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• Is there a massive other side to software development which I've somehow missed, revolving entirely around Microsoft?

  - by Aerovistae

  I'm still a beginning programmer; I've been at it for 2 years. I've learned to work with a few languages, a bit of web development technologies, a handful of libraries, frameworks, and IDEs. But over the past two years (and long before I even started, really), I keep hearing references to these...things. A million of them. Things such as C#, ADO, SOAP, ASP, ASP.NET, the .NET framework, CLR, F#, etc etc. And I've read their Wikipedia articles, in-depth, multiple times, and they all mention a million other things on that list, but I just can't seem to grasp what it all is. The only thing I've taken away with any certainty is that Microsoft is behind all of it. It sounds almost like a conspiracy. Are all these technologies just for developing on the Windows platform? What is .NET? Do some software developers dedicate their entire career just to that side of things? Why would I want to get into it, and what advantage does...whatever it is...have over all the other technologies there are? I hope this makes sense. It's a broad question, but inside it there's a very specific question asking about something I don't know the name of. Hopefully you can grasp my confusion.

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• Microsoft Silverlight 4 Data and Services Cookbook &ndash; Book Review (sort of)

  - by Jim Duffy

  I just received my copy of the Microsoft Silverlight 4 Data and Services Cookbook, co-authored by fellow Microsoft Regional Director, Gill Cleeren, and at first glance I like what I see. I’ve always been a fan of the “cookbook” approach to technical books because they are problem/solution oriented. Often developers need solutions to solve specific questions like “how do I send email from within my .NET application” and so on, and yes, that was a blatant plug to my article explaining how to accomplish just that, but I digress. :-) I also enjoy the cookbook approach because you can just start flipping pages and randomly stop somewhere and see what nugget of information is staring up at you from the page. Anyway, what I like about this book is that it focuses on a specific area of Silverlight development, accessing data and services.  The book is broken down into the following chapters: Chapter 1: Learning the Nuts and Bolts of Silverlight 4 Chapter 2: An Introduction to Data Binding Chapter 3: Advanced Data Binding Chapter 4: The Data Grid Chapter 5: The DataForm Chapter 6: Talking to Services Chapter 7: Talking to WCF and ASMX Services Chapter 8: Talking to REST and WCF Data Services Chapter 9: Talking to WCF RIA Services Chapter 10: Converting Your Existing Applications to Use Silverlight As you can see this book is all about working with Silverlight 4 and data. I’m looking forward to taking a closer look at it. Have a day. :-|

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• Offshoring: does it ever work?

  - by DanSingerman

  I know there has been a fair amount of discussion on here about outsourcing/offshoring, and the general opinion seems to be that at best it is difficult, and at worst it fails. I have direct experience of offshoring myself; a previous company where I was a dev manager wanted to send some development offshore, and we ran a pilot scheme to see how well it would work. Of course it was a complete failure, although it is not completely clear to me whether this was down to the offshore devs being less talented, the process, or other factors (no doubt it was really a combination). I can see as a business how offshoring looks attractive (much lower day rate), but as far as I can see, the only way it could possibly work is if you do exceptionally detailed design up front, with incredibly detailed specifications; and by the time you have invested in producing that, you have probably spent as nearly as much as if you had written the actual code locally (which I think is an instance of No Silver Bullet) So, what I want to know is, does anyone here have any experience of offshoring actually working ever? Especially if there are any success stories of it working in a semi-agile way? I know there are developers here from all over the World; has anyone worked on an offshore project they consider successful?

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• Silverlight 4 &ndash; Coded UI Framework Video Tutorial

  - by mbcrump

  With the release of Visual Studio 2010 Feature Pack 2, Microsoft included the Coded UI Test framework. With this release it is possible to create automated test with just a few mouse clicks. This is a very powerful feature that all Silverlight developers need to learn. Instead of my normal blog post, I have created a video tutorial that walks you through it starting from “File” –> New Project. I hope you enjoy and please leave feedback. Video Tutorial (short 9 minute video): Slides from the demo (only 3): Silverlight 4 – Coded UI Testing Code for the MainPage.xaml that was used in the Demo. For the sake of time, I did not go into the AutomationProperties.Name that I used for the TextBox or Button. I added that for each element . <Grid x:Name="LayoutRoot" Background="White" Height="100" Width="350"> <Grid.ColumnDefinitions> <ColumnDefinition/> <ColumnDefinition/> </Grid.ColumnDefinitions> <Grid.RowDefinitions> <RowDefinition/> <RowDefinition/> </Grid.RowDefinitions> <TextBlock Padding="15" Grid.Column="0" TextAlignment="Right">Name</TextBlock> <TextBox AutomationProperties.Name="txtAP" Grid.Column="1" Height="25" TextAlignment="Right" Name="txtName" /> <Button AutomationProperties.Name="btnAP" Grid.Row="1" Grid.Column="1" Content="Click for Name" x:Name="btnMessage" Click="btnMessage_Click" /> </Grid>  Subscribe to my feed

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• Should I make my project free software?

  - by SkyDan

  The story Over the last couple month I have been working on a pretty big project. It's an enterprise-level software, I designed to be used at a local gym, but I believe it can be used in other places, where things like keeping track of clients, attendances, purchases and payments are required. The problem Well recently, I started to think on how to mature this project from being home-made. Not just because I want my project to grow but also because I would like to have some gain from it. The solutions? And here I saw 2 paths: License the software under some restricted license and try to sell the software to other business around. This way I can get some money for college (I am a high school junior right now) License the software under some free license, publish it on GitHub or something, and try to engage other developers to participate in the project. This way I get experience of working in a team and a better chance that the project will keep growing. The latter would be a good + for my resume, when I'll trying to find a job. So far both ways seem pretty exciting and beneficial to me. The first one offers a good college career, while the second one offers some additional experience and the project's growth. The questions Can anyone point to some other +/- of these 2 options? What would the better option in my situation and why? Or are there other options?

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• All in a Day's Work: Unblocking Multiple Downloaded Files with a Single Command

  - by Sam Abraham

  Files downloaded using Internet Explorer retain Internet Zone permission level and hence are “Blocked” by default on Windows 7 machines. Honestly, while an added overhead for developers; I really appreciate this feature as it provides a good protection layer for casual web users. My workaround is to simply unblock the downloaded zip file (if download was a zip file) which, in turn, unblocks the files stored within. Today however, I was left with a situation where I had to “Open” and “Copy” the content rather than “Save” a zip file. That of course left me with a few dozen files I have to manually unblock. A few minutes of internet search lead me to the link below which worked like a charm: 1-Download streams.exe from SystInternals - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897440.aspx 2-Go to command prompt (cmd.exe) 3-Navigate to where you have streams.exe installed 4-Use command line switches: streams.exe –s –d “<folder path>” This removed the Internet Zone restrictions from all files under “<folder path>” and its subfolders as well. [Deleted :Zone.Identifier:$DATA] References: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/itproxpsp/thread/806f0104-1caa-4a66-b504-7a681d1ccb33/

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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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• BUILD 2013 Sessions&ndash;Building Great Windows Phone UI in XAML

  - by Tim Murphy

  Originally posted on: http://geekswithblogs.net/tmurphy/archive/2013/06/27/build-2013-sessionsndashbuilding-great-windows-phone-ui-in-xaml.aspx Even the simplest of smart phone apps can be a challenge to give a compelling UI regardless of the platform.  Windows Phone and XAML are no exception.  That is what got my interest in this session by Shawn Oster.  He took a checklist type approach to the subject is good considering that is about the only way that many us get things done. Shawn started out giving us a set of bad design/good design examples.  They very effectively showed how good design gives a sense of professionalism to your app that could determine if your wonderful idea actually makes money is DOA. I won’t go over all his points since you will be able to get the session online, but a few of his checklist points included design from the beginning instead of as an afterthought, not being afraid to leave white space and making sure your application elegantly supports both landscape and portrait modes.  The many gems make this a must watch for any developers who struggle with visual design. del.icio.us Tags: BUILD 2013,Windows Phone,XAML,Design

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• When NOT to use a framework

  - by Chris

  Today, one can find a framework for just about any language, to suit just about any project. Most modern frameworks are fairly robust (generally speaking), with hour upon hour of testing, peer reviewed code, and great extensibility. However, I think there is a downside to ANY framework in that programmers, as a community, may become so reliant upon their chosen frameworks that they no longer understand the underlying workings, or in the case of newer programmers, never learn the underlying workings to begin with. It is easy to become specialized to a degree that you are no longer a 'PHP programmer' (for example), but a "Drupal programmer", to the exclusion of anything else. Who cares, right? We have the framework! We don't need to know how to "do it by hand"! Right? The result of this loss of basic skills (sometimes to the extent that programmers who don't use frameworks are viewed as "outdated") is that it becomes common practice to use a framework where it is not required or appropriate. The features the framework facilitates wind up confused with what the base language is capable of. Developers start using frameworks to accomplish even the most basic of tasks, so that what once was considered a rudimentary process now involves large libraries with their own quirks, bugs, and dependencies. What was once accomplished in 20 lines is now accomplished by including a 20,000 line framework AND writing 20 lines to use the framework. Conversely, one does not want to reinvent the wheel. If I'm writing code to accomplish some basic, common little task, I might feel like I am wasting my time when I know that framework XYZ offers all the features I am after, and a whole lot more. The "whole lot more" part still has me worried, but it doesn't seem that many even consider it anymore. There has to be a good metric to determine when it is appropriate to use a framework. What do you consider the threshold to be, how do you decide when to use a framework, or, when not.

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• Beta Period Closed for "Java EE 6 JavaServer Faces Developer Certified Expert Exam" Certification Exam (1Z1-896)

  - by Brandye Barrington

  The beta period is closed for Java EE 6 JavaServer Faces Developer Certified Expert Exam (Exam 1Z1-896), and registration is now open for the production version of the exam. Passing this exam leads to the Oracle Certified Expert, Java EE 6 JavaServer Faces Developer certification. Earning a JavaServer Faces certification can help you deliver lower cost and faster time to market by allowing the experienced Java developer to take the web page from conception to delivery, removing the need for multiple collaboration with web designers and developers. With the range of products built on JSF, developing an expertise through certification on this technology can open the door to a variety of opportunities and give you an edge over your peers. This certification is also a valuable addition to your existing Java EE 5 and EE 6 certifications, increasing your marketable skills and solidifying your credibility. While training is not required for certification, the Java EE 6: Develop Web Applications with JSF course from Oracle University, can expedite you towards your certification. Visit pearsonvue.com/oracle and register for exam 1Z0-896. You can get all preparation details, including exam objectives, number of questions, time allotments, and pricing on the Oracle Certification website. QUICK LINKS: Certification Track: Oracle Certified Expert, Java EE 6 JavaServer Faces Developer Certification Exam: Java EE 6 JavaServer Faces Developer Certified Expert Exam (1Z1-896) Recommended Training: Java EE 6: Develop Web Applications with JSF Certification Website: About Beta Exams Register Now: Pearson VUE

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• What is the breakdown of jobs in game development?

  - by Destry Ullrich

  There's a project I'm trying to start for Indie Game Development; specifically, it's going to be a social networking website that lets developers meet through (It's a secret). One of the key components is showing what skills members have. Question: I need to know what MAJOR game development roles are not represented in the following list, keeping in mind that many specialist roles are being condensed into more broad, generalist roles: Art Animator (Characters, creatures, props, etc.) Concept Artist (2D scenes, environments, props, silhouettes, etc.) Technical Artist (UI artists, typefaces, graphic designers, etc.) 3D Artist (Modeling, rigging, texture, lighting, etc.) Audio Composer (Scores, music, etc.) Sound Engineer (SFX, mood setting, audio implementation, etc.) Voice (Dialog, acting, etc.) Design Creative Director (Initial direction, team management, communications, etc.) Gameplay Designer (Systems, mechanics, control mapping, etc.) World Designer (Level design, aesthetics, game progression, events, etc.) Writer (Story, mythos, dialog, flavor text, etc.) Programming Engine Programming (Engine creation, scripting, physics, etc.) Graphics Engineer (Sprites, lighting, GUI, etc.) Network Engineer (LAN, multiplayer, server support, etc.) Technical Director (I don't know what a technical director would even do.) Post Script: I have an art background, so i'm not familiar with what the others behind game creation actually do. What's missing from this list, and if you feel some things should be changed around how so?

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• What is the best way for an experienced developer to work on a WordPress blog

  - by nanothief

  I'm beginning to work on my first WordPress blog, however I've noticed most tutorials just have you do modifications (such as theme changes, installing plugins) on the production site. This worries me for a few reasons: No backups No version control If you make a mistake, your production site is affected Developing remotely is slower than local development, especially when tweaking css files. I understand why WordPress works like this - it allows people with no development experience to manage their WordPress installation (or the one provided by their service provider). It also allows you to work on the WordPress installation without having ssh access to the server. However as I am confortable working with tools like git and ssh, and am using a virtual server for the blog, this isn't very important to me. So I was wondering what techniques experienced developers use when working on a WordPress blog. For example: Do you develop locally, then push the changes to the live site? How do you do this? How do you manage database changes and backups? What do you store under version control (if anything)? If a plugin changes the database, do you somehow track the changes it does in version control, so you can rollback the changes done by the plugin if you need to? Or maybe I'm just overcomplicating everything if working on the production site isn't as risky as I am thinking it would be. I would appreciate any answers either way.

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• Will an online degree get you a job that requires "CS or equivalent 4-year degree"? [on hold]

  - by qel

  I'm a nerdy slacker type who didn't get my life together till I was 30. I've had a real job for a couple years doing C#/SQL. I've gotten several raises, but I'm making less than most developers, and the atmosphere is ... not positive. Looking for a new job, I think my applications get thrown out because I don't have a degree. And I want to finish a Bachelor's just to feel like less of a loser. I have a lot of college credits from 1996-2003 and a low GPA, so I don't know if that's worth much. An online degree looks like a good option, but I just don't know what I should be looking at for online schools because they all look like fake degrees. If they had programs equivalent to a real Comp Sci degree, I don't think they would have weird sounding names like they do. University of Phoenix has a B.S./Information Technology-Software Engineering. DeVry has a B.S./Computer Engineering Technology program. But that's not CS, and most other things I see have even more fake-sounding names. Are these useless degrees? Some people say DeVry and UoP are acceptable, some people say they're a joke. I have enough experience now, though, that maybe all I'm missing is being able to check the box that I have a 4-year degree. Harvard Extension seems like a real degree, even if it isn't a real Harvard degree, but I'd have to live there at least 3 months, which kinda defeats the purpose of an online degree fitting around work.

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• BizTalk 2009 - How do I do t"HAT"?

  - by StuartBrierley

  In my previous life working with BizTalk Server 2004, I came to view HAT (the Health and Activity Tracking tool) as one of my first ports of call in the case of problems with any of our BizTalk solutions.  When you move to BizTalk Server 2009 it is quickly apparent that HAT is no longer with us. HAT was useful in BizTalk 2004 mainly as it provided developers and administrators with a number of useful queries and views of what was going on inside BizTalk at runtime; when and what type of messages were received and sent, what messages had been suspended, what orchestration were running or suspended, you could even follow the process flow of a message or orchestration to see what was going on. With BizTalk Server 2009 much of the functionality of HAT can now be found in the BizTalk Administration console.  Select a BizTalk Group and you will be shown the Group Hub Overview page.  This provides a number of default queries that replicate some of those found in the old HAT. You can also use the Group Hub page to create new queries.  These can then be saved and loaded in other Group Hub instances - useful for creating queries in development for later use in Test, Psuedo-Live and Live environments. In the next few posts I am going to look at some of the common queries that we might miss from HAT and recreate them (or something close) using the new query option. Messages - last 100 received Messages - last 100 sent Messages - last 50 suspended Service instances - last 100 I have yet to try the updated Admin-HAT-Console in anger, and after using old-HAT for so long it may take some getting uesd to, but so far I would say that moving the HAT functionality into the BizTalk Administration console was probably the correct way to go.  Having one tool as the place to look for the combined functionality on offer certainly seems to be the sensible option.

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• Is it worth replacing mouse by standalone trackpad for heavy code-editing? [on hold]

  - by heltonbiker

  I recently got more interested in improving my tools, workspace and worflow. The first sting came with a sore finger due to a crappy keyboard, and then after some research I fell in love with the "mechanical keyboard is what you need" doctrine, bought one (cherry MX Brown if you're curious), and am very happy with the results. Currently I am replacing my previous text editor (Geany) with Sublime Text 3, and am also very happy and feeling much more powerful and professional :) Well, but while I re-read all the ancient debates about VIM vs whatever-else, the following excerpt from a blog post got me thinking again about the mouse vs keyboard, and the "moving around from the very home row" (in VIM) versus gesturing away with the tiny and unstable mouse cursor: Reaching for a mouse may indeed slow you down, but developers are commonly on machines where the trackpad is a micro-hand movement away. Most novice programmers can click on a character on screen faster than an expert Vimmer can type 20jFp; or LkEEE or /word or any other nasty way Vimmers have to use. The point of a mouse is to make arbitrary on screen jumps efficient, and it’s very good at doing that. Don’t you ever think you can beat a mouse. Well, although there is some bitterness in this statement, it makes a lot of sense, and EVEN MORE if you consider your direct input to be a TRACKPAD conveniently placed in front of your spacebar (which oddly is where I like to put my mouse, rotated 90° ccw, due to a serious tendonitis in my right shoulder, already healed, but you knod...). So, the question is: Has anyone replaced mouse by a standalone trackpad, to work in code editing in a desktop machine (that is, with a sandalone keyboard)? Was it worth the change?

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• Trac/SVN to DVCS Migration

  - by quanticle

  The project I'm currently working on is using Trac, with SVN integration. It's worked great until now. Now, however, we've taken on some additional developers and we're running into issues with branching and merging. Because of this, I think a move to a distributed version control system is in order. The problem is that Trac is very closely integrated with the SVN repository. We have tight integration between the tickets and the revision numbers of code changes corresponding to those tickets. In addition we have a support wiki that has a lot of data that helps the tech. support team. Is there a way we can migrate to git or mercurial without losing the benefits of Trac? I've looked at the git plugin for Trac, and I'm unsure of how well it works. Has anyone here used it with a project that's been migrated from SVN? EDIT: I should note that the most important priority for us is maintaining the links between Trac tickets and the corresponding changesets in SVN. That's a tool that we use every day, and it provides an easy way to jump to code changes when reviewing tickets. Wiki migration would be nice to have, but if it's not possible, we can continue to run the old system whilst we write some kind of a one-off script to migrate the content.

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• Skillset improvement in coming new year

  - by exiter2000

  Here is a little background information. I have been working for Java 10 years. The product I am working on went to live about 3 years ago. Now, the product is getting stable. After all the post-product drama, I gained a lot of knowledge about Oracle & SQL. People(mainly management) were desperated enough to give me deep oracle-related task over DBAs. I admit I considered becoming DBA but eventually decided to remain as a programmer. DBAs & Management are demanding all the DB & Query related task back to DBA, which makes me a bit sad. In short, I anticipate a lot of time next year. What would you do to improve your skillset?? I am thinking to upgrade my Java version(Not from experience though, we are using JDK1.5) to 1.6 getting certificate. Any good idea from fellow developers?? -----------Edit --------------------- How about data modeling for application? Do you guys think it is developer role??

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• Today in the OTN Lounge (Wednesday October 3, 2012)

  - by Bob Rhubart

  Here's a quick rundown of today's activities in the OTN Lounge: OTN Lounge hours today: 8:00 am - 6:00pm 9:00 am - 1:00 pm RAC Attack Learn about Oracle Real Application Clustering (RAC) in this collaborative event. You'll work with experts from the IOUG RAC SIG to get an Oracle Database 11gR2 RAC cluster running inside a virtual machine. For more information: RAC attack at Oracle Open World (Pythian Blog) RAC Attack - Oracle Cluster Database at Home/Events (WikiBooks) 4:30 pm - 8:00 pm Oracle Social Network Developer Challenge Judging The Oracle Social Network Developer Challenge comes to its conclusion with the final judging on entries and the award of the single prize: $500 in Amazon gift cards. Click here for more information. 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm Oracle ADF / Oracle Fusion Middleware Meet-up Join other Oracle ADF and Oracle Fusion Middleware developers and meet the product managers and engineers behind Oracle ADF, ADF Mobile, and ADF Essentials. Did we mention free beer? The OTN Lounge is located in the Howard St. Tent, between 3rd and 4th, directly between Moscone North and Moscone South. Access to the OTN Lounge requires an Oracle OpenWorld or JavaOne conference badge.

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• What are some good tips for a developer trying to design a scalable MySQL database?

  - by CFL_Jeff

  As the question states, I am a developer, not a DBA. I have experience with designing good ER schemas and am fairly knowledgeable about normalization and good schema design. I have also worked with data warehouses that use dimensional modeling with fact tables and dim tables. However, all of the database-driven applications I've developed at previous jobs have been internal applications on the company's intranet, never receiving "real-world traffic". Furthermore, at previous jobs, I have always had a DBA or someone who knew much more than me about these things. At this new job I just started, I've been asked to develop a public-facing application with a MySQL backend and the data stored by this application is expected to grow very rapidly. Oh, and we don't have a DBA. Well, I guess I am the DBA. ;) As far as designing a database to be scalable, I don't even know where to start. Does anyone have any good tips or know of any good educational materials for a developer who has been sort of shoved into a DBA/database designer role and has been tasked with designing a scalable database to support an application like this? Have any other developers been through this sort of thing? What did you do to quickly become good at this role? I've found some good slides on the subject here but it's hard to glean details from slides. Wish I could've attended that guy's talk. I also found a good blog entry called 5 Ways to Boost MySQL Scalability which had some good information, though some of it was over my head. tl;dr I just want to make sure the database doesn't have to be completely redesigned when it scales up, and I'm looking for tips to get it right the first time. The answer I'm looking for is a "list of things every developer should know about making a scalable MySQL database so your application doesn't perform like crap when the data gets huge".

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• POLL: How do you build your interfaces in xcode for iphone/coco-touch applications?

  - by LolaRun

  Hi all, It's been 2 months i'm using xcode and building iphone apps, and i'm finding it really hard to grasp the good design for the applications. I always face problems like you can't put your tabbarcontroller in another custom viewcontroller sort of a thing? or other problems... That 'sometimes' - of course - would work if you did the creation of the views/viewcontrollers programmatically. so I don't know if i should start writing the creation of my objects or use interface builder. This is why i'm asking this poll question, to see what's the most accepted way among other developers. I'm not going to answer my question, so the votes would not increase my reputation and risk my poll being closed soon. I prefer that the first two readers of this question should answer by 'using IB' and the second one 'programmatically' and the rest would vote up or down for these two answers. And don't vote my question either, i just need to know, and maybe someone else wants to know. so the longer this question lives the better. and gaining nothing from it concerning reputation would help that cause. thank you all for your cooperation. and go ahead and answer Peace

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• Choosing an open source license such that maximum value is added to a startup

  - by echo-flow

  There are many companies that produce open source software products, and many business models that these companies can use. I'm particularly interested in companies like 280 North, the company behind Objective-J and Cappucino frameworks. My understanding of this organization's business model is that they: worked to develop a tool which added significant value to developers, released the tool under an open source license, built a community around the tool (which was helped by the project's open source licensing), created interesting demos illustrating the project's value All of these things added value to the project, and the company that owned it. Finally, 280 North was sold to Motorola. My question has to do with the role of software licensing in this particular business model. 280 North licensed their software projects under the LGPL, which gave them some proprietary control over how the project could be used. I believe that the LGPL is what's known as a "weak copyleft" license, meaning that the project can be linked to, without the linking code also being licensed under the LGPL; but software derived directly from the project would need to be licensed under the LGPL. For web-oriented libraries in particular, weak copyleft, or non-copyleft licensing seems to be quite common; I can't think of a single example of a popular or well-known web-oriented library that is licensed under the GPL (or AGPL). The question then, is, how much value would a weak copyleft license like the LGPL add to a software venture like 280 North, versus a non-copyleft license, such as the BSD license or the Apache Software License? I'd really appreciate any insight anyone can offer into this, but I'd be most interested in answers that can cite other companies as case studies or examples.

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• Generating HTML Help files based on XML documentation

  - by geekrutherford

  Since discovering the XML commenting features built into .NET years ago I have been using it to help make my code more readable and simpler for other developers to understand exactly what the code is doing. Entering /// preceding a line of code causes Visual Studio to insert "summary" tags.  It also results in additional tags being generated if you are commenting a method with parameters and a return type. I already knew that Intellisense would pick up these comments and display them when coding and selecting properties, methods, etc. from a class.  I also knew that you could set Visual Studio to generate an XML file containing said comments.  Only recently did I begin to wonder if I could generate some kind of readable help files based on these comments I so diligently added. After searching the web I came across NDoc, an open source project which creates documentation for you based on the XML files generated by Visual Studio.  Unfortunately, NDoc has become stale and no longer supported (last release was back in 2005). Fortunately there is a little known tool from Microsoft themselves called "Sandcastle Help File Builder".  This nifty little tool gives you a graphical interface that allows you to specify multiple DLL and XML files from which to generate a MSDN like HTML Help File for your own projects! You can check it out here: http://shfb.codeplex.com/ If you are curious how to set Visual Studio to generate the above reference XML documentation files simply go to your projects property page and edit as shown below (my paths are specific, you can leave yours at the default values):

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• When does a programmer know when a new job is not right?

  - by Mysterion

  I believe that the interview process is a selling of both parties - what can the employee offer the employer and vice versa. Assuming an individual has been careful in selecting their new employer (via thorough questioning in the interview process), however when they arrive at the job they find the employer has not been honest about certain aspects of the job. Examples of this dishonesty could include: The employee making it clear that technical excellence is an important factor, which is promised by the employer, but is not fully delivered or a good technical structure does not exist. The employee states they want to work on well architected and short (lets say less than 1 yr) long projects, yet when they start they find they are placed on a poorly architected older project. The employee being told of a pair programming environment to get him up to speed on the project, but being left to his own devices/questioning on arrival. The employee is promised a culture that encourages innovation and technical excellence but finds that this is not the case (eg. using technology for knowledge retention is laughed at). I know that a lot of famous developers feel that you make the place you work at. Is it realistic for a new employee with limited experience in the industry (say less than 5 years) to be able to join the company and change attitudes or even challenge the employer on the perceived dishonesty? Should they stay in this job or cut their losses?

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• Why are "Inverted Colors" considered an accessibility feature? [migrated]

  - by RLH

  Why is it that in Apple software (OS X and iOS,) the "Inverted Colors" display feature is considered an accessibility option? I understand that some users are color-blind. This would justify the Black & White, or grey-scale modes. What I don't understand is how or why does inverting the display color help someone with any specific, visual impairment or dysfunction. As a programmer that wants to understand the need so that I can develop better, accessible software, what purpose does this feature serve to the end user who has some form of visual impairment? NOTE: I felt that this was a hard question to categorize on StackExchange. I settled here on Programmers because I assume that questions of accessibility are important to all developers and this question sits somewhere in the middle between topics that StackOverflow and SuperUser may cover. Also, this question isn't specific to Apple software. I've just noticed that this feature has been available on Macs for a very long time, it's a feature on iOS, and it's always associated with the Accessibility settings. If I can garner some information regarding the needs of some users, I think that I can develop better, accessible software.

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• JVM Language Summit in July

  - by Tori Wieldt

  A reminder that the 2012 JVM Language Summit is happening July 30–August 1, 2012 in Santa Clara, CA. The JVM Language Summit is an open technical collaboration among language designers, compiler writers, tool builders, runtime engineers, and VM architects, sharing their experiences as creators of programming languages for the JVM, and of the JVM itself. Non-JVM developers are welcome to attend or speak on their runtime, VM, or language of choice. About 70 language and VM implementers attended last year—and over one third presented. What’s at the JVM Language Summit? Three days of technical presentations and conversations about programming languages and the JVM. Prepared talks by numerous visiting language experts, OpenJDK engineers, and other Java luminaries. Many opportunities to visit and network with your peers. Da Vinci Machine Project memorabilia. Dinner at a local restaurant, such as last year’s Faultline Brewing Company. A chance to help shape the future of programming languages on the JVM. Space is limited: This summit is organized around a single classroom-style room, to support direct communication between participants. To cover costs, there is a nominal conference fee of $100. Learn more.

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