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• Remove Clutter from the Opera Speed Dial Page

  - by Asian Angel

  Do you want to clean up the Speed Dial page in Opera so that only the thumbnails are visible? Today we show you a couple of tweaks that will make it happen. Speed Dial Page The search bar and text at the bottom take up room and add clutter to the look and feel of Opera’s Speed Dial page. Changing the Settings Two small tweaks to the config settings will clean it all up. To get started type opera:config into the address bar and press enter. Type “speed” into the quick find bar and look for the Speed Dial State entry. Change the 1 to 2 and click save. You will see the following message concerning the changes…click OK. Next type “search” into the quick find bar and look for the Speed Dial Search Type entry. Remove all of the text in the blank and click save. Once again you will see a message about the latest change that you have made. At this point you may need to restart Opera for both changes to take full effect. There will be a noticeable difference in how the Speed Dial page looks afterwards and is much cleaner without the Search bar and text field. You will also still be able to access the right click context menu just like before. Conclusion If you have been looking to get a cleaner and less cluttered Speed Dial page in Opera, then these two little hacks will get the job done! Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Set the Speed Dial as the Opera Startup PageReplace Google Chrome’s New Tab Page with Speed DialSpeed up Windows Vista Start Menu Search By Limiting ResultsBlank New Tab Quick-Fix for Google ChromeMonitor and Control Memory Usage in Google Chrome 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 VMware Workstation 7 Acronis Online Backup DVDFab 6 Revo Uninstaller Pro Backup Outlook 2010 Daily Motivator (Firefox) FetchMp3 Can Download Videos & Convert Them to Mp3 Use Flixtime To Create Video Slideshows Creating a Password Reset Disk in Windows Bypass Waiting Time On Customer Service Calls With Lucyphone

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• Updating My Online Boggle Solver Using jQuery Templates and WCF

  With WebForms, each ASP.NET page's rendered output includes a <form> element that performs a postback to the same page whenever a Button control within the form is clicked, or whenever the user modifies a control whose AutoPostBack property is set to True. This model simplifies web page development, but carries with it some costs - namely, the large amount of data exchanged between the client and the server during a postback. On postback the browser sends the values of all of its form fields (including hidden ones, like view state, which may be quite large) to the server; the server then sends back the entire contents of the web page. While there are some scenarios where this amount of information needs to be exchanged, in many cases the user has performed some action that requires far less information to be exchanged. With a little bit of forethought and code we can have the browser and server exchange much less data, which leads to more responsive web pages and an improved user experience. Over the past several weeks I've been writing an article series on accessing server-side data from client script. Rather than rely solely on forms and postbacks, many websites use JavaScript code to asynchronously communicate with the server in response to the page loading or some other user action. The server, upon receiving the JavaScript-initiated request, returns just the data needed by the browser, which the browser then seamlessly integrates into the web page. There are a variety of technologies and techniques that can be employed to provide both the needed server- and client-side functionality. Last week's article, Using WCF Services with jQuery and the ASP.NET Ajax Library, explored using the Windows Communication Foundation, or WCF, to serve data from the web server and showed how to consume such a service using both the ASP.NET Ajax Library and jQuery. In a previous 4Guys article, Creating an Online Boggle Solver, I built an application to find all solutions in a game of Boggle. (Boggle is a word game trademarked by Parker Brothers and Hasbro that involves several players trying to find as many words as they can in a 4x4 grid of letters.) This article takes the lessons learned in Using WCF Services with jQuery and the ASP.NET Ajax Library and uses them to update the user interface for my online Boggle solver, replacing the existing WebForms-based user interface with a more modern and responsive interface. I also used jQuery Templates, a JavaScript-based templating library that is useful for displaying the results from a server-side service. Read on to learn more! Read More >

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• Power Distribution amongst connected nodes

  - by Perky

  In my game the map is represented by connected nodes, each node has a number of connected nodes. The nodes represent a system in which players can build structures and move units about. If you're familiar with Sins of a Solar Empire the game map is very similar. I want each node to be able to produce power and share it with all connected nodes. For example if A, B, C & D are all connected and produce 100 power units, then each system should have 400 power units available. If node B builds a structure that consumes 100 power units then A, B, C & D should then have 300 power units available. I've been working on this system all day and haven't been able to get it working quite the way I want. My current implementation is to first recurse through each nodes's connected node adding up the power, I keep a list of closed nodes so it doesn't loop, it's quite similar to A* actually. Pseudo code: All nodes start with the properties node.power = 0 node.basePower = 100 // could be different for each node. node.initialPower = node.basePower - function propagatePower( node, initialPower, closedNodes ) node.power += initialPower add( closedNodes, node ) connectedNodes = connected_nodes_except_from( closedNodes ) foreach node in connectedNodes do propagatePower( node, initialPower, closedNodes ) end end After this I iterate through all power consumers. foreach consumer in consumers do node = consumer.parentNode if node.power >= consumer.powerConsumption then consumer.powerConsumed += consumer.powerConsumption node.producedPower -= consumer.powerConsumption end end Then I adjust the initial power for the next propagation cycle. foreach node in nodes do node.initialPower = node.basePower - node.producedPower node.displayPower = node.power // for rendering the power. node.power = 0 end This seemed to work at first but then I came into a problem. Say two nodes A & B produce 100Pu each, it's shared so both A & B have 200Pu. I then make two structures that consume 80Pu each on A (160Pu). Then the nodes power is adjusted to basePower - producedPower (100-160 = -60). Nodes are propagated, both nodes now have 40Pu (A: -60 + B: 100 = 40). Which is correct because they started with 200Pu - 160Pu = 40Pu. However now node.power >= consumer.powerConsumption is false. Whats worse is it's false for any structure that uses more that 40Pu, so the whole system goes down. I could deduct from consumer.powerConsumption but what do I do if power is reduced elsewhere? I don't have the correct data to perform the necessary checks. It's late so I'm probably not thinking straight but I thought to ask on here to see if anyone has any other implementations, better or worse I'd be interested to know.

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• Correct way to handle path-finding collision matrix

  - by Xander Lamkins

  Here is an example of me utilizing path finding. The red grid represents the grid utilized by my A* library to locate a distance. This picture is only an example, currently it is all calculated on the 1x1 pixel level (pretty darn laggy). I want to make it so that the farther I click, the less accurate it will be (split the map into larger grid pieces). Edit: as mentioned by Eric, this is not a required game mechanic. I am perfectly fine with any method that allows me to make this accurate while still fast. This isn't the really the topic of this question though. The problem I have is, my current library uses a two dimensional grid of integers. The higher the number in a cell, the more resistance for that grid tile. Currently I'm setting all unwalkable spots to Integer Max. Here is an example of what I want: I'm just not sure how I should set up the arrays of integers of the grid. Every time an element is added/removed to/from the game, it's collision details are updated in the table. Here is a picture of what the map looks like on my collision layer: I probably shouldn't be creating new arrays every time I have to do a path find because my game needs to support tons of PF at the same time. Should I have multiple arrays that are all updated when the dynamic elements are updated (a building is built/a building is destroyed). The problem I see with this is that it will probably make the creation and destruction of buildings a little more laggy than I would want because it would be setting the collision grid for each built in accuracy level. I would also have to add more/remove some arrays if I ever in the future changed the map size. Should I generate the new array based on an accuracy value every time I need to PF? The problem I see with this is that it will probably make any form of PF just as laggy because it will have to search through a MapWidth x MapHeight number of cells to shrink it all down. Or is there a better way? I'm certainly not the best at optimizing really anything. I've just started dealing with XNA so I'm not used to having optimization code really doing much of an affect until now... :( If you need code examples, please ask. I'll add it as an edit. EDIT: While this doesn't directly relate to the question, I figure the more information I provide, the better. To keep your units from moving as accurately to the players desired position, I've decided that once the unit PFs over to the less accurate grid piece, it will then PF on a more accurate level to the exact position requested.

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• Issue 56 - Super Stylesheets Skinning in DotNetNuke 5

  May 2010 Welcome to Issue 56 of DNN Creative Magazine In this issue we show you how to use the powerful new Super Stylesheets skinning feature in DotNetNuke 5. Super Stylesheets are ideal for both beginner and experienced skin designers, they provide skin layouts using CSS. The advantage of Super Stylesheets is that you can easily create a skin layout which works in all browsers without the need to learn complex CSS techniques. They are also very quick to build and you can change a skin layout in a matter of minutes rather than hours. We show you how to build a skin from the very beginning using Super Stylesheets, we show you how to create various skin layouts, as well as multi-layouts. We also show you how to style the skin, how to add tokens such as the logo, menu, login links etc. and walk you through how to create a fully working skin from scratch. Following this we continue the Open Web Studio tutorials, this month we demonstrate how to create an installable DotNetNuke PA module using OWS. This is an essential technique which allows you to package up the OWS applications that you have created and build them into an installable zip package. The zip file is then installable as a standard DotNetNuke module which means you can easily install your OWS applications on other DotNetNuke installations by simply installing them as a standard DotNetNuke module. To finish, we have part six of the "How to Build a News Application with DotNetMushroom Rapid Application Developer (RAD)" article, where we demonstrate how to create a News Carousel using RAD, JQuery and the JCarousel plugin. This issue comes complete with 15 videos. Skinning: Super Stylesheets Skinning in DotNetNuke 5 - DNN Layouts (12 videos - 98mins) Module Development Series: How to Create an Installable DotNetNuke PA Module Using OWS (3 videos - 23mins) How to Implement a News Carousel Using DotNetMushroom RAD and JQuery View issue 56 to download all of the videos in one zip file DNN Creative Magazine for DotNetNuke Web Designers Covering DotNetNuke module video reviews, video tutorials, mp3 interviews, resources and web design tips for working with DotNetNuke. In 56 issues we have created 578 videos!Did you know that DotNetSlackers also publishes .net articles written by top known .net Authors? We already have over 80 articles in several categories including Silverlight. Take a look: here.

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• How to implement an intelligent enemy in a shoot-em-up?

  - by bummzack

  Imagine a very simple shoot-em-up, something we all know: You're the player (green). Your movement is restricted to the X axis. Our enemy (or enemies) is at the top of the screen, his movement is also restricted to the X axis. The player fires bullets (yellow) at the enemy. I'd like to implement an A.I. for the enemy that should be really good at avoiding the players bullets. My first idea was to divide the screen into discrete sections and assign weights to them: There are two weights: The "bullet-weight" (grey) is the danger imposed by a bullet. The closer the bullet is to the enemy, the higher the "bullet-weight" (0..1, where 1 is highest danger). Lanes without a bullet have a weight of 0. The second weight is the "distance-weight" (lime-green). For every lane I add 0.2 movement cost (this value is kinda arbitrary now and could be tweaked). Then I simply add the weights (white) and go to the lane with the lowest weight (red). But this approach has an obvious flaw, because it can easily miss local minima as the optimal place to go would be simply between two incoming bullets (as denoted with the white arrow). So here's what I'm looking for: Should find a way through bullet-storm, even when there's no place that doesn't impose a threat of a bullet. Enemy can reliably dodge bullets by picking an optimal (or almost optimal) solution. Algorithm should be able to factor in bullet movement speed (as they might move with different velocities). Ways to tweak the algorithm so that different levels of difficulty can be applied (dumb to super-intelligent enemies). Algorithm should allow different goals, as the enemy doesn't only want to evade bullets, he should also be able to shoot the player. That means that positions where the enemy can fire at the player should be preferred when dodging bullets. So how would you tackle this? Contrary to other games of this genre, I'd like to have only a few, but very "skilled" enemies instead of masses of dumb enemies.

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• Monitor the Weather from Your Windows 7 Taskbar

  - by Asian Angel

  Keeping up with the weather forecast can be hard when you are extra busy with work. If you need a simple but nice looking way to integrate weather monitoring into your Taskbar then join us as we look at WeatherBar. Setting Up & Using WeatherBar To get started unzip the following files, place them in an appropriate “Program Files Folder”, and create a shortcut. When you start WeatherBar for the first time you will be presented with the following window and a random/default location. To get WeatherBar set up for your location there are only two settings to adjust (using the “Pencil & Gear Buttons”). Clicking on the “Pencil Button” will open up this small window…enter the name of your location and click “OK”. Next click on the “Gear Button” where you can choose the “Update Interval” and “Measurement Format” that best suits your needs. Click “OK” when finished and WeatherBar will be ready to go. That definitely looks nice. When you are finished viewing this window minimize it to the “Taskbar Icon” instead of clicking on the “Close Button”…otherwise the entire app will close. Left click on the “Taskbar Icon” to bring the window back up… Hovering the mouse over the “Taskbar Icon” provides a nice thumbnail of the weather forecast. Right clicking on the “Taskbar Icon” will display a nice mini forecast. Conclusion While WeatherBar may not be for everyone it does provide a nice easy way to monitor the weather from your “Taskbar” without taking up a lot of room. Links Download WeatherBar Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Monitor the Weather for Your Location in ChromeCheck Weather Conditions in Real-time with Weather WatcherMonitor CPU, Memory, and Disk IO In Windows 7 with Taskbar MetersTaskbar Eliminator Does What the Name Implies: Hides Your Windows TaskbarBring Misplaced Off-Screen Windows Back to Your Desktop (Keyboard Trick) 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 DVDFab 6 Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 Home Networks – How do they look like & the problems they cause Check Your IMAP Mail Offline In Thunderbird Follow Finder Finds You Twitter Users To Follow Combine MP3 Files Easily QuicklyCode Provides Cheatsheets & Other Programming Stuff Download Free MP3s from Amazon

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• Auto-run script when iPad plugged in

  - by oldmankit

  The way that Ubuntu handles documents on the iPad is awesome (without any configuration required). It beats windows, even after you install iTunes. I want to have the documents in certain iPad apps automatically synced into my Dropbox directory whenever the iPad is connected by USB. The syncing is easy; getting the script to run is not. I have already read the information in various (very out-of-date) tutorials. The best I could find was here: http://askubuntu.com/a/25091/16157 I used lsusb, with the following results: Bus 002 Device 012: ID 05ac:12a2 Apple, Inc. (Please note that when an iPad is connected, Ubuntu seems to mount it to two different mount points: one for "Documents" and one for the whole iPad filesystem. They are both mounted in ~/.gvfs) I have created the following file /etc/udev/rules.d/96-ipad_sync.rules ACTION=="add", ATTRS{idVendor}=="05ac", ATTRS{idProduct}=="12a2", RUN+="/home/kit/bin/jobdone2" I want it to run a test script (which sleeps for five seconds then plays an mp3 file. The test script works, and I have typed the location correctly). So far, when I plug the iPad in, nothing happens. Yes, I waited five seconds. This is the output I get from typing udevadm monitor –env KERNEL[29348.114010] add /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.4 (usb) KERNEL[29348.114844] add /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.4/2-1.4:1.0 (usb) KERNEL[29348.129118] remove /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.4/2-1.4:1.0 (usb) KERNEL[29348.130699] add /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.4/2-1.4:4.0 (usb) KERNEL[29348.130845] add /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.4/2-1.4:4.1 (usb) KERNEL[29348.130909] add /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.4/2-1.4:4.2 (usb) UDEV [29348.163861] add /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.4 (usb) UDEV [29348.170390] add /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.4/2-1.4:1.0 (usb) UDEV [29348.171521] add /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.4/2-1.4:4.1 (usb) UDEV [29348.172230] remove /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.4/2-1.4:1.0 (usb) UDEV [29348.172890] add /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.4/2-1.4:4.2 (usb) UDEV [29348.175645] add /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.4/2-1.4:4.0 (usb)

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• ITT Corporation Goes Live on Oracle Sales and Marketing Cloud Service (Fusion CRM)!

  - by Richard Lefebvre

  Back in Q2 of FY12, a division of ITT invited Oracle to demo our CRM On Demand product while the group was considering Salesforce.com. Chris Porter, our Oracle Direct sales representative learned the players and their needs and began to develop relationships. We lost that deal, but not Chris's persistence. A few months passed and Chris called on the ITT Shape Cutting Division's Director of Sales to see how things were going. Chris was told that the plan was for the division to buy more Salesforce.com. In fact, he informed Chris that he had just sent his team to Salesforce.com training. During the conversation, Chris mentioned that our new Oracle Sales Cloud Service could run with Outlook. This caused the ITT Sales Director to reconsider the plan to move forward with our competition. Oracle was invited back to demo the Oracle Sales and Marketing Cloud Service (Fusion CRM) and after it concluded, the Director stated, "That just blew your competition away." The deal closed on June 5th , 2012 Our Oracle Platinum Partner, Intelenex, began the implementation with ITT on July 30th. We are happy to report that on September 18th, the ITT Shape Cutting Division successfully went live on Oracle Sales and Marketing Cloud Service (Fusion CRM). About: ITT is a diversified leading manufacturer of highly engineered critical components and customized technology solutions for growing industrial end-markets in energy infrastructure, electronics, aerospace and transportation. Building on its heritage of innovation, ITT partners with its customers to deliver enduring solutions to the key industries that underpin our modern way of life. Founded in 1920, ITT is headquartered in White Plains, NY, with 8,500 employees in more than 30 countries and sales in more than 125 countries. The ITT Shape Cutting Division provides plasma lasers and controls with the Burny, Kaliburn, and AMC brands. Oracle Fusion Products: Oracle Sales and Marketing Cloud Service (Fusion CRM) including: • Fusion CRM Base • Fusion Sales Cloud • Fusion Mobile and Desktop Integration • Automated Forecasting Adoption Model: SaaS Partner: Intelenex Business Drivers: The ITT Shape Cutting Division wanted to: better enable its Sales Force with email and mobile CRM capabilities simplify and automate its complex sales processes centrally manage and maintain customer contact information Why We Won: ITT was impressed with the feature-rich capabilities of Oracle Sales and Marketing Cloud Service (Fusion CRM), including sales performance management and integration. The company also liked the product's flexibility and scalability for future growth. Expected Benefits: Streamlined accurate forecasting Increased customer manageability Improved sales performance Better visibility to customer information

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• How to manage a Closed Source High-Risk Project?

  - by abel

  I am currently planning to develop a J2EE website and wish to bring in 1 developer and 1 web designer to assist me. The project is a financial app with a niche market. I plan to keep the source closed . However, I fear that my would-be employees could easily copy the codebase and use it /sell it to a third party especially when they switch jobs. The app development will take 4-6months and perhaps more and I may have to bring in people after the app goes live. How do I keep the source to myself. Are there techniques companies use to guard their source. I foresee disabling pendrives and dvd writers on my development machines, but uploading data or attaching the code in one's mail would still be possible. My question is incomplete. But programmers who have been in my situation, please advice. How should I go about this? Building a team, maintaining code-secrecy,etc. I am looking forward to sign a secrecy contract with the employees if needed too. (Please add relevant tags) Update Thank you for all the answers. I certainly won't be disabling all USB ports and DVD writers now. But I think I should be logging activity(How exactly should I do that?) I am wary of scalpers who would join and then run off with the existing code. I haven't met any, but I have been advised to be wary of them. I would include a secrecy clause, but given this is a startup with almost no funding and in a highly competitive business niche with bigger players in the field, I doubt I would be able to detect or pursue any scalpers. How do I hire people I trust, when I don't know them personally. Their resume will be helpful but otherwise trust will develop only with time. But finally even if they do run away with the code, it is service that matters after the sale is made. So I am not really worried for the long term.

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• How to properly do weapon cool-down reload timer in multi-player laggy environment?

  - by John Murdoch

  I want to handle weapon cool-down timers in a fair and predictable way on both client on server. Situation: Multiple clients connected to server, which is doing hit detection / physics Clients have different latency for their connections to server ranging from 50ms to 500ms. They want to shoot weapons with fairly long reload/cool-down times (assume exactly 10 seconds) It is important that they get to shoot these weapons close to the cool-down time, as if some clients manage to shoot sooner than others (either because they are "early" or the others are "late") they gain a significant advantage. I need to show time remaining for reload on player's screen Clients can have clocks which are flat-out wrong (bad timezones, etc.) What I'm currently doing to deal with latency: Client collects server side state in a history, tagged with server timestamps Client assesses his time difference with server time: behindServerTimeNs = (behindServerTimeNs + (System.nanoTime() - receivedState.getServerTimeNs())) / 2 Client renders all state received from server 200 ms behind from his current time, adjusted by what he believes his time difference with server time is (whether due to wrong clocks, or lag). If he has server states on both sides of that calculated time, he (mostly LERP) interpolates between them, if not then he (LERP) extrapolates. No other client-side prediction of movement, e.g., to make his vehicle seem more responsive is done so far, but maybe will be added later So how do I properly add weapon reload timers? My first idea would be for the server to send each player the time when his reload will be done with each world state update, the client then adjusts it for the clock difference and thus can estimate when the reload will be finished in client-time (perhaps considering also for latency that the shoot message from client to server will take as well?), and if the user mashes the "shoot" button after (or perhaps even slightly before?) that time, send the shoot event. The server would get the shoot event and consider the time shot was made as the server time when it was received. It would then discard it if it is nowhere near reload time, execute it immediately if it is past reload time, and hold it for a few physics cycles until reload is done in case if it was received a bit early. It does all seem a bit convoluted, and I'm wondering whether it will work (e.g., whether it won't be the case that players with lower ping get better reload rates), and whether there are more elegant solutions to this problem.

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• RTS Game Style Application [closed]

  - by Daniel Wynand van Wyk

  My question may seem somewhat odd, but I hope that my specifications will clarify EXACTLY what it is that I am after. I need some help choosing the right tooling for a particular endeavour. My background is in desktop application development and large back-end systems. I have worked primarily on the Microsoft stack using C# and the .Net framework. My goal is to develop a 2D, RTS style, interactive office simulation. The simulation will model various office spaces, office equipment, employees and their interactions with one another. The idea is to abstract the concept of an office completely. Under the hood the application will do many things that are nothing like a game. This includes P2P networking, VPN tunnelling, streaming video, instant messaging, document collaboration, remote screen sharing, file-sharing, virus scanning, VOIP, document scanning, faxing, emailing, distributed computing, content management and much more! A somewhat similar thing has been attempted by IBM, where they created a virtual office in second life. If their attempt was a game, the game-play would be notably horrible, to say the least! The users/players will drive and control my application through the various objects modelled in the simulation. A single application capable of performing all of these various tasks would be a nightmare to navigate for even the most expert user. Using the concept of a game, I can easily separate functionality by assigning them to objects that relate 1-1 with their real world counter-parts. This can greatly simplify computing for novice users, with many added benefits in terms of visibility, transparency of process and centralized configuration. My hope is to make complex computing tasks accessible to all kinds of users and to greatly reduce the cognitive load associated with using the many different utilities and applications inside office settings. The complexity is therefore limited to the complexity of the space in which you find yourself. I want the application to target as many platforms as possible and run on computers that have no accelerated graphics capabilities. The simulation won't contain any of the fancy eye-candy you find in modern games, to the contrary, my "game" will purposefully be clean and simple. The closest thing I could imagine would be an old game like "Theme Hospital" or the first instalment of "The Sims". All the content will be pre-created and not user-generated like Second Life. New functionality will be added via a plugin system. Given my background and nature of my "game", I would like to spend most of my time writing code that does not have to do with the simulated office, as the "game" is really just a glorified application menu. I have done much reading about existing engines, frameworks and tools. I need the help of an experienced game developer who has tried and tested various products over the years who can guide me in the right direction given my very particular needs. I would appreciate any help I can get!

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• Bukkit inventory saving: crashing somewhere

  - by HcgRandon

  I'm working on a command for a bukkit plugin that lets you transfer worlds. In the section about saving the player's inventory, I'm getting a runtime error. My question is: Why is the error happening, and how can I prevent it? The plugin code public void savePlayerInv(Player p, World w){ File playerInvConfigFile = new File(plugin.getDataFolder() + File.separator + "players" + File.separator + p.getName(), "inventory.yml"); FileConfiguration pInv = YamlConfiguration.loadConfiguration(playerInvConfigFile); PlayerInventory inv = p.getInventory(); int i = 0; for (ItemStack stack : inv.getContents()) { //increment integer i++; String startInventory = w.getName() + ".inv." + Integer.toString(i); //save inv pInv.set(startInventory + ".amount", stack.getAmount()); pInv.set(startInventory + ".durability", Short.toString(stack.getDurability())); pInv.set(startInventory + ".type", stack.getTypeId()); //pInv.set(startInventory + ".enchantment", stack.getEnchantments()); //TODO add enchant saveing } i = 0; for (ItemStack armor : inv.getArmorContents()){ i++; String startArmor = w.getName() + ".armor." + Integer.toString(i); //save armor pInv.set(startArmor + ".amount", armor.getAmount()); pInv.set(startArmor + ".durability", armor.getDurability()); pInv.set(startArmor + ".type", armor.getTypeId()); //pInv.set(startArmor + ".enchantment", armor.getEnchantments()); } //save exp if (p.getExp() != 0) { pInv.set(w.getName() + ".exp", p.getExp()); } } The offending line The stack trace complains about line 130, which is this line. pInv.set(startInventory + ".amount", stack.getAmount()); The stack trace 2012-03-21 13:23:25 [SEVERE] null org.bukkit.command.CommandException: Unhandled exception executing command 'wtp' in plugin Needs v1.0 at org.bukkit.command.PluginCommand.execute(PluginCommand.java:42) at org.bukkit.command.SimpleCommandMap.dispatch(SimpleCommandMap.java:166) at org.bukkit.craftbukkit.CraftServer.dispatchCommand(CraftServer.java:461) at net.minecraft.server.NetServerHandler.handleCommand(NetServerHandler.java:818) at net.minecraft.server.NetServerHandler.chat(NetServerHandler.java:778) at net.minecraft.server.NetServerHandler.a(NetServerHandler.java:761) at net.minecraft.server.Packet3Chat.handle(Packet3Chat.java:33) at net.minecraft.server.NetworkManager.b(NetworkManager.java:229) at net.minecraft.server.NetServerHandler.a(NetServerHandler.java:112) at net.minecraft.server.NetworkListenThread.a(NetworkListenThread.java:78) at net.minecraft.server.MinecraftServer.w(MinecraftServer.java:554) at net.minecraft.server.MinecraftServer.run(MinecraftServer.java:452) at net.minecraft.server.ThreadServerApplication.run(SourceFile:490) Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException at com.devoverflow.improved.needs.commands.CommandWorldtp.savePlayerInv(CommandWorldtp.java:130) at com.devoverflow.improved.needs.commands.CommandWorldtp.onCommand(CommandWorldtp.java:60) at org.bukkit.command.PluginCommand.execute(PluginCommand.java:40) ... 12 more

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• Bukkit saving inventory

  - by HcgRandon

  Alright i will make this quick... I am working on a command in my plugin to allow you to transfer worlds and i am trying to save inventory but i am getting a problem here is the code: public void savePlayerInv(Player p, World w){ File playerInvConfigFile = new File(plugin.getDataFolder() + File.separator + "players" + File.separator + p.getName(), "inventory.yml"); FileConfiguration pInv = YamlConfiguration.loadConfiguration(playerInvConfigFile); PlayerInventory inv = p.getInventory(); int i = 0; for (ItemStack stack : inv.getContents()) { //increment integer i++; String startInventory = w.getName() + ".inv." + Integer.toString(i); //save inv pInv.set(startInventory + ".amount", stack.getAmount()); pInv.set(startInventory + ".durability", Short.toString(stack.getDurability())); pInv.set(startInventory + ".type", stack.getTypeId()); //pInv.set(startInventory + ".enchantment", stack.getEnchantments()); //TODO add enchant saveing } i = 0; for (ItemStack armor : inv.getArmorContents()){ i++; String startArmor = w.getName() + ".armor." + Integer.toString(i); //save armor pInv.set(startArmor + ".amount", armor.getAmount()); pInv.set(startArmor + ".durability", armor.getDurability()); pInv.set(startArmor + ".type", armor.getTypeId()); //pInv.set(startArmor + ".enchantment", armor.getEnchantments()); } //save exp if (p.getExp() != 0) { pInv.set(w.getName() + ".exp", p.getExp()); } } Now here is the stack trace i recive it is commplaing about line 130 which is this line pInv.set(startInventory + ".amount", stack.getAmount()); okay now trace 2012-03-21 13:23:25 [SEVERE] null org.bukkit.command.CommandException: Unhandled exception executing command 'wtp' in plugin Needs v1.0 at org.bukkit.command.PluginCommand.execute(PluginCommand.java:42) at org.bukkit.command.SimpleCommandMap.dispatch(SimpleCommandMap.java:166) at org.bukkit.craftbukkit.CraftServer.dispatchCommand(CraftServer.java:461) at net.minecraft.server.NetServerHandler.handleCommand(NetServerHandler.java:818) at net.minecraft.server.NetServerHandler.chat(NetServerHandler.java:778) at net.minecraft.server.NetServerHandler.a(NetServerHandler.java:761) at net.minecraft.server.Packet3Chat.handle(Packet3Chat.java:33) at net.minecraft.server.NetworkManager.b(NetworkManager.java:229) at net.minecraft.server.NetServerHandler.a(NetServerHandler.java:112) at net.minecraft.server.NetworkListenThread.a(NetworkListenThread.java:78) at net.minecraft.server.MinecraftServer.w(MinecraftServer.java:554) at net.minecraft.server.MinecraftServer.run(MinecraftServer.java:452) at net.minecraft.server.ThreadServerApplication.run(SourceFile:490) Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException at com.devoverflow.improved.needs.commands.CommandWorldtp.savePlayerInv(CommandWorldtp.java:130) at com.devoverflow.improved.needs.commands.CommandWorldtp.onCommand(CommandWorldtp.java:60) at org.bukkit.command.PluginCommand.execute(PluginCommand.java:40) ... 12 more

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• What Is .recently-used.xbel and How Do I Delete It for Good?

  - by The Geek

  If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably noticed the .recently-used.xbel file in the root of your User folder, and you’re wondering why it keeps constantly coming back even though you repeatedly delete it. So What Is It? The quick answer is that it’s part of the GTK+ library used by a number of cross-platform applications, perhaps the most well-known of which is the Pidgin instant messenger client. As the name implies, the file is used to store a list of the most recently used files. In the case of Pidgin, this comes into play when you are transferring files over IM, and that’s when the file will appear again. Note: this is actually a known and reported bug in Pidgin, but sadly the developers aren’t terribly responsive when it comes to annoyances. Pidgin seems to go for long periods of time without any updates, but we still use it because it’s open-source, cross-platform, and works well. How Do I Get Rid of It? Unfortunately, there’s no way to easily get rid of it, apart from using a different application. If you need to transfer files over Pidgin, the file is going to re-appear… but there’s a quick workaround! The general idea is to set the file properties to Hidden and Read-only. You’d think you could just set it to Hidden and be done with it, but Pidgin will re-create the file every time, so instead we’re leaving the file there and preventing it from being accessed. You could also totally remove access through the Security tab if you wanted to, but this worked fine for me… as you can see, no more file in the folder. Of course, you can’t have the show hidden files and folders option turned on, or the file will continue to show up. Want to get really geeky? You can toggle hidden files with a shortcut key. Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Hide Recently Used Documents/Programs From the Windows Vista Start MenuQuick Tip: Windows Vista Temp Files DirectoryDelete Wrong AutoComplete Entries in Windows Vista MailDisable Delete Confirmation Dialog in Windows 7 or VistaHow to Delete a System File in Windows 7 or Vista 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 DVDFab 6 Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 Enable DreamScene in Windows 7 Microsoft’s “How Do I ?” Videos Home Networks – How do they look like & the problems they cause Check Your IMAP Mail Offline In Thunderbird Follow Finder Finds You Twitter Users To Follow Combine MP3 Files Easily

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• Desparately Need Help: After a mishap, a folder shows 0 files in it

  - by bobby

  I'm hoping some of you guys may be able to shed some light on this scenario: I had a odt document on which I was working from one of many files in a folder among many on an internal hard-drive. Some kind of glitch occured and the document crashed (this could have been some kind of power charge whilst another hard drive was being unmounted). As I looked into the folders surrounding the folder in which my odt document was stored, they start to show 0 files in them. I immediately switched off the PC and then re-started. Upon the re-start, the folders would show the 1,000s of files I've stored in them and then within 5 minutes, as I started to back them up, freeze, cut-off the process of transfer. When I tried to open anything on the internal hard-drive, be it an avi film, an mp3, a cbr or a word doc, they all showed blank or would work. Some folders had vastly less files showing. Eventually, things calmed down. I closed the PC, checked that the connections were in firmly, gave it a vacuum and restarted the PC. All the files eventually showed up and I started to back them up (which I'd brought a hard drive for anyway but been distracted and not done). All folders show except the one which contained the document I was working on at the time of the trouble. Strangely, it was one that should itself full on several occasions on restarts. It shows zero files now. Properties shows zero files and zero space taken by it. Yet when I drop a file into this folder by pasting it in, it disappears too. Opening the folder, there is nothing there. But if I paste that document again, the PC asks would I like to replace the existing file with the same name (that I can't see), when I click yes, the file appears. When I exit, the folder shows the 0 files in the folder. Going back into the folder, it has disappeared again. I'm hoping that someone can help give me tips to recover the files in the folder, it would be greatly, greatly appreciated. All other films, music, comics, documents show and are fine!

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• What is a useful pattern to maintaining an object state in a one to many relationship?

  - by ahenderson

  I am looking for a design for my application, here are the players(classes) involved. struct Transform { // Uses a matrix to transform the position. // Also acts acts as the state of a Dialog. Position transform(Position p); //other methods. }; struct Dialog { // There are multiple dialog for the user to transform the output. Transform& t; void ChangeTranformation(){t.rotate(360);} } struct Algorithm { //gives us a position based on an implementation. For example this can return points on a circle or line. Transform& t; Position m_p; Dialog& d; Position GetCurrentPosition(){ return t.transform(m_p);} //other methods. } Properties I need: Each algorithms has one dialog and each dialog can have many algorithms associated with it. When the user selects an algorithm a dialog associated with that algorithm is displayed. If the user selects a different algorithm then re-selects back the state is restored in the dialog. Basically I want a good design pattern to maintain the state of the dialog given that many algorithms use it and they can be switched back and forth. Does anyone have any suggestions? Here is a use case: Dialog1 has a single edit box to control the radius. Algorithm1 generates points on a unit circle. Algorithm2 is the same as Algorithm1. The user has selected Algorithm1 and entered 2 into the edit box. This will generate points on a circle of radius 2. The user then selects Algorithm2 and enters 10 into the edit box of Dialog1. This will generate points on a circle of radius 10. Finally Algorithm1 is selected again. The edit box of Dialog1 should show 2 and points on a circle of radius 2 should be generated.

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• Can Anything be Done to Make Improv (a 1993 Win 3.1 App) handle larger Files?

  - by user75185

  My very favorite spradsheet is Improv, a 1993 Windows 3.1 application. It still puts Excel to shame for building spreadsheets and writing formulas. The only problem is because Improv was written when 1 Meg of RAM was state of the art, it becomes unstable when working with larger spreadsheets and often crashes and/or corrupts the data file. I am working on a project that greatly exceeds Improv's limits. Although it will ultimately require more robust databasing capability, I could save a lot of critical time if I could delay that headache and continue working in Improv for now. To that end, I moved to the only product I could find that comes close, Quantrix, which is nothing more than Improv updated to handle large spreadsheets and utilize today's technologies. The problems with Quantrix are its speed (significantly slower than Improv) and its $1000 price (which I cannot afford). I have already had 3 15 day extensions after the initial 30 day trial, so my time to use Quantrix as a bridge is at its end. Searches for Improv over the years have gotten me nowhere and, not surprisingly after reading some posts on this site, I got nothing for the money and time invested to find a programmer to write code to "fix" this problem. Improv is freely available as "abandonware" at http://vetusware.com/download/LotusImprov2.1/?id=5797 , and the best background info can be found on Wikipedia and at "Moose's Greatest Software Products of All Time - Lotus Improv" http://moosevalley.fhost.com.au/mooses_review_page_lotus_improv.html It is critically urgent for me to focus on analyzing the data asap. Working in a stable Improv would, without question, be the fastest route. To that end, I am looking for answers to the following questions and anything else that might be helpful: 1) Is it lawful to hire someone to fix Improv for my own use? If so, 2) About how much should it cost? 3) About how long should it take? 4) What skills should I be looking for &/or how should a post be worded? 5) Is there a niche site where it should it be posted? 6) What questions can I ask to quickly screen candidates? Since I am not a programmer, I need questions the answers to which leave no room to confuse me, whether intentional or not. For example, what tools or players should someone with an acceptable competency level have knowledge of?

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• How do I prevent ISPs from killing downloads of files in mid-transfer?

  - by Gorchestopher H

  I run a small website with a few users, low traffic, mostly to share personal mp3 files with a small community. Depending on their ISP, my users can't always download or stream larger files. By larger I mean larger than 1MB. Essentially the host either stops sending, or the client stops receiving. One of the links along the connection chain simply ends its connection before the transfer completes Trace-route shows no connection issues. There are no connection issues with short transfers that don't take more than a few seconds. It's these 10 second transfers that just end up ending. Just doing a straight download with a direct link can yield this error if you have the wrong ISP. Strangely enough, this is most common with users with ISPs who are essentially independent providers that buy service via a fiber link. Unfortunately these providers aren't very knowledgeable, are unable to do any testing, and insist it's a problem with the host. I have gotten my host to transfer my site to different servers of their, to the same effect. Nearly identical sites (affiliate sites actually) experience no such issue. What can I be doing to further troubleshoot this matter? How can I prove that someone is dropping the ball, and identify who that party is? Can I do a 5Mb traceroute? EDIT Maybe I can clear up some misconceptions with my question: The files are not very large. They are simply over 2Mb. The users do not have "slow" connections, they are at least 5mbps. This "time out" happens very quickly, in the realm of 5 seconds, so I don't know if it's a timeout or not. The user often gets 1 or 2Mb in this chunk of time. I have tried streaming with a flash player. I have tried saving the target. Forcing the download. I have tried allowing the browser to stream the file. I have tried different browsers (FF, IE, Chrome). Users are able to download identical files when on different hosts.

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• Collision disturbing the jumping mechanic in java 2D game [on hold]

  - by user50931

  So I have been working on a 2D Java game recently and everything was going smoothly, until I reached a problem to do with the players jumping mechanic. So far I've got the player to jump a fixed rate and fall due to gravity. Hers my code for my Player class. public class Player extends GameObject { public Player(int x, int y, int width, int height, ObjectId id) { super(x, y, width, height, id); } @Override public void tick(ArrayList<GameObject> object) { if(go){ x+=vx; y+=vy; } if(vx <0){ facing =-1; }else if(vx >0) facing =1; checkCollision(object); checkStance(); } private void checkStance() { if(falling){ //gravity jumping = false; vy = speed/2; } if(jumping){ // Calculates how high jump should be vy = -speed*2; if(jumpY - y >= maxJumpHeight) falling =true; } } private void checkCollision(ArrayList<GameObject> object) { for(int i=0; i< object.size(); i++ ){ GameObject tempObject = object.get(i); if(tempObject.getId() == ObjectId.Ledge){ if(getBoundsTop().intersects(tempObject.getBoundsAll())){ //Top y = tempObject.getY() + tempObject.getBoundsAll().height; falling =true; } if(getBoundsRight().intersects(tempObject.getBoundsAll())){ // Right x = tempObject.getX() -width ; } if(getBoundsLeft().intersects(tempObject.getBoundsAll())){ //Left x = tempObject.getX() + tempObject.getWidth(); } if(getBoundsBottom().intersects(tempObject.getBoundsAll())){ //Bottom y = tempObject.getY() - height; falling =false; vy=0; }else{ falling =true; } } } } @Override public void render(Graphics g) { g.setColor(Color.BLACK); g.fillRect((int)x, (int)y, width, height); } @Override public Rectangle getBoundsAll() { return new Rectangle((int)x, (int)y,width,height); } public Rectangle getBoundsTop() { return new Rectangle((int) x , (int)y ,width,height/15); } public Rectangle getBoundsBottom() { return new Rectangle( (int)x , (int) y +height -(height /15),width,height/15); } public Rectangle getBoundsLeft() { return new Rectangle( (int) x , (int) y + height /10 ,width/8,height - (height /5)); } public Rectangle getBoundsRight() { return new Rectangle((int) x + width - (width/8) ,(int) y + height /10 ,width/8,height - height/5); } } My problem is when I add: else{ falling =true; } during the loop of the ArrayList to check collision, it stops the player from jumping and keeps him on the ground. I've tried to find a way around this but haven't had any luck. Any suggestions?

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• IPv6, isn't it just a few extra bits?

  - by rclewis

  It's always an interesting task, to try and explain what you do to family and friends. I have described IPv6 as the "Next Generation Internet"  or "Second Internet" but the hollow expressions on my kids faces scream for the instant relief of the latest video game.  Never one to give up easily, I have formulated a new example - the Post Office... Similar to the Post Office the Internet delivers mail and packages based on addresses. As the number of residences, businesses, and delivery locations increased, the 5 digit ZIP Code (Washington, DC 20005) was expanded to ZIP+4  allowing for more precise delivery points (Postmaster General, Washington, DC 20260-3100). Ah, if only computers were as simple.  IPv6 isn't an add-on or expansion of the existing IPv4 Addressing, it is a new addressing model which will allow the internet to grow from a single computer in the basement of a university or your parents kitchen table, to support the multitude of smart phones, smart TV's, tablets, dvr's, and disk players, all clambering to connect for information. Unfortunetly there are only a finite number of IPv4 public addresses left, and those are being consumed at an ever increasing rate. Few people could have predicted the explosive growth of the internet or the shortage of IPv4 addresses we now face - but there is a "Plan B" and that is the vastly larger address space of IPv6.  Many in the industry have labeled this a "business continuity" problem,  when in fact most companies will be able to continue conducting business once they run out of existing IPv4 Addresses. The problem is really a Customer Continuity problem, how will businesses communicate with existing customers and reach new customers online who's only option is to adopt IPv6 when IPv4 is depleted? Perhaps a first step is publishing a blog that is also accessible via IPv6, it's just a few extra bits. Join us for the Oracle OpenWorld 2012 Session:   Navigating IPv6 @ Oracle Thursday, Oct. 4th 2:15PM - 3:15PM  Palace Hotel - Concert   Learn more about IPv6 Technologies at Oracle

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• How bad does it look to have left a job soon after starting? [closed]

  - by unitedgremlin

  I have a job I would like to leave. On advice from friends and parents I have stayed. Their primary concern is that it would look bad on my resume if I left only after a few months of joining. My concerns with the job are as follows: When I started it was preferred I provide and use my own equipment. Could be out of business in a few months from lack of cash flow Poor code quality: memory leaks and lack of error handling. The same mistakes continue to be made even though I have raised the issue. It has become evident that co-workers do not understand memory management rules of the platform and are not interested in learning them. Yet, there is still surprise from them when strange bugs continue to crop up. As a result don't feel I will learn from co-workers. Plus, fixing the the lingering bugs and trying to keep up on new feature development is like a game of whack-o-mole that never ends. I don't believe in the companies vision or its ability to execute on the ideas anymore. My ideas and suggestions for very small tweaks are quickly dismissed. And so more than half or so have come back as bugs that we end up needing to address. I have been told to wait on fixing bugs in codes until we can talk to the original author. I don't feel I am allowed to take initiative to just fix/change things and do what I think is best. Everything needs consensus even for a bug fix before any work is done. I am adopting a shut-up and just do what I am told approach to save myself from ulcers. Lots of meetings (I am personally not involved in all of them which is good) but the sheer amount reminds me of days at a big corporation. Why is everyone around me always meeting? It's a small company. I can count everyone on my toes and fingers. I can say with certainty I have no interest in working with any of them again. This is the first time I have truly worked with a group of so called "B and C players". Ultimately, I think it is my fault for not doing a better job evaluating the team and company before joining. But I have generated a better set of questions when probing companies in the future. My questions are: How bad does it look to have left a job soon (few months) after starting? What would be the best way to explain my concerns and reasons for leaving without badmouthing the company? Should I stick it out to what I believe will be the soon end of the company?

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• emacs, colors in term-mode

  - by valya

  Hello, I use Emacs and I run bash with M-x term command. There is a problem: colors in the *terminal* buffer aren't the same as in Gnome Terminal, and they are worse (do you need a screen shot?). How can I fix this? This is pretty annoying :-) Thank you! Linux Mint 9 Emacs 23.1.1 x86_64 __________________ /home/valentin/Work/buzzoola/buzzoola/test/vagrant [.../vagrant]$ echo $TERM eterm-color __________________ /home/valentin/Work/buzzoola/buzzoola/test/vagrant [.../vagrant]$ echo $LS_COLORS rs=0:di=01;34:ln=01;36:hl=44;37:pi=40;33:so=01;35:do=01;35:bd=40;33;01:cd=40;33;01:or=40;31 ;01:su=37;41:sg=30;43:ca=30;41:tw=30;42:ow=34;42:st=37;44:ex=01;32:*.tar=01;31:*.tgz=01;31: *.arj=01;31:*.taz=01;31:*.lzh=01;31:*.lzma=01;31:*.zip=01;31:*.z=01;31:*.Z=01;31:*.dz=01;31 :*.gz=01;31:*.bz2=01;31:*.bz=01;31:*.tbz2=01;31:*.tz=01;31:*.deb=01;31:*.rpm=01;31:*.jar=01 ;31:*.rar=01;31:*.ace=01;31:*.zoo=01;31:*.cpio=01;31:*.7z=01;31:*.rz=01;31:*.jpg=01;35:*.jp eg=01;35:*.gif=01;35:*.bmp=01;35:*.pbm=01;35:*.pgm=01;35:*.ppm=01;35:*.tga=01;35:*.xbm=01;3 5:*.xpm=01;35:*.tif=01;35:*.tiff=01;35:*.png=01;35:*.svg=01;35:*.svgz=01;35:*.mng=01;35:*.p cx=01;35:*.mov=01;35:*.mpg=01;35:*.mpeg=01;35:*.m2v=01;35:*.mkv=01;35:*.ogm=01;35:*.mp4=01; 35:*.m4v=01;35:*.mp4v=01;35:*.vob=01;35:*.qt=01;35:*.nuv=01;35:*.wmv=01;35:*.asf=01;35:*.rm =01;35:*.rmvb=01;35:*.flc=01;35:*.avi=01;35:*.fli=01;35:*.flv=01;35:*.gl=01;35:*.dl=01;35:* .xcf=01;35:*.xwd=01;35:*.yuv=01;35:*.axv=01;35:*.anx=01;35:*.ogv=01;35:*.ogx=01;35:*.aac=00 ;36:*.au=00;36:*.flac=00;36:*.mid=00;36:*.midi=00;36:*.mka=00;36:*.mp3=00;36:*.mpc=00;36:*. ogg=00;36:*.ra=00;36:*.wav=00;36:*.axa=00;36:*.oga=00;36:*.spx=00;36:*.xspf=00;36:

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• How can the little guys effectively learn and use puppet?

  - by drumfire

  Six months ago, in our not-for-profit project we decided to start migrating our system management to a Puppet controlled environment because we are expecting our number of servers to grow substantially between now and a year from now. Since the decision has been made our IT guys have become a bit too annoyed a bit too often. Their biggest objections are: "We're not programmers, we're sysadmins"; Modules are available online but many differ from one another; wheels are being reinvented too often, how do you decide which one fits the bill; Code in our repo is not transparent enough, to find how something works they have to recurse through manifests and modules they might have even written themselves a while ago; One new daemon requires writing a new module, conventions have to be similar to other modules, a difficult process; "Let's just run it and see how it works" Tons of hardly known 'extensions' in community modules: 'trocla', 'augeas', 'hiera'... how can our sysadmins keep track? I can see why a large organisation would dispatch their sysadmins to puppet courses to become puppet masters. But how would smaller players get to learn puppet to a professional level if they do not go to courses and basically learn it via their browser and editor?

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• Mplayer no sound when playing some movies

  - by Ivan Peevski

  Ok, that's a bit of a strange problem, that somehow crept into my system. It used to work fine. Here is the problem as far as I can identify it. When I try to play certain video files with mplayer, there is no sound. As far as I can tell, it is only an issue with ac3 and dts sound tracks (using the ffmpeg decoder). Mplayer says: ========================================================================== Opening audio decoder: [ffmpeg] FFmpeg/libavcodec audio decoders AUDIO: 48000 Hz, 6 ch, s16le, 1536.0 kbit/33.33% (ratio: 192000->576000) Selected audio codec: [ffdca] afm: ffmpeg (FFmpeg DTS) ========================================================================== [AO_ALSA] Playback open error: Device or resource busy Failed to initialize audio driver 'alsa' Could not open/initialize audio device -> no sound. Audio: no sound (similar with ac3 sound, but using the ffac3 audio codec). Trying different audio output (-ao oss/pcm/sdl) doesn't fix the problem. The strange thing is that if I play these files directly with ffplay, they work fine. mplayer sound with mp3/ogg is fine My alsa configuration is standard (no /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asound*) OS: Linux Gentoo Mplayer: 1.0_rc4_p20100213 (SVN-r30554-4.3.4) FFMpeg: 0.5_p20601-r1 (SVN-r20601) Any other information I can provide?

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