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PASS: The Budget Process

- by Bill Graziano

Every fiscal year PASS creates a detailed budget. This helps us set priorities and communicate to our members what we’re going to do in the upcoming year. You can review the current budget on the PASS Governance page. That page currently requires you to login but I’m talking with HQ to see if there are any legal issues with opening that up. The Accounting Team The PASS accounting team is two people. The Executive Vice-President of Finance (“EVP”) and the PASS Accounting Manager. Sandy Cherry is the accounting manager and works at PASS HQ. Sandy has been with PASS since we switched management companies in 2007. Throughout this document when I talk about any actual work related to the budget that’s all Sandy :) She’s the glue that gets us through this process. Last year we went through 32 iterations of the budget before the Board approved so it’s a pretty busy time for her us – well, mostly her. Fiscal Year The PASS fiscal year runs from July 1st through June 30th the following year. Right now we’re in fiscal year 2011. Our 2010 Summit actually occurred in FY2011. We switched to this schedule from a calendar year in 2006. Our goal was to have the Summit occur early in our fiscal year. That gives us the rest of the year to handle any significant financial impact from the Summit. If registrations are down we can reduce spending. If registrations are up we can decide how much to increase our reserves and how much to spend. Keep in mind that the Summit is budgeted to generate 82% of our revenue this year. How it performs has a significant impact on our financials. The other benefit of this fiscal year is that it matches the Microsoft fiscal year. We sign an annual sponsorship agreement with Microsoft and it’s very helpful that our fiscal years match. This year our budget process will probably start in earnest in March or April. I’d like to be done in early June so we can publish before July 1st. I was late publishing it this year and I’m trying not to repeat that. Our Budget Our actual budget is an Excel spreadsheet with 36 sheets. We remove some of those when we publish it since they include salary information. The budget is broken up into various portfolios or departments. We have 20 portfolios. They include chapters, marketing, virtual chapters, marketing, etc. Ideally each portfolio is assigned to a Board member. Each portfolio also typically has a staff person assigned to it. Portfolios that aren’t assigned to a Board member are monitored by HQ and the ExecVP-Finance (me). These are typically smaller portfolios such as deferred membership or Summit futures. (More on those in a later post.) All portfolios are reviewed by all Board members during the budget approval process, when interim financials are released internally and at year-end. The Process Our first step is to budget revenues. The Board determines a target attendee number. We have formulas based on historical performance that convert that to an overall attendee revenue number. Other revenue projections (such as vendor sponsorships) come from different parts of the organization. I hope to have another post with more details on how we project revenues. The next step is to budget expenses. Board members fill out a sample spreadsheet with their budget for the year. They can add line items and notes describing what the amounts are for. Each Board portfolio typically has from 10 to 30 line items. Any new initiatives they want to pursue needs to be budgeted. The Summit operations budget is managed by HQ. It includes the cost for food, electrical, internet, etc. Most of these come from our estimate of attendees and our contract with the convention center. During this process the Board can ask for more or less to be spent on various line items. For example, if we weren’t happy with the Internet at the last Summit we can ask them to look into different options and/or increasing the budget. HQ will also make adjustments to these numbers based on what they see at the events and the feedback we receive on the surveys. After we have all the initial estimates we start reviewing the entire budget. It is sent out to the Board and we can see what each portfolio requested and what the overall profit and loss number is. We usually start with too much in expenses and need to cut. In years past the Board started haggling over these numbers as a group. This past year they decided I should take a first cut and present them with a reasonable budget and a list of what I changed. That worked well and I think we’ll continue to do that in the future. We go through a number of iterations on the budget. If I remember correctly, we went through 32 iterations before we passed the budget. At each iteration various revenue and expense numbers can change. Keep in mind that the PASS budget has 200+ line items spread over 20 portfolios. Many of these depend on other numbers. For example, if we decide increase the projected attendees that cascades through our budget. At each iteration we list what changed and the impact. Ideally these discussions will take place at a face-to-face Board meeting. Many of them also take place over the phone. Board members explain any increase they are asking for while performing due diligence on other budget requests. Eventually a budget emerges and is passed. Publishing After the budget is passed we create a version without the formulas and salaries for posting on the web site. Sandy also creates some charts to help our members understand the budget. The EVP writes a nice little letter describing some of the changes from last year’s budget. You can see my letter and our budget on the PASS Governance page. And then, eight months later, we start all over again.

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Using IIS Logs for Performance Testing with Visual Studio

- by Tarun Arora

In this blog post I’ll show you how you can play back the IIS Logs in Visual Studio to automatically generate the web performance tests. You can also download the sample solution I am demo-ing in the blog post. Introduction Performance testing is as important for new websites as it is for evolving websites. If you already have your website running in production you could mine the information available in IIS logs to analyse the dense zones (most used pages) and performance test those pages rather than wasting time testing & tuning the least used pages in your application. What are IIS Logs To help with server use and analysis, IIS is integrated with several types of log files. These log file formats provide information on a range of websites and specific statistics, including Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, user information and site visits as well as dates, times and queries. If you are using IIS 7 and above you will find the log files in the following directory C:\Interpub\Logs\ Walkthrough 1. Download and Install Log Parser from the Microsoft download Centre. You should see the LogParser.dll in the install folder, the default install location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Log Parser 2.2. LogParser.dll gives us a library to query the iis log files programmatically. By the way if you haven’t used Log Parser in the past, it is a is a powerful, versatile tool that provides universal query access to text-based data such as log files, XML files and CSV files, as well as key data sources on the Windows operating system such as the Event Log, the Registry, the file system, and Active Directory. More details… 2. Create a new test project in Visual Studio. Let’s call it IISLogsToWebPerfTestDemo. 3. Delete the UnitTest1.cs class that gets created by default. Right click the solution and add a project of type class library, name it, IISLogsToWebPerfTestEngine. Delete the default class Program.cs that gets created with the project. 4. Under the IISLogsToWebPerfTestEngine project add a reference to Microsoft.VisualStudio.QualityTools.WebTestFramework – c:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\Common7\IDE\PublicAssemblies\Microsoft.VisualStudio.QualityTools.WebTestFramework.dll LogParser also called MSUtil - c:\users\tarora\documents\visual studio 2010\Projects\IisLogsToWebPerfTest\IisLogsToWebPerfTestEngine\obj\Debug\Interop.MSUtil.dll 5. Right click IISLogsToWebPerfTestEngine project and add a new classes – IISLogReader.cs The IISLogReader class queries the iis logs using the log parser. using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Text; using MSUtil; using LogQuery = MSUtil.LogQueryClassClass; using IISLogInputFormat = MSUtil.COMIISW3CInputContextClassClass; using LogRecordSet = MSUtil.ILogRecordset; using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.WebTesting; using System.Diagnostics; namespace IisLogsToWebPerfTestEngine { // By making use of log parser it is possible to query the iis log using select queries public class IISLogReader { private string _iisLogPath; public IISLogReader(string iisLogPath) { _iisLogPath = iisLogPath; } public IEnumerable<WebTestRequest> GetRequests() { LogQuery logQuery = new LogQuery(); IISLogInputFormat iisInputFormat = new IISLogInputFormat(); // currently these columns give us suffient information to construct the web test requests string query = @"SELECT s-ip, s-port, cs-method, cs-uri-stem, cs-uri-query FROM " + _iisLogPath; LogRecordSet recordSet = logQuery.Execute(query, iisInputFormat); // Apply a bit of transformation while (!recordSet.atEnd()) { ILogRecord record = recordSet.getRecord(); if (record.getValueEx("cs-method").ToString() == "GET") { string server = record.getValueEx("s-ip").ToString(); string path = record.getValueEx("cs-uri-stem").ToString(); string querystring = record.getValueEx("cs-uri-query").ToString(); StringBuilder urlBuilder = new StringBuilder(); urlBuilder.Append("http://"); urlBuilder.Append(server); urlBuilder.Append(path); if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(querystring)) { urlBuilder.Append("?"); urlBuilder.Append(querystring); } // You could make substitutions by introducing parameterized web tests. WebTestRequest request = new WebTestRequest(urlBuilder.ToString()); Debug.WriteLine(request.UrlWithQueryString); yield return request; } recordSet.moveNext(); } Console.WriteLine(" That's it! Closing the reader"); recordSet.close(); } } } 6. Connect the dots by adding the project reference ‘IisLogsToWebPerfTestEngine’ to ‘IisLogsToWebPerfTest’. Right click the ‘IisLogsToWebPerfTest’ project and add a new class ‘WebTest1Coded.cs’ The WebTest1Coded.cs inherits from the WebTest class. By overriding the GetRequestMethod we can inject the log files to the IISLogReader class which uses Log parser to query the log file and extract the web requests to generate the web test request which is yielded back for play back when the test is run. namespace IisLogsToWebPerfTest { using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Text; using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.WebTesting; using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.WebTesting.Rules; using IisLogsToWebPerfTestEngine; // This class is a coded web performance test implementation, that simply passes // the path of the iis logs to the IisLogReader class which does the heavy // lifting of reading the contents of the log file and converting them to tests. // You could have multiple such classes that inherit from WebTest and implement // GetRequestEnumerator Method and pass differnt log files for different tests. public class WebTest1Coded : WebTest { public WebTest1Coded() { this.PreAuthenticate = true; } public override IEnumerator<WebTestRequest> GetRequestEnumerator() { // substitute the highlighted path with the path of the iis log file IISLogReader reader = new IISLogReader(@"C:\Demo\iisLog1.log"); foreach (WebTestRequest request in reader.GetRequests()) { yield return request; } } } } 7. Its time to fire the test off and see the iis log playback as a web performance test. From the Test menu choose Test View Window you should be able to see the WebTest1Coded test show up. Highlight the test and press Run selection (you can also debug the test in case you face any failures during test execution). 8. Optionally you can create a Load Test by keeping ‘WebTest1Coded’ as the base test. Conclusion You have just helped your testing team, you now have become the coolest developer in your organization! Jokes apart, log parser and web performance test together allow you to save a lot of time by not having to worry about what to test or even worrying about how to record the test. If you haven’t already, download the solution from here. You can take this to the next level by using LogParser to extract the log files as part of an end of day batch to a database. See the usage trends by user this solution over a longer term and have your tests consume the web requests now stored in the database to generate the web performance tests. If you like the post, don’t forget to share … Keep RocKiNg!

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MVC Razor Engine For Beginners Part 1

- by Humprey Cogay, C|EH, E|CSA

I. What is MVC? a. http://www.asp.net/mvc/tutorials/older-versions/overview/asp-net-mvc-overview II. Software Requirements for this tutorial a. Visual Studio 2010/2012. You can get your free copy here Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 b. MVC Framework Option 1 - Install using a standalone installer http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=30683 Option 2 - Install using Web Platform Installer http://www.microsoft.com/web/handlers/webpi.ashx?command=getinstallerredirect&appid=MVC4VS2010_Loc III. Creating your first MVC4 Application a. On the Visual Studio click file new solution link b. Click Other Project Type>Visual Studio Solutions and on the templates window select blank solution and let us name our solution MVCPrimer. c. Now Click File>New and select Project d. Select Visual C#>Web> and select ASP.NET MVC 4 Web Application and Enter MyWebSite as Name e. Select Empty, Razor as view engine and uncheck Create a Unit test project f. You can now view a basic MVC 4 Application Structure on your solution explorer g. Now we will add our first controller by right clicking on the controllers folder on your solution explorer and select Add>Controller h. Change the name of the controller to HomeController and under the scaffolding options select Empty MVC Controller. i. You will now see a basic controller with an Index method that returns an ActionResult j. We will now add a new View Folder for our Home Controller. Right click on the views folder on your solution explorer and select Add> New Folder> and name this folder Home k. Add a new View by right clicking on Views>Home Folder and select Add View. l. Name the view Index, and select Razor(CSHTML) as View Engine, All checkbox should be unchecked for now and click add. m. Relationship between our HomeController and Home Views Sub Folder n. Add new HTML Contents to our newly created Index View o. Press F5 to run our MVC Application p. We will create our new model, Right click on the models folder of our solution explorer and select Add> Class. q. Let us name our class Customer r. Edit the Customer class with the following code s. Open the HomeController by double clickin HomeController of our Controllers folder and edit the HomeControllerusing System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; using System.Web; using System.Web.Mvc; namespace MyWebSite.Controllers { public class HomeController : Controller { // // GET: /Home/ public ActionResult Index() { return View(); } public ActionResult ListCustomers() { List<Models.Customer> customers = new List<Models.Customer>(); //Add First Customer to Our Collection customers.Add(new Models.Customer() { Id = 1, CompanyName = "Volvo", ContactNo = "123-0123-0001", ContactPerson = "Gustav Larson", Description = "Volvo Car Corporation, or Volvo Personvagnar AB, is a Scandinavian automobile manufacturer founded in 1927" }); //Add Second Customer to Our Collection customers.Add(new Models.Customer() { Id = 2, CompanyName = "BMW", ContactNo = "999-9876-9898", ContactPerson = "Franz Josef Popp", Description = "Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, (BMW; English: Bavarian Motor Works) is a " + "German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1917. " }); //Add Third Customer to Our Collection customers.Add(new Models.Customer() { Id = 3, CompanyName = "Audi", ContactNo = "983-2222-1212", ContactPerson = "Karl Benz", Description = " is a multinational division of the German manufacturer Daimler AG," }); return View(customers); } } } t. Let us now create a view for this Class, But before continuing Press Ctrl + Shift + B to rebuild the solution, this will make the previously created model on the Model class drop down of the Add View Menu. Right click on the views>Home folder and select Add>View u. Let us name our View as ListCustomers, Select Razor(CSHTML) as View Engine, Put a check mark on Create a strongly-typed view, and select Customer (MyWebSite.Models) as model class. Slect List on the Scaffold Template and Click OK. v. Run the MVC Application by pressing F5, and on the address bar insert Home/ListCustomers, We should now see a web page similar below. x. You can edit ListCustomers.CSHTML to remove and add HTML codes @model IEnumerable<MyWebSite.Models.Customer> @{ Layout = null; } <!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width" /> <title>ListCustomers</title> </head> <body> <h2>List of Customers</h2> <table border="1"> <tr> <th> @Html.DisplayNameFor(model => model.CompanyName) </th> <th> @Html.DisplayNameFor(model => model.Description) </th> <th> @Html.DisplayNameFor(model => model.ContactPerson) </th> <th> @Html.DisplayNameFor(model => model.ContactNo) </th> </tr> @foreach (var item in Model) { <tr> <td> @Html.DisplayFor(modelItem => item.CompanyName) </td> <td> @Html.DisplayFor(modelItem => item.Description) </td> <td> @Html.DisplayFor(modelItem => item.ContactPerson) </td> <td> @Html.DisplayFor(modelItem => item.ContactNo) </td> </tr> } </table> </body> </html> y. Press F5 to run the MVC Application z. You will notice some @HTML.DisplayFor codes. These are called HTML Helpers you can read more about HTML Helpers on this site http://www.w3schools.com/aspnet/mvc_htmlhelpers.asp That’s all. You now have your first MVC4 Razor Engine Web Application . . .

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PASS: SQLRally Thoughts

- by Bill Graziano

The PASS Board recently decided that we wouldn’t put another US-based SQLRally on the calendar until we had a chance to review the program. I wanted to provide some of my thinking around this. Keep in mind that this is the opinion of one Board member. The Board committed to complete two SQLRally events to determine if an event modeled between SQL Saturday and the Summit was viable. We’ve completed the two events and now it’s time to step back and review the program. This is my seventh year on the PASS Board. Over that time people have asked me why PASS does certain things. Many, many times my answer has been “Because that’s the way we did it last year”. And I am tired of giving that answer. We need to take a step back and review the US-based SQLRally before we schedule another one. It would be irresponsible for me as a Board member to commit resources to this without validating that what we’re doing makes sense for the organization and our members. I have no doubt that this was a great event for the attendees. We just need to validate it’s the best use of our resources. Please keep in mind that we haven’t cancelled the event. We’ve just said we need to review it before scheduling another one. My opinion is that some fairly serious changes are needed to the model before we consider it again – IF we do it again. I’ve come to that conclusion after speaking with the Dallas organizers, our HQ team, our Marketing team, other Board members (including one of the Orlando organizers), attendees in Orlando and Dallas and visiting other similar events. I should point out that their views aren’t unanimous on nearly any part of this event -- which is one of the reasons I want to take some time and think about this before continuing. I think it’s helpful to look at the original goals of what we were trying to accomplish. Andy Warren wrote these up in August of 2010. My summary of these goals and some thoughts on each one is below. Many of these thoughts revolve around the growth of SQL Saturdays. In the two years since that document was written these events have grown significantly. The largest SQL Saturdays are now over 500 people which mean they are nearly the same size as our recent SQLRally. Our goals included: Geographic diversity. We wanted an event in an area of the country that was away from any given Summit location. I think that’s still a valid goal. But we also have SQL Saturdays all over the country. What does SQLRally bring to this that SQLSaturday doesn’t? Speaker growth. One of the stated goals was to build a “farm club” for speakers. This gives us a way for speakers to work up to speaking at Summit by speaking in front of larger crowds. What does SQLRally bring to this that the larger SQL Saturdays aren’t providing? Pre-Conference speakers is one obvious answer here. Lower price. On a per-day basis, SQLRally is roughly 1/4th the price of the Summit. We wanted a way for people to experience something Summit-like at a lower price point. The challenge is that we are very budget constrained at that lower price point. International Event Model. (I need to write more about this but I’m out of time. I’ll cover it in the next installment.) There are a number of things I really like about SQLRally. I love the smaller conferences. They give me a chance to meet more people than at something the size of Summit. I like the two day format. That gives you two evenings to be at social events with people. Seeing someone a second day is a great way to build a bond with that person. That’s more difficult to do at a SQL Saturday. We also need to talk about the financial aspects of the event. Last year generated a small $17,000 profit on revenues of $200,000. Percentage-wise that’s reasonable but on an absolute basis it’s not a huge amount in our budget. We think this year will lose between $30,000 and $50,000 and take roughly 1,000 hours of HQ time. We don’t have detailed financials back yet but that’s our best guess at this point. Part of that was driven by using a convention center instead of a hotel. Until we get detailed financials back we won’t have the full picture around the financial impact. This event also takes time and mindshare from our Marketing team. This may sound like a small thing but please don’t underestimate it. Our original vision for this was something that would take very little time from our Marketing team and just a few mentions in the Connector. It turned out to need more than that. And all those mentions and emails take up space we could use to talk about other events and other programs. Last I wanted to talk about some of the things I’m thinking about. I don’t think it’s as simple as saying if we just fix “X” it all gets better. Is this that much better of an event than SQL Saturdays? What if we gave a few SQL Saturdays some extra resources? When SQL Saturdays were around 250 people that wasn’t as viable. With some of those events over 500 we need to reconsider this. We need to get back to a hotel venue. That will help with cost and networking. Is this the best use of the 1,000 HQ hours that we invested in the event? Is our price-point correct? I’m leaning toward raising our price closer to Summit on a per-day basis. I think this will let us put on a higher quality event and alleviate much of the budget pressure. Should growing speakers be a focus? Having top-line pre-conference speakers helps market the event. It will also have an impact on pricing and overall profit. We should also ask if it actually does grow speakers. How many of these people will eventually register for Summit? Attend chapters? Is SQLRally a driver into PASS or is it something that chapters, etc. drive people to? Should we have one paid day and one free instead of two paid days? This is a very interesting model that is used by SQLBits in the UK. This gives you the two day aspect as well as offering options for paid and free attendees. I’m very intrigued by this. Should we focus on a topic? Buried in the minutes is a discussion of whether PASS should have a Business Analytics conference separate from Summit. This is an interesting question to consider. Would making SQLRally be focused on a particular topic make it more attractive? Would that even be a SQLRally? Can PASS effectively manage the two events? (FYI - Probably not.) Would it help differentiate it from Summit and SQL Saturday? These are all questions that I think should be asked and answered before we do this event again. And we can’t do that if we don’t take time to have the discussion. I wanted to get this published before I take off for a few days of vacation. When I get back I’d like to write more about why the international events are different and talk about where we go from here.

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Silverlight IConvertible TypeConverter

- by codingbloke

I recently answered the following question on stackoverflow: Silverlight 3 custom control: only ‘int’ as numeric type for a property? [e.g. long or int64 seems to break] I quickly knocked up the class ConvertibleTypeConverter<T> that I posted in the question (listed later here as well). Afterward I fully expected to find that of the usual clever “bods who blog” to have covered this probably with a better solution than I. So far though I’ve not found one so I thought I’d blog it myself. The Problem Here is a classic gotcha I’ve seen asked more than once on stackoverflow :- public class MyClass { public float SomeValue { get; set; } } <local:MyClass SomeValue="45.15" /> This fails with the error “Failed to create a 'System.Single' from the text '45.15'” and results in much premature hair loss. Fortunately this is SL4, in SL3 the error message is almost meaningless. So what gives, how can it be that this fails when we can see other very similar values parsing happily all over the place? It comes down the fact that the Xaml parser only handles a few of the primitive data types namely: bool, int, string and double. Since the parser has no idea how to convert a string to a float we get the above error. The Solution The sensible solution is “use double not float” but lets not dwell on that, there has to be occasions where such an answer isn’t acceptable. In order to achieve parsing of other types we need an implementation of TypeConverter for the type of the property and then we need to use the TypeConverterAttribute to decorate the property . As an example the Silverlight SDK provides one for DateTime the DateTimeTypeConverter (yes I know DateTime isn’t really a primitive). The following class will parse in Xaml:- public class MyClass { [TypeConverter(typeof(DateTimeTypeConverter))] public DateTime SomeValue {get; set; } } So far though we would need to create a TypeConverter for each primitive type we are using, what if I had the following mad class to support in Xaml:- public class StrangePrimitives { public Boolean BooleanProp { get; set; } public Byte ByteProp { get; set; } public Char CharProp { get; set; } public DateTime DateTimeProp { get; set; } public Decimal DecimalProp { get; set; } public Double DoubleProp { get; set; } public Int16 Int16Prop { get; set; } public Int32 Int32Prop { get; set; } public Int64 Int64Prop { get; set; } public SByte SByteProp { get; set; } public Single SingleProp { get; set; } public String StringProp { get; set; } public UInt16 UInt16Prop { get; set; } public UInt32 UInt32Prop { get; set; } public UInt64 UInt64Prop { get; set; } } Then I want to fill an instance of StrangePrimitives with the following Xaml which of course fails. <local:StrangePrimitives x:Key="MyStrangePrimitives" BooleanProp="True" ByteProp="156" CharProp="A" DateTimeProp="06 Jun 2010" DecimalProp="123.56" DoubleProp="8372.937803" Int16Prop="16532" Int32Prop="73738248" Int64Prop="12345678909298" SByteProp="-123" SingleProp="39.0" StringProp="Hello, World!" UInt16Prop="40000" UInt32Prop="4294967295" UInt64Prop="18446744073709551615" /> I got to thinking, though, one thing all these primitive types have in common is that they all implement IConvertible so it should be possible to write just one converter to handle them all. Here it is:- The ConvertibleTypeConverter public class ConvertibleTypeConverter<T> : TypeConverter where T : IConvertible { public override bool CanConvertFrom(ITypeDescriptorContext context, Type sourceType) { return sourceType.GetInterface("IConvertible", false) != null; } public override bool CanConvertTo(ITypeDescriptorContext context, Type destinationType) { return destinationType.GetInterface("IConvertible", false) != null; } public override object ConvertFrom(ITypeDescriptorContext context, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture, object value) { return ((IConvertible)value).ToType(typeof(T), culture); } public override object ConvertTo(ITypeDescriptorContext context, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture, object value, Type destinationType) { return ((IConvertible)value).ToType(destinationType, culture); } } I won’t bore you with an explanation of how it works, it simply adapts one existing interface (the IConvertible) and exposes it as another (the TypeConverter). With that in place the previous strange primitives class can be modified as:- public class StrangePrimitives { public Boolean BooleanProp { get; set; } [TypeConverter(typeof(ConvertibleTypeConverter<Byte>))] public Byte ByteProp { get; set; } [TypeConverter(typeof(ConvertibleTypeConverter<Char>))] public Char CharProp { get; set; } [TypeConverter(typeof(ConvertibleTypeConverter<DateTime>))] public DateTime DateTimeProp { get; set; } [TypeConverter(typeof(ConvertibleTypeConverter<Decimal>))] public Decimal DecimalProp { get; set; } public Double DoubleProp {get; set; } [TypeConverter(typeof(ConvertibleTypeConverter<Int16>))] public Int16 Int16Prop { get; set; } public Int32 Int32Prop { get; set; } [TypeConverter(typeof(ConvertibleTypeConverter<Int64>))] public Int64 Int64Prop { get; set; } [TypeConverter(typeof(ConvertibleTypeConverter<SByte>))] public SByte SByteProp { get; set; } [TypeConverter(typeof(ConvertibleTypeConverter<Single>))] public Single SingleProp { get; set; } public String StringProp { get; set; } [TypeConverter(typeof(ConvertibleTypeConverter<UInt16>))] public UInt16 UInt16Prop { get; set; } [TypeConverter(typeof(ConvertibleTypeConverter<UInt32>))] public UInt32 UInt32Prop { get; set; } [TypeConverter(typeof(ConvertibleTypeConverter<UInt64>))] public UInt64 UInt64Prop { get; set; } } This results in the previous Xaml parsing happily. Now it seems such an obvious thing to do that one may wonder why such a class doesn’t already existing in Silverlight or at least in the SDK. I would not be surprised if there were some very good reasons hence use the ConvertibleTypeConverter with caution. It does seem to me to be a useful little class to have lying around in the toolbox for the odd occasion where it may be needed.

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MySQL Utility Users' Console Oerview

- by rudrap

MySQL Utility Users' Console (mysqluc): The MySQL Utilities Users' Console is designed to make using the utilities easier via a dedicated console. It helps us to use the utilities without worrying about the python and utility paths. Why do we need a special console? - It does provide a unique shell environment with command completion, help for each utility, user defined variables, and type completion for options. - You no longer have to type out the entire name of the utility. - You don't need to remember the name of a database utility you want to use. - You can define variables and reuse them in your utility commands. - It is possible to run utility command along with mysqluc and come out of the mysqluc console. Console commands: mysqluc> help Command Description ---------------------- --------------------------------------------------- help utilities Display list of all utilities supported. help <utility> Display help for a specific utility. help or help commands Show this list. exit or quit Exit the console. set <variable>=<value> Store a variable for recall in commands. show options Display list of options specified by the user on launch. show variables Display list of variables. <ENTER> Press ENTER to execute command. <ESCAPE> Press ESCAPE to clear the command entry. <DOWN> Press DOWN to retrieve the previous command. <UP> Press UP to retrieve the next command in history. <TAB> Press TAB for type completion of utility, option,or variable names. <TAB><TAB> Press TAB twice for list of matching type completion (context sensitive). How do I use it? Pre-requisites: - Download the latest version of MySQL Workbench. - Mysql Servers are running. - Your Pythonpath is set. (e.g. Export PYTHONPATH=/...../mysql-utilities/) Check the Version of mysqluc Utility: /usr/bin/python mysqluc.py –version It should display something like this MySQL Utilities mysqluc.py version 1.1.0 - MySQL Workbench Distribution 5.2.44 Copyright (c) 2010, 2012 Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This program is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, to the extent permitted by law. Use of TAB to get the current utilities: mysqluc> mysqldb<TAB><TAB> Utility Description ------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ mysqldbcopy copy databases from one server to another mysqldbexport export metadata and data from databases mysqldbimport import metadata and data from files mysqluc> mysqldbcopy –source=$se<TAB> Variable Value -------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- server1 root@localhost:3306 server2 root@localhost:3307 you can see the variables starting with se and then decide which to use Run a utility via the console: /usr/bin/python mysqluc.py -e "mysqldbcopy --source=root@localhost:3306 --destination=root@localhost:3307 dbname" Get help for utilities in the console: mysqluc> help utilities Display help for a utility mysqluc> help mysqldbcopy Details about mysqldbcopy and its options set variables and use them in commands: mysqluc> set server1 = root@localhost:3306 mysqluc>show variables Variable Value -------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- server1 root@localhost:3306 server2 root@localhost:3307 mysqluc> mysqldbcopy –source=$server1 –destination=$server2 dbname <Enter> Mysqldbcopy utility output will display. mysqluc>show options Display list of options specified by the user mysqluc SERVER=root@host123 VAR_A=57 -e "show variables" Variable Value -------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- SERVER root@host123 VAR_A 57 Finding option names for an Utility: mysqluc> mysqlserverclone --n Option Description ------------------- --------------------------------------------------------- --new-data=NEW_DATA the full path to the location of the data directory for the new instance --new-port=NEW_PORT the new port for the new instance - default=3307 --new-id=NEW_ID the server_id for the new instance - default=2 Limitations: User defined variables have a lifetime of the console run time.

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Delphi - Proper way to page though data.

- by Brad

I have a string list (TStrings) that has a couple thousand items in it. I need to process them in groups of 100. I basically want to know what the best way to do the loop is in Delphi. I'm hitting a brick wall when I'm trying to figure it out. Thanks unit Unit2; interface uses Windows, Messages, SysUtils, Variants, Classes, Graphics, Controls, Forms, Dialogs, StdCtrls; type TForm2 = class(TForm) Memo1: TMemo; Memo2: TMemo; Button1: TButton; procedure Button1Click(Sender: TObject); private { Private declarations } public { Public declarations } end; var Form2: TForm2; implementation Uses math; {$R *.dfm} procedure TForm2.Button1Click(Sender: TObject); var I:Integer; pages:Integer; str:string; begin pages:= ceil(memo1.Lines.Count/100) ; memo2.Lines.add('Total Pages: '+inttostr(pages)); memo2.Lines.add('Total Items: '+inttostr(memo1.Lines.Count)); // Should just do in batches of 100 VS entire list for I := 0 to memo1.lines.Count - 1 do begin if str '' then str:= str+#10+ memo1.Lines.Strings[i] else str:= memo1.Lines.Strings[i]; end; //I need to stop here every 100 items, then process the items. memo2.Lines.Add(str); end; end. Example form object Form2: TForm2 Left = 0 Top = 0 Caption = 'Form2' ClientHeight = 245 ClientWidth = 527 Color = clBtnFace Font.Charset = DEFAULT_CHARSET Font.Color = clWindowText Font.Height = -11 Font.Name = 'Tahoma' Font.Style = [] OldCreateOrder = False PixelsPerInch = 96 TextHeight = 13 object Memo1: TMemo Left = 16 Top = 8 Width = 209 Height = 175 Lines.Strings = ( '4xlt columbia thunder storm jacket' '5 things about thunder storms' 'a thunder storm with a lot of thunder ' 'and lighting sccreensaver' 'a thunder storm with a lot of thunder ' 'and lighting screensaver with no nag ' 'screens' 'all about thunder storms' 'all about thunderstorms for kids' 'amazing tornado videos and ' 'thunderstorm videos' 'are thunder storms louder in ohio?' 'bad thunder storms' 'bathing in thunder storm' 'best thunderstorm pictures' 'cartoon thunder storms' 'celtic thunder storm' 'central valley thunder storm' 'chicago thunderstorm pictures' 'cool thunderstorm pictures' 'current thunderstorm warnings' 'does thunder storms in december mean ' 'snow will be coming' 'facts about thunderstorms for kids' 'facts on thunderstorms for kids' 'fedex thunderstorm video' 'florida thunderstorms facts' 'free relaxing thunderstorm music' 'free soothing thunderstorm sounds ' 'online' 'free thunderstorm mp3' 'free thunderstorm mp3 download' 'free thunderstorm mp3 downloads' 'free thunderstorm mp3s' 'free thunderstorm music' 'free thunderstorm pictures' 'free thunderstorm sound effects' 'free thunderstorm sounds' 'free thunderstorm sounds cd' 'free thunderstorm sounds mp3' 'free thunderstorm sounds online' 'free thunderstorm soundscape' 'free thunderstorm video' 'free thunderstorm video download' 'free thunderstorm videos' 'god of storm and thunder' 'horses storm thunder rain' 'how do thunder storms form' 'how far away is a thunder storm' 'how long do thunder storms last' 'ice cube in a thunder storm' 'indoor thunderstorm safety tips' 'information about thunderstorms for kids' 'interesting thunderstorm facts' 'is it dangerous to shower during thunder ' 'storm' 'is there frequently thunder during snow ' 'storms' 'isolated thunderstorms' 'it'#39's just a thunder storm baby there is ' 'nothing you should fear lyrics' 'lightning & thunder storm safety' 'lightning and thunderstorm facts' 'lightning and thunderstorms facts' 'lightning and thunderstorms for kids' 'listen to thunderstorm sounds online' 'mississauga thunder storm' 'nature sounds free mp3 thunder storm' 'only about thunderstorms facts' 'original storm deep thunderstick' 'phone use during thunder storms' 'pictures of thunderstorms' 'pocono thunder storm' 'posters of thunder storms' 'power rangers ninja storm' 'power rangers thunder storm' 'power rangers thunder storm cast' 'power rangers thunder storm games' 'power rangers thunder storm morphers' 'power rangers thunder storm part 1' 'power rangers thunder storm part 2' 'power rangers thunderstorm' 'power rangers thunderstorm cannon' 'power rangers thunderstorm deluxe ' 'megazord' 'power rangers thunderstorm games' 'power rangers thunderstorm megazord' 'power rangers thunderstorm part 2' 'power rangers thunderstorm pictures' 'power rnager ninja storm thunder staff' 'powerful thunder and lightning storms' 'precambrian thunder storms' 'rain thunderstorm mp3' 'rain thunderstorm pictures' 'relaxing thunderstorm music' 'reminds me of ohio river thunder lighten ' 'storms' 'sacramento thunder storm' 'safety tips for when your caught in a ' 'thunder storm' 'scattered thunderstorms' 'schemer puts his head in the thunder ' 'storm' 'sedative thunder storm' 'server thunder storms' 'severe supercell thunderstorm pictures' 'severe thunder storm pictures' 'severe thunder storms' 'severe thunderstorm facts' 'severe thunderstorm pictures' 'severe thunderstorm pictures hail' 'severe thunderstorm pictures in alberta' 'severe thunderstorm pictures tornado' 'severe thunderstorm safety' 'severe thunderstorm safety tips' 'severe thunderstorm videos' 'severe thunderstorm warning' 'severe thunderstorm warning los ' 'angeles' 'severe thunderstorm warning signs' 'severe thunderstorm warnings' 'severe thunderstorms' 'severe thunderstorms facts' 'shakespeare use thunder storm for ' 'cosmic disorder julius caesar' 'soothing thunderstorm sounds online' 'sound effects of severe thunder storm' 'sound of rain storm finger snapping ' 'thunder chorus' 'split thunder storm' 'storm 3d thunder power' 'storm dark thunder' 'storm dark thunder bowling ball' 'storm dark thunder bowling ball sale' 'storm dark thunder for sale' 'storm dark thunder pearl' 'storm dark thunder pearl bowling ball' 'storm dark thunder review' 'storm dark thunder shirt' 'storm dark thunderball' 'storm deep thunder' 'storm deep thunder 11' 'storm deep thunder 15' 'storm deep thunder 15 lure' 'storm deep thunder 2' 'storm deep thunder lures' 'storm deep thunderstick' 'storm deep thunderstick crankbaits' 'storm deep thunderstick dts09' 'storm deep thunderstick jr' 'storm deep thunderstick lures' 'storm deep thundersticks' 'storm rolling thunder 3 ball roller' 'storm rolling thunder bowling bag' 'storm rolling thunder three ball bowling ' 'bag' 'storm shallow thunder' 'storm shallow thunder 15' 'storm thunder claw' 'storm thunder craw' 'storm watches thunder' 'storms with constant lightning and ' 'thunder non-stop' 'supercell thunder storms' 'supercell thunderstorm pictures' 'supercell thunderstorms' 'swimming pools thunder storms' 'tampa + lightning strikes + thunder ' 'storms' 'texas thunderstorm pictures' 'texas thunderstorm warnings' 'thunder and lightning storm' 'thunder and lighting storms' 'thunder and lightning storms' 'thunder bay snow storm video' 'thunder storm' 'thunder storm and windmill' 'thunder storm cd' 'thunder storm cloud' 'thunder storm clouds' 'thunder storm dog peppermint oil' 'thunder storm in winter' 'thunder storm in winter and weather ' 'prediction' 'thunder storm lx-3 & road blaster psx ' 'download' 'thunder storm occurances' 'thunder storm photos' 'thunder storm poems' 'thunder storm safety' 'thunder storm sign' 'thunder storm sounds' 'thunder storms' 'thunder storms and deaths' 'thunder storms and ilghting' 'thunder storms and lighting' 'thunder storms cd' 'thunder storms in the arctic arctic ' 'weather' 'thunder storms in winter' 'thunder storms on you tub' 'thunder storms pics' 'thunder storms with rain' 'thunderstorm' 'thunderstorm backgrounds' 'thunderstorm capital' 'thunderstorm capital 2008 dorfman' 'thunderstorm capital in boston' 'thunderstorm capital llc' 'thunderstorm capital of canada' 'thunderstorm capital of the us' 'thunderstorm capital of the world' 'thunderstorm facts' 'thunderstorm facts for kids' 'thunderstorm facts hail' 'thunderstorm facts tornadoes' 'thunderstorm mp3' 'thunderstorm mp3 download' 'thunderstorm mp3 download free' 'thunderstorm mp3 downloads' 'thunderstorm mp3 downloads free' 'thunderstorm mp3 files' 'thunderstorm mp3 free' 'thunderstorm mp3 free download' 'thunderstorm mp3 free downloads' 'thunderstorm mp3 torrent' 'thunderstorm mp3s' 'thunderstorm music' 'thunderstorm music cd' 'thunderstorm music downloads' 'thunderstorm music free' 'thunderstorm music playlists' 'thunderstorm music rain' 'thunderstorm pics' 'thunderstorm pictures' 'thunderstorm pictures for kids' 'thunderstorm safety' 'thunderstorm safety for kids' 'thunderstorm safety precautions' 'thunderstorm safety procedures' 'thunderstorm safety rules' 'thunderstorm safety tips' 'thunderstorm safety tips for kids' 'thunderstorm safety tips shelter' 'thunderstorm safety tips trees' 'thunderstorm sound effects' 'thunderstorm sound effects cd' 'thunderstorm sound effects download' 'thunderstorm sound effects free' 'thunderstorm sound effects free ' 'download' 'thunderstorm sound effects free music ' 'feature audio' 'thunderstorm sound effects mp3' 'thunderstorm sound effects rain' 'thunderstorm sounds' 'thunderstorm sounds cd' 'thunderstorm sounds download' 'thunderstorm sounds for sleep' 'thunderstorm sounds for sleeping' 'thunderstorm sounds free' 'thunderstorm sounds free download' 'thunderstorm sounds free downloads' 'thunderstorm sounds mp3' 'thunderstorm sounds mp3 download' 'thunderstorm sounds mp3 free' 'thunderstorm sounds online' 'thunderstorm sounds online for free' 'thunderstorm sounds online free' 'thunderstorm sounds sleep' 'thunderstorm sounds streaming' 'thunderstorm sounds torrent' 'thunderstorm soundscape' 'thunderstorm soundscapes' 'thunderstorm video' 'thunderstorm video clips' 'thunderstorm video download' 'thunderstorm video downloads' 'thunderstorm videos' 'thunderstorm videos for kids' 'thunderstorm videos lightning' 'thunderstorm videos online' 'thunderstorm wallpaper' 'thunderstorm warning' 'thunderstorm warning brisbane' 'thunderstorm warning definition' 'thunderstorm warning los angeles' 'thunderstorm warning san diego' 'thunderstorm warning san mateo county' 'thunderstorm warning santa barbara' 'thunderstorm warning santa clara' 'thunderstorm warning santa clara ' 'county' 'thunderstorm warning signal' 'thunderstorm warning signs' 'thunderstorm warning vs watch' 'thunderstorm warnings' 'thunderstorm warnings and watches' 'thunderstorm warnings for nj' 'thunderstorm warnings qld' 'thunderstorms' 'thunderstorms facts' 'thunderstorms facts for kids' 'thunderstorms for kids' 'tornados and thunder storms animated' 'understanding thunderstorms for kids' 'watch thunderstorm videos' 'weather underground forecast ' 'thunderstorms' 'what causes thunder storms' 'what is a thunder storm' 'where d thunder storms occur') TabOrder = 0 end object Memo2: TMemo Left = 240 Top = 8 Width = 265 Height = 129 Lines.Strings = ( 'Memo2') TabOrder = 1 end object Button1: TButton Left = 384 Top = 184 Width = 75 Height = 25 Caption = 'Button1' TabOrder = 2 OnClick = Button1Click end end

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Issues passing values to shader

- by numerical25

I am having issues passing values to my shader. My application compiles fine, but my cube object won't shade. Below is majority of my code. Most of my code for communicating with my shader is in createObject method myGame.cpp #include "MyGame.h" #include "OneColorCube.h" /* This code sets a projection and shows a turning cube. What has been added is the project, rotation and a rasterizer to change the rasterization of the cube. The issue that was going on was something with the effect file which was causing the vertices not to be rendered correctly.*/ typedef struct { ID3D10Effect* pEffect; ID3D10EffectTechnique* pTechnique; //vertex information ID3D10Buffer* pVertexBuffer; ID3D10Buffer* pIndicesBuffer; ID3D10InputLayout* pVertexLayout; UINT numVertices; UINT numIndices; }ModelObject; ModelObject modelObject; // World Matrix D3DXMATRIX WorldMatrix; // View Matrix D3DXMATRIX ViewMatrix; // Projection Matrix D3DXMATRIX ProjectionMatrix; ID3D10EffectMatrixVariable* pProjectionMatrixVariable = NULL; ID3D10EffectVectorVariable* pLightVarible = NULL; bool MyGame::InitDirect3D() { if(!DX3dApp::InitDirect3D()) { return false; } D3D10_RASTERIZER_DESC rastDesc; rastDesc.FillMode = D3D10_FILL_WIREFRAME; rastDesc.CullMode = D3D10_CULL_FRONT; rastDesc.FrontCounterClockwise = true; rastDesc.DepthBias = false; rastDesc.DepthBiasClamp = 0; rastDesc.SlopeScaledDepthBias = 0; rastDesc.DepthClipEnable = false; rastDesc.ScissorEnable = false; rastDesc.MultisampleEnable = false; rastDesc.AntialiasedLineEnable = false; ID3D10RasterizerState *g_pRasterizerState; mpD3DDevice->CreateRasterizerState(&rastDesc, &g_pRasterizerState); //mpD3DDevice->RSSetState(g_pRasterizerState); // Set up the World Matrix D3DXMatrixIdentity(&WorldMatrix); D3DXMatrixLookAtLH(&ViewMatrix, new D3DXVECTOR3(0.0f, 10.0f, -20.0f), new D3DXVECTOR3(0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f), new D3DXVECTOR3(0.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f)); // Set up the projection matrix D3DXMatrixPerspectiveFovLH(&ProjectionMatrix, (float)D3DX_PI * 0.5f, (float)mWidth/(float)mHeight, 0.1f, 100.0f); if(!CreateObject()) { return false; } return true; } //These are actions that take place after the clearing of the buffer and before the present void MyGame::GameDraw() { static float rotationAngleY = 15.0f; static float rotationAngleX = 0.0f; static D3DXMATRIX rotationXMatrix; static D3DXMATRIX rotationYMatrix; // create the rotation matrix using the rotation angle D3DXMatrixRotationY(&rotationYMatrix, rotationAngleY); D3DXMatrixRotationX(&rotationXMatrix, rotationAngleX); //rotationAngleY += (float)D3DX_PI * 0.002f; //rotationAngleX += (float)D3DX_PI * 0.001f; WorldMatrix = rotationYMatrix * rotationXMatrix; // Set the input layout mpD3DDevice->IASetInputLayout(modelObject.pVertexLayout); // Set vertex buffer UINT stride = sizeof(VertexPos); UINT offset = 0; mpD3DDevice->IASetVertexBuffers(0, 1, &modelObject.pVertexBuffer, &stride, &offset); // Set primitive topology mpD3DDevice->IASetPrimitiveTopology(D3D10_PRIMITIVE_TOPOLOGY_TRIANGLELIST); //ViewMatrix._43 += 0.005f; // Combine and send the final matrix to the shader D3DXMATRIX finalMatrix = (WorldMatrix * ViewMatrix * ProjectionMatrix); pProjectionMatrixVariable->SetMatrix((float*)&finalMatrix); // make sure modelObject is valid // Render a model object D3D10_TECHNIQUE_DESC techniqueDescription; modelObject.pTechnique->GetDesc(&techniqueDescription); // Loop through the technique passes for(UINT p=0; p < techniqueDescription.Passes; ++p) { modelObject.pTechnique->GetPassByIndex(p)->Apply(0); // draw the cube using all 36 vertices and 12 triangles mpD3DDevice->Draw(36,0); } } //Render actually incapsulates Gamedraw, so you can call data before you actually clear the buffer or after you //present data void MyGame::Render() { DX3dApp::Render(); } bool MyGame::CreateObject() { //Create Layout D3D10_INPUT_ELEMENT_DESC layout[] = { {"POSITION",0,DXGI_FORMAT_R32G32B32_FLOAT, 0 , 0, D3D10_INPUT_PER_VERTEX_DATA, 0}, {"COLOR",0,DXGI_FORMAT_R32G32B32A32_FLOAT, 0 , 12, D3D10_INPUT_PER_VERTEX_DATA, 0}, {"NORMAL",0,DXGI_FORMAT_R32G32B32A32_FLOAT, 0 , 24, D3D10_INPUT_PER_VERTEX_DATA, 0} }; UINT numElements = (sizeof(layout)/sizeof(layout[0])); modelObject.numVertices = sizeof(vertices)/sizeof(VertexPos); for(int i = 0; i < modelObject.numVertices; i += 3) { D3DXVECTOR3 out; D3DXVECTOR3 v1 = vertices[0 + i].pos; D3DXVECTOR3 v2 = vertices[1 + i].pos; D3DXVECTOR3 v3 = vertices[2 + i].pos; D3DXVECTOR3 u = v2 - v1; D3DXVECTOR3 v = v3 - v1; D3DXVec3Cross(&out, &u, &v); D3DXVec3Normalize(&out, &out); vertices[0 + i].normal = out; vertices[1 + i].normal = out; vertices[2 + i].normal = out; } //Create buffer desc D3D10_BUFFER_DESC bufferDesc; bufferDesc.Usage = D3D10_USAGE_DEFAULT; bufferDesc.ByteWidth = sizeof(VertexPos) * modelObject.numVertices; bufferDesc.BindFlags = D3D10_BIND_VERTEX_BUFFER; bufferDesc.CPUAccessFlags = 0; bufferDesc.MiscFlags = 0; D3D10_SUBRESOURCE_DATA initData; initData.pSysMem = vertices; //Create the buffer HRESULT hr = mpD3DDevice->CreateBuffer(&bufferDesc, &initData, &modelObject.pVertexBuffer); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; /* //Create indices DWORD indices[] = { 0,1,3, 1,2,3 }; ModelObject.numIndices = sizeof(indices)/sizeof(DWORD); bufferDesc.ByteWidth = sizeof(DWORD) * ModelObject.numIndices; bufferDesc.BindFlags = D3D10_BIND_INDEX_BUFFER; initData.pSysMem = indices; hr = mpD3DDevice->CreateBuffer(&bufferDesc, &initData, &ModelObject.pIndicesBuffer); if(FAILED(hr)) return false;*/ ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// //Set up fx files LPCWSTR effectFilename = L"effect.fx"; modelObject.pEffect = NULL; hr = D3DX10CreateEffectFromFile(effectFilename, NULL, NULL, "fx_4_0", D3D10_SHADER_ENABLE_STRICTNESS, 0, mpD3DDevice, NULL, NULL, &modelObject.pEffect, NULL, NULL); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; pProjectionMatrixVariable = modelObject.pEffect->GetVariableByName("Projection")->AsMatrix(); pLightVarible = modelObject.pEffect->GetVariableByName("lightSource")->AsVector(); //Dont sweat the technique. Get it! LPCSTR effectTechniqueName = "Render"; D3DXVECTOR3 vLight(10.0f, 10.0f, 10.0f); pLightVarible->SetFloatVector(vLight); modelObject.pTechnique = modelObject.pEffect->GetTechniqueByName(effectTechniqueName); if(modelObject.pTechnique == NULL) return false; //Create Vertex layout D3D10_PASS_DESC passDesc; modelObject.pTechnique->GetPassByIndex(0)->GetDesc(&passDesc); hr = mpD3DDevice->CreateInputLayout(layout, numElements, passDesc.pIAInputSignature, passDesc.IAInputSignatureSize, &modelObject.pVertexLayout); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; return true; } And below is my shader effect.fx matrix Projection; float3 lightSource; float4 lightColor = {0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5}; // PS_INPUT - input variables to the pixel shader // This struct is created and fill in by the // vertex shader struct PS_INPUT { float4 Pos : SV_POSITION; float4 Color : COLOR0; float4 Normal : NORMAL; }; //////////////////////////////////////////////// // Vertex Shader - Main Function /////////////////////////////////////////////// PS_INPUT VS(float4 Pos : POSITION, float4 Color : COLOR, float4 Normal : NORMAL) { PS_INPUT psInput; // Pass through both the position and the color psInput.Pos = mul( Pos, Projection ); psInput.Color = Color; psInput.Normal = Normal; return psInput; } /////////////////////////////////////////////// // Pixel Shader /////////////////////////////////////////////// float4 PS(PS_INPUT psInput) : SV_Target { float4 finalColor = 0; finalColor = saturate(dot(lightSource, psInput.Normal) * lightColor); return finalColor; } // Define the technique technique10 Render { pass P0 { SetVertexShader( CompileShader( vs_4_0, VS() ) ); SetGeometryShader( NULL ); SetPixelShader( CompileShader( ps_4_0, PS() ) ); } }

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Right div pushing center div further down

- by Chase

I cannot get this last div to go up properly in my layout and have tried countless things. I'm not sure what's going on with my css? Here is a screenshot: http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/5377/screenshot20100528at123.png #events { float: left; width: 420px; margin:0 0 5px 0; font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-image: url(images/lastfmhead.jpg); background-repeat: no-repeat; height:360px; overflow:hidden; display: inline; } #events table { width:419px; } #events th, td { padding: 3px 3px; } #whatsup ul, #citywhatsup ul { margin:0 5px 0 5px; text-align:left; font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; } #whatsup ul li, #citywhatsup ul li{ list-style-type:none; list-style: none; } #whatsup hr, #citywhatsup hr{ border: none 0; border-top: 1px dashed #990000;/*the border*/ width: 100%; height: 1px; margin: 1px auto 5px auto;/*whatever the total width of the border-top and border-bottom equal*/ } #events ul { margin:5px 5px 0 5px; } #events ul li{ list-style-type:none; list-style: none; } #attending ul { display: inline-block; margin: 0; width:200px; } #attending ul li { display: inline-block; list-style-image:none; margin:0; padding:2px 5px 2px 5px; } #attending { width: 230px; margin:0 13px 5px 12px; float: left; display: inline; background-image: url(images/otherhead.jpg); background-repeat: no-repeat; text-align:center; height:360px; overflow:hidden; } #whatsup { width: 230px; margin:0 0 5px 0; float: left; display:inline; background-image: url(images/otherhead.jpg); background-repeat: no-repeat; text-align:center; } #eventtitle{ margin: 3px 0 -3px 0; } #eventtitle { color: #900; margin-left: 5px; font-size:16px; } #tweetit { color: #487B96 !important; font-size:16px; margin: 3px 0 -4px 0; } #photos { background-image: url(images/flickrheader.jpg); background-repeat: no-repeat; width: 665px; clear:both; } <div id="cityevents"> <h2> Events </h2> <table> <th>Date </th><th> Who's Playing </th><th> Venue </th><th> City </th><th> Tickets </th> <tr><td>May 28</td><td><a href='http://www.songkick.com/concerts/5384486?utm_source=1121&utm_medium=partner' target='_blank'>Jill King</a></td><td>Open Eye Cafe</td><td>Carrboro</td><td style='text-align:center;'><span style='color: #999'> Find </span></td></tr><tr><td>May 28</td><td><a href='http://www.songkick.com/concerts/5281141?utm_source=1121&utm_medium=partner' target='_blank'>Ahleuchatistas</a></td><td>Nightlight</td><td>Chapel Hill</td><td style='text-align:center;'><span style='color: #999'> Find </span></td></tr><tr><td>May 28</td><td><a href='http://www.songkick.com/concerts/4970896?utm_source=1121&utm_medium=partner' target='_blank'>Sam Quinn</a></td><td>Local 506</td><td>Chapel Hill</td><td style='text-align:center;'><span style='color: #999'> Find </span></td></tr><tr><td>May 29</td><td><a href='http://www.songkick.com/concerts/5303661?utm_source=1121&utm_medium=partner' target='_blank'>Cagematch Mayhem, Champion Vs Au Jus, Heartbreaker Vs Au Jus</a></td><td>DSI Comedy Theater</td><td>Carrboro</td><td style='text-align:center;'><a href='http://www.songkick.com/concerts/5303661/tickets?utm_source=1121&utm_medium=partner' target='_blank'> Find </a></td></tr><tr><td>May 29</td><td><a href='http://www.songkick.com/concerts/4722066?utm_source=1121&utm_medium=partner' target='_blank'>Lewd Acts, Converge, Gaza, Black Breath</a></td><td>Cat's Cradle</td><td>Carrboro</td><td style='text-align:center;'><a href='http://www.songkick.com/concerts/4722066/tickets?utm_source=1121&utm_medium=partner' target='_blank'> Find </a></td></tr><tr><td>May 29</td><td><a href='http://www.songkick.com/concerts/4647076?utm_source=1121&utm_medium=partner' target='_blank'>Nate Currin</a></td><td>Broad Street Cafe</td><td>Durham</td><td style='text-align:center;'><span style='color: #999'> Find </span></td></tr><tr><td>May 29</td><td><a href='http://www.songkick.com/concerts/5580211?utm_source=1121&utm_medium=partner' target='_blank'>International Night</a></td><td>Serena Rtp</td><td>Durham</td><td style='text-align:center;'><a href='http://www.songkick.com/concerts/5580211/tickets?utm_source=1121&utm_medium=partner' target='_blank'> Find </a></td></tr><tr><td>May 29</td><td><a href='http://www.songkick.com/concerts/4770241?utm_source=1121&utm_medium=partner' target='_blank'>Jill King</a></td><td>Caffe Driade</td><td>Chapel Hill</td><td style='text-align:center;'><span style='color: #999'> Find </span></td></tr><tr><td>May 29</td><td><a href='http://www.songkick.com/concerts/5406411?utm_source=1121&utm_medium=partner' target='_blank'>Sunbears!</a></td><td>Local 506</td><td>Chapel Hill</td><td style='text-align:center;'><span style='color: #999'> Find </span></td></tr><tr><td>May 29</td><td><a href='http://www.songkick.com/concerts/4924136?utm_source=1121&utm_medium=partner' target='_blank'>Studio Gangsters</a></td><td>The Reservoir</td><td>Carrboro</td><td style='text-align:center;'><span style='color: #999'> Find </span></td></tr><tr><td>May 30</td><td><a 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target='_blank'>Jeanne Jolly</a></td><td>Caffe Driade</td><td>Chapel Hill</td><td style='text-align:center;'><span style='color: #999'> Find </span></td></tr><tr><td>Jun 2</td><td><a href='http://www.songkick.com/concerts/4628026?utm_source=1121&utm_medium=partner' target='_blank'>James Husband, Of Montreal</a></td><td>Cat's Cradle</td><td>Carrboro</td><td style='text-align:center;'><a href='http://www.songkick.com/concerts/4628026/tickets?utm_source=1121&utm_medium=partner' target='_blank'> Find </a></td></tr><tr><td>Jun 2</td><td><a href='http://www.songkick.com/concerts/5019466?utm_source=1121&utm_medium=partner' target='_blank'>Camera Obscura</a></td><td>Duke Gardens</td><td>Durham</td><td style='text-align:center;'><a href='http://www.songkick.com/concerts/5019466/tickets?utm_source=1121&utm_medium=partner' target='_blank'> Find </a></td></tr><tr><td>Jun 3</td><td><a href='http://www.songkick.com/concerts/4226511?utm_source=1121&utm_medium=partner' target='_blank'>Reverend Horton 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class='twittertime'>May 28 12:36AM</span></li><hr/><li><img src='http://a1.twimg.com/profile_images/936667468/110971230_normal.jpg' alt='THEORACLE2' height=40px; width=40px; style='border:0px; float: left; padding-right:4px;'/> @THEORACLE2: <span style='text-align:justify;'>@MsKamilah08 are yall in charlotte?</span> - <span class='twittertime'>May 28 12:36AM</span></li><hr/><li><img src='http://a1.twimg.com/profile_images/767244842/7AM_normal.jpg' alt='mtollefsrud' height=40px; width=40px; style='border:0px; float: left; padding-right:4px;'/> @mtollefsrud: <span style='text-align:justify;'>@vosler09 thinks I'm Charlotte.</span> - <span class='twittertime'>May 28 12:36AM</span></li><hr/><li><img src='http://a3.twimg.com/profile_images/936496517/DSCF0317_-_Copy_normal.JPG' alt='Thasian' height=40px; width=40px; style='border:0px; float: left; padding-right:4px;'/> @Thasian: <span style='text-align:justify;'>I like #CharMeck #Charlotte | Atlanta = #No #FAIL #EPICFAIL</span> - <span 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Read the article

GDI+ crashes when loading PNG from IStream

- by konforce

I wrote something to load PNG files from a custom C++ IStream via GDI+. It worked great until I ran it on Vista machines. Crashes every time. When compiled on VS 2008, I found that inserting code into the IStream::AddRef method, such as a cout, made the problem go away. When compiling with VS 2010, it still crashes regardless of that. I stripped the program down to its basics. I copied a FileStream straight from Microsoft's documentation. It can load PNGs when using Bitmap::FromFile. It can load JPEGs, GIFs, and BMPs via FromFile or FromStream. So in short: on Vista, PNG files loaded via Bitmap::FromStream crash. #pragma comment(lib, "gdiplus.lib") #include <iostream> #include <objidl.h> #include <gdiplus.h> class FileStream : public IStream { public: FileStream(HANDLE hFile) { _refcount = 1; _hFile = hFile; } ~FileStream() { if (_hFile != INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) { ::CloseHandle(_hFile); } } public: HRESULT static OpenFile(LPCWSTR pName, IStream ** ppStream, bool fWrite) { HANDLE hFile = ::CreateFileW(pName, fWrite ? GENERIC_WRITE : GENERIC_READ, FILE_SHARE_READ, NULL, fWrite ? CREATE_ALWAYS : OPEN_EXISTING, FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL, NULL); if (hFile == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) return HRESULT_FROM_WIN32(GetLastError()); *ppStream = new FileStream(hFile); if(*ppStream == NULL) CloseHandle(hFile); return S_OK; } virtual HRESULT STDMETHODCALLTYPE QueryInterface(REFIID iid, void ** ppvObject) { if (iid == __uuidof(IUnknown) || iid == __uuidof(IStream) || iid == __uuidof(ISequentialStream)) { *ppvObject = static_cast<IStream*>(this); AddRef(); return S_OK; } else return E_NOINTERFACE; } virtual ULONG STDMETHODCALLTYPE AddRef(void) { return (ULONG)InterlockedIncrement(&_refcount); } virtual ULONG STDMETHODCALLTYPE Release(void) { ULONG res = (ULONG) InterlockedDecrement(&_refcount); if (res == 0) delete this; return res; } // ISequentialStream Interface public: virtual HRESULT STDMETHODCALLTYPE Read(void* pv, ULONG cb, ULONG* pcbRead) { ULONG local_pcbRead; BOOL rc = ReadFile(_hFile, pv, cb, &local_pcbRead, NULL); if (pcbRead) *pcbRead = local_pcbRead; return (rc) ? S_OK : HRESULT_FROM_WIN32(GetLastError()); } virtual HRESULT STDMETHODCALLTYPE Write(void const* pv, ULONG cb, ULONG* pcbWritten) { BOOL rc = WriteFile(_hFile, pv, cb, pcbWritten, NULL); return rc ? S_OK : HRESULT_FROM_WIN32(GetLastError()); } // IStream Interface public: virtual HRESULT STDMETHODCALLTYPE SetSize(ULARGE_INTEGER) { return E_NOTIMPL; } virtual HRESULT STDMETHODCALLTYPE CopyTo(IStream*, ULARGE_INTEGER, ULARGE_INTEGER*, ULARGE_INTEGER*) { return E_NOTIMPL; } virtual HRESULT STDMETHODCALLTYPE Commit(DWORD) { return E_NOTIMPL; } virtual HRESULT STDMETHODCALLTYPE Revert(void) { return E_NOTIMPL; } virtual HRESULT STDMETHODCALLTYPE LockRegion(ULARGE_INTEGER, ULARGE_INTEGER, DWORD) { return E_NOTIMPL; } virtual HRESULT STDMETHODCALLTYPE UnlockRegion(ULARGE_INTEGER, ULARGE_INTEGER, DWORD) { return E_NOTIMPL; } virtual HRESULT STDMETHODCALLTYPE Clone(IStream **) { return E_NOTIMPL; } virtual HRESULT STDMETHODCALLTYPE Seek(LARGE_INTEGER liDistanceToMove, DWORD dwOrigin, ULARGE_INTEGER* lpNewFilePointer) { DWORD dwMoveMethod; switch(dwOrigin) { case STREAM_SEEK_SET: dwMoveMethod = FILE_BEGIN; break; case STREAM_SEEK_CUR: dwMoveMethod = FILE_CURRENT; break; case STREAM_SEEK_END: dwMoveMethod = FILE_END; break; default: return STG_E_INVALIDFUNCTION; break; } if (SetFilePointerEx(_hFile, liDistanceToMove, (PLARGE_INTEGER) lpNewFilePointer, dwMoveMethod) == 0) return HRESULT_FROM_WIN32(GetLastError()); return S_OK; } virtual HRESULT STDMETHODCALLTYPE Stat(STATSTG* pStatstg, DWORD grfStatFlag) { if (GetFileSizeEx(_hFile, (PLARGE_INTEGER) &pStatstg->cbSize) == 0) return HRESULT_FROM_WIN32(GetLastError()); return S_OK; } private: volatile HANDLE _hFile; volatile LONG _refcount; }; #define USE_STREAM int main() { Gdiplus::GdiplusStartupInput gdiplusStartupInput; ULONG_PTR gdiplusToken; Gdiplus::GdiplusStartup(&gdiplusToken, &gdiplusStartupInput, NULL); Gdiplus::Bitmap *bmp; #ifndef USE_STREAM bmp = Gdiplus::Bitmap::FromFile(L"test.png", false); if (!bmp) { std::cerr << " Unable to open image file." << std::endl; return 1; } #else IStream *s; if (FileStream::OpenFile(L"test.png", &s, false) != S_OK) { std::cerr << "Unable to open image file." << std::endl; return 1; } bmp = Gdiplus::Bitmap::FromStream(s, false); #endif std::cout << "Image is " << bmp->GetWidth() << " by " << bmp->GetHeight() << std::endl; Gdiplus::GdiplusShutdown(gdiplusToken); #ifdef USE_STREAM s->Release(); #endif return 0; } Tracing and debugging, shows that it does make some calls to the IStream class. It crashes inside of lastResult = DllExports::GdipCreateBitmapFromStream(stream, &bitmap); from GdiPlusBitmap.h, which is a static inline wrapper over the flat API. Other than the reference counting, the only IStream methods it calls is stat (for file size), read, and seek. Call stack looks like: ntdll.dll!_DbgBreakPoint@0() + 0x1 bytes ntdll.dll!_RtlpBreakPointHeap@4() + 0x28 bytes ntdll.dll!_RtlpValidateHeapEntry@12() + 0x70a3c bytes ntdll.dll!_RtlDebugFreeHeap@12() + 0x9a bytes ntdll.dll!@RtlpFreeHeap@16() + 0x13cdd bytes ntdll.dll!_RtlFreeHeap@12() + 0x2e49 bytes kernel32.dll!_HeapFree@12() + 0x14 bytes ole32.dll!CRetailMalloc_Free() + 0x1c bytes ole32.dll!_CoTaskMemFree@4() + 0x13 bytes GdiPlus.dll!GpPngDecoder::GetImageInfo() + 0x68 bytes GdiPlus.dll!GpDecodedImage::InternalGetImageInfo() + 0x3c bytes GdiPlus.dll!GpDecodedImage::GetImageInfo() + 0x18 bytes GdiPlus.dll!CopyOnWriteBitmap::CopyOnWriteBitmap() + 0x49 bytes GdiPlus.dll!CopyOnWriteBitmap::Create() + 0x1d bytes GdiPlus.dll!GpBitmap::GpBitmap() + 0x2c bytes I was unable to find anybody else with the same problem, so I assume there's something wrong with my implementation...

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Azure Diagnostics wrt Custom Logs and honoring scheduledTransferPeriod

- by kjsteuer

I have implemented my own TraceListener similar to http://blogs.technet.com/b/meamcs/archive/2013/05/23/diagnostics-of-cloud-services-custom-trace-listener.aspx . One thing I noticed is that that logs show up immediately in My Azure Table Storage. I wonder if this is expected with Custom Trace Listeners or because I am in a development environment. My diagnosics.wadcfg <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <DiagnosticMonitorConfiguration configurationChangePollInterval="PT1M""overallQuotaInMB="4096" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/ServiceHosting/2010/10/DiagnosticsConfiguration"> <DiagnosticInfrastructureLogs scheduledTransferLogLevelFilter="Information" /> <Directories scheduledTransferPeriod="PT1M"> <IISLogs container="wad-iis-logfiles" /> <CrashDumps container="wad-crash-dumps" /> </Directories> <Logs bufferQuotaInMB="0" scheduledTransferPeriod="PT30M" scheduledTransferLogLevelFilter="Information" /> </DiagnosticMonitorConfiguration> I have changed my approach a bit. Now I am defining in the web config of my webrole. I notice when I set autoflush to true in the webconfig, every thing works but scheduledTransferPeriod is not honored because the flush method pushes to the table storage. I would like to have scheduleTransferPeriod trigger the flush or trigger flush after a certain number of log entries like the buffer is full. Then I can also flush on server shutdown. Is there any method or event on the CustomTraceListener where I can listen to the scheduleTransferPeriod? <system.diagnostics>  <trace> <listeners> <add name="TableTraceListener" type="Pos.Services.Implementation.TableTraceListener, Pos.Services.Implementation" /> <remove name="Default" /> </listeners> </trace> </system.diagnostics> I have modified the custom trace listener to the following: namespace Pos.Services.Implementation { class TableTraceListener : TraceListener { #region Fields //connection string for azure storage readonly string _connectionString; //Custom sql storage table for logs. //TODO put in config readonly string _diagnosticsTable; [ThreadStatic] static StringBuilder _messageBuffer; readonly object _initializationSection = new object(); bool _isInitialized; CloudTableClient _tableStorage; readonly object _traceLogAccess = new object(); readonly List<LogEntry> _traceLog = new List<LogEntry>(); #endregion #region Constructors public TableTraceListener() : base("TableTraceListener") { _connectionString = RoleEnvironment.GetConfigurationSettingValue("DiagConnection"); _diagnosticsTable = RoleEnvironment.GetConfigurationSettingValue("DiagTableName"); } #endregion #region Methods /// <summary> /// Flushes the entries to the storage table /// </summary> public override void Flush() { if (!_isInitialized) { lock (_initializationSection) { if (!_isInitialized) { Initialize(); } } } var context = _tableStorage.GetTableServiceContext(); context.MergeOption = MergeOption.AppendOnly; lock (_traceLogAccess) { _traceLog.ForEach(entry => context.AddObject(_diagnosticsTable, entry)); _traceLog.Clear(); } if (context.Entities.Count > 0) { context.BeginSaveChangesWithRetries(SaveChangesOptions.None, (ar) => context.EndSaveChangesWithRetries(ar), null); } } /// <summary> /// Creates the storage table object. This class does not need to be locked because the caller is locked. /// </summary> private void Initialize() { var account = CloudStorageAccount.Parse(_connectionString); _tableStorage = account.CreateCloudTableClient(); _tableStorage.GetTableReference(_diagnosticsTable).CreateIfNotExists(); _isInitialized = true; } public override bool IsThreadSafe { get { return true; } } #region Trace and Write Methods /// <summary> /// Writes the message to a string buffer /// </summary> /// <param name="message">the Message</param> public override void Write(string message) { if (_messageBuffer == null) _messageBuffer = new StringBuilder(); _messageBuffer.Append(message); } /// <summary> /// Writes the message with a line breaker to a string buffer /// </summary> /// <param name="message"></param> public override void WriteLine(string message) { if (_messageBuffer == null) _messageBuffer = new StringBuilder(); _messageBuffer.AppendLine(message); } /// <summary> /// Appends the trace information and message /// </summary> /// <param name="eventCache">the Event Cache</param> /// <param name="source">the Source</param> /// <param name="eventType">the Event Type</param> /// <param name="id">the Id</param> /// <param name="message">the Message</param> public override void TraceEvent(TraceEventCache eventCache, string source, TraceEventType eventType, int id, string message) { base.TraceEvent(eventCache, source, eventType, id, message); AppendEntry(id, eventType, eventCache); } /// <summary> /// Adds the trace information to a collection of LogEntry objects /// </summary> /// <param name="id">the Id</param> /// <param name="eventType">the Event Type</param> /// <param name="eventCache">the EventCache</param> private void AppendEntry(int id, TraceEventType eventType, TraceEventCache eventCache) { if (_messageBuffer == null) _messageBuffer = new StringBuilder(); var message = _messageBuffer.ToString(); _messageBuffer.Length = 0; if (message.EndsWith(Environment.NewLine)) message = message.Substring(0, message.Length - Environment.NewLine.Length); if (message.Length == 0) return; var entry = new LogEntry() { PartitionKey = string.Format("{0:D10}", eventCache.Timestamp >> 30), RowKey = string.Format("{0:D19}", eventCache.Timestamp), EventTickCount = eventCache.Timestamp, Level = (int)eventType, EventId = id, Pid = eventCache.ProcessId, Tid = eventCache.ThreadId, Message = message }; lock (_traceLogAccess) _traceLog.Add(entry); } #endregion #endregion } }

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Boot from USB on MediaSmart EX485

- by Matt Hanson

I have an HP MediaSmart EX485. I'm attempting to install Vail on it with a USB flash drive and this guide: http://www.mediasmartserver.net/2010/04/26/how-to-install-windows-home-server-vail-on-the-hp-mediasmart-server/. I'm having issues getting the server to boot from the USB flash drive. The MediaSmart itself being headless doesn't help matters. The flash drive has an LED on it for disk activity, and I'm able to see that it's detected when the server is powered on, but it's definitely not booting from it. Any ideas?

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Remotely Schedule and Stream Recorded TV in Windows 7 Media Center

- by DigitalGeekery

Have you ever been away from home and suddenly realized you forgot to record your favorite program? Now Windows 7 Media Center, users can schedule recordings remotely from their phones or mobile devices with Remote Potato. How it Works Remote Potato installs server software on the host computer running Windows 7 Media Center. Once the software is installed, we’ll need to do some port forwarding on the router and setup an optional dynamic DNS address. When setup is completed, we will access the application through a web based interface. Silverlight is required for Streaming recorded TV, but scheduling recordings can be done through an HTML interface. Installing Remote Potato Download and install Remote Potato on the Media Center PC. (See download link below) If you plan to stream any Recorded TV, you’ll also want to install the streaming pack located on the same page. It isn’t required to stream all shows, only shows that require the AC3 audio codec. Click Yes to allow Remote Potato to add rules to the Windows Firewall for remote access. You’ll likely need to accept a few UAC prompts. When notified that the rules were added, click OK. Remote Potato will then prompt you to allow administrator privileges to reserve a URL for it’s web server. Click Yes. Remote Potato server will start. Click on the configuration button at the right to to reveal the settings tabs. One the General tab, you’ll have the option to run Remote Potato on startup and minimized in the System Tray. If you’re running Media Center on a dedicated HTPC, you’ll probably want to enable both startup options. Forwarding Ports on Your Router You’ll need to forward a couple ports on your router. By default, these will be ports 9080 and 9081. In this example we’re using a Linksys WRT54GL router, however, the steps for port forwarding will vary from router to router. On the Linksys configuration page, click on the Applications & Gaming Tab, and then the Port Range Forward tab. Under Application, type in a name of your choosing. In both the Start and End boxes, type the port number 9080. Enter the local IP address of your Media Center computer in the IP address column. Click the check box under Enable. Repeat the process on the next line, but this time use port 9081. When finished, click the Save Settings button. Note: It’s highly recommended that you configure the home computer running Media Center & Remote Potato with a static IP address. Find your IP Address You’ll need to find the IP address assigned to your router from your ISP. There are many ways to do this but a quick and easy way is to visit a site like checkip.dyndns.org (link available below) The current external IP address of your router will be displayed in the browser. Dynamic DNS This is an optional step, but it’s highly recommended. Many routers, such as the Linksys WRT54GL we are using, support Dynamic DNS (DDNS). What Dynamic DNS allows you to do is affiliate your home router’s external IP address to a domain name. Every time your home router is assigned a a new IP address by your ISP, the domain name is updated to point to your new IP address. Remote Potato’s user interface is accessed over the Internet is by connecting to your router’s IP address followed by a colon and the port number. (Ex: XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX:9080) Instead of constantly having to look up and remember an IP address, you can use DDNS along with a 3rd party provider like DynDNS.com, to sign up for a free domain name and configure it to be updated each time your router is assigned a new IP address. Go to the DynDNS.com website (See link at the end of the article) and sign up for a free Domain name. You’ll need to register and confirm by email. Once you’ve signed in and selected your domain name click Activate Services. You’ll get a confirmation message that your domain name has been activated. On the Linksys WRT54GL click on the Setup tab an then DDNS. Select DynDNS.org, or TZO.com if you prefer to use their service, from the drop down list. With DynDNS, you’ll need to fill in your username and password you signed up with at the DynDNS website and the hostname you chose. Note: You can connect over your local network with the IP Address of the computer running Remote Potato followed by a colon and the port number. Ex: 192.168.1.2:9080 Logging in Remote Potato and Recording a Show Once you connect, you’ll see the start page. To view the TV listings, click on TV Guide. You’ll then see your guide listings. There are a few ways to navigate the listings. At the top left, you can click on any of the preset time buttons to jump to the listings at that time of the day. Click on the arrows to the right and left of the day and date at the top center to proceed to the previous or next day. Or, jump to a specific day with the date and date buttons at the top right. To setup a recording, click on a program. You can choose to record the individual show or the entire series by clicking on Record Show or Record Series. Remote Potato on Mobile Devices Perhaps the coolest feature of Remote Potato is the ability to schedule recording from your phone or mobile device. Note: For any devices or computers without Silverlight, you will be prompted to view the HTML page. Select Browse Listings. Select your program to record. In the Program Details, select Record Show to record the single episode or Record Series to record all instances of the series. You will then see a red dot on the program listing to indicate that the show is scheduled for recording. Streaming Recorded TV Click on Recorded TV from the home screen to access your previously recorded TV programs. Click on the selection you wish to stream. Click on Play. If you receive this error message, you’ll need to install the streaming pack for Remote Potato. This is found on the same download page as installation files. (See link below) The Begin from slider allows you to start playback from the start (by default) or a different time of the program by moving the slider. The Quality (bitrate) setting allows you to choose the quality of the playback. We found the video quality on the Normal setting to be pretty lousy, and Low was just pointless. High was the best overall viewing experience as it provided smooth quality video playback. We experienced significant stuttering during playback using the Ultra High setting. Click Start when you are ready to begin. When playback begins you’ll see a slider at the top right. Move the slider left or right to increase or decrease the size of the video. There’s also a button to switch to full screen. Media Center users who travel frequently or are always on the go will likely find Remote Potato to be a blessing. Since being released earlier this year, updates for Remote Potato have come fast and furious. The latest beta release includes support for streaming music and photos. If you like those nice network TV logos, check out our article on adding TV channel logos to Windows Media Center. Downloads and Links Download Remote Potato and Streaming Pack Find your IP address Sign Up for a Domain Name at DynDNS.com Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Schedule Updates for Windows Media CenterUsing Netflix Watchnow in Windows Vista Media Center (Gmedia)Add a Sleep Timer to Windows 7 Media CenterStartup Customizations for Media Center in Windows 7Enable Media Streaming in Windows Home Server to Windows Media Player TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips DVDFab 6 Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 FoxClocks adds World Times in your Statusbar (Firefox) Have Fun Editing Photo Editing with Citrify Outlook Connector Upgrade Error Gadfly is a cool Twitter/Silverlight app Enable DreamScene in Windows 7 Microsoft’s “How Do I ?” Videos

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How To Run XP Mode in VirtualBox on Windows 7 (sort of)

- by Matthew Guay

A few weeks ago we showed you how to run XP Mode on a Windows 7 computer without Hardware Virtualization using VMware. Some of you have been asking if it can be done in Virtual Box as well. The answer is “Yes!” and here we’ll show you how. Editor Update: Apparently there isn’t a way to activate XP Mode through VirtualBox using this method. You will however, be able to run it for 30 days. We have a new updated article on how to Install XP Mode with VirtualBox Using the VMLite Plugin. Earlier we showed you how to run XP mode on windows 7 machines without hardware virtualization capability. Since then, a lot of you have been asking to a write up a tutorial about doing the same thing using VirtualBox. This makes it another great way to run XP Mode if your computer does not have hardware virtualization. Here we’ll see how to import the XP Mode from Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate into VirtualBox so you can run XP in it for free. Note: You need to have Windows 7 Professional or above to use XP Mode in this manner. In our tests we were able to get it to run on Home Premium as well, but you’ll be breaking Windows 7 licensing agreements. Getting Started First, download and install XP Mode (link below). There is no need to download Virtual PC if your computer cannot run it, so just download the XP Mode from the link on the left. Install XP mode; just follow the default prompts as usual. Now, download and install VirtualBox 3.1.2 or higher(link below). Install as normal, and simply follow the default prompts. VirtualBox may notify you that your network connection will be reset during the installation. Press Yes to continue. During the install, you may see several popups asking you if you wish to install device drivers for USB and Network interfaces. Simply click install, as these are needed for VirtualBox to run correctly. Setup only took a couple minutes, and doesn’t require a reboot. Setup XP Mode in VirtualBox: First we need to copy the default XP Mode so VirtualBox will not affect the original copy. Browse to C:\Program Files\Windows XP Mode, and copy the file “Windows XP Mode base.vhd”. Paste it in another folder of your choice, such as your Documents folder. Once you’ve copied the file, right-click on it and click Properties. Uncheck the “Read-only” box in this dialog, and then click Ok. Now, in VirtualBox, click New to create a new virtual machine. Enter the name of your virtual machine, and make sure the operating system selected is Windows XP. Choose how much memory you want to allow the virtual machine to use. VirtualBox’ default is 192 Mb ram, but for better performance you can select 256 or 512Mb. Now, select the hard drive for the virtual machine. Select “Use existing hard disk”, then click the folder button to choose the XP Mode virtual drive. In this window, click Add, and then browse to find the copy of XP Mode you previously made. Make sure the correct virtual drive is selected, then press Select. After selecting the VHD your screen should look like the following then click Next. Verify the settings you made are correct. If not, you can go back and make any changes. When everything looks correct click Finish. Setup XP Mode Now, in VirtualBox, click start to run XP Mode. The Windows XP in this virtual drive is not fully setup yet, so you will have to go through the setup process. If you didn’t uncheck the “Read-only” box in the VHD properties before, you may see the following error. If you see it, go back and check the file to makes sure it is not read-only. When you click in the virtual machine, it will capture your mouse by default. Simply press the right Ctrl key to release your mouse so you can go back to using Windows 7. This will only be the case during the setup process; after the Guest Additions are installed, the mouse will seamlessly move between operating systems. Now, accept the license agreement in XP. Choose your correct locale and keyboard settings. Enter a name for your virtual XP, and an administrative password. Check the date, time, and time zone settings, and adjust them if they are incorrect. The time and date are usually correct, but the time zone often has to be corrected. XP will now automatically finish setting up your virtual machine, and then will automatically reboot. After rebooting, select your automatic update settings. You may see a prompt to check for drivers; simply press cancel, as all the drivers we need will be installed later with the Guest Additions. Your last settings will be finalized, and finally you will see your XP desktop in VirtualBox. Please note that XP Mode may not remain activated after importing it into VirtualBox. When you activate it, use the key that is located at C:\Program Files\Windows XP Mode\key.txt. Note: During our tests we weren’t able to get the activation to go through. We are looking into the issue and will have a revised article showing the correct way to get XP Mode in VirutalBox working correctly soon. Now we have one final thing to install – the VirtualBox Guest Additions. In the VirtualBox window, click “Devices” and then select “Install Guest Additions”. This should automatically launch in XP; if it doesn’t, click Start, then My Computer, and finally double-click on the CD drive which should say VirtualBox Guest Additions. Simply install with the normal presets. You can select to install an experimental 3D graphics driver if you wish to try to run games in XP in VirtualBox; however, do note that this is not fully supported and is currently a test feature. You may see a prompt informing you that the drivers have not passed Logo testing; simply press “Continue Anyway” to proceed with the installation. When installation has completed, you will be required to reboot your virtual machine. Now, you can move your mouse directly from Windows XP to Windows 7 without pressing Ctrl. Integrating with Windows 7 Once your virtual machine is rebooted, you can integrate it with your Windows 7 desktop. In the VirtualBox window, click Machine and then select “Seamless Mode”. In Seamless mode you’ll have the XP Start menu and taskbar sit on top of your Windows 7 Start and Taskbar. Here we see XP running on Virtual Box in Seamless Mode. We have the old XP WordPad sitting next to the new Windows 7 version of WordPad. Another view of everything running seamlessly together on the same Windows 7 desktop. Hover the pointer over the XP taskbar to pull up the Virtual Box menu items. You can exit out of Seamless Mode from the VirtualBox menu or using “Ctrl+L”. Then you go back to having it run separately on your desktop again. Conclusion Running XP Mode in a Virtual Machine is a great way to experience the feature on computers without Hardware Virtualization capabilities. If you prefer VMware Player, then you’ll want to check out our articles on how to run XP Mode on Windows 7 machines without Hardware Virtualization, and how to create an XP Mode for Windows 7 Home Premium and Vista. Download VirtualBox Download XP Mode Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Install XP Mode with VirtualBox Using the VMLite PluginUsing Windows 7 or Vista Compatibility ModeMake Safari Stop Crashing Every 20 Seconds on Windows VistaForce Windows 7 / Vista to Boot Into Safe Mode Without Using the F8 KeyHow To Run Chrome OS in VirtualBox TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 PCmover Professional Enable Check Box Selection in Windows 7 OnlineOCR – Free OCR Service Betting on the Blind Side, a Vanity Fair article 30 Minimal Logo Designs that Say More with Less LEGO Digital Designer – Free Create a Personal Website Quickly using Flavors.me

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How To Run XP Mode in VirtualBox on Windows 7 (sort of)

- by Matthew Guay

A few weeks ago we showed you how to run XP Mode on a Windows 7 computer without Hardware Virtualization using VMware. Some of you have been asking if it can be done in Virtual Box as well. The answer is “Yes!” and here we’ll show you how. Editor Update: Apparently there isn’t a way to activate XP Mode through VirtualBox using this method. You will however, be able to run it for 30 days. We have a new updated article on how to Install XP Mode with VirtualBox Using the VMLite Plugin. Earlier we showed you how to run XP mode on windows 7 machines without hardware virtualization capability. Since then, a lot of you have been asking to a write up a tutorial about doing the same thing using VirtualBox. This makes it another great way to run XP Mode if your computer does not have hardware virtualization. Here we’ll see how to import the XP Mode from Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate into VirtualBox so you can run XP in it for free. Note: You need to have Windows 7 Professional or above to use XP Mode in this manner. In our tests we were able to get it to run on Home Premium as well, but you’ll be breaking Windows 7 licensing agreements. Getting Started First, download and install XP Mode (link below). There is no need to download Virtual PC if your computer cannot run it, so just download the XP Mode from the link on the left. Install XP mode; just follow the default prompts as usual. Now, download and install VirtualBox 3.1.2 or higher(link below). Install as normal, and simply follow the default prompts. VirtualBox may notify you that your network connection will be reset during the installation. Press Yes to continue. During the install, you may see several popups asking you if you wish to install device drivers for USB and Network interfaces. Simply click install, as these are needed for VirtualBox to run correctly. Setup only took a couple minutes, and doesn’t require a reboot. Setup XP Mode in VirtualBox: First we need to copy the default XP Mode so VirtualBox will not affect the original copy. Browse to C:\Program Files\Windows XP Mode, and copy the file “Windows XP Mode base.vhd”. Paste it in another folder of your choice, such as your Documents folder. Once you’ve copied the file, right-click on it and click Properties. Uncheck the “Read-only” box in this dialog, and then click Ok. Now, in VirtualBox, click New to create a new virtual machine. Enter the name of your virtual machine, and make sure the operating system selected is Windows XP. Choose how much memory you want to allow the virtual machine to use. VirtualBox’ default is 192 Mb ram, but for better performance you can select 256 or 512Mb. Now, select the hard drive for the virtual machine. Select “Use existing hard disk”, then click the folder button to choose the XP Mode virtual drive. In this window, click Add, and then browse to find the copy of XP Mode you previously made. Make sure the correct virtual drive is selected, then press Select. After selecting the VHD your screen should look like the following then click Next. Verify the settings you made are correct. If not, you can go back and make any changes. When everything looks correct click Finish. Setup XP Mode Now, in VirtualBox, click start to run XP Mode. The Windows XP in this virtual drive is not fully setup yet, so you will have to go through the setup process. If you didn’t uncheck the “Read-only” box in the VHD properties before, you may see the following error. If you see it, go back and check the file to makes sure it is not read-only. When you click in the virtual machine, it will capture your mouse by default. Simply press the right Ctrl key to release your mouse so you can go back to using Windows 7. This will only be the case during the setup process; after the Guest Additions are installed, the mouse will seamlessly move between operating systems. Now, accept the license agreement in XP. Choose your correct locale and keyboard settings. Enter a name for your virtual XP, and an administrative password. Check the date, time, and time zone settings, and adjust them if they are incorrect. The time and date are usually correct, but the time zone often has to be corrected. XP will now automatically finish setting up your virtual machine, and then will automatically reboot. After rebooting, select your automatic update settings. You may see a prompt to check for drivers; simply press cancel, as all the drivers we need will be installed later with the Guest Additions. Your last settings will be finalized, and finally you will see your XP desktop in VirtualBox. Please note that XP Mode may not remain activated after importing it into VirtualBox. When you activate it, use the key that is located at C:\Program Files\Windows XP Mode\key.txt. Note: During our tests we weren’t able to get the activation to go through. We are looking into the issue and will have a revised article showing the correct way to get XP Mode in VirutalBox working correctly soon. Now we have one final thing to install – the VirtualBox Guest Additions. In the VirtualBox window, click “Devices” and then select “Install Guest Additions”. This should automatically launch in XP; if it doesn’t, click Start, then My Computer, and finally double-click on the CD drive which should say VirtualBox Guest Additions. Simply install with the normal presets. You can select to install an experimental 3D graphics driver if you wish to try to run games in XP in VirtualBox; however, do note that this is not fully supported and is currently a test feature. You may see a prompt informing you that the drivers have not passed Logo testing; simply press “Continue Anyway” to proceed with the installation. When installation has completed, you will be required to reboot your virtual machine. Now, you can move your mouse directly from Windows XP to Windows 7 without pressing Ctrl. Integrating with Windows 7 Once your virtual machine is rebooted, you can integrate it with your Windows 7 desktop. In the VirtualBox window, click Machine and then select “Seamless Mode”. In Seamless mode you’ll have the XP Start menu and taskbar sit on top of your Windows 7 Start and Taskbar. Here we see XP running on Virtual Box in Seamless Mode. We have the old XP WordPad sitting next to the new Windows 7 version of WordPad. Another view of everything running seamlessly together on the same Windows 7 desktop. Hover the pointer over the XP taskbar to pull up the Virtual Box menu items. You can exit out of Seamless Mode from the VirtualBox menu or using “Ctrl+L”. Then you go back to having it run separately on your desktop again. Conclusion Running XP Mode in a Virtual Machine is a great way to experience the feature on computers without Hardware Virtualization capabilities. If you prefer VMware Player, then you’ll want to check out our articles on how to run XP Mode on Windows 7 machines without Hardware Virtualization, and how to create an XP Mode for Windows 7 Home Premium and Vista. Download VirtualBox Download XP Mode Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Install XP Mode with VirtualBox Using the VMLite PluginUsing Windows 7 or Vista Compatibility ModeMake Safari Stop Crashing Every 20 Seconds on Windows VistaForce Windows 7 / Vista to Boot Into Safe Mode Without Using the F8 KeyHow To Run Chrome OS in VirtualBox TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 PCmover Professional Enable Check Box Selection in Windows 7 OnlineOCR – Free OCR Service Betting on the Blind Side, a Vanity Fair article 30 Minimal Logo Designs that Say More with Less LEGO Digital Designer – Free Create a Personal Website Quickly using Flavors.me

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How to Upgrade Your Netbook to Windows 7 Home Premium

- by Matthew Guay

Would you like more features and flash in Windows on your netbook? Here’s how you can easily upgrade your netbook to Windows 7 Home Premium the easy way. Most new netbooks today ship with Windows 7 Starter, which is the cheapest edition of Windows 7. It is fine for many computing tasks, and will run all your favorite programs great, but it lacks many customization, multimedia, and business features found in higher editions. Here we’ll show you how you can quickly upgrade your netbook to more full-featured edition of Windows 7 using Windows Anytime Upgrade. Also, if you want to upgrade your laptop or desktop to another edition of Windows 7, say Professional, you can follow these same steps to upgrade it, too. Please note: This is only for computers already running Windows 7. If your netbook is running XP or Vista, you will have to run a traditional upgrade to install Windows 7. Upgrade Advisor First, let’s make sure your netbook can support the extra features, such as Aero Glass, in Windows 7 Home Premium. Most modern netbooks that ship with Windows 7 Starter can run the advanced features in Windows 7 Home Premium, but let’s check just in case. Download the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor (link below), and install as normal. Once it’s installed, run it and click Start Check. Make sure you’re connected to the internet before you run the check, or otherwise you may see this error message. If you see it, click Ok and then connect to the internet and start the check again. It will now scan all of your programs and hardware to make sure they’re compatible with Windows 7. Since you’re already running Windows 7 Starter, it will also tell you if your computer will support the features in other editions of Windows 7. After a few moments, the Upgrade Advisor will show you want it found. Here we see that our netbook, a Samsung N150, can be upgraded to Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate. We also see that we had one issue, but this was because a driver we had installed was not recognized. Click “See all system requirements” to see what your netbook can do with the new edition. This shows you which of the requirements, including support for Windows Aero, your netbook meets. Here our netbook supports Aero, so we’re ready to go upgrade. For more, check out our article on how to make sure your computer can run Windows 7 with Upgrade Advisor. Upgrade with Anytime Upgrade Now, we’re ready to upgrade our netbook to Windows 7 Home Premium. Enter “Anytime Upgrade” in the Start menu search,and select Windows Anytime Upgrade. Windows Anytime Upgrade lets you upgrade using product key you already have or one you purchase during the upgrade process. And, it installs without any downloads or Windows disks, so it works great even for netbooks without DVD drives. Anytime Upgrades are cheaper than a standard upgrade, and for a limited time, select retailers in the US are offering Anytime Upgrades to Windows 7 Home Premium for only $49.99 if purchased with a new netbook. If you already have a netbook running Windows 7 Starter, you can either purchase an Anytime Upgrade package at a retail store or purchase a key online during the upgrade process for $79.95. Or, if you have a standard Windows 7 product key (full or upgrade), you can use it in Anytime upgrade. This is especially nice if you can purchase Windows 7 cheaper through your school, university, or office. Purchase an upgrade online To purchase an upgrade online, click “Go online to choose the edition of Windows 7 that’s best for you”. Here you can see a comparison of the features of each edition of Windows 7. Note that you can upgrade to either Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate. We chose home Premium because it has most of the features that home users want, including Media Center and Aero Glass effects. Also note that the price of each upgrade is cheaper than the respective upgrade from Windows XP or Vista. Click buy under the edition you want. Enter your billing information, then your payment information. Once you confirm your purchase, you will directly be taken to the Upgrade screen. Make sure to save your receipt, as you will need the product key if you ever need to reinstall Windows on your computer. Upgrade with an existing product key If you purchased an Anytime Upgrade kit from a retailer, or already have a Full or Upgrade key for another edition of Windows 7, choose “Enter an upgrade key”. Enter your product key, and click Next. If you purchased an Anytime Upgrade kit, the product key will be located on the inside of the case on a yellow sticker. The key will be verified as a valid key, and Anytime Upgrade will automatically choose the correct edition of Windows 7 based on your product key. Click Next when this is finished. Continuing the Upgrade process Whether you entered a key or purchased a key online, the process is the same from here on. Click “I accept” to accept the license agreement. Now, you’re ready to install your upgrade. Make sure to save all open files and close any programs, and then click Upgrade. The upgrade only takes about 10 minutes in our experience but your mileage may vary. Any available Microsoft updates, including ones for Office, Security Essentials, and other products, will be installed before the upgrade takes place. After a couple minutes, your computer will automatically reboot and finish the installation. It will then reboot once more, and your computer will be ready to use! Welcome to your new edition of Windows 7! Here’s a before and after shot of our desktop. When you do an Anytime Upgrade, all of your programs, files, and settings will be just as they were before you upgraded. The only change we noticed was that our pinned taskbar icons were slightly rearranged to the default order of Internet Explorer, Explorer, and Media Player. Here’s a shot of our desktop before the upgrade. Notice that all of our pinned programs and desktop icons are still there, as well as our taskbar customization (we are using small icons on the taskbar instead of the default large icons). Before, with the Windows 7 Starter background and the Aero Basic theme: And after, with Aero Glass and the more colorful default Windows 7 background. All of the features of Windows 7 Home Premium are now ready to use. The Aero theme was activate by default, but you can now customize your netbook theme, background, and more with the Personalization pane. To open it, right-click on your desktop and select Personalize. You can also now use Windows Media Center, and can play-back DVD movies using an external drive. One of our favorite tools, the Snipping Tool, is also now available for easy screenshots and clips. Activating you new edition of Windows 7 You will still need to activate your new edition of Windows 7. To do this right away, open the start menu, right-click on Computer, and select Properties. Scroll to the bottom, and click “Activate Windows Now”. Make sure you’re connected to the internet, and then select “Activate Windows online now”. Activation may take a few minutes, depending on your internet connection speed. When it is done, the Activation wizard will let you know that Windows is activated and genuine. Your upgrade is all finished! Conclusion Windows Anytime Upgrade makes it easy, and somewhat cheaper, to upgrade to another edition of Windows 7. It’s useful for desktop and laptop owners who want to upgrade to Professional or Ultimate, but many more netbook owners will want to upgrade from Starter to Home Premium or another edition. Links Download the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor Windows Team Blog: Anytime Upgrade Special with new PC purchase Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips How To Upgrade from Vista to Windows 7 Home Premium EditionAnother Blog You Should Subscribe ToMysticgeek Blog: Turn Vista Home Premium Into Ultimate (Part 3) – Shadow CopyUpgrade Ubuntu from Breezy to DapperHow to Upgrade the Windows 7 RC to RTM (Final Release) TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips DVDFab 6 Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 Get Your Delicious Bookmarks In Firefox’s Awesome Bar Manage Photos Across Different Social Sites With Dropico Test Drive Windows 7 Online Download Wallpapers From National Geographic Site Spyware Blaster v4.3 Yes, it’s Patch Tuesday

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Azure - Part 4 - Table Storage Service in Windows Azure

- by Shaun

In Windows Azure platform there are 3 storage we can use to save our data on the cloud. They are the Table, Blob and Queue. Before the Chinese New Year Microsoft announced that Azure SDK 1.1 had been released and it supports a new type of storage – Drive, which allows us to operate NTFS files on the cloud. I will cover it in the coming few posts but now I would like to talk a bit about the Table Storage. Concept of Table Storage Service The most common development scenario is to retrieve, create, update and remove data from the data storage. In the normal way we communicate with database. When we attempt to move our application over to the cloud the most common requirement should be have a storage service. Windows Azure provides a in-build service that allow us to storage the structured data, which is called Windows Azure Table Storage Service. The data stored in the table service are like the collection of entities. And the entities are similar to rows or records in the tradtional database. An entity should had a partition key, a row key, a timestamp and set of properties. You can treat the partition key as a group name, the row key as a primary key and the timestamp as the identifer for solving the concurrency problem. Different with a table in a database, the table service does not enforce the schema for tables, which means you can have 2 entities in the same table with different property sets. The partition key is being used for the load balance of the Azure OS and the group entity transaction. As you know in the cloud you will never know which machine is hosting your application and your data. It could be moving based on the transaction weight and the number of the requests. If the Azure OS found that there are many requests connect to your Book entities with the partition key equals “Novel” it will move them to another idle machine to increase the performance. So when choosing the partition key for your entities you need to make sure they indecate the category or gourp information so that the Azure OS can perform the load balance as you wish. Consuming the Table Although the table service looks like a database, you cannot access it through the way you are using now, neither ADO.NET nor ODBC. The table service exposed itself by ADO.NET Data Service protocol, which allows you can consume it through the RESTful style by Http requests. The Azure SDK provides a sets of classes for us to connect it. There are 2 classes we might need: TableServiceContext and TableServiceEntity. The TableServiceContext inherited from the DataServiceContext, which represents the runtime context of the ADO.NET data service. It provides 4 methods mainly used by us: CreateQuery: It will create a IQueryable instance from a given type of entity. AddObject: Add the specified entity into Table Service. UpdateObject: Update an existing entity in the Table Service. DeleteObject: Delete an entity from the Table Service. Beofre you operate the table service you need to provide the valid account information. It’s something like the connect string of the database but with your account name and the account key when you created the storage service on the Windows Azure Development Portal. After getting the CloudStorageAccount you can create the CloudTableClient instance which provides a set of methods for using the table service. A very useful method would be CreateTableIfNotExist. It will create the table container for you if it’s not exsited. And then you can operate the eneities to that table through the methods I mentioned above. Let me explain a bit more through an exmaple. We always like code rather than sentence. Straightforward Accessing to the Table Here I would like to build a WCF service on the Windows Azure platform, and for now just one requirement: it would allow the client to create an account entity on the table service. The WCF service would have a method named Register and accept an instance of the account which the client wants to create. After perform some validation it will add the entity into the table service. So the first thing I should do is to create a Cloud Application on my VIstial Studio 2010 RC. (The Azure SDK 1.1 only supports VS2008 and VS2010 RC.) The solution should be like this below. Then I added a configuration items for the storage account through the Settings section under the cloud project. (Double click the Services file under Roles folder and navigate to the Setting section.) This setting will be used when to retrieve my storage account information. Since for now I just in the development phase I will select “UseDevelopmentStorage=true”. And then I navigated to the WebRole.cs file under my WCF project. If you have read my previous posts you would know that this file defines the process when the application start, and terminate on the cloud. What I need to do is to when the application start, set the configuration publisher to load my config file with the config name I specified. So the code would be like below. I removed the original service and contract created by the VS template and add my IAccountService contract and its implementation class - AccountService. And I add the service method Register with the parameters: email, password and it will return a boolean value to indicates the result which is very simple. At this moment if I press F5 the application will be established on my local development fabric and I can see my service runs well through the browser. Let’s implement the service method Rigister, add a new entity to the table service. As I said before the entities you want to store in the table service must have 3 properties: partition key, row key and timespan. You can create a class with these 3 properties. The Azure SDK provides us a base class for that named TableServiceEntity in Microsoft.WindowsAzure.StorageClient namespace. So what we need to do is more simply, create a class named Account and let it derived from the TableServiceEntity. And I need to add my own properties: Email, Password, DateCreated and DateDeleted. The DateDeleted is a nullable date time value to indecate whether this entity had been deleted and when. Do you notice that I missed something here? Yes it’s the partition key and row key I didn’t assigned. The TableServiceEntity base class defined 2 constructors one was a parameter-less constructor which will be used to fill values into the properties from the table service when retrieving data. The other was one with 2 parameters: partition key and row key. As I said below the partition key may affect the load balance and the row key must be unique so here I would like to use the email as the parition key and the email plus a Guid as the row key. OK now we finished the entity class we need to store onto the table service. The next step is to create a data access class for us to add it. Azure SDK gives us a base class for it named TableServiceContext as I mentioned below. So let’s create a class for operate the Account entities. The TableServiceContext need the storage account information for its constructor. It’s the combination of the storage service URI that we will create on Windows Azure platform, and the relevant account name and key. The TableServiceContext will use this information to find the related address and verify the account to operate the storage entities. Hence in my AccountDataContext class I need to override this constructor and pass the storage account into it. All entities will be saved in the table storage with one or many tables which we call them “table containers”. Before we operate an entity we need to make sure that the table container had been created on the storage. There’s a method we can use for that: CloudTableClient.CreateTableIfNotExist. So in the constructor I will perform it firstly to make sure all method will be invoked after the table had been created. Notice that I passed the storage account enpoint URI and the credentials to specify where my storage is located and who am I. Another advise is that, make your entity class name as the same as the table name when create the table. It will increase the performance when you operate it over the cloud especially querying. Since the Register WCF method will add a new account into the table service, here I will create a relevant method to add the account entity. Before implement, I should add a reference - System.Data.Services.Client to the project. This reference provides some common method within the ADO.NET Data Service which can be used in the Windows Azure Table Service. I will use its AddObject method to create my account entity. Since the table service are not fully implemented the ADO.NET Data Service, there are some methods in the System.Data.Services.Client that TableServiceContext doesn’t support, such as AddLinks, etc. Then I implemented the serivce method to add the account entity through the AccountDataContext. You can see in the service implmentation I load the storage account information through my configuration file and created the account table entity from the parameters. Then I created the AccountDataContext. If it’s my first time to invoke this method the constructor of the AccountDataContext will create a table container for me. Then I use Add method to add the account entity into the table. Next, let’s create a farely simple client application to test this service. I created a windows console application and added a service reference to my WCF service. The metadata information of the WCF service cannot be retrieved if it’s deployed on the Windows Azure even though the <serviceMetadata httpGetEnabled="true"/> had been set. If we need to get its metadata we can deploy it on the local development service and then changed the endpoint to the address which is on the cloud. In the client side app.config file I specified the endpoint to the local development fabric address. And the just implement the client to let me input an email and a password then invoke the WCF service to add my acocunt. Let’s run my application and see the result. Of course it should return TRUE to me. And in the local SQL Express I can see the data had been saved in the table. Summary In this post I explained more about the Windows Azure Table Storage Service. I also created a small application for demostration of how to connect and consume it through the ADO.NET Data Service Managed Library provided within the Azure SDK. I only show how to create an eneity in the storage service. In the next post I would like to explain about how to query the entities with conditions thruogh LINQ. I also would like to refactor my AccountDataContext class to make it dyamic for any kinds of entities. Hope this helps, Shaun All documents and related graphics, codes are provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind. Copyright © Shaun Ziyan Xu. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons License.

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Complete Guide to Symbolic Links (symlinks) on Windows or Linux

- by Matthew Guay

Want to easily access folders and files from different folders without maintaining duplicate copies? Here’s how you can use Symbolic Links to link anything in Windows 7, Vista, XP, and Ubuntu. So What Are Symbolic Links Anyway? Symbolic links, otherwise known as symlinks, are basically advanced shortcuts. You can create symbolic links to individual files or folders, and then these will appear like they are stored in the folder with the symbolic link even though the symbolic link only points to their real location. There are two types of symbolic links: hard and soft. Soft symbolic links work essentially the same as a standard shortcut. When you open a soft link, you will be redirected to the folder where the files are stored. However, a hard link makes it appear as though the file or folder actually exists at the location of the symbolic link, and your applications won’t know any different. Thus, hard links are of the most interest in this article. Why should I use Symbolic Links? There are many things we use symbolic links for, so here’s some of the top uses we can think of: Sync any folder with Dropbox – say, sync your Pidgin Profile Across Computers Move the settings folder for any program from its original location Store your Music/Pictures/Videos on a second hard drive, but make them show up in your standard Music/Pictures/Videos folders so they’ll be detected my your media programs (Windows 7 Libraries can also be good for this) Keep important files accessible from multiple locations And more! If you want to move files to a different drive or folder and then symbolically link them, follow these steps: Close any programs that may be accessing that file or folder Move the file or folder to the new desired location Follow the correct instructions below for your operating system to create the symbolic link. Caution: Make sure to never create a symbolic link inside of a symbolic link. For instance, don’t create a symbolic link to a file that’s contained in a symbolic linked folder. This can create a loop, which can cause millions of problems you don’t want to deal with. Seriously. Create Symlinks in Any Edition of Windows in Explorer Creating symlinks is usually difficult, but thanks to the free Link Shell Extension, you can create symbolic links in all modern version of Windows pain-free. You need to download both Visual Studio 2005 redistributable, which contains the necessary prerequisites, and Link Shell Extension itself (links below). Download the correct version (32 bit or 64 bit) for your computer. Run and install the Visual Studio 2005 Redistributable installer first. Then install the Link Shell Extension on your computer. Your taskbar will temporally disappear during the install, but will quickly come back. Now you’re ready to start creating symbolic links. Browse to the folder or file you want to create a symbolic link from. Right-click the folder or file and select Pick Link Source. To create your symlink, right-click in the folder you wish to save the symbolic link, select “Drop as…”, and then choose the type of link you want. You can choose from several different options here; we chose the Hardlink Clone. This will create a hard link to the file or folder we selected. The Symbolic link option creates a soft link, while the smart copy will fully copy a folder containing symbolic links without breaking them. These options can be useful as well. Here’s our hard-linked folder on our desktop. Notice that the folder looks like its contents are stored in Desktop\Downloads, when they are actually stored in C:\Users\Matthew\Desktop\Downloads. Also, when links are created with the Link Shell Extension, they have a red arrow on them so you can still differentiate them. And, this works the same way in XP as well. Symlinks via Command Prompt Or, for geeks who prefer working via command line, here’s how you can create symlinks in Command Prompt in Windows 7/Vista and XP. In Windows 7/Vista In Windows Vista and 7, we’ll use the mklink command to create symbolic links. To use it, we have to open an administrator Command Prompt. Enter “command” in your start menu search, right-click on Command Prompt, and select “Run as administrator”. To create a symbolic link, we need to enter the following in command prompt: mklink /prefix link_path file/folder_path First, choose the correct prefix. Mklink can create several types of links, including the following: /D – creates a soft symbolic link, which is similar to a standard folder or file shortcut in Windows. This is the default option, and mklink will use it if you do not enter a prefix. /H – creates a hard link to a file /J – creates a hard link to a directory or folder So, once you’ve chosen the correct prefix, you need to enter the path you want for the symbolic link, and the path to the original file or folder. For example, if I wanted a folder in my Dropbox folder to appear like it was also stored in my desktop, I would enter the following: mklink /J C:\Users\Matthew\Desktop\Dropbox C:\Users\Matthew\Documents\Dropbox Note that the first path was to the symbolic folder I wanted to create, while the second path was to the real folder. Here, in this command prompt screenshot, you can see that I created a symbolic link of my Music folder to my desktop. And here’s how it looks in Explorer. Note that all of my music is “really” stored in C:\Users\Matthew\Music, but here it looks like it is stored in C:\Users\Matthew\Desktop\Music. If your path has any spaces in it, you need to place quotes around it. Note also that the link can have a different name than the file it links to. For example, here I’m going to create a symbolic link to a document on my desktop: mklink /H “C:\Users\Matthew\Desktop\ebook.pdf” “C:\Users\Matthew\Downloads\Before You Call Tech Support.pdf” Don’t forget the syntax: mklink /prefix link_path Target_file/folder_path In Windows XP Windows XP doesn’t include built-in command prompt support for symbolic links, but we can use the free Junction tool instead. Download Junction (link below), and unzip the folder. Now open Command Prompt (click Start, select All Programs, then Accessories, and select Command Prompt), and enter cd followed by the path of the folder where you saved Junction. Junction only creates hard symbolic links, since you can use shortcuts for soft ones. To create a hard symlink, we need to enter the following in command prompt: junction –s link_path file/folder_path As with mklink in Windows 7 or Vista, if your file/folder path has spaces in it make sure to put quotes around your paths. Also, as usual, your symlink can have a different name that the file/folder it points to. Here, we’re going to create a symbolic link to our My Music folder on the desktop. We entered: junction -s “C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Desktop\Music” “C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\My Music” And here’s the contents of our symlink. Note that the path looks like these files are stored in a Music folder directly on the Desktop, when they are actually stored in My Documents\My Music. Once again, this works with both folders and individual files. Please Note: Junction would work the same in Windows 7 or Vista, but since they include a built-in symbolic link tool we found it better to use it on those versions of Windows. Symlinks in Ubuntu Unix-based operating systems have supported symbolic links since their inception, so it is straightforward to create symbolic links in Linux distros such as Ubuntu. There’s no graphical way to create them like the Link Shell Extension for Windows, so we’ll just do it in Terminal. Open terminal (open the Applications menu, select Accessories, and then click Terminal), and enter the following: ln –s file/folder_path link_path Note that this is opposite of the Windows commands; you put the source for the link first, and then the path second. For example, let’s create a symbolic link of our Pictures folder in our Desktop. To do this, we entered: ln -s /home/maguay/Pictures /home/maguay/Desktop Once again, here is the contents of our symlink folder. The pictures look as if they’re stored directly in a Pictures folder on the Desktop, but they are actually stored in maguay\Pictures. Delete Symlinks Removing symbolic links is very simple – just delete the link! Most of the command line utilities offer a way to delete a symbolic link via command prompt, but you don’t need to go to the trouble. Conclusion Symbolic links can be very handy, and we use them constantly to help us stay organized and keep our hard drives from overflowing. Let us know how you use symbolic links on your computers! Download Link Shell Extension for Windows 7, Vista, and XP Download Junction for XP Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Using Symlinks in Windows VistaHow To Figure Out Your PC’s Host Name From the Command PromptInstall IceWM on Ubuntu LinuxAdd Color Coding to Windows 7 Media Center Program GuideSync Your Pidgin Profile Across Multiple PCs with Dropbox TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips DVDFab 6 Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 Gadfly is a cool Twitter/Silverlight app Enable DreamScene in Windows 7 Microsoft’s “How Do I ?” Videos Home Networks – How do they look like & the problems they cause Check Your IMAP Mail Offline In Thunderbird Follow Finder Finds You Twitter Users To Follow

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Cocos2d-xna memory management for WP8

- by Arkiliknam

I recently upgraded to VS2012 and try my in dev game out on the new WP8 emulators but was dismayed to find out the emulator now crashes and throws an out of memory exception during my sprite loading procedure (funnily, it still works in WP7 emulators and on my WP7). Regardless of whether the problem is the emulator or not, I want to get a clear understanding of how I should be managing memory in the game. My game consists of a character whom has 4 or more different animations. Each animation consists of 4 to 7 frames. On top of that, the character has up to 8 stackable visualization modifications (eg eye type, nose type, hair type, clothes type). Pre memory issue, I preloaded all textures for each animation frame and customization and created animate action out of them. The game then plays animations using the customizations applied to that current character. I re-looked at this implementation when I received the out of memory exceptions and have started playing with RenderTexture instead, so instead of pre loading all possible textures, it on loads textures needed for the character, renders them onto a single texture, from which the animation is built. This means the animations use 1/8th of the sprites they were before. I thought this would solve my issue, but it hasn't. Here's a snippet of my code: var characterTexture = CCRenderTexture.Create((int)width, (int)height); characterTexture.BeginWithClear(0, 0, 0, 0); // stamp a body onto my texture var bodySprite = MethodToCreateSpecificSprite(); bodySprite.Position = centerPoint; bodySprite.Visit(); bodySprite.Cleanup(); bodySprite = null; // stamp eyes, nose, mouth, clothes, etc... characterTexture.End(); As you can see, I'm calling CleanUp and setting the sprite to null in the hope of releasing the memory, though I don't believe this is the right way, nor does it seem to work... I also tried using SharedTextureCache to load textures before Stamping my texture out, and then clearing the SharedTextureCache with: CCTextureCache.SharedTextureCache.RemoveAllTextures(); But this didn't have an effect either. Any tips on what I'm not doing? I used VS to do a memory profile of the emulation causing the crash. Both WP7.1 and WP8 emulators peak at about 150mb of usage. WP8 crashes and throws an out of memory exception. Each customisation/frame is 15kb at the most. Lets say there are 8 layers of customisation = 120kb but I render then onto one texture which I would assume is only 15kb again. Each animation is 8 frames at the most. That's 15kb for 1 texture, or 960kb for 8 textures of customisation. There are 4 animation sets. That's 60Kb for 4 sets of 1 texture, or 3.75MB for 4 sets of 8 textures of customisation. So even if its storing every layer, its 3.75MB.... no where near the 150mb breaking point my profiler seems to suggest :( WP 7.1 Memory Profile (max 150MB) WP8 Memory Profile (max 150MB and crashes)

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Mauritius Software Craftsmanship Community

There we go! I finally managed to push myself forward and pick up an old, actually too old, idea since I ever arrived here in Mauritius more than six years ago. I'm talking about a community for all kind of ICT connected people. In the past (back in Germany), I used to be involved in various community activities. For example, I was part of the Microsoft Community Leader/Influencer Program (CLIP) in Germany due to an FAQ on Visual FoxPro, actually Active FoxPro Pages (AFP) to be more precise. Then in 2003/2004 I addressed the responsible person of the dFPUG user group in Speyer in order to assist him in organising monthly user group meetings. Well, he handed over management completely, and attended our meetings regularly. Why did it take you so long? Well, I don't want to bother you with the details but short version is that I was too busy on either job (building up new companies) or private life (got married and we have two lovely children, eh 'monsters') or even both. But now is the time where I was starting to look for new fields given the fact that I gained some spare time. My businesses are up and running, the kids are in school, and I am finally in a position where I can commit myself again to community activities. And I love to do that! Why a new user group? Good question... And 'easy' to answer. Since back in 2007 I did my usual research, eh Google searches, to see whether there existing user groups in Mauritius and in which field of interest. And yes, there are! If I recall this correctly, then there are communities for PHP, Drupal, Python (just recently), Oracle, and Linux (which used to be even two). But... either they do not exist anymore, they are dormant, or there is only a low heart-beat, frankly speaking. And yes, I went to meetings of the Linux User Group Meta (Mauritius) back in 2010/2011 and just recently. I really like the setup and the way the LUGM is organised. It's just that I have a slightly different point of view on how a user group or community should organise itself and how to approach future members. Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing others doing a very good job, I'm only saying that I'd like to do it differently. The last meeting of the LUGM was awesome; read my feedback about it. Ok, so what's up with 'Mauritius Software Craftsmanship Community' or short: MSCC? As I've already written in my article on 'Communities - The importance of exchange and discussion' I think it is essential in a world of IT to stay 'connected' with a good number of other people in the same field. There is so much dynamic and every day's news that it is almost impossible to keep on track with all of them. The MSCC is going to provide a common platform to exchange experience and share knowledge between each other. You might be a newbie and want to know what to expect working as a software developer, or as a database administrator, or maybe as an IT systems administrator, or you're an experienced geek that loves to share your ideas or solutions that you implemented to solve a specific problem, or you're the business (or HR) guy that is looking for 'fresh' blood to enforce your existing team. Or... you're just interested and you'd like to communicate with like-minded people. Meetup of 26.06.2013 @ L'arabica: Of course there are laptops around. Free WiFi, power outlet, coffee, code and Linux in one go. The MSCC is technology-agnostic and spans an umbrella over any kind of technology. Simply because you can't ignore other technologies anymore in a connected IT world as we have. A front-end developer for iOS applications should have the chance to connect with a Python back-end coder and eventually with a DBA for MySQL or PostgreSQL and exchange their experience. Furthermore, I'm a huge fan of cross-platform development, and it is very pleasant to have pure Web developers - with all that HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript and JS libraries stuff - and passionate C# or Java coders at the same table. This diversity of knowledge can assist and boost your personal situation. And last but not least, there are projects and open positions 'flying' around... People might like to hear others opinion about an employer or get new impulses on how to tackle down an issue at their workspace, etc. This is about community. And that's how I see the MSCC in general - free of any limitations be it by programming language or technology. Having the chance to exchange experience and to discuss certain aspects of technology saves you time and money, and it's a pleasure to enjoy. Compared to dusty books and remote online resources. It's human! Organising meetups (meetings, get-together, gatherings - you name it!) As of writing this article, the MSCC is currently meeting every Wednesday for the weekly 'Code & Coffee' session at various locations (suggestions are welcome!) in Mauritius. This might change in the future eventually but especially at the beginning I think it is very important to create awareness in the Mauritian IT world. Yes, we are here! Come and join us! ;-) The MSCC's main online presence is located at Meetup.com because it allows me to handle the organisation of events and meeting appointments very easily, and any member can have a look who else is involved so that an exchange of contacts is given at any time. In combination with the other entities (G+ Communities, FB Pages or in Groups) I advertise and manage all future activities here: Mauritius Software Craftsmanship Community This is a community for those who care and are proud of what they do. For those developers, regardless how experienced they are, who want to improve and master their craft. This is a community for those who believe that being average is just not good enough. I know, there are not many 'craftsmen' yet but it's a start... Let's see how it looks like by the end of the year. There are free smartphone apps for Android and iOS from Meetup.com that allow you to keep track of meetings and to stay informed on latest updates. And last but not least, there is a Trello workspace to collect and share ideas and provide downloads of slides, etc. Trello is also available as free smartphone app. Sharing is caring! As mentioned, the #MSCC is present in various social media networks in order to cover as many people as possible here in Mauritius. Following is an overview of the current networks: Twitter - Latest updates and quickies Google+ - Community channel Facebook - Community Page LinkedIn - Community Group Trello - Collaboration workspace to share and develop ideas Hopefully, this covers the majority of computer-related people in Mauritius. Please spread the word about the #MSCC between your colleagues, your friends and other interested 'geeks'. Your future looks bright Running and participating in a user group or any kind of community usually provides quite a number of advantages for anyone. On the one side it is very joyful for me to organise appointments and get in touch with people that might be interested to present a little demo of their projects or their recent problems they had to tackle down, and on the other side there are lots of companies that have various support programs or sponsorships especially tailored for user groups. At the moment, I already have a couple of gimmicks that I would like to hand out in small contests or raffles during one of the upcoming meetings, and as said, companies provide all kind of goodies, books free of charge, or sometimes even licenses for communities. Meeting other software developers or IT guys also opens up your point of view on the local market and there might be interesting projects or job offers available, too. A community like the Mauritius Software Craftsmanship Community is great for freelancers, self-employed, students and of course employees. Meetings will be organised on a regular basis, and I'm open to all kind of suggestions from you. Please leave a comment here in blog or join the conversations in the above mentioned social networks. Let's get this community up and running, my fellow Mauritians! Recent updates The MSCC is now officially participating in the O'Reilly UK User Group programm and we are allowed to request review or recension copies of recent titles. Additionally, we have a discount code for any books or ebooks that you might like to order on shop.oreilly.com. More applications for user group sponsorship programms are pending and I'm looking forward to a couple of announcement very soon. And... we need some kind of 'corporate identity' - Over at the MSCC website there is a call for action (or better said a contest with prizes) to create a unique design for the MSCC. This would include a decent colour palette, a logo, graphical banners for Meetup, Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. and of course badges for our craftsmen to add to their personal blogs and websites. Please spread the word and contribute. Thanks!

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Dual Boot issues with Windows 7 and Ubuntu

- by Michael

I'm finding myself in a rather unique situation. I've read through just about every resource I can find about this and while things have helped me understand some background, I haven't yet been able to find a solution. So I'm asking here. I originally had just a Windows 7 64-bit OS installation on my desktop. Learning that I couldn't do anything with Apache, PHP and MySql from within a 64-bit system, I did some research and found out that I could use Ubuntu. I've installed the latest version: 11.04. I created a CD to install Ubuntu from and the install went just fine. I installed it side-by-side with Windows 7. I can boot into Ubuntu just fine through the dual-boot option. When I reboot to load Windows though, the Grub2 list shows Windows 7 (loader) and when I select this option the Windows System Recovery loads instead of the actual OS. I haven't made it past there because I didn't know what to do. I just shut the computer down and rebooted into Ubuntu. I've been working for the last hour and a half to try to figure out how to boot into the Windows 7 OS and I haven't got a clue. While I'm somewhat proficient with Windows 7, I'm totally new to Ubuntu, so if you do know what needs to happen, please keep it simple enough that I'll be able to understand. Thanks for all your help in advance. Here's the results after using the Boot Info Script: Boot Info Script 0.55 dated February 15th, 2010 ============================= Boot Info Summary: ============================== => Grub 2 is installed in the MBR of /dev/sda and looks on the same drive in partition #5 for cbh. => Windows is installed in the MBR of /dev/sdb => Grub 2 is installed in the MBR of /dev/mapper/pdc_bdadcfbdif and looks on the same drive in partition #5 for cbh. sda1: _________________________________________________________________________ File system: ntfs Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7 Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block. Mounting failed: fuse: mount failed: Device or resource busy fuse: mount failed: Device or resource busy sda2: _________________________________________________________________________ File system: ntfs Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7 Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block. Mounting failed: fuse: mount failed: Device or resource busy fuse: mount failed: Device or resource busy fuse: mount failed: Device or resource busy fuse: mount failed: Device or resource busy sda3: _________________________________________________________________________ File system: ntfs Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7 Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block. Mounting failed: fuse: mount failed: Device or resource busy fuse: mount failed: Device or resource busy fuse: mount failed: Device or resource busy fuse: mount failed: Device or resource busy fuse: mount failed: Device or resource busy fuse: mount failed: Device or resource busy sdb1: _________________________________________________________________________ File system: ntfs Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7 Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block. Operating System: Boot files/dirs: /bootmgr /Boot/BCD sdb2: _________________________________________________________________________ File system: ntfs Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7 Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block. Operating System: Boot files/dirs: sdb3: _________________________________________________________________________ File system: ntfs Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7 Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block. Operating System: Boot files/dirs: /bootmgr /boot/BCD sdb4: _________________________________________________________________________ File system: Extended Partition Boot sector type: - Boot sector info: sdb5: _________________________________________________________________________ File system: ext4 Boot sector type: - Boot sector info: Operating System: Ubuntu 11.04 Boot files/dirs: /boot/grub/grub.cfg /etc/fstab /boot/grub/core.img sdb6: _________________________________________________________________________ File system: swap Boot sector type: - Boot sector info: pdc_bdadcfbdif1: _________________________________________________________________________ File system: ntfs Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7 Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block. Operating System: Boot files/dirs: /bootmgr /Boot/BCD pdc_bdadcfbdif2: _________________________________________________________________________ File system: ntfs Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7 Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block. Operating System: Windows 7 Boot files/dirs: /bootmgr /Boot/BCD /Windows/System32/winload.exe pdc_bdadcfbdif3: _________________________________________________________________________ File system: Boot sector type: Unknown Boot sector info: Mounting failed: fuse: mount failed: Device or resource busy fuse: mount failed: Device or resource busy fuse: mount failed: Device or resource busy fuse: mount failed: Device or resource busy fuse: mount failed: Device or resource busy fuse: mount failed: Device or resource busy mount: unknown filesystem type '' =========================== Drive/Partition Info: ============================= Drive: sda ___________________ _____________________________________________________ Disk /dev/sda: 750.2 GB, 750156374016 bytes 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 91201 cylinders, total 1465149168 sectors Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes Partition Boot Start End Size Id System /dev/sda1 * 2,048 206,847 204,800 7 HPFS/NTFS /dev/sda2 206,911 1,440,372,735 1,440,165,825 7 HPFS/NTFS /dev/sda3 1,440,372,736 1,464,856,575 24,483,840 7 HPFS/NTFS Drive: sdb ___________________ _____________________________________________________ Disk /dev/sdb: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders, total 1953525168 sectors Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes Partition Boot Start End Size Id System /dev/sdb1 * 2,048 206,847 204,800 7 HPFS/NTFS /dev/sdb2 206,911 1,342,554,688 1,342,347,778 7 HPFS/NTFS /dev/sdb3 1,930,344,448 1,953,521,663 23,177,216 7 HPFS/NTFS /dev/sdb4 1,342,556,158 1,930,344,447 587,788,290 5 Extended /dev/sdb5 1,342,556,160 1,896,806,399 554,250,240 83 Linux /dev/sdb6 1,896,808,448 1,930,344,447 33,536,000 82 Linux swap / Solaris Drive: pdc_bdadcfbdif ___________________ _____________________________________________________ Disk /dev/mapper/pdc_bdadcfbdif: 750.0 GB, 749999947776 bytes 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 91182 cylinders, total 1464843648 sectors Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes Partition Boot Start End Size Id System /dev/mapper/pdc_bdadcfbdif1 * 2,048 206,847 204,800 7 HPFS/NTFS /dev/mapper/pdc_bdadcfbdif2 206,911 1,440,372,735 1,440,165,825 7 HPFS/NTFS /dev/mapper/pdc_bdadcfbdif3 1,440,372,736 1,464,856,575 24,483,840 7 HPFS/NTFS /dev/mapper/pdc_bdadcfbdif3 ends after the last sector of /dev/mapper/pdc_bdadcfbdif blkid -c /dev/null: ____________________________________________________________ Device UUID TYPE LABEL /dev/mapper/pdc_bdadcfbdif1 888E54CC8E54B482 ntfs SYSTEM /dev/mapper/pdc_bdadcfbdif2 C2766BF6766BEA1D ntfs OS /dev/mapper/pdc_bdadcfbdif: PTTYPE="dos" /dev/sda1 888E54CC8E54B482 ntfs SYSTEM /dev/sda2 C2766BF6766BEA1D ntfs OS /dev/sda3 BE6CA31D6CA2CF87 ntfs HP_RECOVERY /dev/sda promise_fasttrack_raid_member /dev/sdb1 20B65685B6565B7C ntfs SYSTEM /dev/sdb2 B4467A314679F508 ntfs HP /dev/sdb3 6E10B7A410B77227 ntfs FACTORY_IMAGE /dev/sdb4: PTTYPE="dos" /dev/sdb5 266f9801-cf4f-4acc-affa-2092be035f0c ext4 /dev/sdb6 1df35749-a887-45ff-a3de-edd52239847d swap /dev/sdb: PTTYPE="dos" error: /dev/mapper/pdc_bdadcfbdif3: No such file or directory error: /dev/sdc: No medium found error: /dev/sdd: No medium found error: /dev/sde: No medium found error: /dev/sdf: No medium found error: /dev/sdg: No medium found ============================ "mount | grep ^/dev output: =========================== Device Mount_Point Type Options /dev/sdb5 / ext4 (rw,errors=remount-ro,commit=0) =========================== sdb5/boot/grub/grub.cfg: =========================== # # DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE # # It is automatically generated by grub-mkconfig using templates # from /etc/grub.d and settings from /etc/default/grub # ### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/00_header ### if [ -s $prefix/grubenv ]; then set have_grubenv=true load_env fi set default="0" if [ "${prev_saved_entry}" ]; then set saved_entry="${prev_saved_entry}" save_env saved_entry set prev_saved_entry= save_env prev_saved_entry set boot_once=true fi function savedefault { if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then saved_entry="${chosen}" save_env saved_entry fi } function recordfail { set recordfail=1 if [ -n "${have_grubenv}" ]; then if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then save_env recordfail; fi; fi } function load_video { insmod vbe insmod vga insmod video_bochs insmod video_cirrus } insmod part_msdos insmod ext2 set root='(/dev/sdb,msdos5)' search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 266f9801-cf4f-4acc-affa-2092be035f0c if loadfont /usr/share/grub/unicode.pf2 ; then set gfxmode=auto load_video insmod gfxterm fi terminal_output gfxterm insmod part_msdos insmod ext2 set root='(/dev/sdb,msdos5)' search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 266f9801-cf4f-4acc-affa-2092be035f0c set locale_dir=($root)/boot/grub/locale set lang=en_US insmod gettext if [ "${recordfail}" = 1 ]; then set timeout=-1 else set timeout=10 fi ### END /etc/grub.d/00_header ### ### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ### set menu_color_normal=white/black set menu_color_highlight=black/light-gray if background_color 44,0,30; then clear fi ### END /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ### ### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ### if [ ${recordfail} != 1 ]; then if [ -e ${prefix}/gfxblacklist.txt ]; then if hwmatch ${prefix}/gfxblacklist.txt 3; then if [ ${match} = 0 ]; then set linux_gfx_mode=keep else set linux_gfx_mode=text fi else set linux_gfx_mode=text fi else set linux_gfx_mode=keep fi else set linux_gfx_mode=text fi export linux_gfx_mode if [ "$linux_gfx_mode" != "text" ]; then load_video; fi menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.38-8-generic-pae' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os { recordfail set gfxpayload=$linux_gfx_mode insmod part_msdos insmod ext2 set root='(/dev/sdb,msdos5)' search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 266f9801-cf4f-4acc-affa-2092be035f0c linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic-pae root=UUID=266f9801-cf4f-4acc- affa-2092be035f0c ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7 initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-8-generic-pae } menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.38-8-generic-pae (recovery mode)' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os { recordfail set gfxpayload=$linux_gfx_mode insmod part_msdos insmod ext2 set root='(/dev/sdb,msdos5)' search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 266f9801-cf4f-4acc-affa-2092be035f0c echo 'Loading Linux 2.6.38-8-generic-pae ...' linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic-pae root=UUID=266f9801-cf4f-4acc-affa-2092be035f0c ro single echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...' initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-8-generic-pae } ### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ### ### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ### ### END /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ### ### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ### menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+)" { insmod part_msdos insmod ext2 set root='(/dev/sdb,msdos5)' search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 266f9801-cf4f-4acc-affa-2092be035f0c linux16 /boot/memtest86+.bin } menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+, serial console 115200)" { insmod part_msdos insmod ext2 set root='(/dev/sdb,msdos5)' search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 266f9801-cf4f-4acc-affa-2092be035f0c linux16 /boot/memtest86+.bin console=ttyS0,115200n8 } ### END /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ### ### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ### menuentry "Windows 7 (loader) (on /dev/sdb1)" --class windows --class os { insmod part_msdos insmod ntfs set root='(/dev/sdb,msdos1)' search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 20B65685B6565B7C chainloader +1 } menuentry "Windows Recovery Environment (loader) (on /dev/sdb3)" --class windows --class os { insmod part_msdos insmod ntfs set root='(/dev/sdb,msdos3)' search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 6E10B7A410B77227 drivemap -s (hd0) ${root} chainloader +1 } ### END /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ### ### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/40_custom ### # This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries. Simply type the # menu entries you want to add after this comment. Be careful not to change # the 'exec tail' line above. ### END /etc/grub.d/40_custom ### ### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/41_custom ### if [ -f $prefix/custom.cfg ]; then source $prefix/custom.cfg; fi ### END /etc/grub.d/41_custom ### =============================== sdb5/etc/fstab: =============================== # /etc/fstab: static file system information. # # Use 'blkid -o value -s UUID' to print the universally unique identifier # for a device; this may be used with UUID= as a more robust way to name # devices that works even if disks are added and removed. See fstab(5). # # <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass> proc /proc proc nodev,noexec,nosuid 0 0 # / was on /dev/sdb5 during installation UUID=266f9801-cf4f-4acc-affa-2092be035f0c / ext4 errors=remount-ro 0 1 # swap was on /dev/sdb6 during installation UUID=1df35749-a887-45ff-a3de-edd52239847d none swap sw 0 0 =================== sdb5: Location of files loaded by Grub: =================== 900.1GB: boot/grub/core.img 825.0GB: boot/grub/grub.cfg 688.7GB: boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-8-generic-pae 688.0GB: boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic-pae 688.7GB: initrd.img 688.0GB: vmlinuz =========================== Unknown MBRs/Boot Sectors/etc ======================= Unknown BootLoader on pdc_bdadcfbdif3 =======Devices which don't seem to have a corresponding hard drive============== sdc sdd sde sdf sdg =============================== StdErr Messages: =============================== ERROR: dos: partition address past end of RAID device hexdump: /dev/mapper/pdc_bdadcfbdif3: No such file or directory hexdump: /dev/mapper/pdc_bdadcfbdif3: No such file or directory ERROR: dos: partition address past end of RAID device

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Productive Toolset for C# Developer

- by Marko Apfel

Programming Visual Studio ReSharper Agent Johnson Agent Smith StyleCop for ReSharper Keymaps SettingsManager Git Source Control Provider Gist NuGet Package Manager NDepend Productivity Power Tools PowerCommands for Visual Studio PostSharp Indent Guides Typemock Isolator VSCommands Ressource Refactor Clone Detective GhostDoc CR_Documentor AnkSVN Expression Blend SharpDevelop Notepad++, PS Pad StyleCop, FxCop, .. .NET Reflector, ILSpy, dotPeek, Just Decompile Git Extensions inkl. MSysGit, MinGW Github for Windows SmartGit PoSH-Git Console Enhancement Project LINQPad Mercurial RapidSVN SQL Management Studio Adventure Works Sample DB AdventureWorksLT Toad for SQL Server yEd Graph Editor TeX, LateX MiKTeX, TeXworks Pandoc Jenkins, TeamCity KompoZer XML Notepad Kaxaml KDiff3, WinMerge, Perforce Merge Handle DbgView FusLogVw FTP Commander HTML Help Workshop, Sandcastle, SHFB WiX Enterprise Architect InsightProfiler Putty Cygwin DXCore, DXCore Plugins FreeMind ProcessExplorer, ProcessMonitor Social Networking, Community Windows Live Writer Disgsby Skype TweetDeck FeedReader Sytem and others Microsoft Office (notably OneNote!!!) Adobe Reader PDF Creator SRWare Iron (Chrome) AddThis bit-ly del.icio.us InstaPaper Leo Dictionary Google Bookmarks Proxy Switchy! StumbleUpon K-Meleon FreeCommander, FAR 7-Zip Keyboard Jedi Launchy TrueCrypt Dropbox Ditto Greenshot Rainlendar2 Everything Daemon Tools inSSIDer VirtualBox Stardock Fences Media Player Classic VLC Media Player Winamp WinAmp Cue Player LAME Encoder CamStudio Youtube to MP3 Converter VirtualDub Image Resizer Powertoy Clone 2.0 Paint.NET Picasa Windy JediConcentrate, Ghoster TeamViewer Timerle TreeSizeFree WinDirStat Windows Sizer, WinResizer ZoomIt Sometimes nice to have ArcGIS TortoiseSVN, TortoiseCVS XnView GitJungle CowSpy Grindstone Free Download Manager CDBurnerXP Free Audio CD Burner SmartAssembly intellibook GMX SMS Manager BlackBerry Desktop Cisco Any Connect eRoom Foxit Reader Google Earth ThinkVantage GPS Gridy Bluefish The GodFather Tor Browser, Charon YouTube Downloader NCover Network Stumbler Remote Debugger WScite XML Pad DBVisualizer Microsoft Network Monitor, Fiddler2 Eclipse IDE Oracle Client, Oracle SQL Developer Bookmarks, Links http://pastebin.de/, http://pastebin.com/ http://followup.cc http://trello.com http://tumblr.com https://bitly.com/, http://is.gd http://www.famkruithof.net/uuid/uuidgen, http://www.guidgenerator.com/ https://github.com/, https://bitbucket.org/ http://dict.leo.org/, http://translate.google.com/ http://prezi.com/ http://geekswithblogs.net/Default.aspx, http://codebetter.com/ http://duckduckgo.com/bang.html http://de.schreibtrainer.com/index.php?site=3&menuId=3 http://www.mr-wetter.de/ this is an update to http://geekswithblogs.net/mapfel/archive/2010/07/12/140877.aspx

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Programação paralela no .NET Framework 4 – Parte I

- by anobre

Introdução O avanço de tecnologia nos últimos anos forneceu, a baixo custo, acesso a workstations com inúmeros CPUs. Facilmente encontramos hoje máquinas clientes com 2, 4 e até 8 núcleos, sem considerar os “super-servidores” com até 36 processadores :) Da wikipedia: A Unidade central de processamento (CPU, de acordo com as iniciais em inglês) ou o processador é a parte de um sistema de computador que executa as instruções de um programa de computador, e é o elemento primordial na execução das funções de um computador. Este termo tem sido usado na indústria de computadores pelo menos desde o início dos anos 1960[1]. A forma, desenho e implementação de CPUs têm mudado dramaticamente desde os primeiros exemplos, mas o seu funcionamento fundamental permanece o mesmo. Fazendo uma analogia, seria muito interessante delegarmos tarefas no mundo real que podem ser executadas independentemente a pessoas diferentes, atingindo desta forma uma maior performance / produtividade na sua execução. A computação paralela se baseia na idéia que um problema maior pode ser dividido em problemas menores, sendo resolvidos de forma paralela. Este pensamento é utilizado há algum tempo por HPC (High-performance computing), e através das facilidades dos últimos anos, assim como a preocupação com consumo de energia, tornaram esta idéia mais atrativa e de fácil acesso a qualquer ambiente. No .NET Framework A plataforma .NET apresenta um runtime, bibliotecas e ferramentas para fornecer uma base de acesso fácil e rápido à programação paralela, sem trabalhar diretamente com threads e thread pool. Esta série de posts irá apresentar todos os recursos disponíveis, iniciando os estudos pela TPL, ou Task Parallel Library. Task Parallel Library A TPL é um conjunto de tipos localizados no namespace System.Threading e System.Threading.Tasks, a partir da versão 4 do framework. A partir da versão 4 do framework, o TPL é a maneira recomendada para escrever código paralelo e multithreaded. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd460717(v=VS.100).aspx Task Parallelism O termo “task parallelism”, ou em uma tradução live paralelismo de tarefas, se refere a uma ou mais tarefas sendo executadas de forma simultanea. Considere uma tarefa como um método. A maneira mais fácil de executar tarefas de forma paralela é o código abaixo: Parallel.Invoke(() => TrabalhoInicial(), () => TrabalhoSeguinte()); O que acontece de verdade? Por trás nos panos, esta instrução instancia de forma implícita objetos do tipo Task, responsável por representar uma operação assíncrona, não exatamente paralela: public class Task : IAsyncResult, IDisposable É possível instanciar Tasks de forma explícita, sendo uma alternativa mais complexa ao Parallel.Invoke. var task = new Task(() => TrabalhoInicial()); task.Start(); Outra opção de instanciar uma Task e já executar sua tarefa é: var t = Task<int>.Factory.StartNew(() => TrabalhoInicialComValor());var t2 = Task<int>.Factory.StartNew(() => TrabalhoSeguinteComValor()); A diferença básica entre as duas abordagens é que a primeira tem início conhecido, mais utilizado quando não queremos que a instanciação e o agendamento da execução ocorra em uma só operação, como na segunda abordagem. Data Parallelism Ainda parte da TPL, o Data Parallelism se refere a cenários onde a mesma operação deva ser executada paralelamente em elementos de uma coleção ou array, através de instruções paralelas For e ForEach. A idéia básica é pegar cada elemento da coleção (ou array) e trabalhar com diversas threads concomitantemente. A classe-chave para este cenário é a System.Threading.Tasks.Parallel // Sequential version foreach (var item in sourceCollection) { Process(item); } // Parallel equivalent Parallel.ForEach(sourceCollection, item => Process(item)); Complicado né? :) Demonstração Acesse aqui um vídeo com exemplos (screencast). Cuidado! Apesar da imensa vontade de sair codificando, tome cuidado com alguns problemas básicos de paralelismo. Neste link é possível conhecer algumas situações. Abraços.

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5 reason why you should upgrade to new iPad (3rd generation)

- by Gopinath

Apple released the new iPad, 3rd generation, couple of days ago and they will be available in stores from March 16 onwards. It’s the best tablet available in the market and for first time buyers it’s a no brainer to choose it. What about the iPad owners? Should they upgrade their iPad 2 to the new iPad? This is the question on the lips of most of the iPad owners. In this post we will provide you 5 reasons why you should upgrade your iPad, if more than two reasons are convincing then you should upgrade to the new iPad. Retina display – The best display ever made for mobile device, a game changer The new iPad comes with Retina display with screen resolution of 2048 x 1536, which is twice the resolution of iPad 2. Undoubtedly the iPad 3’s display is the best display ever made for a mobile device and it’s a game changer. With better resolution on iPad 3 eBook reading is going to be a pleasure with clear and crisp text Watching HD movies on iPad is going to be unbelievably good The new Games targeted for Retina display are going to be more realistic and needless to explain the pleasure of playing such games Graphic artists and photo editors get a professional on screen rendering support to create beautiful graphics 2x Faster & 2x Memory – Better Games and powerful Apps The new iPad is more powerful with 2x faster graphics and 2x more memory. Apple claims that the A5x processor of new iPad is 2x faster than iPad 2 and 4x faster than the best graphic chips available from other vendors. The RAM of new iPad is upgraded to 1 GB compared from 512 MB of iPad 2. With the fast processor and more memory, Apps and games are going to be blazing fast. 4G Internet – Browse the web at the speeds of 42 MB/sec Half of the iPad owners are frequent commuters who access internet over cellular networks, the new iPad’s 4G LTE is going to be a big boom for their high data access needs. With the new iPad’s 4G LTE connectivity you can browse the web at 42 MB/sec and it mean you can watch a HD video without buffering issues. iPad 2 comes with 3G network support and it’s browsing speeds are way less than the new iPad. 5MP Camera – HD Movie Recording & gorgeous Photography iPad 2 has a 0.7 mega pixel camera and the new iPad comes with 5 megapixels camera. That is a huge boost for hobbyist photographers and videographers. With the new iPad you can shoot gorgeous photos and 1080p HD video. The iSight camera of new iPad uses advanced optics with features like auto exposure, auto focus and face detection up to 10 faces. Amazon Pays up to $300 for old iPad 2 16 GB Wifi and more for other models Do you know that you can trade in your iPad 2 16 GB Wifi for upto $300? Amazon has an excellent trade in program for selling your used iPad 2s. Depending on the condition of the iPad 2 Amazon offers $234, $270, $300.00 for 16 GB Wifi versions that in Acceptable, Good and Like New conditions respectively. The higher models of iPad 2s fetch you more money. With this great deal from Amazon the amount of extra money you need to spend for new iPad is almost half of their price. Visit Amazon Trade In’s website or read Amazon’s brilliant plan to pay you crazy money for your iPad 2 for more details. Related: New IPad Vs. IPad 2–Side By Side Comparison Of Hardware Specification [Infographic]

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When should I use Areas in TFS instead of Team Projects

- by Martin Hinshelwood

Well, it depends…. If you are a small company that creates a finite number of internal projects then you will find it easier to create a single project for each of your products and have TFS do the heavy lifting with reporting, SharePoint sites and Version Control. But what if you are not… Update 9th March 2010 Michael Fourie gave me some feedback which I have integrated. Ed Blankenship via @edblankenship offered encouragement and a nice quote. Ewald Hofman gave me a couple of Cons, and maybe a few more soon. Ewald’s company, Avanade, currently uses Areas, but it looks like the manual management is getting too much and the project is getting cluttered. What if you are likely to have hundreds of projects, possibly with a multitude of internal and external projects? You might have 1 project for a customer or 10. This is the situation that most consultancies find themselves in and thus they need a more sustainable and maintainable option. What I am advocating is that we should have 1 “Team Project” per customer, and use areas to create “sub projects” within that single “Team Project”. "What you describe is what we generally do internally and what we recommend. We make very heavy use of area path to categorize the work within a larger project." - Brian Harry, Microsoft Technical Fellow & Product Unit Manager for Team Foundation Server "We tend to use areas to segregate multiple projects in the same team project and it works well." - Tiago Pascoal, Visual Studio ALM MVP "In general, I believe this approach provides consistency [to multi-product engagements] and lowers the administration and maintenance costs. All good." - Michael Fourie, Visual Studio ALM MVP “@MrHinsh BTW, I'm very much a fan of very large, if not huge, team projects in TFS. Just FYI :) Use Areas & Iterations.” Ed Blankenship, Visual Studio ALM MVP This would mean that SSW would have a single Team Project called “SSW” that contains all of our internal projects and consequently all of the Areas and Iteration move down one hierarchy to accommodate this. Where we would have had “\SSW\Sprint 1” we now have “\SSW\SqlDeploy\Sprint1” with “SqlDeploy” being our internal project. At the moment SSW has over 70 internal projects and more than 170 total projects in TFS. This method has long term benefits that help to simplify the support model for companies that often have limited internal support time and many projects. But, there are implications as TFS does not provide this model “out-of-the-box”. These implications stretch across Areas, Iterations, Queries, Project Portal and Version Control. Michael made a good comment, he said: I agree with your approach, assuming that in a multi-product engagement with a client, they are happy to adopt the same process template across all products. If they are not, then it’ll either be easy to convince them or there is a valid reason for having a different template - Michael Fourie, Visual Studio ALM MVP At SSW we have a standard template that we use and this is applied across the board, to all of our projects. We even apply any changes to the core process template to all of our existing projects as well. If you have multiple projects for the same clients on multiple templates and you want to keep it that way, then this approach will not work for you. However, if you want to standardise as we have at SSW then this approach may benefit you as well. Implications around Areas Areas should be used for topological classification/isolation of work items. You can think of this as architecture areas, organisational areas or even the main features of your application. In our scenario there is an additional top level item that represents the Project / Product that we want to chop our Team Project into. Figure: Creating a sub area to represent a product/project is easy. <teamproject> <teamproject>\<Functional Area/module whatever> Becomes: <teamproject> <teamproject>\<ProjectName>\ <teamproject>\<ProjectName>\<Functional Area/module whatever> Implications around Iterations Iterations should be used for chronological classification/isolation of work items. This could include isolated time boxes, milestones or release timelines and really depends on the logical flow of your project or projects. Due to the new level in Area we need to add the same level to Iteration. This is primarily because it is unlikely that the sprints in each of your projects/products will start and end at the same time. This is just a reality of managing multiple projects. Figure: Adding the same Area value to Iteration as the top level item adds flexibility to Iteration. <teamproject>\Sprint 1 Or <teamproject>\Release 1\Sprint 1 Becomes: <teamproject>\<ProjectName>\Sprint 1 Or <teamproject>\<ProjectName>\Release 1\Sprint 1 Implications around Queries Queries are used to filter your work items based on a specified level of granularity. There are a number of queries that are built into a project created using the MSF Agile 5.0 template, but we now have multiple projects and it would be a pain to have to edit all of the work items every time we changed project, and that would only allow one team to work on one project at a time. Figure: The Queries that are created in a normal MSF Agile 5.0 project do not quite suit our new needs. In order for project contributors to be able to query based on their project we need a couple of things. The first thing I did was to create an “_Area Template” folder that has a copy of the project layout with all the queries setup to filter based on the “_Area Template” Area and the “_Sprint template” you can see in the Area and Iteration views. Figure: The template is currently easily drag and drop, but you then need to edit the queries to point at the right Area and Iteration. This needs a tool. I then created an “Areas” folder to hold all of the area specific queries. So, when you go to create a new TFS Sub-Project you just drag “_Area Template” while holding “Ctrl” and drop it onto “Areas”. There is a little setup here. That said I managed it in around 10 minutes which is not so bad, and I can imagine it being quite easy to build a tool to create these queries Figure: These new queries can be configured in around 10 minutes, which includes setting up the Area and Iteration as well. Version Control What about your source code? Well, that is the easiest of the lot. Just create a sub folder for each of your projects/products. Figure: Creating sub folders in source control is easy as “Right click | Create new folder”. <teamproject>\DEV\Main\ Becomes: <teamproject>\<ProjectName>\DEV\Main\ Conclusion I think it is up to each company to make a call on how you want to configure your Team Projects and it depends completely on how many projects/products you are going to have for each customer including yourself. If we decide to utilise this route it will require some configuration to get our 170+ projects into this format, and I will probably be writing some tools to help. Pros You only have one project to upgrade when a process template changes – After going through an upgrade of over 170 project prior to the changes in the RC I can tell you that that many projects is no fun. Standardises your Process Template – You will always have the same Process implementation across projects/products without exception You get tighter control over the permissions – Yes, you can do this on a standard Team Project, but it gets a lot easier with practice. You can “move” work items from one “product” to another – Have we not always wanted to do that. You can rename your projects – Wahoo: everyone wants to do this, now you can. One set of Reporting Services reports to manage – You set an area and iteration to run reports anyway, so you may as well set both. Simplified Check-In Policies– There is only one set of check-in policies per client. This simplifies administration of policies. Simplified Alerts – As alerts are applied across multiple projects this simplifies your alert rules as per client. Cons All of these cons could be mitigated by a custom tool that helps automate creation of “Sub-projects” within Team Projects. This custom tool could create areas, Iteration, permissions, SharePoint and queries. It just does not exist yet :) You need to configure the Areas and Iterations You need to configure the permissions You may need to configure sub sites for SharePoint (depends on your requirement) – If you have two projects/products in the same Team Project then you will not see the burn down for each one out-of-the-box, but rather a cumulative for the Team Project. This is not really that much of a problem as you would have to configure your burndown graphs for your current iteration anyway. note: When you create a sub site to a TFS linked portal it will inherit the settings of its parent site :) This is fantastic as it means that you can easily create sub sites and then set the Area and Iteration path in each of the reports to be the correct one. Every team wants their own customization (via Ewald Hofman) - small teams of 2 persons against teams of 30 – or even outsourcing – need their own process, you cannot allow that because everybody gets the same work item types. note: Luckily at SSW this is not a problem as our template is standardised across all projects and customers. Large list of builds (via Ewald Hofman) – As the build list in Team Explorer is just a flat list it can get very cluttered. note: I would mitigate this by removing any build that has not been run in over 30 days. The build template and workflow will still be available in version control, but it will clean the list. Feedback Now that I have explained this method, what do you think? What other pros and cons can you see? What do you think of this approach? Will you be using it? What tools would you like to support you? Technorati Tags: Visual Studio ALM,TFS Administration,TFS,Team Foundation Server,Project Planning,TFS Customisation

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