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  • how to use opengl blend mode/functions to brighten/darken a texture.

    - by Jigar
    Tried this code, but the texture didnot get any lighter. try { texture = TextureLoader.getTexture("png", Game.class.getResourceAsStream("/brick.png"), true, GL_NEAREST); } catch (IOException e) { e.printStackTrace(); } GL11.glBindTexture(GL11.GL_TEXTURE_2D, texture.getTextureID()); glEnable(GL_BLEND); glBlendFunc(GL_CONSTANT_ALPHA, GL_CONSTANT_ALPHA); GL14.glBlendColor(1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f, 0.5f); glColor4f(1, 1, 1, 0.5f); GL11.glBegin(GL11.GL_QUADS); // Start Drawing Quads // Front Face GL11.glNormal3f(0.0f, 0.0f, 1.0f); // Normal Pointing Towards Viewer GL11.glTexCoord2f(0.0f, 0.0f); GL11.glVertex3f(-1.0f, -1.0f, 1.0f); // Point 1 (Front) GL11.glTexCoord2f(1.0f, 0.0f); GL11.glVertex3f(1.0f, -1.0f, 1.0f); // Point 2 (Front) GL11.glTexCoord2f(1.0f, 1.0f); GL11.glVertex3f(1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f); // Point 3 (Front) GL11.glTexCoord2f(0.0f, 1.0f); GL11.glVertex3f(-1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f); // Point 4 (Front) glEnd();

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  • Why cant i install ANY operating system??

    - by Ranhiru
    I tested the memory and i tested the hard disk and everything is fine! Mini XP booted from Hirens Boot Disk works :( I tried Windows 7, Windows XP SP3 and even Ubuntu 10.04 :( All Operating Systems boots up to the point where they can load necessary files to start the OS and then resets the laptop Windows 7, only up to the point where the Windows Loading Animation is happening Ubuntu, only up to the point where the loading is done, shows a small screen and then goes to a blinking cursor and thats it... it keeps on blinking and sometimes resets the computer Windows XP SP3, loads all the drivers and everything and then the point where i should be able install the OS, it simply resets the laptop :( I have used the word reset instead of restart because the laptop completely turns off and then only turns back in Any solutions would be greatly appreciated

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  • Clarification On Write-Caching Policy, Its Underlying Options And How It Applies To Hard Drives And Solid-State Drives

    - by Boris_yo
    In last week after doing more research on subject matter, I have been wondering about what I have been neglecting all those years to understand write-caching policy, always leaving it on default setting. Write-caching policy improves writing performance and consists of write-back caching and write-cache buffer flushing. This is how I understand all the above, but correct me if I erred somewhere: Write-through cache / Write-through caching itself is not a part of write caching policy per se and it's when data is written to both cache and storage device so if Windows will need that data later again, it is retrieved from cache and not from storage device which means only improved read performance as there is no need for waiting for storage device to read required data again. Since data is still written to storage device, write performance isn't improved and represents no risk of data loss or corruption in case of power failure or system crash while only data in cache gets lost. This option seems to be enabled by default and is recommended for removable devices with no need to use function of "Safely Remove Hardware" on user's part. Write-back caching is similar to above but without writing data to storage device, periodically releasing data from cache and writing to storage device when it is idle. In my opinion this option improves both read and write performance but represents risk if power failure or system crash occurs with the outcome of not only losing data eventually to be written to storage device, but causing file inconsistencies or corrupted file system. Write-back caching cannot be enabled together with write-through caching and it is not recommended to be enabled if no backup power supply is availabe. Write-cache buffer flushing I reckon is similar to write-back caching but enables immediate release and writing of data from cache to storage device right before power outage occurs but I don't know if it applies also to occasional system crash. This option seem to be complementary to write-back cache reducing or potentially eliminating risk of data loss or corruption of file system. I have questions about relevance of last 2 options to today's modern SSDs in order to get best performance and with less wear on SSDs: I know that traditional hard drives come with onboard cache (I wonder what type of cache that is), but do SSDs also come with cache? Assuming they do, is this cache faster than their NAND flash and system RAM and worth taking the risk of utilizing it by enabling write-back cache? I read somewhere that generally storage device's cache is faster than RAM, but I want to be sure. Additionally I read that write-caching should be enabled since current data that is to be written later to NAND flash is kept for a while in cache and provided there is data that gets modified a lot before finally being written, holding of this data and its periodic release reduces its write times to SSD thereby reducing its wearing. Now regarding to write-cache buffer flushing, I heard that SSD controllers are so fast by themselves that enabling this option is not required, because they manage flushing. However, once again, I don't know if SSDs have their own onboard cache and whether or not it is faster than their NAND flash and system RAM because if it is, keeping this option enabled would make sense. Recently I have posted question about issue with my Intel 330 SSD 120GB which was main reason to do deeper research having suspicion of write-caching policy being the culprit of SSD's freezing issue assuming data being released is what causes freezes. Currently I have write-cache enabled and write-cache buffer flushing disabled because I believe SSD controller's management of write-cache flushing and Windows write-cache buffer flushing are conflicting with each other: Since I want to troubleshoot in small steps to finally determine the source of issue, I have decided to start with write-caching policy and the move to drivers, switching to AHCI later on and finally disabling DIPM (device initiated power management) through registry modification thanks to @TomWijsman

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  • How can I improve my isometric tile-picking algorithm?

    - by Cypher
    I've spent the last few days researching isometric tile-picking algorithms (converting screen-coordinates to tile-coordinates), and have obviously found a lot of the math beyond my grasp. I have come fairly close and what I have is workable, but I would like to improve on this algorithm as it's a little off and seems to pick down and to the right of the mouse pointer. I've uploaded a video to help visualize the current implementation: http://youtu.be/EqwWcq1zuaM My isometric rendering algorithm is based on what is found at this stackoverflow question's answer, with the exception that my x and y axis' are inverted (x increased down-right, while y increased up-right). Here is where I am converting from screen to tiles: // these next few lines convert the mouse pointer position from screen // coordinates to tile-grid coordinates. cameraOffset captures the current // mouse location and takes into consideration the camera's position on screen. System.Drawing.Point cameraOffset = new System.Drawing.Point( 0, 0 ); cameraOffset.X = mouseLocation.X + (int)camera.Left; cameraOffset.Y = ( mouseLocation.Y + (int)camera.Top ); // the camera-aware mouse coordinates are then further converted in an attempt // to select only the "tile" portion of the grid tiles, instead of the entire // rectangle. this algorithm gets close, but could use improvement. mouseTileLocation.X = ( cameraOffset.X + 2 * cameraOffset.Y ) / Global.TileWidth; mouseTileLocation.Y = -( ( 2 * cameraOffset.Y - cameraOffset.X ) / Global.TileWidth ); Things to make note of: mouseLocation is a System.Drawing.Point that represents the screen coordinates of the mouse pointer. cameraOffset is the screen position of the mouse pointer that includes the position of the game camera. mouseTileLocation is a System.Drawing.Point that is supposed to represent the tile coordinates of the mouse pointer. If you check out the above link to youtube, you'll notice that the picking algorithm is off a bit. How can I improve on this?

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  • Create a thread in xna Update method to find path?

    - by Dan
    I am trying to create a separate thread for my enemy's A* pathfinder which will give me a list of points to get to the player. I have placed the thread in the update method of my enemy. However this seems to cause jittering in the game every-time the thread is called. I have tried calling just the method and this works fine. Is there any way I can sort this out so that I can have the pathfinder on its own thread? Do I need to remove the thread start from the update and start it in the constructor? Is there any way this can work. Here is the code at the moment: bool running = false; bool threadstarted; System.Threading.Thread thread; public void update() { if (running == false && threadstarted == false) { thread = new System.Threading.Thread(PathThread); //thread.Priority = System.Threading.ThreadPriority.Lowest; thread.IsBackground = true; thread.Start(startandendobj); //PathThread(startandendobj); threadstarted = true; } } public void PathThread(object Startandend) { object[] Startandendarray = (object[])Startandend; Point startpoint = (Point)Startandendarray[0]; Point endpoint = (Point)Startandendarray[1]; bool runnable = true; // Path find from 255, 255 to 0,0 on the map foreach(Tile tile in Map) { if(tile.Color == Color.Red) { if (tile.Position.Contains(endpoint)) { runnable = false; } } } if(runnable == true) { running = true; Pathfinder p = new Pathfinder(Map); pathway = p.FindPath(startpoint, endpoint); running = false; threadstarted = false; } }

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  • Java : 2D Collision Detection

    - by neko
    I'm been working on 2D rectangle collision for weeks and still cannot get this problem fixed. The problem I'm having is how to adjust a player to obstacles when it collides. I'm referencing this link. The player sometime does not get adjusted to obstacles. Also, it sometimes stuck in obstacle guy after colliding. Here, the player and the obstacle are inheriting super class Sprite I can detect collision between the two rectangles and the point by ; public Point getSpriteCollision(Sprite sprite, double newX, double newY) { // set each rectangle Rectangle spriteRectA = new Rectangle( (int)getPosX(), (int)getPosY(), getWidth(), getHeight()); Rectangle spriteRectB = new Rectangle( (int)sprite.getPosX(), (int)sprite.getPosY(), sprite.getWidth(), sprite.getHeight()); // if a sprite is colliding with the other sprite if (spriteRectA.intersects(spriteRectB)){ System.out.println("Colliding"); return new Point((int)getPosX(), (int)getPosY()); } return null; } and to adjust sprites after a collision: // Update the sprite's conditions public void update() { // only the player is moving for simplicity // collision detection on x-axis (just x-axis collision detection at this moment) double newX = x + vx; // calculate the x-coordinate of sprite move Point sprite = getSpriteCollision(map.getSprite().get(1), newX, y);// collision coordinates (x,y) if (sprite == null) { // if the player is no colliding with obstacle guy x = newX; // move } else { // if collided if (vx > 0) { // if the player was moving from left to right x = (sprite.x - vx); // this works but a bit strange } else if (vx < 0) { x = (sprite.x + vx); // there's something wrong with this too } } vx=0; y+=vy; vy=0; } I think there is something wrong in update() but cannot fix it. Now I only have a collision with the player and an obstacle guy but in future, I'm planning to have more of them and making them all collide with each other. What would be a good way to do it? Thanks in advance.

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  • Applications: Some more marble fun!

    - by TechTwaddle
    Well, yesterday night I was watching a tutorial on XNA when I came across this neat little trick. It was a simple XNA application with a Windows Phone logo in it and whenever the user clicked on the device the logo would move towards the click point, and I couldn't resist experimenting with the marble (; The code is written in C# using CF3.5. Here is a video of the demo,   You probably noticed that the motion of the marble towards the click point (destination) is not linear. The marble starts off with a high velocity and slows down as it reaches its destination. This is achieved by making the speed of the marble a function of the distance between marble's current position and the destination, so as the marble approaches the destination point, the distance between them reduces and so does the speed, until it becomes zero. More on the code and the logic behind it in the next post. What I'd like to do next is, instead of making the marble stop at the click point, it should continue to move beyond it, bounce around the screen a few times and eventually come to a stop after a while. Let's see how that goes.

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  • How to make a player stay within bounds of world with 2D Camera

    - by Craig
    Im creating a simple top down survival game. At the moment, i have the sprite which is a ship and moves by rotating left or right then going forward in that direction. I have implemented a 2D camera, its always centered on the player. However, when i move towards the bounds of the world that the sprite is in it just keeps on going :( How to i sort it that it stops at the edge of the world and cant go beyond it? Cheers :) Below is the main game class using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Audio; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.GamerServices; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Input; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Media; namespace GamesCoursework_1 { /// <summary> /// This is the main type for your game /// </summary> public class Game1 : Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Game { GraphicsDeviceManager graphics; SpriteBatch spriteBatch; // player variables Texture2D Ship; Vector2 Ship_Position; float Ship_Rotation = 0.0f; Vector2 Ship_Origin; Vector2 Ship_Velocity; const float tangentialVelocity = 4f; float friction = 0.05f; static Point CameraViewport = new Point(800, 800); Camera2d cam = new Camera2d((int)CameraViewport.X, (int)CameraViewport.Y); //Size of world static Point worldSize = new Point(1600, 1600); // Screen variables static Point worldCenter = new Point(worldSize.X / 2, worldSize.Y / 2); Rectangle playerBounds = new Rectangle(CameraViewport.X / 2, CameraViewport.Y / 2, worldSize.X - CameraViewport.X, worldSize.Y - CameraViewport.Y); Rectangle worldBounds = new Rectangle(0, 0, worldSize.X, worldSize.Y); Texture2D background; public Game1() { graphics = new GraphicsDeviceManager(this); graphics.PreferredBackBufferWidth = CameraViewport.X; graphics.PreferredBackBufferHeight = CameraViewport.Y; Content.RootDirectory = "Content"; } /// <summary> /// Allows the game to perform any initialization it needs to before starting to run. /// This is where it can query for any required services and load any non-graphic /// related content. Calling base.Initialize will enumerate through any components /// and initialize them as well. /// </summary> protected override void Initialize() { // TODO: Add your initialization logic here base.Initialize(); } /// <summary> /// LoadContent will be called once per game and is the place to load /// all of your content. /// </summary> protected override void LoadContent() { // Create a new SpriteBatch, which can be used to draw textures. spriteBatch = new SpriteBatch(GraphicsDevice); // TODO: use this.Content to load your game content here Ship = Content.Load<Texture2D>("Ship"); Ship_Origin.X = Ship.Width / 2; Ship_Origin.Y = Ship.Height / 2; background = Content.Load<Texture2D>("aus"); Ship_Position = new Vector2(worldCenter.X, worldCenter.Y); cam.Pos = Ship_Position; cam.Zoom = 1f; } /// <summary> /// UnloadContent will be called once per game and is the place to unload /// all content. /// </summary> protected override void UnloadContent() { // TODO: Unload any non ContentManager content here } /// <summary> /// Allows the game to run logic such as updating the world, /// checking for collisions, gathering input, and playing audio. /// </summary> /// <param name="gameTime">Provides a snapshot of timing values.</param> protected override void Update(GameTime gameTime) { // Allows the game to exit if (GamePad.GetState(PlayerIndex.One).Buttons.Back == ButtonState.Pressed) this.Exit(); // TODO: Add your update logic here Ship_Position = Ship_Velocity + Ship_Position; keyPressed(); base.Update(gameTime); } /// <summary> /// This is called when the game should draw itself. /// </summary> /// <param name="gameTime">Provides a snapshot of timing values.</param> protected override void Draw(GameTime gameTime) { GraphicsDevice.Clear(Color.CornflowerBlue); // TODO: Add your drawing code here spriteBatch.Begin(SpriteSortMode.Deferred, BlendState.AlphaBlend, null, null, null,null, cam.get_transformation(GraphicsDevice)); spriteBatch.Draw(background, Vector2.Zero, Color.White); spriteBatch.Draw(Ship, Ship_Position, Ship.Bounds, Color.White, Ship_Rotation, Ship_Origin, 1.0f, SpriteEffects.None, 0f); spriteBatch.End(); base.Draw(gameTime); } private void Ship_Move(Vector2 move) { Ship_Position += move; } private void keyPressed() { KeyboardState keyState; // Move right keyState = Keyboard.GetState(); if (keyState.IsKeyDown(Keys.Right)) { Ship_Rotation = Ship_Rotation + 0.1f; } if (keyState.IsKeyDown(Keys.Left)) { Ship_Rotation = Ship_Rotation - 0.1f; } if (keyState.IsKeyDown(Keys.Up)) { Ship_Velocity.X = (float)Math.Cos(Ship_Rotation) * tangentialVelocity; Ship_Velocity.Y = (float)Math.Sin(Ship_Rotation) * tangentialVelocity; if ((int)Ship_Position.Y < playerBounds.Bottom && (int)Ship_Position.Y > playerBounds.Top) cam._pos.Y = Ship_Position.Y; if ((int)Ship_Position.X > playerBounds.Left && (int)Ship_Position.X < playerBounds.Right) cam._pos.X = Ship_Position.X; //tried world bounds here if (!worldBounds.Contains(new Point((int)Ship_Position.X, (int)Ship_Position.Y))) Ship_Position -= new Vector2(0.0f, -tangentialVelocity * 2); if (!worldBounds.Contains(new Point((int)Ship_Position.X, (int)Ship_Position.Y))) Ship_Position -= new Vector2(0.0f, 2 * tangentialVelocity); } else if(Ship_Velocity != Vector2.Zero) { float i = Ship_Velocity.X; float j = Ship_Velocity.Y; Ship_Velocity.X = i -= friction * i; Ship_Velocity.Y = j -= friction * j; if ((int)Ship_Position.Y < playerBounds.Bottom && (int)Ship_Position.Y > playerBounds.Top) cam._pos.Y = Ship_Position.Y; if ((int)Ship_Position.X > playerBounds.Left && (int)Ship_Position.X < playerBounds.Right) cam._pos.X = Ship_Position.X; } if (keyState.IsKeyDown(Keys.Q)) { if (cam.Zoom < 2f) cam.Zoom += 0.05f; } if (keyState.IsKeyDown(Keys.A)) { if (cam.Zoom > 0.3f) cam.Zoom -= 0.05f; } } } } my 2d camera class using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; using System.Text; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics; namespace GamesCoursework_1 { public class Camera2d { protected float _zoom; // Camera Zoom public Matrix _transform; // Matrix Transform public Vector2 _pos; // Camera Position protected float _rotation; // Camera Rotation public int _viewportWidth, _viewportHeight; // viewport size public Camera2d(int ViewportWidth, int ViewportHeight) { _zoom = 1.0f; _rotation = 0.0f; _pos = Vector2.Zero; _viewportWidth = ViewportWidth; _viewportHeight = ViewportHeight; } // Sets and gets zoom public float Zoom { get { return _zoom; } set { _zoom = value; if (_zoom < 0.1f) _zoom = 0.1f; } // Negative zoom will flip image } public float Rotation { get { return _rotation; } set { _rotation = value; } } // Auxiliary function to move the camera public void Move(Vector2 amount) { _pos += amount; } // Get set position public Vector2 Pos { get { return _pos; } set { _pos = value; } } public Matrix get_transformation(GraphicsDevice graphicsDevice) { _transform = // Thanks to o KB o for this solution Matrix.CreateTranslation(new Vector3(-_pos.X, -_pos.Y, 0)) * Matrix.CreateRotationZ(Rotation) * Matrix.CreateScale(new Vector3(Zoom, Zoom, 1)) * Matrix.CreateTranslation(new Vector3(_viewportWidth * 0.5f, _viewportHeight * 0.5f, 0)); return _transform; } } }

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  • What to do when TDD tests reveal new functionality that is needed that also needs tests?

    - by Joshua Harris
    What do you do when you are writing a test and you get to the point where you need to make the test pass and you realize that you need an additional piece of functionality that should be separated into its own function? That new function needs to be tested as well, but the TDD cycle says to Make a test fail, make it pass then refactor. If I am on the step where I am trying to make my test pass I'm not supposed to go off and start another failing test to test the new functionality that I need to implement. For example, I am writing a point class that has a function WillCollideWith(LineSegment): public class Point { // Point data and constructor ... public bool CollidesWithLine(LineSegment lineSegment) { Vector PointEndOfMovement = new Vector(Position.X + Velocity.X, Position.Y + Velocity.Y); LineSegment pointPath = new LineSegment(Position, PointEndOfMovement); if (lineSegment.Intersects(pointPath)) return true; return false; } } I was writing a test for CollidesWithLine when I realized that I would need a LineSegment.Intersects(LineSegment) function. But, should I just stop what I am doing on my test cycle to go create this new functionality? That seems to break the "Red, Green, Refactor" principle. Should I just write the code that detects that lineSegments Intersect inside of the CollidesWithLine function and refactor it after it is working? That would work in this case since I can access the data from LineSegment, but what about in cases where that kind of data is private?

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  • Android 2D terrain scrolling

    - by Nikola Ninkovic
    I want to make infinite 2D terrain based on my algorithm.Then I want to move it along Y axis (to the left) This is how I did it : public class Terrain { Queue<Integer> _bottom; Paint _paint; Bitmap _texture; Point _screen; int _numberOfColumns = 100; int _columnWidth = 20; public Terrain(int screenWidth, int screenHeight, Bitmap texture) { _bottom = new LinkedList<Integer>(); _screen = new Point(screenWidth, screenHeight); _numberOfColumns = screenWidth / 6; _columnWidth = screenWidth / _numberOfColumns; for(int i=0;i<=_numberOfColumns;i++) { // Generate terrain point and put it into _bottom queue } _paint = new Paint(); _paint.setStyle(Paint.Style.FILL); _paint.setShader(new BitmapShader(texture, Shader.TileMode.REPEAT, Shader.TileMode.REPEAT)); } public void update() { _bottom.remove(); // Algorithm calculates next point _bottom.add(nextPoint); } public void draw(Canvas canvas) { Iterator<Integer> i = _bottom.iterator(); int counter = 0; Path path = new Path(); path.moveTo(0, _screen.y); while (i.hasNext()) { path.lineTo(counter, _screen.y-i.next()); counter += _columnWidth; } path.lineTo(_screen.x, _screen.y); path.lineTo(0, _screen.y); canvas.drawPath(path2, _paint); } } The problem is that the game is too 'fast', so I tried with pausing thread with Thread.sleep(50); in run() method of my game thread but then it looks too torn. Well, is there any way to slow down drawing of my terrain ?

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  • Use Excel Table Column in ComboBox Input Range property

    - by V7L
    I asked this in StackOverflow and was redirected here. Apologies for redundancy. I have an Excel worksheet with a combo box on Sheet1 that is populated via its Input Range property from a Dynamic Named Range on Sheet2. It works fine and no VBA is required. My data on Sheet2 is actually in an Excel Table (all data is in the XLS file, no external data sources). For clarity, I wanted to use a structured table reference for the combo box's Input Range, but cannot seem to find a syntax that works, e.g. myTable[[#Data],[myColumn3]] I cannot find any indications that the combo box WILL accept structured table references, though I cannot see why it wouldn't. So, two part question: 1. Is is possible to use a table column reference in the combo box input range property (not using VBA) and 2. HOW?

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  • Linux: CIFS/Samba mount hangs for several minutes

    - by Pistos
    I have a small local network which has a Gentoo box and a Windows box. I mount a share originating on the Windows box onto the Gentoo box with a command like: mount -t cifs -o username=WindowsUsername,password=thepassword,uid=pistos //192.168.0.103/Users /mnt/windowsbox Most of the time, everything Just Works, and I can read and write without problems. However, every few weeks or so, the connection or the mount point seems to go dead or hang, such that any process that tries to access the mount point gets stuck in D state (disk, or I/O wait). These processes become impervious to TERM and KILL signals. Disconnecting and reconnecting the Windows box from the network does not help. The frozen state lasts for 5+ minutes. It's really frustrating and gets in the way of normal work, because it freezes Save As dialogues, ls commands, etc. If I issue a umount on the mount point, it either hangs also, or reports that the mount point is in use. Eventually, the dead state resolves itself, and the mount point gets unmounted, or it becomes possible to umount with no delay. My guess is that this happens when the connection/mount has gone idle, or when the Windows machine has been idle. I am not really sure. Why is this happening, and what can I do to prevent it? Or how can I successfully kill these D-state processes at will? Possibly related: CIFS mounts hang on read

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  • Getting data from closed files with concatenate formula

    - by Pav
    Each day a program is creating an excel file for me with some data for the current day. Like what is the price for products, how many people are available today and things like that. Based on all this I need to make some forecasts and workplace allocations for workers. The problem is, that I need to drag all this information manually all the time. So to make it automatic I placed the formula in cells like: ='c:\ABC\[ABC 29-01-14.xlsx]sheet'!a1 Everything works fine, but next day I have to change file name for "ABC 30-01-14" for each cell, what is the same as entering the data manually. So I used "concatenate" formula to change date according to today's date automatically. I used "indirect" formula to turn it in to a real formula, not text string, and realized that it is working only for open files, not closed. Is there any way to do this for closed files without VBA, because I don't know it, or with VBA but explained for an idiot.

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  • How to prevent Network Manager from auto creating network connection profiles with "available to everyone" by default

    - by airtonix
    We have several laptops at work which use Ubuntu 11.10 64bit. I have our Wifi Access Point requiring WPA2-EAP Authentication (backed by a LDAP server). I have the staff using these laptops when doing presentations by using the Guest Account. So by default when you have a wifi card, network manager will display available Wireless Access Points. So the logical course of action for a Novice(tm) user is to single left click the easy to use option in the Network Manager drop down list... At this point the Staff Member (who is logged in with the guest account) expects to just be able to connect and enter any authentication details if required. But because they are using the Guest account, they won't ever have admin permissions (nor do I want them to), and so PolKit kicks in with a request for admin authorisation. I solved this part by modifying the PolKit permissions required to allow all users to create System Network Connections... However, because these Staff members are logging onto the Wifi Access Point with Ldap Credentials and because the Network Manager is now saving those credentials as a System Connection, their password is available for the next guest user session (because system connection profiles are stored in /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections.d/* ). It creates system connections by default because "Available to all users" is ticked by default when you quickly connect to a new wifi access point. I want Network Manager to not tick this by default. This way I can revert the changes I made to Polkit and users network connection profiles will be purged when they log out.

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  • GeoTools Demo Embedded in an Application Framework via Maven

    - by Geertjan
    GeoTools 8.4 was very recently released, according to its active blog, and to celebrate here's a starting point for working with GeoTools on the NetBeans Platform: The sources of the above are below, as a Maven project, so this project can be used in any IDE or command line: http://java.net/projects/nb-api-samples/sources/api-samples/show/versions/7.3/tutorials/geospatial/geotools/MyGeospatialSystem Though quite dated, the GeoTools NetBeans Quick Start is very helpful, especially since it used Maven too, but not the NetBeans Platform, unlike the above sample. From the point of view of NetBeans Platform developers, the GeoTools JMapPane class is very useful, providing the integration point between GeoTools and the rest of the NetBeans Platform application. Being integrated into the NetBeans Platform means that a host of standard features are now available to the GeoTools features, e.g., print functionality, which only requires a runtime dependency on the NetBeans Print API, together with the "print.printable" client property put into constructor of the TopComponent: By the way, I've spent some time now and again being confused about the difference between GeoTools and GeoToolkit. Here's an interesting starting point to beginning to understand the differences and history between them. Soon I'd like to have an example similar for the above for GeoToolkit.

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  • Understanding interfaces [closed]

    - by user985482
    Possible Duplicate: When to use abstract classes instead of interfaces and extension methods in C#? Why are interfaces useful? What is the point of an interface? What other reasons are there to write interfaces rather than abstract classes? What is the point of having every service class have an interface? Is it bad habit not using interfaces? I am reading Microsoft Visual C# 2010 Step by Step which I feel it is a very good book on introducing you to the C# language. I have just finished reading a chapter on interfaces and although I understood the syntax of creating and using interfaces I have trouble of understanding the point on why should I use them? Correct me If I am wrong but in an interface you can only declare methods names and parameters.The body of the method should be declared in the class that inherits the interface. So in this case why should I declare an interface if I am going to declare the entire method in the class that inherits that interface? What is the point? Does this have something to do with the fact that a class can inherit multiple interfaces?

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  • share code between check and process methods

    - by undu
    My job is to refactor an old library for GIS vector data processing. The main class encapsulates a collection of building outlines, and offers different methods for checking data consistency. Those checking functions have an optional parameter that allows to perform some process. For instance: std::vector<Point> checkIntersections(int process_mode = 0); This method tests if some building outlines are intersecting, and return the intersection points. But if you pass a non null argument, the method will modify the outlines to remove the intersection. I think it's pretty bad (at call site, a reader not familiar with the code base will assume that a method called checkSomething only performs a check and doesn't modifiy data) and I want to change this. I also want to avoid code duplication as check and process methods are mostly similar. So I was thinking to something like this: // a private worker std::vector<Point> workerIntersections(int process_mode = 0) { // it's the equivalent of the current checkIntersections, it may perform // a process depending on process_mode } // public interfaces for check and process std::vector<Point> checkIntersections() /* const */ { workerIntersections(0); } std::vector<Point> processIntersections(int process_mode /*I have different process modes*/) { workerIntersections(process_mode); } But that forces me to break const correctness as workerIntersections is a non-const method. How can I separate check and process, avoiding code duplication and keeping const-correctness?

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  • remove an open wifi of a service provider near my house

    - by wannik
    I'm using Win 7. There is an access point of a service provider wifi near my house. The wifi is not free and not WEB/WPA protected. Everyone can connect to it and it will show the company's login page. (if the username/password are put correctly, their customer can use the net.) I'm not the customer of the company and have my own access point in my house. But my computer always connect to the network of that company. I tried to remove the network but it keep coming back and connect to that access point instead of mine. What can I do to make my computer choose my access point first?

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  • Placing component on Glass Pane

    - by Chris Lieb
    I have a subclass of JLabel that forms a component of my GUI. I have implemented the ability to drag and drop the component from one container to another, but without any visual effects. I want to have this JLabel follow the cursor during the drag of the item from one container to another. I figured that I could just create a glass pane and draw it on there. However, even after I add the component to the glass pane, set the component visible, and set the glass pane visible, and set the glass pane as opaque, I still so not see the component. I know the component works because I can add it to the content pane and have it show up. How do I add a component to the glass pane? package wpics509s10t7.view; import javax.swing.*; import wpics509s10t7.model.Tile; import java.awt.*; import java.awt.dnd.DragSource; import java.awt.event.AWTEventListener; import java.awt.event.MouseEvent; /** * GlassPane tutorial * "A well-behaved GlassPane" * http://weblogs.java.net/blog/alexfromsun/ * <p/> * This is the final version of the GlassPane * it is transparent for MouseEvents, * and respects underneath component's cursors by default, * it is also friedly for other users, * if someone adds a mouseListener to this GlassPane * or set a new cursor it will respect them * * @author Alexander Potochkin */ public class GlassPane extends JPanel implements AWTEventListener { private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L; private final JFrame frame; private TileView tv; // subclass of JLabel private Point point; private WordStealApp wsa; public GlassPane(JFrame frame, WordStealApp wsa) { super(null); this.wsa = wsa; this.frame = frame; setOpaque(true); setLayout(null); setVisible(true); composite = AlphaComposite.getInstance(AlphaComposite.SRC_OVER, 0.5f); } public void beginDrag(Tile t, Point p) { this.tv = new TileView(t, null, this.wsa, true); this.add(this.tv); System.out.println("Starting point: x=" + p.getX() + ",y=" + p.getY()); this.tv.setLocation((int)p.getX(), (int)p.getY()); this.tv.setVisible(true); } public void endDrag(Point p) { System.out.println("Ending point: x=" + p.getX() + ",y=" + p.getY()); this.remove(this.tv); this.tv.setVisible(false); this.tv = null; } public void eventDispatched(AWTEvent event) { if (event instanceof MouseEvent) { MouseEvent me = (MouseEvent) event; if (!SwingUtilities.isDescendingFrom(me.getComponent(), frame)) { return; } if (me.getID() == MouseEvent.MOUSE_EXITED && me.getComponent() == frame) { if (tv != null) { tv.setVisible(false); } point = null; } else { MouseEvent converted = SwingUtilities.convertMouseEvent(me.getComponent(), me, frame.getGlassPane()); point = converted.getPoint(); } repaint(); } } /** * If someone adds a mouseListener to the GlassPane or set a new cursor * we expect that he knows what he is doing * and return the super.contains(x, y) * otherwise we return false to respect the cursors * for the underneath components */ @Override public boolean contains(int x, int y) { if (getMouseListeners().length == 0 && getMouseMotionListeners().length == 0 && getMouseWheelListeners().length == 0 && getCursor() == Cursor.getPredefinedCursor(Cursor.DEFAULT_CURSOR)) { return false; } return super.contains(x, y); } }

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  • JPanel paint method is not being called, why?

    - by swift
    When i run this code the paintComponent method is not being called It may be very simple error but i dont know why this, plz. package test; import java.awt.Color; import java.awt.Graphics; import java.awt.Graphics2D; import java.awt.Point; import java.awt.image.BufferedImage; import javax.swing.BorderFactory; import javax.swing.JPanel; class Userboard extends JPanel { static BufferedImage image; String shape; Point start; Point end; Point mp; String selected; int ex,ey;//eraser int w,h; public Userboard() { setOpaque(false); System.out.println("paper"); setBackground(Color.white); setBorder(BorderFactory.createLineBorder(Color.black)); } public void paintComponent(Graphics g) { System.out.println("userboard-paint"); try { //g.drawImage(image, 0, 0, this); Graphics2D g2 = (Graphics2D)g; g2.setPaint(Color.black); if(start!=null && end!=null) { if(selected==("elipse")) { System.out.println("userboard-elipse"); g2.drawOval(start.x, start.y,(end.x-start.x),(end.y-start.y)); System.out.println("userboard-elipse drawn"); } else if(selected==("rect")) g2.drawRect(start.x, start.y, (end.x-start.x),(end.y-start.y)); else if(selected==("line")) g2.drawLine(start.x,start.y,end.x,end.y); } } catch(Exception e) {} } //Function to draw the shape on image public void draw() { System.out.println("Userboard-draw"); System.out.println(selected); System.out.println(start); System.out.println(end); Graphics2D g2 = image.createGraphics(); g2.setPaint(Color.black); if(start!=null && end!=null) { if(selected=="line") g2.drawLine(start.x, start.y, end.x, end.y); else if(selected=="elipse") { System.out.println("userboard-elipse"); g2.drawOval(start.x, start.y, (end.x-start.x),(end.y-start.y)); System.out.println("userboard-elipse drawn"); } else if(selected=="rect") g2.drawRect(start.x, start.y, (end.x-start.x),(end.y-start.y)); } start=null; repaint(); g2.dispose(); } //To add the point to the board which is broadcasted by the server public void addPoint(Point ps,String varname,String shape,String event) { try { if(end==null) end = new Point(); if(start==null) start = new Point(); if(shape.equals("elipse")) this.selected="elipse"; else if(shape.equals("line")) this.selected="line"; else if(shape.equals("rect")) this.selected="rect"; else if(shape.equals("erase")) erase(); if(end!=null && start!=null) { if(varname.equals("end")) end=ps; else if(varname.equals("mp")) mp=ps; else if(varname.equals("start")) start=ps; if(event.equals("drag")) repaint(); else if(event.equals("release")) draw(); } repaint(); } catch(Exception e) { e.printStackTrace(); } } //Function which provides the erase functionality public void erase() { Graphics2D pic=(Graphics2D) image.getGraphics(); pic.setPaint(Color.white); if(start!=null) pic.fillRect(start.x, start.y, 10, 10); } //To set the size of the image public void setWidth(int x,int y) { System.out.println("("+x+","+y+")"); w=x; h=y; image = new BufferedImage(w, h, BufferedImage.TYPE_INT_ARGB); } //Function to add buttons into the panel, calling this function returns a panel }

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  • MySQL: How do I combine a Stored procedure with another Function?

    - by Laxmidi
    Hi I need some help in combining a stored procedure with another function. I've got a stored procedure that pulls latitudes and longitudes from a database. I've got another function that checks whether a point is inside a polygon. My goal is to combine the two functions, so that I can check whether the latitude and longitude points pulled from the db are inside a specific area. This stored procedure pulls latitude and longitudes from the database based on offense: DROP PROCEDURE IF EXISTS latlongGrabber; DELIMITER $$ CREATE PROCEDURE latlongGrabber(IN offense_in VARCHAR(255)) BEGIN DECLARE latitude_val VARCHAR(255); DECLARE longitude_val VARCHAR(255); DECLARE no_more_rows BOOLEAN; DECLARE latlongGrabber_cur CURSOR FOR SELECT latitude, longitude FROM myTable WHERE offense = offense_in; DECLARE CONTINUE HANDLER FOR NOT FOUND SET no_more_rows = TRUE; OPEN latlongGrabber_cur; the_loop: LOOP FETCH latlongGrabber_cur INTO latitude_val, longitude_val; IF no_more_rows THEN CLOSE latlongGrabber_cur; LEAVE the_loop; END IF; SELECT latitude_val, longitude_val; END LOOP the_loop; END $$ DELIMITER ; This function checks whether a point is inside a polygon. I'd like the function to test the points produced by the procedure. I can hard-code the polygon for now. (Once, I know how to combine these two functions, I'll use the same pattern to pull the polygons from the database). DROP FUNCTION IF EXISTS myWithin; DELIMITER $$ CREATE FUNCTION myWithin(p POINT, poly POLYGON) RETURNS INT(1) DETERMINISTIC BEGIN DECLARE n INT DEFAULT 0; DECLARE pX DECIMAL(9,6); DECLARE pY DECIMAL(9,6); DECLARE ls LINESTRING; DECLARE poly1 POINT; DECLARE poly1X DECIMAL(9,6); DECLARE poly1Y DECIMAL(9,6); DECLARE poly2 POINT; DECLARE poly2X DECIMAL(9,6); DECLARE poly2Y DECIMAL(9,6); DECLARE i INT DEFAULT 0; DECLARE result INT(1) DEFAULT 0; SET pX = X(p); SET pY = Y(p); SET ls = ExteriorRing(poly); SET poly2 = EndPoint(ls); SET poly2X = X(poly2); SET poly2Y = Y(poly2); SET n = NumPoints(ls); WHILE i<n DO SET poly1 = PointN(ls, (i+1)); SET poly1X = X(poly1); SET poly1Y = Y(poly1); IF ( ( ( ( poly1X <= pX ) && ( pX < poly2X ) ) || ( ( poly2X <= pX ) && ( pX < poly1X ) ) ) && ( pY > ( poly2Y - poly1Y ) * ( pX - poly1X ) / ( poly2X - poly1X ) + poly1Y ) ) THEN SET result = !result; END IF; SET poly2X = poly1X; SET poly2Y = poly1Y; SET i = i + 1; END WHILE; RETURN result; End $$ DELIMITER ; This function is called as follows: SET @point = PointFromText('POINT(5 5)') ; SET @polygon = PolyFromText('POLYGON((0 0, 0 10, 10 10, 10 0, 0 0))'); SELECT myWithin(@point, @polygon) AS result I've tested the stored procedure and the function and they work well. I just have to figure out how to combine them. I'd like to call the procedure with the offense parameter and have it test all of the latitudes and longitudes pulled from the database to see whether they are inside or outside of the polygon. Any advice or suggestions? Thank you. -Laxmidi

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  • Lines don't overlap when they should Java Swing

    - by Sven
    I'm drawing lines in a JFrame on a self made gridPanel. Problem is, I draw the lines between 2 points. When I have a line that is between point 1 and point 2 and a line between point 2 and point 3, the lines should connect. This however isn,t the case, there is a small gap in between, no idea why. But it isn't drawing till the end of the specified point. (start point is correct.) Here is the code of the JFrame: public void initialize(){ this.setLayout(new BorderLayout()); this.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(500, 400)); gridPane = new GridPane(); gridPane.setBackground(Color.WHITE); gridPane.setSize(this.getPreferredSize()); gridPane.setLocation(0, 0); this.add(gridPane,BorderLayout.CENTER); //createSampleLabyrinth(); drawWall(0,5,40,5); //These are the 2 lines that don't connect. drawWall(40,5,80,5); this.pack(); } drawWall calls a method that calls a method in GridPane. The relevant code in gridPane: /** * Draws a wall on this pane. With the starting point being x1, y1 and its end x2,y2. * @param x1 * @param y1 * @param x2 * @param y2 */ public void drawWall(int x1, int y1, int x2, int y2) { Wall wall = new Wall(x1,y1,x2,y2, true); wall.drawGraphic(); wall.setLocation(x1, y1); wall.setSize(10000,10000); this.add(wall, JLayeredPane.DEFAULT_LAYER); this.repaint(); } This method creates a wall and puts it in the Jframe. The relevant code of the wall: public class Wall extends JPanel { private int x1; private int x2; private int y1; private int y2; private boolean black; /** * x1,y1 is the start point of the wall (line) end is x2,y2 * * @param x1 * @param y1 * @param x2 * @param y2 */ public Wall(int x1, int y1, int x2, int y2, boolean black) { this.x1 = x1; this.x2 = x2; this.y1 = y1; this.y2 = y2; this.black = black; setOpaque(false); } private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L; public void drawGraphic() { repaint(); } public void paintComponent(Graphics g) { super.paintComponent(g); Graphics2D g2 = (Graphics2D) g; if(black){ g2.setColor(Color.BLACK); g2.setStroke(new BasicStroke(8)); } else { g2.setColor(Color.YELLOW); g2.setStroke(new BasicStroke(3)); } g2.drawLine(x1, y1, x2, y2); } } So, where am I going wrong? The true/false is to determine if the wall should be black or yellow, nothing to be concerned about.

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  • Linear regression confidence intervals in SQL

    - by Matt Howells
    I'm using some fairly straight-forward SQL code to calculate the coefficients of regression (intercept and slope) of some (x,y) data points, using least-squares. This gives me a nice best-fit line through the data. However we would like to be able to see the 95% and 5% confidence intervals for the line of best-fit (the curves below). What these mean is that the true line has 95% probability of being below the upper curve and 95% probability of being above the lower curve. How can I calculate these curves? I have already read wikipedia etc. and done some googling but I haven't found understandable mathematical equations to be able to calculate this. Edit: here is the essence of what I have right now. --sample data create table #lr (x real not null, y real not null) insert into #lr values (0,1) insert into #lr values (4,9) insert into #lr values (2,5) insert into #lr values (3,7) declare @slope real declare @intercept real --calculate slope and intercept select @slope = ((count(*) * sum(x*y)) - (sum(x)*sum(y)))/ ((count(*) * sum(Power(x,2)))-Power(Sum(x),2)), @intercept = avg(y) - ((count(*) * sum(x*y)) - (sum(x)*sum(y)))/ ((count(*) * sum(Power(x,2)))-Power(Sum(x),2)) * avg(x) from #lr Thank you in advance.

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  • How can I get penetration depth from Minkowski Portal Refinement / Xenocollide?

    - by Raven Dreamer
    I recently got an implementation of Minkowski Portal Refinement (MPR) successfully detecting collision. Even better, my implementation returns a good estimate (local minimum) direction for the minimum penetration depth. So I took a stab at adjusting the algorithm to return the penetration depth in an arbitrary direction, and was modestly successful - my altered method works splendidly for face-edge collision resolution! What it doesn't currently do, is correctly provide the minimum penetration depth for edge-edge scenarios, such as the case on the right: What I perceive to be happening, is that my current method returns the minimum penetration depth to the nearest vertex - which works fine when the collision is actually occurring on the plane of that vertex, but not when the collision happens along an edge. Is there a way I can alter my method to return the penetration depth to the point of collision, rather than the nearest vertex? Here's the method that's supposed to return the minimum penetration distance along a specific direction: public static Vector3 CalcMinDistance(List<Vector3> shape1, List<Vector3> shape2, Vector3 dir) { //holding variables Vector3 n = Vector3.zero; Vector3 swap = Vector3.zero; // v0 = center of Minkowski sum v0 = Vector3.zero; // Avoid case where centers overlap -- any direction is fine in this case //if (v0 == Vector3.zero) return Vector3.zero; //always pass in a valid direction. // v1 = support in direction of origin n = -dir; //get the differnce of the minkowski sum Vector3 v11 = GetSupport(shape1, -n); Vector3 v12 = GetSupport(shape2, n); v1 = v12 - v11; //if the support point is not in the direction of the origin if (v1.Dot(n) <= 0) { //Debug.Log("Could find no points this direction"); return Vector3.zero; } // v2 - support perpendicular to v1,v0 n = v1.Cross(v0); if (n == Vector3.zero) { //v1 and v0 are parallel, which means //the direction leads directly to an endpoint n = v1 - v0; //shortest distance is just n //Debug.Log("2 point return"); return n; } //get the new support point Vector3 v21 = GetSupport(shape1, -n); Vector3 v22 = GetSupport(shape2, n); v2 = v22 - v21; if (v2.Dot(n) <= 0) { //can't reach the origin in this direction, ergo, no collision //Debug.Log("Could not reach edge?"); return Vector2.zero; } // Determine whether origin is on + or - side of plane (v1,v0,v2) //tests linesegments v0v1 and v0v2 n = (v1 - v0).Cross(v2 - v0); float dist = n.Dot(v0); // If the origin is on the - side of the plane, reverse the direction of the plane if (dist > 0) { //swap the winding order of v1 and v2 swap = v1; v1 = v2; v2 = swap; //swap the winding order of v11 and v12 swap = v12; v12 = v11; v11 = swap; //swap the winding order of v11 and v12 swap = v22; v22 = v21; v21 = swap; //and swap the plane normal n = -n; } /// // Phase One: Identify a portal while (true) { // Obtain the support point in a direction perpendicular to the existing plane // Note: This point is guaranteed to lie off the plane Vector3 v31 = GetSupport(shape1, -n); Vector3 v32 = GetSupport(shape2, n); v3 = v32 - v31; if (v3.Dot(n) <= 0) { //can't enclose the origin within our tetrahedron //Debug.Log("Could not reach edge after portal?"); return Vector3.zero; } // If origin is outside (v1,v0,v3), then eliminate v2 and loop if (v1.Cross(v3).Dot(v0) < 0) { //failed to enclose the origin, adjust points; v2 = v3; v21 = v31; v22 = v32; n = (v1 - v0).Cross(v3 - v0); continue; } // If origin is outside (v3,v0,v2), then eliminate v1 and loop if (v3.Cross(v2).Dot(v0) < 0) { //failed to enclose the origin, adjust points; v1 = v3; v11 = v31; v12 = v32; n = (v3 - v0).Cross(v2 - v0); continue; } bool hit = false; /// // Phase Two: Refine the portal int phase2 = 0; // We are now inside of a wedge... while (phase2 < 20) { phase2++; // Compute normal of the wedge face n = (v2 - v1).Cross(v3 - v1); n.Normalize(); // Compute distance from origin to wedge face float d = n.Dot(v1); // If the origin is inside the wedge, we have a hit if (d > 0 ) { //Debug.Log("Do plane test here"); float T = n.Dot(v2) / n.Dot(dir); Vector3 pointInPlane = (dir * T); return pointInPlane; } // Find the support point in the direction of the wedge face Vector3 v41 = GetSupport(shape1, -n); Vector3 v42 = GetSupport(shape2, n); v4 = v42 - v41; float delta = (v4 - v3).Dot(n); float separation = -(v4.Dot(n)); if (delta <= kCollideEpsilon || separation >= 0) { //Debug.Log("Non-convergance detected"); //Debug.Log("Do plane test here"); return Vector3.zero; } // Compute the tetrahedron dividing face (v4,v0,v1) float d1 = v4.Cross(v1).Dot(v0); // Compute the tetrahedron dividing face (v4,v0,v2) float d2 = v4.Cross(v2).Dot(v0); // Compute the tetrahedron dividing face (v4,v0,v3) float d3 = v4.Cross(v3).Dot(v0); if (d1 < 0) { if (d2 < 0) { // Inside d1 & inside d2 ==> eliminate v1 v1 = v4; v11 = v41; v12 = v42; } else { // Inside d1 & outside d2 ==> eliminate v3 v3 = v4; v31 = v41; v32 = v42; } } else { if (d3 < 0) { // Outside d1 & inside d3 ==> eliminate v2 v2 = v4; v21 = v41; v22 = v42; } else { // Outside d1 & outside d3 ==> eliminate v1 v1 = v4; v11 = v41; v12 = v42; } } } return Vector3.zero; } }

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  • SharePoint – The Most Important Feature

    - by Bil Simser
    Watching twitter and doing a search for SharePoint and you see a lot (almost one every few minutes) of tweets about the top 10 new features in SharePoint. What answer do you get when you ask the question, “What’s the most important feature in SharePoint?”. Chances are the answer will vary. Some will say it’s the collaboration aspect, others might say it’s the new ribbon interface, multi-item editing, external content types, faceted search, large list support, document versioning, Silverlight, etc. The list goes on. However I think most people might be missing the most important feature that’s sitting right under their noses all this time. The most important feature of SharePoint? It’s called User Empowerment. Huh? What? Is that something I find in the Site Actions menu? Nope. It’s something that’s always been there in SharePoint, you just need to get the word out and support it. How many times have you had a team ask you for a team site (assuming you had SharePoint up and running). Or to create them a contact list. Or how long have you employed that guy in the corner who’s been copying and pasting content from Corporate Communications into the web from a Word document. Let’s stop the insanity. It doesn’t have to be this way. SharePoint’s strongest feature isn’t anything you can find in the Site Settings screen or Central Admin. It’s all about empowering your users and letting them take control of their content. After all, SharePoint really is a bunch of tools to allow users to collaborate on content isn’t it? So why are you stepping in as IT and helping the user every moment along the way. It’s like having to ask users to fill out a help desk ticket or call up the Windows team to create a folder on their desktop or rearrange their Start menu. This isn’t something IT should be spending their time doing nor is it something the users should be burdened with having to wait until their friendly neighborhood tech-guy (or gal) shows up to help them sort the icons on their desktop. SharePoint IS all about empowerment. Site owners can create whatever lists and libraries they need for their team, and if the template isn’t there they can always turn to my friend and yours, the Custom List. From that can spew forth approval tracking systems, new hire checklists, and server inventory. You’re only limited by your imagination and needs. Users should be able to create new sites as they need. Want a blog to let everyone know what your team is up to? Go create one, here’s how. What’s a blog you ask? Here’s what it is and why you would use one. SharePoint is the shift in the balance of power and you need, and an IT group, let go of certain responsibilities and let your users run with the tools. A power user who knows how to create sites and what features are available to them can help a team go from the forming stage to the storming stage overnight. Again, this all hinges on you as an IT organization and what you can and empower your users with as far as features go. Running with tools is great if you know how to use them, running with scissors not recommended unless you enjoy trips to the hospital. With Great Power comes Great Responsibility so don’t go out on Monday and send out a memo to the organization saying “This Bil guy says you peeps can do anything so here it is, knock yourself out” (for one, they’ll have *no* idea who this Bil guy is). This advice comes with the task of getting your users ready for empowerment. Whether it’s through some kind of internal training sessions, in-house documentation; videos; blog posts; on how to accomplish things in SharePoint, or full blown one-on-one sit downs with teams or individuals to help them through their problems. The work is up to you. Helping them along also should be part of your governance (you do have one don’t you?). Just because you have InfoPath client deployed with your Office suite, doesn’t mean users should just start publishing forms all over your SharePoint farm. There should be some governance behind that in what you’ll support and what is possible. The other caveat to all this is that SharePoint is not everything for everyone. It can’t cook you breakfast and impregnate your cat or solve world hunger. It also isn’t suited for every IT solution out there. It’s a horrible source control system (even though some people try to use it as such) and really can’t do financials worth a darn. Again, governance is key here and part of that governance and your responsibility in setting up and unleashing SharePoint into your organization is to provide users guidance on what should be in SharePoint and (more importantly) what should not be in SharePoint. There are boundaries you have to set where you don’t want your end users going as they might be treading into trouble. Again, this is up to you to set these constraints and help users understand why these pylons are there. If someone understands why they can’t do something they might have a better understanding and respect for those that put them there in the first place. Of course you’ll always have the power-users who want to go skiing down dead mans curve so this doesn’t work for everyone, but you can catch the majority of the newbs who don’t wander aimlessly off the beaten path. At the end of the day when all things are going swimmingly your end users should be empowered to solve the needs they have on a day to day basis and not having to keep bugging the IT department to help them create a view to show only approved documents. I wouldn’t go as far as business users building out full blown solutions and handing the keys to SharePoint Designer or (worse) Visual Studio to power-users might not be a path you want to go down but you also don’t have to lock up the SharePoint system in a tight box where users can’t use what’s there. So stop focusing on the shiny things in SharePoint and maybe consider making a shift to what’s really important. Making your day job easier and letting users get the most our of your technology investment.

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