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Clarion Folk is my new site for .. Clarion. As the Tech Evangelist, I needed a web presence. I wasn’t prepared to create one without having the site public.
So now it is, I’ve been starting to branch out, commenting on blogs, posting on news. This will hopefully be a good enough start to leverage the public awareness of Clarion.
Tafres is my first ever piece of Clarion software. I wrote it a long while ago, but it recently started receiving attention, and so I in turn gave it more attention.
It’s a Freight System. Manages Loads that go from Origin to Destination with a Commodity. That kind of thing.
Other than that, life is full as per usual.
]]>- Checks for updates over the web on startup. If one exists, that is a greater version number by it’s logic, it will ask to download. Once the download is finished, it will ask to install. There is an issue with the Client because it asks to "exit" the program. The update logic works best when the program can shut down silently. Will have to do something about that. Anyway, the installer runs and updates.
- Runs a 10 Day Trial. I haven’t yet worked out whether the 10 day trial will always just happen, or whether the user will need to get the activation code online to get the 10 day trial. Never the less, at the moment, both can be done.
- Allows for the the retrieval of an Activation Code (part of the Licensing information needed) over the internet. This is done using Secwin Online Server, and Secwin.
This is very cool. In terms of support, you want these two things in place before going out into the big bad world. I need my product secure. But it needs to be trialled. It also needs to be updated as painlessly as possible. I’m getting there with the current solution, although there will be some tweaking I can already see.
Along with this, using SetupBuilder I now have the process of creating Installs and Updates working pretty well.
- the file structure is <Product Name>\<Version>\ … then in that folder, I have both the Install and Update SetupBuilder files. Also, these folders: <source>, <external source>, and the two that are created by the SB files themselves, which store the Install and Update respectively.
- the updated files (of mine) go in <source>.
- any changes to 3rd Party or stock Clarion files (dlls) go in <external source> (these are used for the Update logic).
- Open up the Install file, change the [DEVFOLDER] value in the script section. Obviously, this is giving SB a base folder to work from. Practically, I just change the version number.
- If I’ve added new functionality that requires new DLLs, I run a static scan on my exe(s), done in the top panel of SB. This adds any new dependencies.
- Compile.
- Open the Update file (close the Install). Change the [DEVFOLDER] value.
- If any changes to 3rd-Party or Clarion DLLs, run the "Project->Task Automation->Perform Auto Update Scan .." action, and check the differences between the <external source> folder in the current version folder against the previous version folder. This adds any changed DLLs to the project.
- If any new dependencies have been added, I run a static scan on the exe (as in the Install).
- The main exe will already be in the Application Folder, with a "patch" moniker. I open the file’s details in SB and change both the source and patch folders (change the Version number) to reflect the new versions.
- Compile the Update. This takes a little while longer than the Install, but not much. A very nice and small (if only changes in the main exe for example) Update exe.
- I then update the XML file in the <TafresClient-Update> folder (SB creates a folder with the same name as the SB file itself to store the builds in) to reflect the new version number.
- Now it’s time for uploading the Update exe and xml files to the ftp site that Safe Update looks at. Done.
- Finally, I upload the Install.
- I’ve kept my Install and Update filenames generic. I started out sticking the version number in them, for visual reference, but too many things would have been harder. Safe Update, Changing more stuff each time in SB. Generic names keeps the process streamlined. It also means there is only one set of files on the server, not one for each version.
Phew. That’s quite a post. I think I need to spend some time doing this with screenies and wotnot. Might be helpful. I’m planning to do a bunch of stuff for the new Clarion site, and these pieces of development functionality will go in as tutorials at some stage. So probably won’t do it again here.
[tags]Clarion, Safe Update, software security, setupbuilder, lindersoft, automatic updates, online activation, secwin, secwin online server, tafres[/tags]
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Lost began on our (aussie) sets two weeks ago. Haven’t watched last night’s episode yet. But the first one was .. well, it was awesome.
They are introducing completely new tangents. The people trying to rescue them, the shack with Jacob and .. Hurley going mental, again. The Oceanic 6. How awesome was that .. triggered so many thoughts, not the least of which is "Who are the other three?????".
The Terminator series debuted over here this week. And I really liked it. Part of that is because John is being played by one of my favourite characters from Heroes Season 1, Zach (Claire’s friend who videos her dropping from the oil (??) structure).
But not just that. { yelled long and loud } RIVER! Man alive, I should have been sad to see her outside of Firefly/Serenity, but no. It was good.
Lastly, watched the double episode of Family Guy last night where Stewie and Lois go at it. Very bizarre. Stewie on the boat with a Beret killed me. Ha ha .. and more, where Brian is accusing him of killing Lois and he twists his head around. Ha ha ha. Classic. Creepy.
That’s all.
[tags]Family Guy, Stewie Kills Lois, Lois Kills Stewie, Lost, Terminator, the Sarah Connor Chronicles, heroes, firefly, serenity, hurley[/tags]
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A guy I give a fair bit of reading time too is Scoble. He’s posted about a new project at Microsoft here. It sounds pretty exciting, but I’m a hype-monkey, so go see for yourself.
Course, there’s nothing concrete there, because he’s under some kind of Cone of Silence. Man that was a cool invention, how much fun would it be to have one in your office, and pretend to be the chief and Max.
Personally I’m also excited about the next few months Clarion wise. Some of my projects are coming to fruition, and one will be completed (according to the milestones which are never wrong). I’ve not had an actual completed project in a fair while. Saying that I realise completed is a hard category to obtain.
Nevertheless, it is an exciting time. There’s a lot, a LOT, of cool stuff happening throughout the dev world, and I hope Clarion will be some of that.
Clarion raised me and I turned out Clarion (I just used this homer quote in a forum, but it’s so good I’ll use it again).
[tags]Clarion, Soft Velocity, dot net, scoble, microsoft, cone of silence, get smart[/tags]
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Sure, the diet coke coursing through my veins has some good points. It will rot my teeth, my stomach and probably give me some form of cancer.
Wait. Were those the good points?
It has been getting more crazy than usual lately. Last night I switched between working on the big project (a Web System, built with NetTalk, naturally), working through some conversations re the Clarion Tech Evangelist, working on the Podcast (for the new Clarion site, the format of the cast, and some recording), and doing some header image design for my company website.
Plus it was my eldest’s birthday. He was so excited all day, turning 7. Got some cool gear, and we had a fair amount of party food (although wasn’t a big party, just us and one set of g-parents). Little guy knows more about Star Wars now than me (from the Lego game on the Wii).
Bye for now.
[tags]Clarion, NetTalk, tech evangelist, wii, lego star wars, complete saga[/tags]
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Wierd.
Things kicked up a notch. Work has begun on the big contract. It’s cool. I’m going to be able to lash out and buy PDF Tools. I’m looking at a really funky support system .. and while building it myself has a big draw .. this thing is already awesome out of the box and costs a few hundred. I couldn’t replicate it’s functionality in ten times that many hours (that fit into it’s price).
The new Robin Hood was on last night (Sunday)!! What’s doing? I heard nothing about it. Caught the tail-end of the episode, and was laughing my head off. I love it that they really are doing the most ridiculous stunts, and yet I find it awesome. Over acting, deus ex machina all over the place (I think I got that right), and a really lame bunch of stories. But they really .. REALLY .. work for me.
Anyway, I have things to do. About four gazillion. No .. four.
[tags]robin hood, steve balmer, google, microsoft bids for yahoo, pdf tools[/tags]
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Don’t ask me what the hat is about. Or the picture as a whole .. really dropped the ball on that one. Kids flurrying about, asking a zillion questions at once .. mind not even remotely on the job. That’ll learn me for trying to pretend to draw.
[tags]Blizzard, vivendi, colossus, 10 million subscribers, 800+ million profit[/tags]
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Lily.
And the blog, http://blog.lilyapp.org/.
From the site:
Lily is a browser-based, visual programming environment that lets people create programs graphically, without writing code, by drawing connections between data, images, sounds, text and graphics.
It’s got some great little paradigms going on. Not sure exactly how I’d use it right now, business wise, but the "bling" effect is amazing.
I had a play, and things worked pretty well. Easy to chuck objects around and get stuff to happen.
If I had a better "business" imagination, I’d be using it to come up with some new thing, pimp it hard on a wordpress website, and make a bazillion dollars.
Isn’t that what web 2.zero is all about?
[tags]Lily, visual programming, wordpress, software development, web development, web 2.0, ajax, bling[/tags]
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Crazy stuff.
I’ve taken the role as Tech Evangelist for Clarion, and let me tell you .. it took me less than a week for the enormity, the massive jugganaut-y immense and powerful enormity, of what lies before a Clarion Tech Evangelist to sink in.
It’s a big job.
But so far, despite many ups and downs already (hey, i’m an emotional guy, what can i say) .. it’s great.
Moving on.
Wait. No. I’m done. See you later.
[tags]Clarion, Tech Evangelist[/tags]
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