vedovini.net http://vedovini.net Building software since 1985 Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:09:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en DITA Open Platform http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/cvedovini/blog/~3/317455751/ http://vedovini.net/2008/06/dita-open-platform/#comments Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:06:57 +0000 Claude http://vedovini.net/?p=88 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "DITA Open Platform", url: "http://vedovini.net/2008/06/dita-open-platform/" });]]> I am pleased to announce the first milestone of the DITA Open Platform version 1.0.0

http://www.dita-op.org/

This milestone is a test release in order to see if there is interest in the DITA community for what the DITA Open Platform project plans to offer. It is also a mean to collect suggestions and ideas from the community.

The goal of this project is to provide the DITA community with a free and easy-to-deploy DITA oriented production platform. It is targeted at small companies or teams that do not need a complete CMS solution.

This the first open-source project I launch and I hope the DITA community members will find interest in the initiative.

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]]> http://vedovini.net/2008/06/dita-open-platform/feed/ http://vedovini.net/2008/06/dita-open-platform/ The Human ESB http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/cvedovini/blog/~3/315975652/ http://vedovini.net/2008/06/the-human-esb/#comments Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:45:11 +0000 Claude http://vedovini.net/?p=87 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "The Human ESB", url: "http://vedovini.net/2008/06/the-human-esb/" });]]> phot by nickster2000The Project Manager is a human ESB, a Human Service Bus (HSB).

The HSB receives messages from humans, transforms them, aggregates them, sometime filters them, and forwards them to other humans or HSBs.

And they do that, following the corporate processes.

Like an ESB the HSB is a nodal point in an enterprise organization and, like an ESB, they can be a source of massive system failures.

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]]> http://vedovini.net/2008/06/the-human-esb/feed/ http://vedovini.net/2008/06/the-human-esb/ If the world’s population were reduced to 100… http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/cvedovini/blog/~3/309873918/ http://vedovini.net/2008/06/if-the-worlds-population-were-reduced-to-100/#comments Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:20:37 +0000 Claude http://vedovini.net/?p=78 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "If the world’s population were reduced to 100…", url: "http://vedovini.net/2008/06/if-the-worlds-population-were-reduced-to-100/" });]]> Worth watching again, from time to time, and asking yourself “what did I do recently to make the world better?”

http://www.miniature-earth.com/

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]]> http://vedovini.net/2008/06/if-the-worlds-population-were-reduced-to-100/feed/ http://vedovini.net/2008/06/if-the-worlds-population-were-reduced-to-100/ Welcome to Zon! http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/cvedovini/blog/~3/306472122/ http://vedovini.net/2008/06/welcome-to-zon/#comments Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:43:40 +0000 Claude http://vedovini.net/?p=86 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Welcome to Zon!", url: "http://vedovini.net/2008/06/welcome-to-zon/" });]]>

Sponsored by the Office of the Chinese Language Council International and the Michigan State University, Zon is a browser based “multiplayer, online learning environment designed to teach Chinese language and culture through gameplay”.

I personally don’t like very much this kind of educational games, I always find difficult to engage and loose interest after a few minutes. However, it looks like Zon has some interesting features, like the fact that almost everything can be spoken out.

The player can interact with almost anything, people (players and non-players) and objects, chat, get definitions and cultural or practical information. There are mini-games where you can earn cash. You can trade (and I hope can exercise the fine art of bargaining).

All in all it looks like a good idea but I am not into it, and it is sluggish…

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]]> http://vedovini.net/2008/06/welcome-to-zon/feed/ http://vedovini.net/2008/06/welcome-to-zon/ Post-quake mourning, what about you ? http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/cvedovini/blog/~3/293730331/ http://vedovini.net/2008/05/post-quake-mourning-what-about-you/#comments Mon, 19 May 2008 19:52:49 +0000 Claude http://vedovini.net/?p=83 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Post-quake mourning, what about you ?", url: "http://vedovini.net/2008/05/post-quake-mourning-what-about-you/" });]]> It looks like there has been a lot of excitement in the micro-blogosphere recently since Robert Scoble relayed instructions the Chinese government sent to the Chinese web-sites requiring them to shutdown all entertainment channels during the 3 days national mourning in memoriam the victims of the recent earthquake.

A lot of people commented, criticizing the Chinese government and talking about violation of free speech and human rights, etc.

Ladies and gentlemen, on your own terms you are free and have free speech. What do YOU intend to do to commemorate the confirmed death of more than 35,800 people (expecting 50,000) or to help the 5 million people who do not have a home anymore ?

Elliot Ng on CNReviews.com also responded to these comments and I think he made a great work are explaining the lack of understanding that most westerners have towards Chinese people, read on

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]]> http://vedovini.net/2008/05/post-quake-mourning-what-about-you/feed/ http://vedovini.net/2008/05/post-quake-mourning-what-about-you/ The Second Coming http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/cvedovini/blog/~3/292216338/ http://vedovini.net/2008/05/the-second-coming/#comments Sat, 17 May 2008 10:32:17 +0000 Claude http://vedovini.net/?p=82 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "The Second Coming", url: "http://vedovini.net/2008/05/the-second-coming/" });]]>

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born

The Second Coming, William Butler Yeats.

There is something coming, as opposed to Yeats I don’t think it will be the end of the civilization, but there is a war coming.

Weapons are ready and skirmishes have begun.

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]]> http://vedovini.net/2008/05/the-second-coming/feed/ http://vedovini.net/2008/05/the-second-coming/ Going-Solo is over http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/cvedovini/blog/~3/292154589/ http://vedovini.net/2008/05/going-solo-is-over/#comments Sat, 17 May 2008 07:49:58 +0000 Claude http://vedovini.net/?p=81 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Going-Solo is over", url: "http://vedovini.net/2008/05/going-solo-is-over/" });]]> Going-Solo, the one-day conference organized by Stephanie Booth yesterday in Lausanne, is now over.

The conference has been filmed by Sébastien Baudet and videos are being uploaded to Dailymotion.

I must say that for a first shot it was a great one, interesting speakers, subjects that matter and a lot of useful information to grasp.

A great Bravo to Steph, big thanks to the members of the organization and lot of luck to Going-Solo. It seems that the next edition will be held in Leeds by the end of the year.

By the way, the wifi was not so bad but the microphones were no sot good ;)

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]]> http://vedovini.net/2008/05/going-solo-is-over/feed/ http://vedovini.net/2008/05/going-solo-is-over/ Google Friend Connect Launched http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/cvedovini/blog/~3/290186856/ http://vedovini.net/2008/05/google-friend-connect-launched/#comments Wed, 14 May 2008 13:55:07 +0000 Claude http://vedovini.net/?p=80 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Google Friend Connect Launched", url: "http://vedovini.net/2008/05/google-friend-connect-launched/" });]]> Google just released a preview of their new Google Friend Connect service.

Google Friend Connect lets you grow traffic by easily adding social features to your website. With just a few snippets of code, you get more people engaging more deeply with your site.

This is not a social network by itself, this is something that enables you to turn your own web site into a social network. I can’t wait to try it myself on this blog and build my own social network…

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]]> http://vedovini.net/2008/05/google-friend-connect-launched/feed/ http://vedovini.net/2008/05/google-friend-connect-launched/ Database schemas compatibility http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/cvedovini/blog/~3/285922381/ http://vedovini.net/2008/05/database-schemas-compatibility/#comments Thu, 08 May 2008 07:52:32 +0000 Claude http://vedovini.net/?p=73 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Database schemas compatibility", url: "http://vedovini.net/2008/05/database-schemas-compatibility/" });]]> by gnizrThis is the third post about software compatibility, the previous ones were talking about project management and bugs and this one deals with database schemas compatibility (I will deal with stored procedures in the chapters about code compatibility).

First of all, what does backward compatibility means when talking about the database?

  1. Being able to retain data stored in one schema into a new one.
  2. Preserving compatibility with external systems (like report engines) that may be accessing the database directly.

Point #1 is achieved through migration tools that update the database schema, in some cases such tools may be very tricky.

Point #2 is a bigger challenge. Changes that may break the database compatibility are:

  1. Removing a table or changing its name.
  2. Removing a column, changing its type (including its precision or length) or changing its name.
  3. Changing the semantic of a column (e.g. changing the valid values).
  4. Adding foreign keys.

In case #1 and #2, if such changes cannot be avoided, a good enough solution is to implement database views that mockup the old tables based on the new ones.

The thing is that for #2 you will need to rename the actual table which will force an update of the foreign keys in other tables and surely more code update than what was initially expected. Leaving an unused column in the table may be a better solution. As usual, this is a trade-off that should be discussed at the project level.

Point #3 is more tricky because it really depends on the change and the usage of the column. Most of the time transforming a “change” into a “remove and add new” will enable to refer to #2. Triggers can then be used to update the old column or it can just be left unused.

Point #4 is a problem when there are scripts that delete entries in a table. If all of a sudden there is a new foreign key that depends on this table then the script will fail, thus breaking the compatibility. I actually have no technical solution for this one. I think that only documentation can be given, but if any of you has an idea please share it with us :)

Nevertheless, one should recall to never do any incompatible change without a good enough reason.

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]]> http://vedovini.net/2008/05/database-schemas-compatibility/feed/ http://vedovini.net/2008/05/database-schemas-compatibility/ Repeat after me: I am free http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/cvedovini/blog/~3/280379679/ http://vedovini.net/2008/04/repeat-after-me-i-am-free/#comments Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:49:55 +0000 Claude http://vedovini.net/?p=77 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Repeat after me: I am free", url: "http://vedovini.net/2008/04/repeat-after-me-i-am-free/" });]]> windmill hill graffiti

Photo by pshab

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