Friday, July 08, 2005

Agile Web Development Book for Rails

From [Riding Rails] blog, here is the anticipated announcement of their book: Agile Web Development with Rails leaves beta. Our very first book on Rails is leaving beta and is in the process of going into print. Agile Web Development with Rails is now ready in its final form as a PDF and it’ll be ready in paper in time for OSCON. That’s pretty damn rocking! And Dave Thomas slipped in a special treat in the PDF version now available: One of the things I really like about the new PDF is the code hyperlinks. The little [File nn] lozenges in the margins next to code extracts are now live hyperlinks to the corresponding source file up on our media server. If you want to see the full code corresponding to an example, click, and it appears in your browser. (And, of course, all the code is available as a tarball or zip file.) So for the two of you out there reading that haven’t yet bought in, now is the time! 6:02:37 PM     comment [] trackback []

Awesome! Notepad2 for Ruby!!! Yahoo!!!

From [ComputerZen.com - Scott Hanselman's Weblog] I very much enjoy reading Scott Hanselman's blog. Not only for the technical content, but also because his work is thoughtful and informative. See here, New Notepad2 with Ruby Syntax Highlighting, for the release of NotePad2 with Ruby Syntax Highlighting over at [ComputerZen.com - Scott Hanselman's Weblog].   5:58:52 PM     comment [] trackback []

Oulook Problem? No Problem!!! Just use Bootcfg to Limit your RAM - LOL!!!

This OMG post comes to us from [ComputerZen.com - Scott Hanselman's Weblog] I often find these gems buried in Microsoft Documentation: I am posting this here for my own entertainment factor: When Bad Ideas become mainstream FAQ Entries. OMG. So, there's a known issue with Outlook 2003 and systems with more than one Gig of RAM. Apparently they are working on a fix. When using the MSN Desktop Search to index your outlook offline folder (OST) on a machine with more than a gig of RAM you may get the error "The .OST file is in accessible." For a most surprising and incredulous recommended fix, see [ComputerZen.com - Scott Hanselman's Weblog] Thank you Scott for pointing up another sterling piece of MS documentation.   5:57:40 PM     comment [] trackback []

SharePoint Backup/Restore - Critical Info...

One of the most difficult areas for Sharepoint is the backup strategy. Those folks who have little experience with backup/restore scenarios are in for a bit of pain, as evidenced by this post from [SharePoint Blogs] You you need to have this piece of the puzzle solved before you can forget about your SharePoint Baby and sleep happy at night. Got Two Reasons Why I Cry Each Lonely Night. The first one's name's Backup and Restore and she's a real bitch. The second one is access control. First backup and restore. Bill, the guy from Mindsharp, laid it out like this: Backup the databases in SQLServer. Backup IIS in the IIS Server properties for every server, every site and every portal on a virtual server. Backup the Portal in SharePoint So the SQLServer thing I get.   In IIS, I'm way confused.  All I get in IIS is All Tasks | Save Configuration to a File.  Once I save it to a file, I know that I can restore the file as a website.  but I don't know how to automate the save so that I'll always have a current .xml file that will store my site. And then, I go Start | Programs | SharePoint | Backup and I get this error about the SQLServer client tools have to be installed.  I am sure they are because I can run Enterprise Manager on the very same server. So that's backup and restore. As for access control, I discovered the following. You need to be able to poke a user name and password into your browser session and you do that with Tools | Internet Options | Security | Custom and at the very bottom select Prompt for User Name and Password. Then you've got to have a test user in active directory that you can add to and take out of groups. The default site groups “Reader,“ “Creator“ and “Web Designer“ are just about worthless and so confusing I've deleted them everytime I see them.  If I can identify an Active Directory group to support some access control function, I create the site group with the same name and an AD suffix and put the AD group in it.  Sometimes I need groups of AD groups and so I make a SharePoint group and give it a name with an SP suffix. So, speaking just of a portal “Area” once you select groups and provide levels of access using the Manage Security option, you cannot then provide greater access that the list level even though the list will let you say “Edit and Delete their Own.” So I'm wondering if I have different levels of access required for different lists, do they HAVE TO BE IN A SEPERATE AREA?  For example, we have a Help Desk Survey and we'd like to mail out links to the CreateItem URL.  So the targets have to be able to create and edit list items.  However, we don't want everybody to be able to create and edit items in the main Help Desk area, so we only give them View access.  This means the survey has to be in a different area. I know I'm slow but I feel like I'm learning.  I just wish this backup and recovery thing was a little more finely defined. Most definitely, backup and recovery is not a trivial task... 5:52:17 PM     comment [] trackback []

Please - No More Folders in Document Libraries!!!

Another post from [SharePoint Blogs] Folders in document libraries are a problem for the user. If a folder is more than two levels deep, they get lost, and navigation with all those clicks and screen re-writes gets tedious.  The solution is to store the docuuments in the top level document library, create a taxonomy, meta-tag the documents, and create views.  SharePoint Views are a powerful alternative to folders. And they benefit the user with fewer clicks, and faster access to documents. Avoid Folders in Document Libraries. When using document libraries in SharePoint try to avoid the temptation of creating nested folders. Edward Ferron: SharePoint Tips #1 I wholeheartedly agree! I have lost count of the number of times that I am asked why documents in a folder are displayed inside a web part. The "list" nature of document libraries is just not compatible with folders, IMHO. I went so far as to create a document library template that has a text column named "Folder" and groups the entries on that column. 5:51:21 PM     comment [] trackback []

The Ultimate Tools List for a Developer - You Gotta See This...

Scott Hanselman puts out an Ultimate Tools List that I have found to be very helpful. From [ComputerZen.com - Scott Hanselman's Weblog] Better Url for the Ultimate Tools List. http://www.hanselman.com/tools/ 5:47:31 PM     comment [] trackback []

Well, It About Time!!!! Spyware Change Netizen's Habits...

This from Yahoo, users are becoming more savvy... Fear of Spyware Changing Online Habits (AP). AP - Internet users worried about spyware and adware are shunning specific Web sites, avoiding file-sharing networks, even switching browsers. [Yahoo! News: Technology News] 5:45:16 PM     comment [] trackback []

Video Games and Society - Are they Good for You?

From the [The Shifted Librarian] is an interesting article about Video Games being used for positive learning. So, the entire post is placed here for my own interest. Video Games Roundup. Some folks figured out the ideal mmorpg (massive multiplayer online role playing game) for girls; see them listed at Youth Horse Sim Games. Yeah, it’s a stereotype, but Kailee sure loves them, and I love the disclaimer that “All Sim Games on this page must be designed and maintained by YOUTH.” There’s some content generation, rather than just one-way consumption, for you. Multiple readers sent me the link to The Video Game Librarian article on Gaming Target and its subsequent follow-up, Six Months Later. Circulating titles is only one small slice of my gaming for libraries pie, but they’re good reads, and I agree that circulating one of the main formats for YA content is a valid library service. Letting kids (and adults!) play games in the library is also a slice of the gaming pie, so naturally I think public, academic, and in certain contexts even school libraries, should follow the lead of the Neosho/Newton County Library in Missouri! Library Filling a ‘Niche’ “Murphy practices his bargaining power on the computers at the Neosho/Newton County Library. The library staff has opened the computer lab to teens to play the game three times a week because of increased interest in games and the influx of young adults using the computers. Jerry Parker, systems administrator, said the library has made many changes over the years to fit the growing needs of its patrons. Additionally, since library patrons are allowed only two, one-hour sessions each day, the increased demand was tying up terminal space during peak periods. Parker said that when he learned that the games, such as RuneScape, that the teens played involved going on adventures rather than violence, it made him see things differently. And as they wait for a free computer, they might pick up a book too, Parker said. He said he also learned that other libraries were offering similar opportunities for youths. ‘We're filling a niche, especially with school out,’ Parker said. ‘A library is about access to knowledge. It used to be a book is a book is a book, but today we have computers and DVDs.’ For Murphy, playing the games may be his motivation for walking the 30 minutes each way to the library - he has three brothers at home fighting for use of the computer - but it's not his only purpose in making the trek. He said he also checks out about 10 items each visit, from books and audiotapes to digital video discs…. ‘I like to read, but I don't like it enough to walk to the library for no other reason than to get a book,’ he said. ‘Sometimes you forget you're at a library.’ ” [The Joplin Globe, via All About Runescape] The Bloomington Public Library is continuing to lead the way in Illinois by hosting a program about gaming and libraries! Thinking Inside the Box: Games, Teens and Libraries - Bloomington Public Library “Are video games and their related programs the next hot trend? Bloomington Public Library has a good track record in this area and is keen to share their experience. Join Matt Gullett, Lori Bell and Diane Colletti as they explore the issue and potential partnerships.” Date: 7/15/2005 Time: 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM 5:43:39 PM     comment [] trackback []

What is AJAX on Rails? Go Here

Understanding Ajax via [Rails] 5:41:59 PM     comment [] trackback []

What's Wrong with the Wrongness of SharePoint???

What's Wrong with SharePoint from [SharePoint Blogs] Things Wrong about "Five Things Wrong With SharePoint". The discussion continues over at: [SharePoint Blogs]   5:40:10 PM     comment [] trackback []

Ah Yes, the SharePoint Backup/Recovery Quiz - Interesting!!!

This post is from [SharePoint Blogs] Back Up and Recovery Quiz. Okay, here's a quiz for you SharePoint Geniuses: True or False: When I back up SQLServer, I'm backing up four seperate databases: MyPortal1_CONF MyPortal1_PROF MyPortal1_SERV MyPortal1_SITE If I were to restore a database, I have to restore the databases back to a database with exactly the same name. If I were to restore a database back to a server with a different name, I can use the SPS Admin site to tell the portal what server the restored database sits on. I can back up every portal site and every WSS site configuration using IIS All Tasks | Save Configuration to File and then create a new web site from file. There is some tool that will allow me to automate the IIS backup so I will always have a current back up. If I install the SQL Server Client tools on my portal server, I will be able to run the SPSBackUp GUI. If I backup the database and the IIS sites and something else in SPSBackUp, I can completely move or restore my portal to anywhere I want. Somewhere, I can find complete and accurate instructions on how to do all of this where everything is in one place. 5:39:23 PM     comment [] trackback []

Check out this New Jaw Dropping Ruby on Rails Movie

This post is from [Riding Rails] The new movie is even better, see it here: New Rails movie with sound and sugar. The original Rails movie left jaws hanging and had developers all over the world stepping through it in slow motion to take it all in. But that was then. Rails 0.5 looks almost primitive from the eyes of a developer working with Rails 0.13. It was high time to rectify both that, the lack of narration, and the notion that Rails is all about Scaffolding. So allow me to present: The New Rails Movie! It’s 50% longer, but shows at least 150% more. And you get my enthusiastic whoops! speak from the Brazilian FISL 6.0 conference where the movie premiered: Many thanks to Pablo for providing me with the sound from the conference and many thanks to Audacity for making it something you could listen to.   5:35:22 PM     comment [] trackback []

CSS Tip for Styling an Unordered Navigation List

How to Style an Unordered List with CSS. In this article you will learn how to style an unordered navigation list using CSS, then take it a step further and add a pop-up information box for each link item so that your visitors will get an indication of the content for the page link. By Stu Nicholls. 0708 from [WebReference News] 5:31:03 PM     comment [] trackback []

The Dutch know how to welcome the Aussies

This movie is still really funny. ";->" via [Scripting News] 5:29:10 PM     comment [] trackback []