.StringLiteral: currentState = ParserState.ColonSeperator; key = (string)token.Value; break; default: invalidToken = true; break; } break; case ParserState.ColonSeperator: switch (token.Type) { case TokenType.Colon: currentState = ParserState.ObjectValue; break; default: invalidToken = true; break; } break; case ParserState.ObjectValue: case ParserState.ArrayValue: switch (token.Type) { case TokenType.NumberLiteral: case TokenType.StringLiteral: case TokenType.BooleanLiteral: case TokenType.NullLiteral: currentState = ParserState.ItemEnd; value = token.Value; break; case TokenType.OpenBrace: structureStack.Push(current); keyStack.Push(key); currentState = ParserState.ObjectKey; current = new JsonObject(); break; case TokenType.OpenBracket: structureStack.Push(current); currentState = ParserState.ArrayValue; current = new JsonArray(); break; default: invalidToken = true; break; } break; case ParserState.ItemEnd: var jsonObject = (current as JsonObject); if (jsonObject != null) { jsonObject.Add(key, value); currentState = ParserState.ObjectKey; } var jsonArray = (current as JsonArray); if (jsonArray != null) { jsonArray.Add(value); currentState = ParserState.ArrayValue; } switch (token.Type) { case TokenType.CloseBrace: case TokenType.CloseBracket: currentState = ParserState.End; break; case TokenType.Comma: break; default: invalidToken = true; break; } break; case ParserState.End: switch (token.Type) { case TokenType.CloseBrace: case TokenType.CloseBracket: case TokenType.Comma: var previous = structureStack.Pop(); var previousJsonObject = (previous as JsonObject); if (previousJsonObject != null) { currentState = ParserState.ObjectKey; previousJsonObject.Add(keyStack.Pop(), current); } var previousJsonArray = (previous as JsonArray); if (previousJsonArray != null) { currentState = ParserState.ArrayValue; previousJsonArray.Add(current); } current = previous; if (token.Type != TokenType.Comma) { currentState = ParserState.End; } break; default: invalidToken = true; break; } break; default: break; } if (invalidToken) { if (throwException) { throw new JsonException(token); } return null; } } return result; }

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• [C#] Not enough memory or not enough handles?

  - by Nayan

  I am working on a large scale project where a custom (pretty good and robust) framework has been provided and we have to use that for showing up forms and views. There is abstract class StrategyEditor (derived from some class in framework) which is instantiated whenever a new StrategyForm is opened. StrategyForm (a customized window frame) contains StrategyEditor. StrategyEditor contains StrategyTab. StrategyTab contains StrategyCanvas. This is a small portion of the big classes to clarify that there are many objects that will be created if one StrategyForm object is allocated in memory at run-time. My component owns all these classes mentioned above except StrategyForm whose code is not in my control. Now, at run-time, user opens up many strategy objects (which trigger creation of new StrategyForm object.) After creating approx. 44 strategy objects, we see that the USER OBJECT HANDLES (I'll use UOH from here onwards) created by the application reaches to about 20k+, while in registry the default amount for handles is 10k. Read more about User Objects here. Testing on different machines made it clear that the number of strategy objects opened is different for message to pop-up - on one m/c if it is 44, then it can be 40 on another. When we see the message pop-up, it means that the application is going to respond slowly. It gets worse with few more objects and then creation of window frames and subsequent objects fail. We first thought that it was not-enough-memory issue. But then reading more about new in C# helped in understanding that an exception would be thrown if app ran out of memory. This is not a memory issue then, I feel (task manager also showed 1.5GB+ available memory.) M/C specs Core 2 Duo 2GHz+ 4GB RAM 80GB+ free disk space for page file Virtual Memory set: 4000 - 6000 My questions Q1. Does this look like a memory issue and I am wrong that it is not? Q2. Does this point to exhaustion of free UOHs (as I'm thinking) and which is resulting in failure of creation of window handles? Q3. How can we avoid loading up of an StrategyEditor object (beyond a threshold, keeping an eye on the current usage of UOHs)? (we already know how to fetch number of UOHs in use, so don't go there.) Keep in mind that the call to new StrategyForm() is outside the control of my component. Q4. I am bit confused - what are Handles to user objects exactly? Is MSDN talking about any object that we create or only some specific objects like window handles, cursor handles, icon handles? Q5. What exactly cause to use up a UOH? (almost same as Q4) I would be really thankful to anyone who can give me some knowledgeable answers. Thanks much! :)

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• Using GA in GUI

  - by AlexT

  Sorry if this isn't clear as I'm writing this on a mobile device and I'm trying to make it quick. I've written a basic Genetic Algorithm with a binary encoding (genes) that builds a fitness value and evolves through several iterations using tournament selection, mutation and crossover. As a basic command-line example it seems to work. The problem I've got is with applying a genetic algorithm within a GUI as I am writing a maze-solving program that uses the GA to find a method through a maze. How do I turn my random binary encoded genes and fitness function (add all the binary values together) into a method to control a bot around a maze? I have built a basic GUI in Java consisting of a maze of labels (like a grid) with the available routes being in blue and the walls being in black. To reiterate my GA performs well and contains what any typical GA would (fitness method, get and set population, selection, crossover, etc) but now I need to plug it into a GUI to get my maze running. What needs to go where in order to get a bot that can move in different directions depending on what the GA says? Rough pseudocode would be great if possible As requested, an Individual is built using a separate class (Indiv), with all the main work being done in a Pop class. When a new individual is instantiated an array of ints represent the genes of said individual, with the genes being picked at random from a number between 0 and 1. The fitness function merely adds together the value of these genes and in the Pop class handles selection, mutation and crossover of two selected individuals. There's not much else to it, the command line program just shows evolution over n generations with the total fitness improving over each iteration. EDIT: It's starting to make a bit more sense now, although there are a few things that are bugging me... As Adamski has suggested I want to create an "Agent" with the options shown below. The problem I have is where the random bit string comes into play here. The agent knows where the walls are and has it laid out in a 4 bit string (i.e. 0111), but how does this affect the random 32 bit string? (i.e. 10001011011001001010011011010101) If I have the following maze (x is the start place, 2 is the goal, 1 is the wall): x 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 If I turn left I'm facing the wrong way and the agent will move completely off the maze if it moves forward. I assume that the first generation of the string will be completely random and it will evolve as the fitness grows but I don't get how the string will work within a maze. So, to get this straight... The fitness is the result of when the agent is able to move and is by a wall. The genes are a string of 32 bits, split into 16 sets of 2 bits to show the available actions and for the robot to move the two bits need to be passed with four bits from the agent showings its position near the walls. If the move is to go past a wall the move isn't made and it is deemed invalid and if the move is made and if a new wall is found then the fitness goes up. Is that right?

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• Rails destroy confirm with Jquery AJAX

  - by Mike

  I have got this working for the most part. My rails link is: <%= link_to(image_tag('/images/bin.png', :alt => 'Remove'), @business, :class => 'delete', :confirm => 'Are you sure?', :id => 'trash') %> :class = "delete" is calling an ajax function so that it is deleted and the page isn't refreshed that works great. But because the page doesn't refresh, it is still there. So my id trash is calling this jquery function: $('[id^=trash]').click(function(){ var row = $(this).closest("tr").get(0); $(row).hide(); return false; }); Which is hiding the row of whatever trash icon i clicked on. This also works great. I thought I had it all worked out and then I hit this problem. When you click on my trash can I have this confirm box pop up to ask you if you are sure. Regardless of whether you choose cancel or accept, the jquery fires and it hides the row. It isn't deleted, only hidden till you refresh the page. I tried changing it so that the prompt is done through jquery, but then rails was deleteing the row regardless of what i choose in my prompt because the .destroy function was being called when the prompt was being called. My question really is how can i get the value to cancel or accept from the rails confirm pop up so that in my jquery I can have an if statement that hides if they click accept and does nothing if they click cancel. EDIT: Answering Question below. That did not work. I tried changing my link to: <%= link_to(image_tag('/images/bin.png', :alt => 'Remove'), @business, :class => "delete", :onclick => "trash") %> and putting this in my jquery function trash(){ if(confirm("Are you sure?")){ var row = $(this).closest("tr").get(0); $(row).hide(); return false; } else { //they clicked no. } } But the function was never called. It just deletes it with no prompt and doesn't hide it. But that gave me an idea. I took the delete function that ajax was calling $('a.delete').click (function(){ $.post(this.href, {_method:'delete'}, null, "script"); $(row).hide(); }); And modified it implementing your code: remove :confirm = 'Are you sure?' $('a.delete').click (function(){ if(confirm("Are you sure?")){ var row = $(this).closest("tr").get(0); $.post(this.href, {_method:'delete'}, null, "script"); $(row).hide(); return false; } else { //they clicked no. return false; } }); Which does the trick.

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• Perl Script to search and replace in .SQL query file with user inputs

  - by T.Mount

  I have a .SQL file containing a large number of queries. They are being run against a database containing data for multiple states over multiple years. The machine I am running this on can only handle running the queries for one state, in one year, at a time. I am trying to create a Perl script that takes user input for the state abbreviation, the state id number, and the year. It then creates a directory for that state and year. Then it opens the "base" .SQL file and searches and replaces the base state id and year with the user input, and saves this new .SQL file to the created directory. The current script I have (below) stops at open(IN,'<$infile') with "Can't open [filename]" It seems that it is having difficulty finding or opening the .SQL file. I have quadruple-checked to make sure the paths are correct, and I have even tried replacing the $path with an absolute path for the base file. If it was having trouble with creating the new file I'd have more direction, but since it can't find/open the base file I do not know how to proceed. #!/usr/local/bin/perl use Cwd; $path = getcwd(); #Cleans up the path $path =~ s/\\/\//sg; #User inputs print "What is the 2 letter state abbreviation for the state? Ex. 'GA'\n"; $stlet = <>; print "What is the 2 digit state abbreviation for the state? Ex. '13'\n"; $stdig = <>; print "What four-digit year are you doing the calculations for? Ex. '2008'\n"; $year = <>; chomp $stlet; chomp $stdig; chomp $year; #Creates the directory mkdir($stlet); $new = $path."\/".$stlet; mkdir("$new/$year"); $infile = '$path/Base/TABLE_1-26.sql'; $outfile = '$path/$stlet/$year/TABLE_1-26.sql'; open(IN,'<$infile') or die "Can't open $infile: $!\n"; open(OUT,">$infile2") or die "Can't open $outfile: $!\n"; print "Working..."; while (my $search = <IN>) { chomp $search; $search =~ s/WHERE pop.grp = 132008/WHERE pop.grp = $stdig$year/g; print OUT "$search\n"; } close(IN); close(OUT); I know I also probably need to tweak the regular expression some, but I'm trying to take things one at a time. This is my first Perl script, and I haven't really been able to find anything that handles .SQL files like this that I can understand. Thank you!

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• Windows Phone 7 ActiveSync error 86000C09 (My First Post!)

  - by Chris Heacock

  Hello fellow geeks! I'm kicking off this new blog with an issue that was a real nuisance, but was relatively easy to fix. During a recent Exchange 2003 to 2010 migration, one of the users was getting an error on his Windows Phone 7 device. The error code that popped up on the phone on every sync attempt was 86000C09 We tested the following: Different user on the same device: WORKED Problem user on a different device: FAILED   Seemed to point (conclusively) at the user's account as the crux of the issue. This error can come up if a user has too many devices syncing, but he had no other phones. We verified that using the following command: Get-ActiveSyncDeviceStatistics -Identity USERID Turns out, it was the old familiar inheritable permissions issue in Active Directory. :-/ This user was not an admin, nor had he ever been one. HOWEVER, his account was cloned from an ex-admin user, so the unchecked box stayed unchecked. We checked the box and voila, data started flowing to his device(s). Here's a refresher on enabling Inheritable permissions: Open ADUC, and enable Advanced Features: Then open properties and go to the Security tab for the user in question: Click on Advanced, and the following screen should pop up: Verify that "Include inheritable permissions from this object's parent" is *checked*.   You will notice that for certain users, this box keeps getting unchecked. This is normal behavior due to the inbuilt security of Active Directory. People that are in the following groups will have this flag altered by AD: Account Operators Administrators Backup Operators Domain Admins Domain Controllers Enterprise Admins Print Operators Read-Only Domain Controllers Replicator Schema Admins Server Operators Once the box is cheked, permissions will flow and the user will be set correctly. Even if the box is unchecked, they will function normally as they now has the proper permissions configured. You need to perform this same excercise when enabling users for Lync, but that's another blog. :-)   -Chris

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• Oracle Desktop Virtualization at HIMSS 2011

  - by chris.kawalek(at)oracle.com

  The HIMSS Conference is an extremely important industry trade show put on by The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. It's being held in Florida starting this Sunday, February 20th. Their slogan, "Linking people, potential, and progress" could be true of Oracle desktop virtualization as well! The Oracle desktop virtualization group has worked very closely with the Oracle healthcare business unit to have a large presence at this show, and I wanted to tell you a bit about what we're doing: - All Oracle demos are being done on Sun Ray Clients That's right, every demo pod in the large Oracle booth will have a Sun Ray Client with each demo tied to a smart card. Too many people at your demo station? Pop your card out and go to a different one. We'll also be demoing Oracle desktop virtualization at a dedicated demo station, too. This is great stuff! Find Oracle at booth #1651 Oracle's page about HIMSS - Focus Group - Caregiver Mobility with Oracle Sun Ray Clients and Desktop Virtualization Feb 22, 3:15-4:15 PM This focus group will be for customers interested in Oracle desktop virtualization. It's invitation only, but you can comment on this blog post and we can give you info on how to attend (your comment won't be made public). - Solution Session - Fast, Secure, Workflow Optimized: Inexpensive Access to Care Information is Possible Inside and Outside of the Hospital Feb 23, 4:15 PM Booth #685, Wireless and Mobility Theatre Oracle's Adam Workman will cover caregiver mobility and the benefits of Oracle desktop virtualization to healthcare organizations. - New healthcare solutions page on oracle.com We've created a page dedicated to content involving desktop virtualization and healthcare. This will be your onestop shop if looking for desktop virtualization and healthcare information. - New desktop virtualization and healthcare solution data sheet This document outlines how we define "Caregiver Mobility" and how Oracle products are used to facilitate quicker, more secure access to patient data. We'll have some more updates from the show next week. It looks like its going to be an exciting event! -Chris

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• Integrating Twitter Into An ASP.NET Website

  Twitter is a popular social networking web service for writing and sharing short messages. These tidy text messages are referred to as tweets and are limited to 140 characters. Users can leave tweets and follow other users directly from Twitter's website or by using the Twitter API. Twitter's API makes it possible to integrate Twitter with external applications. For example, you can use the Twitter API to display your latest tweets on your blog. A mom and pop online store could integrate Twitter such that a new tweet was added each time a customer completed an order. And ELMAH, a popular open-source error logging library, can be configured to send error notifications to Twitter. Twitter's API is implemented over HTTP using the design principles of Representational State Transfer (REST). In a nutshell, inter-operating with the Twitter API involves a client - your application - sending an XML-formatted message over HTTP to the server - Twitter's website. The server responds with an XML-formatted message that contains status information and data. While you can certainly interface with this API by writing your own code to communicate with the Twitter API over HTTP along with the code that creates and parses the XML payloads exchanged between the client and server, such work is unnecessary since there are many community-created Twitter API libraries for a variety of programming frameworks. This article shows how to integrate Twitter with an ASP.NET website using the Twitterizer library, which is a free, open-source .NET library for working with the Twitter API. Specifically, this article shows how to retrieve your latest tweets and how to post a tweet using Twitterizer. Read on to learn more! Read More >

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• NINE Questions with Michelle Juett

  - by NINEQuestions

  Michelle Juett is one of the more interesting people I know, even though we’ve never met face to face. She’s part artist, part techie and all cool. We “met” via my good buddy George Clingerman and have plotting to take over the world, errr… I mean “collaborating” ever since. If you happen to live in the Seattle area, you can catch her and her work at Sakura Con on April 2-4, 2010 and various other gamer and art cons throughout the year. You can also find her on Twitter as @Shelldragon. Now that you know a little bit, I’ll let her tell you the rest of the story in these NINE Questions: 1. Where are you from? I was born in Clearwater, Florida. I like to tell people I'm from the Bermuda Triangle, it just makes explaining myself so much easier. My family moved to Washington when I was 5 and I've been in the Pacific Northwest ever since. We like to QQ about the rain but we really love the green trees and clean water. 2. What do you do? I fight evil by moonlight and win love by daylight.. or something like that.  I’ve been in quality assurance for games during the day since January 2008 and an artist for life. I currently work in QA for a really awesome game company in Bellevue.  At home, I work on personal digital art, making game assets as well as other random freelance projects as they pop up. 3. How did you get to where you are now? I'm still not where I want to be but I'm getting closer. The biggest piece of advice I can give is to work hard and never settle for the minimum required. I tend to overwork myself but I've never regretted it. You can want something really bad but if you aren't willing to work for it, then you can't expect it to just happen. I've always drawn and had an unhealthy love for video games that I was told I’d grow out of.  I knew I would not ‘grow out’ of games and that real adults make them and I could too. After I graduated, in searching for jobs, I discovered game testing. I figured this would be a good way to get my foot in the door and start networking. I’ve worked with consoles, websites and now, PC games.  I stuck with my journey, although it has been a rocky one, daylighting as a tester and moonlighting as an artist. I'm still on that journey but I wouldn't have it any other way. Test has given me a perspective that is difficult, if not impossible, to obtain any other way. It gives an unconditional respect for other hard working testers and an insight into creative problem solving. 4. So video game testing probably sounds WAY cooler than the reality. What's it like? What's a given day for you? Game testers don't get a lot of respect because of their stigmas and the fact most people don't actually know what we do.  People hear about the opening and closing disc trays all day. Many places do treat their testers like numbers. It all depends on where you work and how awesome your company is. I've had to deal with a lot of bad work situations to get to a really good one. QA exists to ensure the game is as flawless and enjoyable as it can be by the time it has to leave the nest and go out into the world. This includes everything obvious: “can I beat the level and save the princess?” to the more obscure: ‘What happens when I lose internet connection while trying to save right before falling into a pit to my death while holding the jump key then my cat pulls out my memory card and hides it in her litter box?” On the dev side, for developers, testers can be very scary people. Especially when the test team is not in house and you can’t see each other’s faces.  I've seen both sides. We don't mean to hurt your feelings. We really DO love you and want your game to be the best it can be! It can be some serious tough love. 5. You are also an accomplished artist. Got any major projects right now you'd like to talk about? LOL, I don't know if I’d say I'm an accomplished artist just yet. I’m still a long way from where I want to be. I figure that’s what makes you grow though: the desire to never stop improving. I like QA but I want to be a full time artist. I was lucky enough to register for a table at Sakura Con in the 11 second window that the tables sold out. As such, I’ll be selling my wares in the Artist Alley April 2-4th. Part of preparing for this is actually making the art to be sold there. Anime is a fun pass time but I don’t draw a whole lot of it so I’m making up for lost time. As I seem to enjoy burying myself in work, I’m an art lead for a secret project that’s so secret I might be killed tonight for even mentioning it. I also take on various freelance projects and do what I can to help out indie games. I discovered the XNA community a year and a half ago and developed a love for Indies when I was writing a weekly newsletter on XBLA news. I’m a little late to the party but I find myself in a unique position where I am an artist and also have technical skills in games. While not programmer myself, I have a lot of game sense and experience. I hope to make some awesome happen. Lastly, I have an ongoing web comic Shell’s Angels) that tends to get neglected when I get busy. I still love drawing comics and keep a little book with me to sketch down ideas as they pop into my head. I may pick it back up again as a larger project sometime in the future. 6. Can you talk about any of the other freelance projects you're doing or are you sworn to secrecy on those too? We wouldn't want a team of game developer ninjas to take you out or anything. All my projects are currently 2d. I have personal projects such as the ongoing comic as well as a graphic novel I've been picking at here and there. My main focus until April is Sakura Con, Sakura Con, Sakura Con.  I see it as a great way to get exposure and convention experience. I found out I love conventions a couple years ago and I want to get more involved in them. 7. As an artist, what is your weapon of choice? What do you use to get most of your stuff done? I am a Photoshop Hero and I have the hoodie to prove it. (http://www.pennyarcademerch.com/pah090011.html) I've dabbled in other paint programs but I always gravitate back to Photoshop. She is my one true love. I'd like to learn programs like Flash or Anime Studio when I get a bit more time because of their animation abilities. I've worked on frame by frame animation forever but I would love to learn 2d rigging. Still, nothing can compare to a simple sketchpad and a pencil. I always have one on me in case I come across or think of something interesting and can't get to a computer. If the Courier ever comes to exist it will be an ideal weapon for me. 8. You did some videos too, depicting the art creation process. What was the motivation behind those? The creative process is just as important as the final product, if not more so.  I've always loved watching speed paint videos and wanted to try it out myself. Turns out it's a lot of work and time but it's definitely fun to go back and rewatch them. Art isn't always the end result and is more often the process itself. 9. Got any interesting tattoos? Designed any for yourself or other people? Not yet, but not for lack of desire. I've toiled over what and where for years. Last year, I finally decided the back of my shoulders would be the place. Like anything permanent, I want it to have meaning. I thought of somehow incorporating games but I couldn't find something I felt would stand the test of time even with all the classic sprite games. I'm very picky so we'll see if I can get something solid decided. Come see me at Sakura Con April 2 -4!!!

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• Desktop Fun: Dual Monitor Wallpaper Collection Series 2

  - by Asian Angel

  Last month we brought you the first batch of wallpapers geared specifically towards dual monitor setups. Today we present the second offering in our series of dual monitor wallpaper collections. Note: Click on the picture to see the full-size image—these wallpapers vary in size so you may need to crop, stretch, or place them on a colored background in order to best match them to your screen’s resolution. More Dual Monitor Goodness Desktop Fun: Dual Monitor Wallpaper Collection Series 1 Span the same wallpaper across two monitors or use a different wallpaper for each. Dual Monitors: Use a Different Wallpaper on Each Desktop in Windows 7, Vista or XP For more wallpapers be certain to see our great collections in the Desktop Fun section. Latest Features How-To Geek ETC The 20 Best How-To Geek Linux Articles of 2010 The 50 Best How-To Geek Windows Articles of 2010 The 20 Best How-To Geek Explainer Topics for 2010 How to Disable Caps Lock Key in Windows 7 or Vista How to Use the Avira Rescue CD to Clean Your Infected PC The Complete List of iPad Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials Tune Pop Enhances Android Music Notifications Another Busy Night in Gotham City Wallpaper Classic Super Mario Brothers Theme for Chrome and Iron Experimental Firefox Builds Put Tabs on the Title Bar (Available for Download) Android Trojan Found in the Wild Chaos, Panic, and Disorder Wallpaper

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• SQL – NuoDB and Third Party Explorer – SQuirreL SQL Client, SQL Workbench/J and DbVisualizer

  - by Pinal Dave

  I recently wrote a four-part series on how I started to learn about and begin my journey with NuoDB. Big Data is indeed a big world and the learning of the Big Data is like spaghetti – no one knows in reality where to start, so I decided to learn it with the help of NuoDB. You can download NuoDB and continue your journey with me as well. Part 1 – Install NuoDB in 90 Seconds Part 2 – Manage NuoDB Installation Part 3 – Explore NuoDB Database Part 4 – Migrate from SQL Server to NuoDB …and in this blog post we will try to answer the most asked question about NuoDB. “I like the NuoDB Explorer but can I connect to NuoDB from my preferred Graphical User Interface?” Honestly, I did not expect this question to be asked of me so many times but from the question it is clear that we developers absolutely want to learn new things and along with that we do want to continue to use our most efficient developer tools. Now here is the answer to the question: “Absolutely, you can continue to use any of the following most popular SQL clients.” NuoDB supports the three most popular 3rd-party SQL clients. In all the leading development environments there are always more than one database installed and managing each of them with a different tool is often a very difficult task. Developers like to use one tool, which can control most of the databases. Once developers are familiar with one database tool it is very difficult for them to switch to another tool. This is particularly difficult when we developers find that tool to be the key reason for our efficiency. Let us see how to install each of the NuoDB supported 3rd party tools along with a quick tutorial on how to go about using them. SQuirreL SQL Client First download SQuirreL Universal SQL client. On the Windows platform you can double-click on the file and it will install the SQuirrel client. Once it is installed, open the application and it will bring up the following screen. Now go to the Drivers tab on the left side and scroll it down. You will find NuoDB mentioned there. Now right click over it and click on Modify Driver. Now here is where you need to make sure that you make proper entries or your client will not work with the database. Enter following values: Name: NuoDB Example URL: jdbc:com:nuodb://localhost:48004/test Website URL: http://www.nuodb.com Now click on the Extra Class Path tab and Add the location of the nuodbjdbc.jar file. If you are following my blog posts and have installed NuoDB in the default location, you will find the default path as C:\Program Files\NuoDB\jar\nuodbjdbc.jar. The class name of the driver is automatically populated. Once you click OK you will see that there is a small icon displayed to the left of NuoDB, which shows that you have successfully configured and installed the NuoDB driver. Now click on the tab of Alias tab and you can notice that it is empty. Now click on the big Plus icon and it will open screen of adding an alias. “Alias” means nothing more than adding a database to your system. The database name of the original installation can be anything and, if you wish, you can register the database with any other alternative name. Here are the details you should fill into the Alias screen below. Name: Test (or your preferred alias) Driver: NuoDB URL: jdbc:com:nuodb://localhost:48004/test (This is for test database) User Name: dba (This is the username which I entered for test Database) Password: goalie (This is the password which I entered for test Database) Check Auto Logon and Connect at Startup and click on OK. That’s it! You are done. On the right side you will see a table name and on the left side you will see various tabs with all the relevant details from respective table. You can see various metadata, schemas, data types and other information in the table. In addition, you can also generate script and do various important tasks related to database. You can see how easy it is to configure NuoDB with the SQuirreL Client and get going with it immediately. SQL Workbench/J This is another wonderful client tool, which works very well with NuoDB. The best part is that in the Driver dropdown you will see NuoDB being mentioned there. Click here to download  SQL Workbench/J Universal SQL client. The download process is straight forward and the installation is a very easy process for SQL Workbench/J. As soon as you open the client, you will notice on following screen the NuoDB driver when selecting a New Connection Profile. Select NuoDB from the drop down and click on OK. In the driver information, enter following details: Driver: NuoDB (com.nuodb.jdbc.Driver) URL: jdbc:com.nuodb://localhost/test Username: dba Password: goalie While clicking on OK, it will bring up the following pop-up. Click Yes to edit the driver information. Click on OK and it will bring you to following screen. This is the screen where you can perform various tasks. You can write any SQL query you want and it will instantly show you the results. Now click on the database icon, which you see right on the left side of the word User=dba.  Once you click on Database Explorer, you can perform various database related tasks. As a developer, one of my favorite tasks is to look at the source of the table as it gives me a proper view of the structure of the database. I find SQL Workbench/J very efficient in doing the same. DbVisualizer DBVisualizer is another great tool, which helps you to connect to NuoDB and retrieve database information in your desired format. A developer who is familiar with DBVisualizer will find this client to be very easy to work with. The installation of the DBVisualizer is very pretty straight forward. When we open the client, it will bring us to the following screen. As a first step we need to set up the driver. Go to Tools >> Driver Manager. It will bring up following screen where we set up the diver. Click on Create Driver and it will open up the driver settings on the right side. On the right side of the area where it displays Driver Settings please enter the following values- Name: NuoDB URL Format: jdbc:com.nuodb://localhost:48004/test Now under the driver path, click on the folder icon and it will ask for the location of the jar file. Provide the path as a C:\Program Files\NuoDB\jar\nuodbjdbc.jar and click OK. You will notice there is a green button displayed at the bottom right corner. This means the driver is configured properly. Once driver is configured properly, we can go to Create Database Connection and create a database. If the pop up show up for the Wizard. Click on No Wizard and continue to enter the settings manually. Here is the Database Connection screen. This screen can be bit tricky. Here are the settings you need to remember to enter. Name: NuoDB Database Type: Generic Driver: NuoDB Database URL: jdbc:com.nuodb://localhost:48004/test Database Userid: dba Database Password: goalie Once you enter the values, click on Connect. Once Connect is pressed, it will change the button value to Reconnect if the connection is successfully established and it will show the connection details on lthe eft side. When we further explore the NuoDB, we can see various tables created in our test application. We can further click on the right side screen and see various details on the table. If you click on the Data Tab, it will display the entire data of the table. The Tools menu also has some very interesting and cool features like Driver Manager, Data Monitor and SQL History. Summary Well, this was a relatively long post but I find it is extremely essential to cover all the three important clients, which we developers use in our daily database development. Here is my question to you? Which one of the following is your favorite NuoDB 3rd-Party Database Client? (Pick One) SQuirreL SQL Client SQL Workbench/J DbVisualizer I will be very much eager to read your experience about NuoDB. You can download NuoDB from here. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: Big Data, PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, T SQL, Technology Tagged: NuoDB

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• Not All “Viruses” Are Viruses: 10 Malware Terms Explained

  - by Chris Hoffman

  Most people seem to call every type of malware a “virus”, but that isn’t technically accurate. You’ve probably heard of many more terms beyond virus: malware, worm, Trojan, rootkit, keylogger, spyware, and more. But what do all these terms mean? These terms aren’t just used by geeks. They make their way into even mainstream news stories about the latest web security problems and tech scares. Understanding them will help you understand the dangers your\ hear about. Malware The word “malware” is short for “malicious software.” Many people use the word “virus” to indicate any type of harmful software, but a virus is actually just a specific type of malware. The word “malware” encompasses all harmful software, including all the ones listed below. Virus Let’s start with viruses. A virus is a type of malware that copies itself by infecting other files,  just as viruses in the real world infect biological cells and use those biological cells to reproduce copies of themselves. A virus can do many different things — watch in the background and steal your passwords, display advertisements, or just crash your computer — but the key thing that makes it a virus is how it spreads. When you run a virus, it will infect programs on your computer. When you run the program on another computer, the virus will infect programs on that computer, and so on. For example, a virus might infect program files on a USB stick. When the programs on that USB stick are run on another computer, the virus runs on the other computer and infects more program files. The virus will continue to spread in this way. Worm A worm is similar to a virus, but it spreads a different way. Rather than infecting files and relying on human activity to move those files around and run them on different systems, a worm spreads over computer networks on its own accord. For example, the Blaster and Sasser worms spread very quickly in the days of Windows XP because Windows XP did not come properly secured and exposed system services to the Internet. The worm accessed these system services over the Internet, exploited a vulnerability, and infected the computer. The worm then used the new infected computer to continue replicating itself. Such worms are less common now that Windows is properly firewalled by default, but worms can also spread in other ways — for example, by mass-emailing themselves to every email address in an effected user’s address book. Like a virus, a worm can do any number of other harmful things once it infects a computer. The key thing that makes it a worm is simply how it spreads copies of itself. Trojan (or Trojan Horse) A Trojan horse, or Trojan, is a type of malware that disguises itself as a legitimate file. When you download and run the program, the Trojan horse will run in the background, allowing third-parties to access your computer. Trojans can do this for any number of reasons — to monitor activity on your computer, to join your computer to a botnet. Trojans may also be used to open the floodgates and download many other types of malware onto your computer. The key thing that makes this type of malware a Trojan is how it arrives. It pretends to be a useful program and, when run, it hides in the background and gives malicious people access to your computer. It isn’t obsessed with copying itself into other files or spreading over the network, as viruses and worms are. For example, a piece of pirated software on an unscrupulous website may actually contain a Trojan. Spyware Spyware is a type of malicious software that spies on you without your knowledge. It collects a variety of different types of data, depending on the piece of spyware. Different types of malware can function as spyware — there may be malicious spyware included in Trojans that spies on your keystrokes to steal financial data, for example. More “legitimate” spyware may be bundled along with free software and simply monitor your web browsing habits, uploading this data to advertising servers so the software’s creator can make money from selling their knowledge of your activities. Adware Adware often comes along with spyware. It’s any type of software that displays advertising on your computer. Programs that display advertisements inside the program itself aren’t generally classified as malware. The kind of “adware” that’s particularly malicious is the kind that abuses its access to your system to display ads when it shouldn’t. For example, a piece of harmful adware may cause pop-up advertisements to appear on your computer when you’re not doing anything else. Or, adware may inject additional advertising into other web pages as you browse the web. Adware is often combined with spyware — a piece of malware may monitor your browsing habits and use them to serve you more targeted ads. Adware is more “socially acceptable” than other types of malware on Windows and you may see adware bundled with legitimate programs. For example, some people consider the Ask Toolbar included with Oracle’s Java software adware. Keylogger A keylogger is a type of malware that runs in the background, recording every key stroke you make. These keystrokes can include usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and other sensitive data. The keylogger then, most likely, uploads these keystrokes to a malicious server, where it can be analyzed and people can pick out the useful passwords and credit card numbers. Other types of malware can act as keyloggers. A virus, worm, or Trojan may function as a keylogger, for example. Keyloggers may also be installed for monitoring purposes by businesses or even jealous spouses. Botnet, Bot A botnet is a large network of computers that are under the botnet creator’s control. Each computer functions as a “bot” because it’s infected with a specific piece of malware. Once the bot software infects the computer, ir will connect to some sort of control server and wait for instructions from the botnet’s creator. For example, a botnet may be used to initiate a DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack. Every computer in the botnet will be told to bombard a specific website or server with requests at once, and such millions or requests can cause a server to become unresponsive or crash. Botnet creators may sell access to their botnets, allowing other malicious individuals to use large botnets to do their dirty work. Rootkit A rootkit is a type of malware designed to burrow deep into your computer, avoiding detection by security programs and users. For example, a rootkit might load before most of Windows, burying itself deep into the system and modifying system functions so that security programs can’t detect it. A rootkit might hide itself completely, preventing itself from showing up in the Windows task manager. The key thing that makes a type of malware a rootkit is that it’s stealthy and focused on hiding itself once it arrives. Ransomware Ransomware is a fairly new type of malware. It holds your computer or files hostage and demands a ransom payment. Some ransomware may simply pop up a box asking for money before you can continue using your computer. Such prompts are easily defeated with antivirus software. More harmful malware like CryptoLocker literally encrypts your files and demands a payment before you can access them. Such types of malware are dangerous, especially if you don’t have backups. Most malware these days is produced for profit, and ransomware is a good example of that. Ransomware doesn’t want to crash your computer and delete your files just to cause you trouble. It wants to take something hostage and get a quick payment from you. So why is it called “antivirus software,” anyway? Well, most people continue to consider the word “virus” synonymous with malware as a whole. Antivirus software doesn’t just protect against viruses, but against all types of malware. It may be more accurately referred to as “antimalware” or “security” software. Image Credit: Marcelo Alves on Flickr, Tama Leaver on Flickr, Szilard Mihaly on Flickr     

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• Twitter User/Search Feature Header Support in LINQ to Twitter

  - by Joe Mayo

  LINQ to Twitter’s goal is to support the entire Twitter API. So, if you see a new feature pop-up, it will be in-queue for inclusion. The same holds for the new X-Feature… response headers for User/Search requests.  However, you don’t have to wait for a special property on the TwitterContext to access these headers, you can just use them via the TwitterContext.ResponseHeaders collection. The following code demonstrates how to access the new X-Feature… headers with LINQ to Twitter: var user = (from usr in twitterCtx.User where usr.Type == UserType.Search && usr.Query == "Joe Mayo" select usr) .FirstOrDefault(); Console.WriteLine( "X-FeatureRateLimit-Limit: {0}\n" + "X-FeatureRateLimit-Remaining: {1}\n" + "X-FeatureRateLimit-Reset: {2}\n" + "X-FeatureRateLimit-Class: {3}\n", twitterCtx.ResponseHeaders["X-FeatureRateLimit-Limit"], twitterCtx.ResponseHeaders["X-FeatureRateLimit-Remaining"], twitterCtx.ResponseHeaders["X-FeatureRateLimit-Reset"], twitterCtx.ResponseHeaders["X-FeatureRateLimit-Class"]); The query above is from the User entity, whose type is Search; allowing you to search for the Twitter user whose name is specified by the Query parameter filter. After materializing the query, with FirstOrDefault, twitterCtx will hold all of the headers, including X-Feature… that Twitter returned.  Running the code above will display results similar to the following: X-FeatureRateLimit-Limit: 60 X-FeatureRateLimit-Remaining: 59 X-FeatureRateLimit-Reset: 1271452177 X-FeatureRateLimit-Class: namesearch In addition to getting the X-Feature… headers a capability you might have noticed is that the TwitterContext.ResponseHeaders collection will contain any HTTP that Twitter sends back to a query. Therefore, you’ll be able to access new Twitter headers anytime in the future with LINQ to Twitter. @JoeMayo

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• DDD Melbourne -lessons leant

  - by Michael Freidgeim

  I've attended DDD Melbourne and want to list the interesting points, that I've leant and want to follow. To read more: * Moles-Mocking Isolation framework for .NET. Documentation is here.   (See also Mocking frameworks comparison created October 4, 2009 ) * WebFormsMVP * PluralSight   http://www.pluralsight-training.net/offers/default.aspx?cc=trial   * ELMAH: Error Logging Modules and Handlers *Rhino.Mocks   * VS UI Test Recorder -see posts Visual Studio 2010 Coded UI Test User Guide. Note that Microsoft Test Manager (MTM) toolis a separate application, that can be started from Program files/VS 2010 menu.It is not a menu inside Visual Studio.   * CodeContract- seems great in Debug. Will be good if in production  will be possible runtime configuration, ability to log instead of throw exception. Current recommendation to customize Debug.Assert is not trivial The programmer is free to use the customization provided by Debug.Assert using assert listeners to obtain whatever runtime behavior they desire (e.g., ignoring the error, logging it, or throwing an exception).   // Clears the existing list of assert listener (the default pop-up box) System.Diagnostics.Debug.Listeners.Clear(); // Install your own listener System.Diagnostics.Debug.Listeners.Add(MyTraceListener); Note that you can't catch specific ContractException, but can catch generic Exception(see How come you cannot catch Code Contract exceptions?)   Books recommended "Working effectively with legacy code" by Michael Feathers (corresponding article)   Fowler, Martin Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code, slides http://jaoo.dk/jaoo1999/schedule/MartinFowlerRefractoring.pdf

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• Move Files from a Failing PC with an Ubuntu Live CD

  - by Trevor Bekolay

  You’ve loaded the Ubuntu Live CD to salvage files from a failing system, but where do you store the recovered files? We’ll show you how to store them on external drives, drives on the same PC, a Windows home network, and other locations. We’ve shown you how to recover data like a forensics expert, but you can’t store recovered files back on your failed hard drive! There are lots of ways to transfer the files you access from an Ubuntu Live CD to a place that a stable Windows machine can access them. We’ll go through several methods, starting each section from the Ubuntu desktop – if you don’t yet have an Ubuntu Live CD, follow our guide to creating a bootable USB flash drive, and then our instructions for booting into Ubuntu. If your BIOS doesn’t let you boot using a USB flash drive, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Use a Healthy Hard Drive If your computer has more than one hard drive, or your hard drive is healthy and you’re in Ubuntu for non-recovery reasons, then accessing your hard drive is easy as pie, even if the hard drive is formatted for Windows. To access a hard drive, it must first be mounted. To mount a healthy hard drive, you just have to select it from the Places menu at the top-left of the screen. You will have to identify your hard drive by its size. Clicking on the appropriate hard drive mounts it, and opens it in a file browser. You can now move files to this hard drive by drag-and-drop or copy-and-paste, both of which are done the same way they’re done in Windows. Once a hard drive, or other external storage device, is mounted, it will show up in the /media directory. To see a list of currently mounted storage devices, navigate to /media by clicking on File System in a File Browser window, and then double-clicking on the media folder. Right now, our media folder contains links to the hard drive, which Ubuntu has assigned a terribly uninformative label, and the PLoP Boot Manager CD that is currently in the CD-ROM drive. Connect a USB Hard Drive or Flash Drive An external USB hard drive gives you the advantage of portability, and is still large enough to store an entire hard disk dump, if need be. Flash drives are also very quick and easy to connect, though they are limited in how much they can store. When you plug a USB hard drive or flash drive in, Ubuntu should automatically detect it and mount it. It may even open it in a File Browser automatically. Since it’s been mounted, you will also see it show up on the desktop, and in the /media folder. Once it’s been mounted, you can access it and store files on it like you would any other folder in Ubuntu. If, for whatever reason, it doesn’t mount automatically, click on Places in the top-left of your screen and select your USB device. If it does not show up in the Places list, then you may need to format your USB drive. To properly remove the USB drive when you’re done moving files, right click on the desktop icon or the folder in /media and select Safely Remove Drive. If you’re not given that option, then Eject or Unmount will effectively do the same thing. Connect to a Windows PC on your Local Network If you have another PC or a laptop connected through the same router (wired or wireless) then you can transfer files over the network relatively quickly. To do this, we will share one or more folders from the machine booted up with the Ubuntu Live CD over the network, letting our Windows PC grab the files contained in that folder. As an example, we’re going to share a folder on the desktop called ToShare. Right-click on the folder you want to share, and click Sharing Options. A Folder Sharing window will pop up. Check the box labeled Share this folder. A window will pop up about the sharing service. Click the Install service button. Some files will be downloaded, and then installed. When they’re done installing, you’ll be appropriately notified. You will be prompted to restart your session. Don’t worry, this won’t actually log you out, so go ahead and press the Restart session button. The Folder Sharing window returns, with Share this folder now checked. Edit the Share name if you’d like, and add checkmarks in the two checkboxes below the text fields. Click Create Share. Nautilus will ask your permission to add some permissions to the folder you want to share. Allow it to Add the permissions automatically. The folder is now shared, as evidenced by the new arrows above the folder’s icon. At this point, you are done with the Ubuntu machine. Head to your Windows PC, and open up Windows Explorer. Click on Network in the list on the left, and you should see a machine called UBUNTU in the right pane. Note: This example is shown in Windows 7; the same steps should work for Windows XP and Vista, but we have not tested them. Double-click on UBUNTU, and you will see the folder you shared earlier! As well as any other folders you’ve shared from Ubuntu. Double click on the folder you want to access, and from there, you can move the files from the machine booted with Ubuntu to your Windows PC. Upload to an Online Service There are many services online that will allow you to upload files, either temporarily or permanently. As long as you aren’t transferring an entire hard drive, these services should allow you to transfer your important files from the Ubuntu environment to any other machine with Internet access. We recommend compressing the files that you want to move, both to save a little bit of bandwidth, and to save time clicking on files, as uploading a single file will be much less work than a ton of little files. To compress one or more files or folders, select them, and then right-click on one of the members of the group. Click Compress…. Give the compressed file a suitable name, and then select a compression format. We’re using .zip because we can open it anywhere, and the compression rate is acceptable. Click Create and the compressed file will show up in the location selected in the Compress window. Dropbox If you have a Dropbox account, then you can easily upload files from the Ubuntu environment to Dropbox. There is no explicit limit on the size of file that can be uploaded to Dropbox, though a free account begins with a total limit of 2 GB of files in total. Access your account through Firefox, which can be opened by clicking on the Firefox logo to the right of the System menu at the top of the screen. Once into your account, press the Upload button on top of the main file list. Because Flash is not installed in the Live CD environment, you will have to switch to the basic uploader. Click Browse…find your compressed file, and then click Upload file. Depending on the size of the file, this could take some time. However, once the file has been uploaded, it should show up on any computer connected through Dropbox in a matter of minutes. Google Docs Google Docs allows the upload of any type of file – making it an ideal place to upload files that we want to access from another computer. While your total allocation of space varies (mine is around 7.5 GB), there is a per-file maximum of 1 GB. Log into Google Docs, and click on the Upload button at the top left of the page. Click Select files to upload and select your compressed file. For safety’s sake, uncheck the checkbox concerning converting files to Google Docs format, and then click Start upload. Go Online – Through FTP If you have access to an FTP server – perhaps through your web hosting company, or you’ve set up an FTP server on a different machine – you can easily access the FTP server in Ubuntu and transfer files. Just make sure you don’t go over your quota if you have one. You will need to know the address of the FTP server, as well as the login information. Click on Places > Connect to Server… Choose the FTP (with login) Service type, and fill in your information. Adding a bookmark is optional, but recommended. You will be asked for your password. You can choose to remember it until you logout, or indefinitely. You can now browse your FTP server just like any other folder. Drop files into the FTP server and you can retrieve them from any computer with an Internet connection and an FTP client. Conclusion While at first the Ubuntu Live CD environment may seem claustrophobic, it has a wealth of options for connecting to peripheral devices, local computers, and machines on the Internet – and this article has only scratched the surface. Whatever the storage medium, Ubuntu’s got an interface for it! Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Backup Your Windows Live Writer SettingsMove a Window Without Clicking the Titlebar in UbuntuRecover Deleted Files on an NTFS Hard Drive from a Ubuntu Live CDCreate a Bootable Ubuntu USB Flash Drive the Easy WayReset Your Ubuntu Password Easily from the Live CD TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips Acronis Online Backup DVDFab 6 Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows Tech Fanboys Field Guide Check these Awesome Chrome Add-ons iFixit Offers Gadget Repair Manuals Online Vista style sidebar for Windows 7 Create Nice Charts With These Web Based Tools Track Daily Goals With 42Goals

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• eBay Leads Mobile Commerce

  - by David Dorf

  For the first time, more smartphones where shipped than PCs. This important milestone helps reinforce that retailers need a strong mobile commerce strategy. IDC reported that for the 4th quarter of 2010, manufacturers shipped 100.9 million devices versus 92.1 million PCs shipped. One early adopter for the retail industry is eBay, the popular online auction and shopping site. In July 2008 they released their first mobile app and have increased investments ever since. In 2002 they bought PayPal for use with its online channel, but its becoming a force in the mobile world as well. In June 2010 they acquired RedLaser, the popular barcode scanning mobile app. Both pieces of technology enhance the mobile experience, and are available to other retailers as well. More recently, in December 2010 they acquired Critical Path Software, the developer of their eBay, StubHub, and Shopping.com mobile applications. Taking their mobile development in-house was a clear signal that mobile commerce is important to their strategy. Pop on over the eBay Inc's mobile commerce stats page to see just how well they are doing. You can use the animated map to see where people are using the app on any given day, and you can compare sales of the different categories. eBay's hottest category is Cars & Trucks, garnering 16.5% of the total $2B (yes, billion) in mobile sales in 2010. To understand why that category is so large, let's look at the top 10 most expensive cars sold on eBay mobile in 2010: $240,001 Mercedes-Benz: SLR McLaren $209,888 Lamborghini: Gallardo $208,500 Ferrari: 430 $199,900 Lamborghini: Gallardo $189,000 Lamborghini: Murcielago $185,000 Ferrari: 430 $175,000 Porsche: 911 $170,000 Ferrari: 550 $160,000 Bentley: Continental, GT $159,900 Lamborghini: Gallardo eBay claims they sell 3-4 Ferraris on their mobile app each month. Yes, mobile commerce is not limited to small items. While I would wait to get home and fire up the PC, the current generation that has grown up with mobile phones has no issue satisfying their impulses. Dave Sikora of Digby told me he's seen people buy furniture sets, mattresses, and diamonds via their mobile phones. I guess mobile commerce is rapidly becoming the norm.

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• SonicFileFinder 2.2 Released

  - by WeigeltRo

  My colleague Jens Schaller has released a new version of his free Visual Studio add-in SonicFileFinder, adding support for Visual Studio 2010. Announcement on his blog Download on the SonicFileFinder website As far as I can tell, there are no new features compared to version 2.1, but good to know that this add-in is now available for VS2010. For those who a wondering what SonicFileFinder is about: SonicFileFinder implements a command for searching and opening files in a Visual Studio solution, which is very nice especially in large projects. This may sound familiar to users of JetBrain’s ReSharper, which has a “Go To File” feature. But in my opinion SonicFileFinder does a better job overall: While ReSharper (4.5) does a prefix search by default, SonicFileFinder searches for any occurrence of the entered text inside a file name. In a long list of file names (e.g. all starting with “Page…”), this allows me to focus on the part that makes the difference (e.g. “Render” in PageRenderBuffer.cs). In ReSharper I would have to type “*Render*”, which can be shortened to “*Render” (which isn’t even correct). Note that SonicFileFinder does support wildcards, of course.   SonicFileFinder remembers the last input (and thus the last result list) without a noticeable delay of the popup. If I want to search for something different, I can type right away, so this behavior doesn’t slow me down. But where it really shines is when I’m not even sure what file exactly I was looking for – I open one file, notice that it’s not the one I want, re-open the pop-up dialog and now I can choose another one from the result list without re-entering the search text. SonicFileFinder allows me to open multiple files at one (nice for service interfaces and implementations). SonicFileFinder lets me open either a Windows Explorer or Command Line window in the directory containing a specific file.

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• Weird entry for robots.txt on a Naked Domain in Google Webmaster Tools

  - by Metalshark

  We own a .co.uk address and use an Internet hosting company that has made mistakes around DNS in the past. Our main site is hosted on www. and their reluctance to allow editing of AAAA records on-line means our naked domain does not resolve. Currently when we attempt to reach the naked version there is no entry for the browser to go to and it displays an unreachable page (nslookup just says Name: name of domain with no further entries such as an IP or Canonical Name). We recently added the relevant TXT records to verify us to view both the www. version and the naked version of the domain in Google Webmaster Tools (in anticipation of the requests to our Internet host coming to fruition). Imagine our shock when double checking the Site configuration Crawler access and finding a (admittedly failing) robots.txt with a dynamically generated HTML page (full of crude pop-up JavaScript) with references to 3 of our most prominent competitors. What could cause this to happen? As we are in the UK I am assuming some DNS server is serving Google bad information. We are going to contact the Internet hosting company to fix our A and AAAA records once and for all, then check that they work in the US (using something like OpenDNS). Should we be doing more though, for instance informing Google (through Webmaster Tools) that we are now aware there is something currently wrong with our naked domain? UPDATE: We have fixed our A records (not AAAA) and that has resolved the issue. But if there are further actions we should take for effectively having a parking page hosted on our active visitor-heavy, SEO-rich domain that advertised our competitors to US visitors, what would they be?

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• A Closable jQuery Plug-in

  - by Rick Strahl

  In my client side development I deal a lot with content that pops over the main page. Be it data entry ‘windows’ or dialogs or simple pop up notes. In most cases this behavior goes with draggable windows, but sometimes it’s also useful to have closable behavior on static page content that the user can choose to hide or otherwise make invisible or fade out. Here’s a small jQuery plug-in that provides .closable() behavior to most elements by using either an image that is provided or – more appropriately by using a CSS class to define the picture box layout. /* * * Closable * * Makes selected DOM elements closable by making them * invisible when close icon is clicked * * Version 1.01 * @requires jQuery v1.3 or later * * Copyright (c) 2007-2010 Rick Strahl * http://www.west-wind.com/ * * Licensed under the MIT license: * http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php Support CSS: .closebox { position: absolute; right: 4px; top: 4px; background-image: url(images/close.gif); background-repeat: no-repeat; width: 14px; height: 14px; cursor: pointer; opacity: 0.60; filter: alpha(opacity="80"); } .closebox:hover { opacity: 0.95; filter: alpha(opacity="100"); } Options: * handle Element to place closebox into (like say a header). Use if main element and closebox container are two different elements. * closeHandler Function called when the close box is clicked. Return true to close the box return false to keep it visible. * cssClass The CSS class to apply to the close box DIV or IMG tag. * imageUrl Allows you to specify an explicit IMG url that displays the close icon. If used bypasses CSS image styling. * fadeOut Optional provide fadeOut speed. Default no fade out occurs */ (function ($) { $.fn.closable = function (options) { var opt = { handle: null, closeHandler: null, cssClass: "closebox", imageUrl: null, fadeOut: null }; $.extend(opt, options); return this.each(function (i) { var el = $(this); var pos = el.css("position"); if (!pos || pos == "static") el.css("position", "relative"); var h = opt.handle ? $(opt.handle).css({ position: "relative" }) : el; var div = opt.imageUrl ? $("<img>").attr("src", opt.imageUrl).css("cursor", "pointer") : $("<div>"); div.addClass(opt.cssClass) .click(function (e) { if (opt.closeHandler) if (!opt.closeHandler.call(this, e)) return; if (opt.fadeOut) $(el).fadeOut(opt.fadeOut); else $(el).hide(); }); if (opt.imageUrl) div.css("background-image", "none"); h.append(div); }); } })(jQuery); The plugin can be applied against any selector that is a container (typically a div tag). The close image or close box is provided typically by way of a CssClass - .closebox by default – which supplies the image as part of the CSS styling. The default styling for the box looks something like this: .closebox { position: absolute; right: 4px; top: 4px; background-image: url(images/close.gif); background-repeat: no-repeat; width: 14px; height: 14px; cursor: pointer; opacity: 0.60; filter: alpha(opacity="80"); } .closebox:hover { opacity: 0.95; filter: alpha(opacity="100"); } Alternately you can also supply an image URL which overrides the background image in the style sheet. I use this plug-in mostly on pop up windows that can be closed, but it’s also quite handy for remove/delete behavior in list displays like this: you can find this sample here to look to play along: http://www.west-wind.com/WestwindWebToolkit/Samples/Ajax/AmazonBooks/BooksAdmin.aspx For closable windows it’s nice to have something reusable because in my client framework there are lots of different kinds of windows that can be created: Draggables, Modal Dialogs, HoverPanels etc. and they all use the client .closable plug-in to provide the closable operation in the same way with a few options. Plug-ins are great for this sort of thing because they can also be aggregated and so different components can pick and choose the behavior they want. The window here is a draggable, that’s closable and has shadow behavior and the server control can simply generate the appropriate plug-ins to apply to the main <div> tag: $().ready(function() { $('#ctl00_MainContent_panEditBook') .closable({ handle: $('#divEditBook_Header') }) .draggable({ dragDelay: 100, handle: '#divEditBook_Header' }) .shadow({ opacity: 0.25, offset: 6 }); }) The window is using the default .closebox style and has its handle set to the header bar (Book Information). The window is just closable to go away so no event handler is applied. Actually I cheated – the actual page’s .closable is a bit more ugly in the sample as it uses an image from a resources file: .closable({ imageUrl: '/WestWindWebToolkit/Samples/WebResource.axd?d=TooLongAndNastyToPrint', handle: $('#divEditBook_Header')}) so you can see how to apply a custom image, which in this case is generated by the server control wrapping the client DragPanel. More interesting maybe is to apply the .closable behavior to list scenarios. For example, each of the individual items in the list display also are .closable using this plug-in. Rather than having to define each item with Html for an image, event handler and link, when the client template is rendered the closable behavior is attached to the list. Here I’m using client-templating and the code that this is done with looks like this: function loadBooks() { showProgress(); // Clear the content $("#divBookListWrapper").empty(); var filter = $("#" + scriptVars.lstFiltersId).val(); Proxy.GetBooks(filter, function(books) { $(books).each(function(i) { updateBook(this); showProgress(true); }); }, onPageError); } function updateBook(book,highlight) { // try to retrieve the single item in the list by tag attribute id var item = $(".bookitem[tag=" +book.Pk +"]"); // grab and evaluate the template var html = parseTemplate(template, book); var newItem = $(html) .attr("tag", book.Pk.toString()) .click(function() { var pk = $(this).attr("tag"); editBook(this, parseInt(pk)); }) .closable({ closeHandler: function(e) { removeBook(this, e); }, imageUrl: "../../images/remove.gif" }); if (item.length > 0) item.after(newItem).remove(); else newItem.appendTo($("#divBookListWrapper")); if (highlight) { newItem .addClass("pulse") .effect("bounce", { distance: 15, times: 3 }, 400); setTimeout(function() { newItem.removeClass("pulse"); }, 1200); } } Here the closable behavior is applied to each of the items along with an event handler, which is nice and easy compared to having to embed the right HTML and click handling into each item in the list individually via markup. Ideally though (and these posts make me realize this often a little late) I probably should set up a custom cssClass to handle the rendering – maybe a CSS class called .removebox that only changes the image from the default box image. This example also hooks up an event handler that is fired in response to the close. In the list I need to know when the remove button is clicked so I can fire of a service call to the server to actually remove the item from the database. The handler code can also return false; to indicate that the window should not be closed optionally. Returning true will close the window. You can find more information about the .closable class behavior and options here: .closable Documentation Plug-ins make Server Control JavaScript much easier I find this plug-in immensely useful especial as part of server control code, because it simplifies the code that has to be generated server side tremendously. This is true of plug-ins in general which make it so much easier to create simple server code that only generates plug-in options, rather than full blocks of JavaScript code.  For example, here’s the relevant code from the DragPanel server control which generates the .closable() behavior: if (this.Closable && !string.IsNullOrEmpty(DragHandleID) ) { string imageUrl = this.CloseBoxImage; if (imageUrl == "WebResource" ) imageUrl = ScriptProxy.GetWebResourceUrl(this, this.GetType(), ControlResources.CLOSE_ICON_RESOURCE); StringBuilder closableOptions = new StringBuilder("imageUrl: '" + imageUrl + "'"); if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(this.DragHandleID)) closableOptions.Append(",handle: $('#" + this.DragHandleID + "')"); if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(this.ClientDialogHandler)) closableOptions.Append(",handler: " + this.ClientDialogHandler); if (this.FadeOnClose) closableOptions.Append(",fadeOut: 'slow'"); startupScript.Append(@" .closable({ " + closableOptions + "})"); } The same sort of block is then used for .draggable and .shadow which simply sets options. Compared to the code I used to have in pre-jQuery versions of my JavaScript toolkit this is a walk in the park. In those days there was a bunch of JS generation which was ugly to say the least. I know a lot of folks frown on using server controls, especially the UI is client centric as the example is. However, I do feel that server controls can greatly simplify the process of getting the right behavior attached more easily and with the help of IntelliSense. Often the script markup is easier is especially if you are dealing with complex, multiple plug-in associations that often express more easily with property values on a control. Regardless of whether server controls are your thing or not this plug-in can be useful in many scenarios. Even in simple client-only scenarios using a plug-in with a few simple parameters is nicer and more consistent than creating the HTML markup over and over again. I hope some of you find this even a small bit as useful as I have. Related Links Download jquery.closable West Wind Web Toolkit jQuery Plug-ins © Rick Strahl, West Wind Technologies, 2005-2010Posted in jQuery   ASP.NET  JavaScript  

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• How to Change the Default Application for Android Tasks

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  When it comes time to switch from using one application to another on your Android device it isn’t immediately clear how to do so. Follow along as we walk you through swapping the default application for any Android task. Initially changing the default application in Android is a snap. After you install the new application (new web browser, new messaging tool, new whatever) Android prompts you to pick which application (the new or the old) you wish to use for that task the first time you attempt to open a web page, check your text message, or otherwise trigger the event. Easy! What about when it comes time to uninstall the app or just change back to your old app? There’s no helpful pop-up dialog box for that. Read on as we show you how to swap out any default application for any other with a minimum of fuss. Latest Features How-To Geek ETC How to Change the Default Application for Android Tasks Stop Believing TV’s Lies: The Real Truth About "Enhancing" Images The How-To Geek Valentine’s Day Gift Guide Inspire Geek Love with These Hilarious Geek Valentines RGB? CMYK? Alpha? What Are Image Channels and What Do They Mean? How to Recover that Photo, Picture or File You Deleted Accidentally Now Together and Complete – McBain: The Movie [Simpsons Video] Be Creative by Using Hex and RGB Codes for Crayola Crayon Colors on Your Next Web or Art Project [Geek Fun] Flash Updates; Finally Supports Full Screen Video on Multiple Monitors 22 Ways to Recycle an Altoids Mint Tin Make Your Desktop Go Native with the Tribal Arts Theme for Windows 7 A History of Vintage Transformers: Decepticons Edition [Infographic]

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• Solaris X86 64-bit Assembly Programming

  - by danx

  Solaris X86 64-bit Assembly Programming This is a simple example on writing, compiling, and debugging Solaris 64-bit x86 assembly language with a C program. This is also referred to as "AMD64" assembly. The term "AMD64" is used in an inclusive sense to refer to all X86 64-bit processors, whether AMD Opteron family or Intel 64 processor family. Both run Solaris x86. I'm keeping this example simple mainly to illustrate how everything comes together—compiler, assembler, linker, and debugger when using assembly language. The example I'm using here is a C program that calls an assembly language program passing a C string. The assembly language program takes the C string and calls printf() with it to print the string. AMD64 Register Usage But first let's review the use of AMD64 registers. AMD64 has several 64-bit registers, some special purpose (such as the stack pointer) and others general purpose. By convention, Solaris follows the AMD64 ABI in register usage, which is the same used by Linux, but different from Microsoft Windows in usage (such as which registers are used to pass parameters). This blog will only discuss conventions for Linux and Solaris. The following chart shows how AMD64 registers are used. The first six parameters to a function are passed through registers. If there's more than six parameters, parameter 7 and above are pushed on the stack before calling the function. The stack is also used to save temporary "stack" variables for use by a function. 64-bit Register Usage %rip Instruction Pointer points to the current instruction %rsp Stack Pointer %rbp Frame Pointer (saved stack pointer pointing to parameters on stack) %rdi Function Parameter 1 %rsi Function Parameter 2 %rdx Function Parameter 3 %rcx Function Parameter 4 %r8 Function Parameter 5 %r9 Function Parameter 6 %rax Function return value %r10, %r11 Temporary registers (need not be saved before used) %rbx, %r12, %r13, %r14, %r15 Temporary registers, but must be saved before use and restored before returning from the current function (usually with the push and pop instructions). 32-, 16-, and 8-bit registers To access the lower 32-, 16-, or 8-bits of a 64-bit register use the following: 64-bit register Least significant 32-bits Least significant 16-bits Least significant 8-bits %rax%eax%ax%al %rbx%ebx%bx%bl %rcx%ecx%cx%cl %rdx%edx%dx%dl %rsi%esi%si%sil %rdi%edi%di%axl %rbp%ebp%bp%bp %rsp%esp%sp%spl %r9%r9d%r9w%r9b %r10%r10d%r10w%r10b %r11%r11d%r11w%r11b %r12%r12d%r12w%r12b %r13%r13d%r13w%r13b %r14%r14d%r14w%r14b %r15%r15d%r15w%r15b %r16%r16d%r16w%r16b There's other registers present, such as the 64-bit %mm registers, 128-bit %xmm registers, 256-bit %ymm registers, and 512-bit %zmm registers. Except for %mm registers, these registers may not present on older AMD64 processors. Assembly Source The following is the source for a C program, helloas1.c, that calls an assembly function, hello_asm(). $ cat helloas1.c extern void hello_asm(char *s); int main(void) { hello_asm("Hello, World!"); } The assembly function called above, hello_asm(), is defined below. $ cat helloas2.s /* * helloas2.s * To build: * cc -m64 -o helloas2-cpp.s -D_ASM -E helloas2.s * cc -m64 -c -o helloas2.o helloas2-cpp.s */ #if defined(lint) || defined(__lint) /* ARGSUSED */ void hello_asm(char *s) { } #else /* lint */ #include <sys/asm_linkage.h> .extern printf ENTRY_NP(hello_asm) // Setup printf parameters on stack mov %rdi, %rsi // P2 (%rsi) is string variable lea .printf_string, %rdi // P1 (%rdi) is printf format string call printf ret SET_SIZE(hello_asm) // Read-only data .text .align 16 .type .printf_string, @object .printf_string: .ascii "The string is: %s.\n\0" #endif /* lint || __lint */ In the assembly source above, the C skeleton code under "#if defined(lint)" is optionally used for lint to check the interfaces with your C program--very useful to catch nasty interface bugs. The "asm_linkage.h" file includes some handy macros useful for assembly, such as ENTRY_NP(), used to define a program entry point, and SET_SIZE(), used to set the function size in the symbol table. The function hello_asm calls C function printf() by passing two parameters, Parameter 1 (P1) is a printf format string, and P2 is a string variable. The function begins by moving %rdi, which contains Parameter 1 (P1) passed hello_asm, to printf()'s P2, %rsi. Then it sets printf's P1, the format string, by loading the address the address of the format string in %rdi, P1. Finally it calls printf. After returning from printf, the hello_asm function returns itself. Larger, more complex assembly functions usually do more setup than the example above. If a function is returning a value, it would set %rax to the return value. Also, it's typical for a function to save the %rbp and %rsp registers of the calling function and to restore these registers before returning. %rsp contains the stack pointer and %rbp contains the frame pointer. Here is the typical function setup and return sequence for a function: ENTRY_NP(sample_assembly_function) push %rbp // save frame pointer on stack mov %rsp, %rbp // save stack pointer in frame pointer xor %rax, %r4ax // set function return value to 0. mov %rbp, %rsp // restore stack pointer pop %rbp // restore frame pointer ret // return to calling function SET_SIZE(sample_assembly_function) Compiling and Running Assembly Use the Solaris cc command to compile both C and assembly source, and to pre-process assembly source. You can also use GNU gcc instead of cc to compile, if you prefer. The "-m64" option tells the compiler to compile in 64-bit address mode (instead of 32-bit). $ cc -m64 -o helloas2-cpp.s -D_ASM -E helloas2.s $ cc -m64 -c -o helloas2.o helloas2-cpp.s $ cc -m64 -c helloas1.c $ cc -m64 -o hello-asm helloas1.o helloas2.o $ file hello-asm helloas1.o helloas2.o hello-asm: ELF 64-bit LSB executable AMD64 Version 1 [SSE FXSR FPU], dynamically linked, not stripped helloas1.o: ELF 64-bit LSB relocatable AMD64 Version 1 helloas2.o: ELF 64-bit LSB relocatable AMD64 Version 1 $ hello-asm The string is: Hello, World!. Debugging Assembly with MDB MDB is the Solaris system debugger. It can also be used to debug user programs, including assembly and C. The following example runs the above program, hello-asm, under control of the debugger. In the example below I load the program, set a breakpoint at the assembly function hello_asm, display the registers and the first parameter, step through the assembly function, and continue execution. $ mdb hello-asm # Start the debugger > hello_asm:b # Set a breakpoint > ::run # Run the program under the debugger mdb: stop at hello_asm mdb: target stopped at: hello_asm: movq %rdi,%rsi > $C # display function stack ffff80ffbffff6e0 hello_asm() ffff80ffbffff6f0 0x400adc() > $r # display registers %rax = 0x0000000000000000 %r8 = 0x0000000000000000 %rbx = 0xffff80ffbf7f8e70 %r9 = 0x0000000000000000 %rcx = 0x0000000000000000 %r10 = 0x0000000000000000 %rdx = 0xffff80ffbffff718 %r11 = 0xffff80ffbf537db8 %rsi = 0xffff80ffbffff708 %r12 = 0x0000000000000000 %rdi = 0x0000000000400cf8 %r13 = 0x0000000000000000 %r14 = 0x0000000000000000 %r15 = 0x0000000000000000 %cs = 0x0053 %fs = 0x0000 %gs = 0x0000 %ds = 0x0000 %es = 0x0000 %ss = 0x004b %rip = 0x0000000000400c70 hello_asm %rbp = 0xffff80ffbffff6e0 %rsp = 0xffff80ffbffff6c8 %rflags = 0x00000282 id=0 vip=0 vif=0 ac=0 vm=0 rf=0 nt=0 iopl=0x0 status=<of,df,IF,tf,SF,zf,af,pf,cf> %gsbase = 0x0000000000000000 %fsbase = 0xffff80ffbf782a40 %trapno = 0x3 %err = 0x0 > ::dis # disassemble the current instructions hello_asm: movq %rdi,%rsi hello_asm+3: leaq 0x400c90,%rdi hello_asm+0xb: call -0x220 <PLT:printf> hello_asm+0x10: ret 0x400c81: nop 0x400c85: nop 0x400c88: nop 0x400c8c: nop 0x400c90: pushq %rsp 0x400c91: pushq $0x74732065 0x400c96: jb +0x69 <0x400d01> > 0x0000000000400cf8/S # %rdi contains Parameter 1 0x400cf8: Hello, World! > [ # Step and execute 1 instruction mdb: target stopped at: hello_asm+3: leaq 0x400c90,%rdi > [ mdb: target stopped at: hello_asm+0xb: call -0x220 <PLT:printf> > [ The string is: Hello, World!. mdb: target stopped at: hello_asm+0x10: ret > [ mdb: target stopped at: main+0x19: movl $0x0,-0x4(%rbp) > :c # continue program execution mdb: target has terminated > $q # quit the MDB debugger $ In the example above, at the start of function hello_asm(), I display the stack contents with "$C", display the registers contents with "$r", then disassemble the current function with "::dis". The first function parameter, which is a C string, is passed by reference with the string address in %rdi (see the register usage chart above). The address is 0x400cf8, so I print the value of the string with the "/S" MDB command: "0x0000000000400cf8/S". I can also print the contents at an address in several other formats. Here's a few popular formats. For more, see the mdb(1) man page for details. address/S C string address/C ASCII character (1 byte) address/E unsigned decimal (8 bytes) address/U unsigned decimal (4 bytes) address/D signed decimal (4 bytes) address/J hexadecimal (8 bytes) address/X hexadecimal (4 bytes) address/B hexadecimal (1 bytes) address/K pointer in hexadecimal (4 or 8 bytes) address/I disassembled instruction Finally, I step through each machine instruction with the "[" command, which steps over functions. If I wanted to enter a function, I would use the "]" command. Then I continue program execution with ":c", which continues until the program terminates. MDB Basic Cheat Sheet Here's a brief cheat sheet of some of the more common MDB commands useful for assembly debugging. There's an entire set of macros and more powerful commands, especially some for debugging the Solaris kernel, but that's beyond the scope of this example. $C Display function stack with pointers $c Display function stack $e Display external function names $v Display non-zero variables and registers $r Display registers ::fpregs Display floating point (or "media" registers). Includes %st, %xmm, and %ymm registers. ::status Display program status ::run Run the program (followed by optional command line parameters) $q Quit the debugger address:b Set a breakpoint address:d Delete a breakpoint $b Display breakpoints :c Continue program execution after a breakpoint [ Step 1 instruction, but step over function calls ] Step 1 instruction address::dis Disassemble instructions at an address ::events Display events Further Information "Assembly Language Techniques for Oracle Solaris on x86 Platforms" by Paul Lowik (2004). Good tutorial on Solaris x86 optimization with assembly. The Solaris Operating System on x86 Platforms An excellent, detailed tutorial on X86 architecture, with Solaris specifics. By an ex-Sun employee, Frank Hofmann (2005). "AMD64 ABI Features", Solaris 64-bit Developer's Guide contains rules on data types and register usage for Intel 64/AMD64-class processors. (available at docs.oracle.com) Solaris X86 Assembly Language Reference Manual (available at docs.oracle.com) SPARC Assembly Language Reference Manual (available at docs.oracle.com) System V Application Binary Interface (2003) defines the AMD64 ABI for UNIX-class operating systems, including Solaris, Linux, and BSD. Google for it—the original website is gone. cc(1), gcc(1), and mdb(1) man pages.

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• NRF Big Show 2011 -- Part 3

  - by David Dorf

  I'm back from the NRF show having been one of the lucky people who's flight was not canceled. The show was very crowded with a reported 20% increase in attendance and everyone seemed in high spirits. After two years of sluggish retail sales, things are really picking up and it was reflected in everyone's mood. The pop-up Disney Store in the Oracle booth was great and attracted lots of interest in their mobile POS. I know many attendees visited the Disney Store in Times Square to see the entire operation. It's an impressive two-story store that keeps kids engaged. The POS demonstration station, where most of our innovations were demoed, was always crowded. Unfortunately most of the demos used WiFi and the signals from other booths prevented anything from working reliably. Nevertheless, the demo team did an excellent job walking people through the scenarios and explaining how shopping is being impacted by mobile, analytics, and RFID. Big Show Links Disney uncovers its store magic Top 10 Things You Missed at the NRF Big Show 2011 Oracle Retail Stores Innovation Station at NRF Big Show 2011 (video) The buzz of the show was again around mobile solutions. Several companies are creating mobile POS using the iPod Touch, including integrations to Oracle POS for the following retailers: Disney Stores with InfoGain Victoria's Secret with InfoGain Urban Outfitters with Starmount The Gap with Global Bay Keeping with the mobile theme, the NRF release a revised version of their Mobile Blueprint at NRF. It will be posted to the NRF site very soon. The alternate payments section had a major rewrite that provides a great overview and proximity and remote payment technologies. NRF Mobile Blueprint Links New mobile blueprint provides fresh insights NRF Mobile Blueprint 2011 (slides) I hope to do some posts on some of the interesting companies I spoke with in the coming weeks.

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• OpenGL - Stack overflow if I do, Stack underflow if I don't!

  - by Wayne Werner

  Hi, I'm in a multimedia class in college, and we're "learning" OpenGL as part of the class. I'm trying to figure out how the OpenGL camera vs. modelview works, and so I found this example. I'm trying to port the example to Python using the OpenGL bindings - it starts up OpenGL much faster, so for testing purposes it's a lot nicer - but I keep running into a stack overflow error with the glPushMatrix in this code: def cube(): for x in xrange(10): glPushMatrix() glTranslated(-positionx[x + 1] * 10, 0, -positionz[x + 1] * 10); #translate the cube glutSolidCube(2); #draw the cube glPopMatrix(); According to this reference, that happens when the matrix stack is full. So I thought, "well, if it's full, let me just pop the matrix off the top of the stack, and there will be room". I modified the code to: def cube(): glPopMatrix() for x in xrange(10): glPushMatrix() glTranslated(-positionx[x + 1] * 10, 0, -positionz[x + 1] * 10); #translate the cube glutSolidCube(2); #draw the cube glPopMatrix(); And now I get a buffer underflow error - which apparently happens when the stack has only one matrix. So am I just waaay off base in my understanding? Or is there some way to increase the matrix stack size? Also, if anyone has some good (online) references (examples, etc.) for understanding how the camera/model matrices work together, I would sincerely appreciate them! Thanks!

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• How to Attach Sticky-Note Reminders to Windows and Applications

  - by Erez Zukerman

  Some applications come with a boatload of keyboard shortcuts; these can make you very fast, but can be difficult to remember, especially if you customized some of them. What if you could have your own little cheat sheet that would pop up next to the application every time your ran it? Read on to see how you can make one. We’re going to be using an excellent (and free) application called Stickies. If you don’t have it yet, go to the Stickies homepage, download it, and install it. Latest Features How-To Geek ETC How to Get Amazing Color from Photos in Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint.NET Learn To Adjust Contrast Like a Pro in Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint.NET Have You Ever Wondered How Your Operating System Got Its Name? Should You Delete Windows 7 Service Pack Backup Files to Save Space? What Can Super Mario Teach Us About Graphics Technology? Windows 7 Service Pack 1 is Released: But Should You Install It? Get the MakeUseOf eBook Guide to Hacker Proofing Your PC Sync Your Windows Computer with Your Ubuntu One Account [Desktop Client] Awesome 10 Meter Curved Touchscreen at the University of Groningen [Video] TV Antenna Helper Makes HDTV Antenna Calibration a Snap Turn a Green Laser into a Microscope Projector [Science] The Open Road Awaits [Wallpaper]

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