BitBattle

Podcasting!

2011-10-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

I'm joining the world of podcasting. Some of the ideas that I've wanted to express here just wouldn't come across right in wrting. Sarcasm is much easier to convey through the spoken word.

I'm starting out with some inexpensive equipment. I can already tell that the microphone I'm using won't cut it for too long.

Check out what I'm up to at http://bitbattle.podbean.com/.

Windows 8

2011-09-17T16:21:00.000-07:00

Some days keeping up with new technology can be dangerous. Today, I'm happy to say that I'm playing with the latest technology and it's absolutely safe without tying up another machine.

Step 1: Install Oracle's Virtual Box http://www.virtualbox.org/
Step 2: Download Windows 8 Developer Preview http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516
Step 3: Install according to the directions http://www.sysprobs.com/guide-install-windows-8-virtualbox
Step 4: Enjoy the next Windows without risking your existing installation.

Generating c# scripts for Selenium 2.0 from the 1.0.10 Selenium IDE

2011-04-10T12:24:00.000-07:00

For more information about why Selenium is now my favorite testing tool listen to this episode of Hanselminutes.

Anyway, I spent days looking for a WebDriver formatter for C# for the Selenium IDE.

Why, you might ask, do I want such a thing? Well, I don't need to set up and run the full Selenium server and client. I can test my ASP.Net applications directly from NUnit, thanks to the new WebDriver interface that has been added to the Selenium 2.0 beta.

When I couldn't find a formatter for the IDE, I started to write my own. As I was doing my research I found a "magical" class call WebDriverBackedSelenium. Hmmm, could this be something useful?

It turns out that not only was it useful, it was what I'd been looking for.

10 minutes later and I was in business.

Here's what you need to do to migrate your generated scripts from Se 1.0 to Se 2.0.

1. Download the Selenium Client Drivers for c# (Selenium WebDriver) from http://SeleniumHQ.org/download/.
2. Extract the drivers to an appropriate directory.
3. Follow the directions at http://seleniumhq.org/docs/appendix_installing_dotnet_driver_client.html with one exception. Include ALL of the .dlls that are in the driver directory.
4. Download and install NUnit http://www.nunit.org/?p=download (I've tested to 2.5.9)
5. Add a reference to the NUnit dll to your project
6. From the Selenium IDE, record your test. Click on the source tab. Select Options-->Format-->C# (Remote Control)
7. Copy the generated code and paste it into your test project.
8. Modify the code as follows
a. Add

using OpenQA.Selenium.Firefox;
using OpenQA.Selenium;

after

using Selenium;

b. replace

private ISelenium selenium;

with

private IWebDriver driver = new FirefoxDriver();
private Selenium.WebDriverBackedSelenium selenium = null;

c. In the SetupTest method, replace

selenium = new DefaultSelenium("localhost", 4444, "*chrome", "http://..../");

with

selenium = new WebDriverBackedSelenium(driver, "http://..../");

9. Compile and run through NUnit

Voice-Over Microphone Choices

2011-03-06T07:50:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to create short videos to help users with an application I'm working on. They will be screen-casts with some voice over. (I've found that some people listen better than they read).

In the quest to record audio that is more helpful than distracting, I've realized that my microphone needs to be upgraded. My choices are theAudio-Technica AT2020 USB Condenser USB Microphone, the Samson CO1U USB Condenser Microphone, and the Nady Ultra Dynamic USB Microphone to Computer - USB-1C.

I've checked out numerous sources for reviews and I've found out a few things. Most amateurs doing reviews don't know how to use a side address microphone. Most professionals will throw away the stands the mics come with (or never take it out of the box).

Samson offers the C01U in a kit that includes a good desktop stand, a spider mount, the microphone, and a hard-side carrying case.

--EDIT--
Now the Audio Technica ATR2500-USB Cardioid Dynamic USB Microphone is available and calling my name. More to follow.

Gotta keep up

2010-10-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

I'm in the process of migrating from NAnt to do my builds to PSake. I'd integrated PowerShell 1.0 into an application in the past and wanted to integrate PS 2.0 into my build application.

I pulled out my old code and started to implement it for PS 2.0, but figured I'd check for any comments on the 'Net. You know, warnings, gotchas etc. Any way, I found out that PS 2.0 is much easier to integrate into a .Net application.

Here and here

I hadn't looked into this type of thing in years. They've made it so much easier. Now if they'd make it easier to add the required reference. (Check out the first link for the "recommended" way to add the reference)

Wild Six Months

2010-09-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

Wow six months between posts! It's been wild. I was on a small team that worked on a project that will allow my company to change the way it does business. (I can't say more than that right now.)

While that was going on, we were also maintaining several other systems and dealing with new legal regulations facing the intermodal industry. Writing during that time, consisted of specifications and management reports. Any blog entries would have been filled with frustration.

Over the next several weeks, I'll be writing about some of the exciting challenges and lessons I learned.

1. Subversion doesn't work well with 5 developers working on the same piece of code.
2. "Complete" requirements aren't.
3. Separating the business layer and presentation layer really is a good idea.
4. Buggy code in the hands of a user is a good thing!

Bummer

2010-03-16T05:08:00.000-07:00

http://www.inc.com/magazine/20100301/lets-take-this-offline.html

Between his blog and the StackOverflow podcast, I've learned so much about having the right attitude!

Skill takes you just so far and then you have to learn to deal with problems. People problems and environmental ones can undo all the coding skills in the world. If you're working in a space that doesn't suit your needs, nothing is going to happen. If you don't know how to get what you need politically, nothing is going to happen.

Joel, you will be missed.

Mercurial on IIS 5.1 (XP) in 12 easy steps

2010-01-23T07:51:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know W7 is out, but some of us are still using XP for some things.

Introduction:
With the upsurge in the use of Mercurial for version control (Even Codeplex is using it), I thought it was time to give it a try. It will take some getting used to, but a distributed VCS should fit my development style well. I carry an external drive between home and work. Right now it holds my latest code. I have to remember to commit the changes occasionally and don't always do so in a timely manner. Also, if I want to go back to an earlier version, I have to do it at work (instead of my home office when I really need it)

There are several pages showing how you can install Mercurial or HG, but my searching found none showing a straightforward "get it done set" of directions. Here's my instruction book. I've done this several times and found no issue. If you find a difference in your install, please let me know.

On with the show:
1. Install Python 2.5 - don't argue. don't resist. Mercurial is built with 2.5. Anything else WILL break it. (http://www.python.org/download/releases/2.5.4/)

2. Download and install Mercurial (http://www.selenic.com/mercurial/wiki/BinaryPackages) (Select the Windows installer)

3. Clone the Mercurial repository - you'll need some of the source code
hg clone http://selenic.com/repo/hg

4.Create a folder to hold all the mercurial scripts
mkdir c:\hg_iis

5. Create a folder to hold your repositories (mkdir c:\hg_repos)

6. Create a virtual folder in IIS

Name it HG
Local path = c:\hg_iis
Execute permissions = Scripts and Executables
Click the configuration button
Click on the mappings tab
click the add button
In the Executable field enter c:\Python25\python.exe -u "%s"
In the Extension field enter .cgi
Under Verbs select All Verbs
Check Script engine
DO NOT Check Check that file exists
Click OK
Click OK
Click OK

7. copy the web page script to your IIS directory
copy c:\hg\hgwebdir.cgi c:\hg_iis

8. Change directories c:\program files\mercurial and unzip the file library.zip to c:\hg_iis. If you have problems with the .zip file download and run unzip.exe from stahlforce.com (http://stahlforce.com/dev/index.php?tool=zipunzip as pointed to by Selenic's site)

9. Copy the templates
copy C:\Program Files\Mercurial\Templates c:\hg_iis\Templates

10. In a text editor open hgwebdir.cgi and edit the last few lines

change
application = hgwebdir('hgweb.config')
wsgicgi.launch(application)

to
#http://blog.mdmsolutions.org/index.php?entry=entry080508-091813
import os
os.environ["SCRIPT_NAME"] = '/hg/hgwebdir.cgi'
os.environ["REQUEST_URI"] = os.environ["SCRIPT_NAME"]

if os.environ.has_key("PATH_INFO"):
os.environ["REQUEST_URI"] += os.environ["PATH_INFO"]
if os.environ.has_key("QUERY_STRING"):
os.environ["REQUEST_URI"] += "?" + os.environ["QUERY_STRING"]

application = hgwebdir('hgweb.config')
wsgicgi.launch(application)

(indentation is important)

11. In a text editor edit or create the file hgweb.config
# Mercurial web interface config file
# To add a repository to be published, add an entry here for it.

[paths]
/ = /HG_Repos/**

[web]
style = coal

12. Now, open a browser and navigate to http://localhost/hg/hgwebdir.cgi

13. (optional) Download and install TortoiseHG http://bitbucket.org/tortoisehg/stable/downloads/

Oracle documentation

2009-12-06T16:24:00.000-08:00

Found out why one of my other weekend projects failed. Oracle Lite doesn't like having the mobile server and the database workbench on the same machine. Something gets twisted around and prevents clean publishing.

I'm sure I'll find this somewhere in the documentation, but there's just so much of it.

It's sort of like when we looked into R.U.P. at work. So many choices and not enough guidance. Here's some rope. You could catch a cow or hang yourself. Instructions for both are included, but very little information about which one would be better.

Gonna throw a Blackberry...

2009-12-06T16:02:00.001-08:00

I'm going to throw a Blackberry against the wall. The stupid thing generates interference, so when I started a coding session I turned off my speakers. I then put it on my desk in silent mode. It was supposed to be a good programming session. You know, silence, a few drinks, everyone else asleep.

It didn't turn out so well. I was getting random system lockups at random points. At first I thought my code was at fault, so I started working on writing documentation. Hey, if I'm on a roll and the code is breaking, I might as well do SOMETHING. Anyway Word started dieing at random points. After about an hour of that I figured I'd hit the sack.

I spent the entire next day trying to figure out what was wrong with my system. My code may be buggy, but Word (2003)? Something else had to be wrong!

I ran full diagnostics, defragmented the drive etc. Then I started going through e-mails I'd been ignoring the night before. One had a Youtube link that looked good. Half way through it, I got the familiar bzzz bzzz bzzz of interference from my Blackberry then my system hung. I reached down and grabbed the offending piece of electronic !@##$! and noticed that I'd placed it on top of the mouse cord Friday night.

Since moving the offender to the other side of my desk, I have had No, Zero, Zip, Zilch, Nada problems. After writing this, I'm a little calmer and it won't be hitting the wall. It won't be going in my pocket either

It's Here!!!!

2009-11-19T17:46:00.000-08:00

The Psion iKon has arrived. I've been playing with it for a few hours.

Installing via Visual Studio CAB files is as easy as could be. Nothing too troubling, but the excitement of deploying an app on a new platform is amazing.

Setting the background though was a pain. You can set the background from Settings --> Today --> Use this picture as background. When you do it that way your image will be 50% transparent. Probably not what you were looking for. The easiest way to set the background AND set the transparency to:
Open File Explorer
Open the image you want to use as the background
Menu - Set as Today Background
Set transparency level to 0
Press OK.

Resolution Support System

2009-11-15T14:24:00.000-08:00

What ever happened to Decision Support Systems? When I was in college, I had a professor who made it seem like the world would be running on DSSs by 2000.

Anyway, the reason I ask. I'm putting together a web site to support users of an in house piece of software and I wanted something more than a FAQ.

I have a script that is used by the help desk when they get a phone call and wanted to create it as a web page. Just a quick weekend project huh? Well I ended up searching for an existing template or even an example for 12 hours. (I'll bet someone replies with one within the hour).

Finally I sat down and tried to pick my brain about the basics of a DSS. In case you're wondering, it's really just one question leading to another until a reasonable answer is arrived at. I DID say basics didn't I?

The design ended up working out to be pretty easy. Questions are stored in XML files and served up in an HTML page. Possible answers are also shown. Each answer leads to another question. Answers are really just questions, because at the bottom I ask the user if they were able to solve their problem.

If a user cannot solve their problem, I end up sending an email to the help desk containing the questions the system already asked the user and their response.

6 hours of work and I've got a good foundation.

Special Hardware

2009-11-14T16:17:00.000-08:00

Wow! Jumping from consumer grade hardware to commercial isn't easy.

No, the programming isn't any different, but ordering... That's a different story.

I just spent two weeks going from manufacturer to distributor and finally hunting for a reseller who would sell Psion Ikons to my company.

Many of the resellers I called were not interested in selling just the hardware. (They sell the hardware for a loss and want the development money). I finally found one who would sell the bare unit. As I was talking to them, I found out that they also do development work. I was 10 minutes into the call before I was even asked if I wanted them to do the work.

Anyway, along the way I learned a few things.
1. Manufacturers don't want to do any type of one-time sales. They want a steady income stream.
2. Distributors (see #1)
3. Many Value Added Resellers want you to pay for their "added value" and make poor "resellers"
4. Finding the right person is worth the hunt.
5. Don't get frustrated when you end up on a wild goose chase.
and finally
Ask as many questions as you can at every step. You never know what you'll learn.

I have 4 pages of notes that I've collected at each step. Having these notes has made each successive step that much easier. By the time I got to the reseller, I knew most of my options. I also knew that they might know more about the product than I could. They were able to put together a good combination at a good price.

The real fun begins next week when I get my hands on the real thing. (Emulators only go so far)

More to follow

Going Mobile

2009-11-08T11:48:00.000-08:00

NEW CHALLENGES COMING!!!

Yes, I'm excited! I'm entering the world of handheld devices. I'm not talking wimpy I-Phones or temperamental Blackberries. I'm talking full blown drop it on the ground, stomp on it, pick it up and keep working Psion Ikons. http://www.psion.com/us/products/handheld/ikon.htm

I'm entering the world of Windows Mobile!

Add to that Oracle Lite. No, it isn't a lightweight Oracle database. It's a full-blown synchronization platform for hand held devices.

My head is spinning with all the pieces. Just like it did when I started .Net. And MFC before that and...

About time...

2009-08-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

I just came across this great web-site. They have a book "The Way of the Unplugged" that describes methods one can use to design software. WITHOUT USING A COMPUTER!

I cannot wait to get my hands on their book. I read the first chapter (a free download). It describes the usual "late mistakes are expensive mistakes". The overall idea is to get as many design issues resolved as early and inexpensively as possible.

One of the big hurdles in prototyping is the technology. Many of us want something better than chicken-scratch on a whiteboard, so we use something like Visio. The problem with something like that is "it looks too good" and "takes too long". If it looks too good, people are less likely to suggest that you change it. If it takes too long, you won't do it in a meeting, meaning you'll go back to your desk, put together the diagram, send it around, THEN have another meeting (repeat until exhausted) With their product GuiMags, you can put together a Visio quality prototype at whiteboard speed.

Their book "The Unplugged " describes the effective use of their product and other ways to resolve issues early in the development cycle. Ideas like this are perfect for locking everyone in a "war room" ordering pizza and getting a good design quickly. WITHOUT USING COMPUTERS!!!!

Beware of fsck

2009-06-06T05:35:00.000-07:00

One of the database administrators at work was about to migrate a large database onto a new Linux server when he noticed a huge difference between the amount of disk space allocated and the size of the files. Wanting to ensure his success, I decided to let the system reclaim any lost space by using the fsck command.

Before running the command I verified all of the command line options to make sure that I wasn't going to break anything. I ran fsck /y and let the fix run. I rebooted the system when prompted and the OS found more errors and ran fsck automatically like it's supposed to. I thought things were going pretty well. After another reboot, fsck wouldn't even run. Nothing else would either.

I did say I checked the command line options didn't I? Well there's one little thing I forgot. You shouldn't run fsck on an active Read/Write partition..... Yep! Toasted file system. We'll be reinstalling on Monday.

I haven't disappeared!

2009-05-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

I've been working on several interesting items. Unfortunately, they don't all have neat little fixes...

I've been working on migrating an Oracle database from Windows with direct attached storage to Linux with network attached storage.

On a more interesting note, I've gotten Mercurial ( a distributed version control system ) working under IIS!!!

With this, I won't need to fire up a Linux virtual machine to handle version control. (Yes, I know Apache runs under Windows. I was never able to get Mercurial properly configured under Apache.)

ODP.Net 10 - Data Change Notification

2009-05-13T03:38:00.000-07:00

AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!

It was a perfect storm.

Version 10.... of Oracle's ODP.Net seems to misbehave... IF

You use data change notification
-- and --
hook up a delegate
-- and --
You have a CLOB in the table being watched

The latest (beta) release of 11.... works fine. Guess what? Too many other things are using 10 and would need to be retested. No time now.

What to do? Today I'll be trying a few things. (In order of nastiness)

Create a timer to check for changes. I'll still hook up the DCN to the database, but instead of responding to the change immediately, I'll use the timer to check for changes (ON MY TERMS)
If that doesn't work, I'll split the CLOB off to another table
If THAT doesn't work, I'll have to poll the database and compare the results to what I already have in memory.

I'll let you know how it works out in the end...

-- Edit 5/30/2009 --
The problem turned out to be the connection. My connection to the database kept closing. Since I was trying to optimize my system, I opened the connection at the beginning and expected it to remain open. (It didn't) Any way; when you try to use a database connection that is no longer valid, you do not always get an error message or an exception. You get !@#$% ( I mean "a hung process")

Installing VMware on Windows

2009-05-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

Registration and Download

Go to VMware.com and register for download. http://www.vmware.com/download/server/
When your e-mail arrives Write down the serial number then click on the link provided
When the download finishes, double-click on the executable and W A I T ....

Installation
When the installation wizard FINALLY comes up

press next
Accept the license, then press next
Select where you want to install the SOFTWARE. This does NOT have to be where you will create the virtual machines
Press Next
Select where you want to create the virtual machines. If you have a second hard drive, I would put the images on a different drive than the software
Change the FQDN to localhost
If you are on Windows XP and use "Fast User Switching" (and you want to continue to use it), uncheck "Allow virtual machines to start and stop automatically with the system". More on this later.
Press Next
Select which shortcuts you want. If you aren't going to be using a virtual machine all the time, I'd uncheck Desktop and Quick Launch toolbar
Press Next
Press Install... And W A I T some more.
When the installation is almost over, you will be presented with a registration screen. It says it's optional and you can do it later. Don't believe it. I spent a full day trying to make an installation work, after I did this. I couldn't get the registration number to work for anything. Oh, by the way, you cannot use the system without entering a registration number. Enter your registration information NOW.
Press the Enter button
Press finsh
If prompted, reboot your computer.

If you did not check "Allow virtual machines to start and stop automatically with the system"
1. Create a batch file named "Start VMware" containing the following:
net start "VMware Host Agent"
Save the file and create shortcuts on the desktop and/or the start menu pointing to this file. Clicking the link will start the required services. If you don't start the services, you will not be able to start any virtual machines.

2. Create a batch file named "Stop VMware" containing the following:
net stop "VMware Host Agent"
Save the file and create shortcuts on the desktop and/or the start menu pointing to this file. Clicking the link will shut down the services previously started. If you don't stop the services, you may corrupt one or more virtual machines.

Using VMware

If necessary start the services (see above)
From the start menu select VMware --> VMware Server --> VMware Server Home Page
Your browser will open. If you are presented with a warning about a questionable certificate, you should accept it.
You will eventually see a screen prompting you for your ID and password. Enter the ID and password you used to log in to Windows.
When finished remember to stop the services (if you started them manually)

You can start creating virtual machine images now. (And I'll describe that in a future post)

Oracle XE on Ubuntu

2009-05-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

Oracle XE on Ubuntu

Almost ANY left over machine can run Oracle XE on the popular Linux distro Ubuntu. Even if you've never used Linux, you can have a working database in just a few hours

This post will assume that you've already install Unbuntu Server 9.04. It goes by the cutesy name "Jaunty Jackelope".
During the install you should have created a user for Oracle - ID = oracle, password = oracle. All of the commands in this post will follow this assumption.

If you have less than 1GB of memory, you will need to create a swap file, before starting the real install:
sudo sh
dd if=/dev/zero of=/swpfs1 bs=1M count=1000
mkswap /swpfs1
swapon /swpfs1
exit

Switch to the root account:
sudo sh

Add the download to the list of update sources:
echo "deb http://oss.oracle.com/debian/ unstable main non-free" >> /etc/apt/sources.list
If you are comfortable with vi you can use it to perform the above action manually
vi /etc/apt/sources.list
scroll to the bottom of the file and press I (for insert) and type the line below
deb http://oss.oracle.com/debian/ unstable main non-free
Press Escape, then :wq and press Enter

Import the security key from Oracle:
wget http://oss.oracle.com/el4/RPM-GPG-KEY-oracle -O- | sudo apt-key add -

Update the packages:
apt-get update

Install Oracle
apt-get install oracle-xe
That's it! This is completely unexpected, but simple

Configure Oracle
/etc/init.d/oracle-xe configure
When prompted for the Oracle Application Express port, accept the default 8080 by pressing enter
When prompted for the database listener port, accept the default 1521 by pressing enter
When prompted for the SYS and SYSTEM password, enter a password of your choice and press enter
When prompted to verify the password, enter the same password as above and press enter
When asked if you want the database to start with the system, accept the default y by pressing enter

Make sure you can still access the system:
Installing oracle actually removed your permission to become root. It's time to put it back, BEFORE you reboot.
echo "# let oracle sudo as root" >> /etc/sudoers
echo "oracle ALL=(ALL) ALL" >> /etc/sudoers

Become yourself again (not root)
exit

Set up your environment:
echo "export ORACLE_HOME=/usr/lib/oracle/xe/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/server" >> .bash_profile
echo "export PATH=$ORACLE_HOME/bin:$PATH" >> .bash_profile
echo "export TNS_ADMIN=$ORACLE_HOME/network/admin" >> .bash_profile
echo "export ORACLE_SID=XE" >> .bash_profile
echo "export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$ORACLE_HOME/lib" >> .bash_profile

Apply your changes
source .bash_profile

You now have a working Oracle installation!!!!

BUT... you're not through yet.
Because you're running server, you don't have all of the GUI goodness. You have to access it remotely, but
first you have to tell the system to allow remote connections
Start SQL*Plus and log in as SYSTEM:
sqlplus system
Enter the password you defined earlier
At the SQL prompt enter
EXEC DBMS_XDB.SETLISTENERLOCALACCESS(FALSE);
EXIT

Reboot:
sudo shutdown -r now

NOW you're finished.

Future posts will cover installing the client, and configuring for use under VmWare