Paragraph 2
- one
- two
- three
2016-10-05
2009-07-21
You've got to be quick...
There's a good article here that pretty much sums up an idea I had for a Google Wave based code reviewing tool.
Helder, to be honest has gone a lot further with the analysis of what's required and takes things a bit further than my concept of a code-based reviewing tool which I'll elaborate on shortly (at current rates of blogging, in about 18 months time).
Anyway, the point of this article other than trying to do something with this blog for the first time in 18 months? Simply that if you have an idea or an application nowadays, you've got to be bloody fast in getting it out there.
Helder, to be honest has gone a lot further with the analysis of what's required and takes things a bit further than my concept of a code-based reviewing tool which I'll elaborate on shortly (at current rates of blogging, in about 18 months time).
Anyway, the point of this article other than trying to do something with this blog for the first time in 18 months? Simply that if you have an idea or an application nowadays, you've got to be bloody fast in getting it out there.
2008-04-07
2007-12-12
2007-12-03
Mental Block
I must have one about coordinate-system transformations in windows.
Problem I spent literally all day on was to display the Acrobat reader ActiveX control in an application so that only the document itself was visible.
That bit was OK.
Then I had to handle the zooming manually - if the user was allowed to use the Acrobat viewing, they'd screw up the mapping between the application window coordinates and the displayed page.
There's where the fun began. There was an offset (to hide the Acrobat framework), a zoom-factor and the visible top-left point of the page to convert between windowing coordinates and a normalised page coordinate system (0 to 1).
Could I handle zooming in/out? It just did my head in - figuring out which window (application, Acrobat container, page view window) should be used for calculating sccaling factors etc.
Eventually sussed it out. Simple in the end of course with a couple of gotchas in the behaviour of the MFC CScrollView class.
Small disclaimer: I hacked the code together a year ago in a hurry when I was trying to figure out an overlay for the viewer. This made it all pretty confusing. Note to self - review commenting and function-naming style!!!
Problem I spent literally all day on was to display the Acrobat reader ActiveX control in an application so that only the document itself was visible.
That bit was OK.
Then I had to handle the zooming manually - if the user was allowed to use the Acrobat viewing, they'd screw up the mapping between the application window coordinates and the displayed page.
There's where the fun began. There was an offset (to hide the Acrobat framework), a zoom-factor and the visible top-left point of the page to convert between windowing coordinates and a normalised page coordinate system (0 to 1).
Could I handle zooming in/out? It just did my head in - figuring out which window (application, Acrobat container, page view window) should be used for calculating sccaling factors etc.
Eventually sussed it out. Simple in the end of course with a couple of gotchas in the behaviour of the MFC CScrollView class.
Small disclaimer: I hacked the code together a year ago in a hurry when I was trying to figure out an overlay for the viewer. This made it all pretty confusing. Note to self - review commenting and function-naming style!!!
2007-11-28
Google for Borealis' email?
Seriously considering using google to host email for Borealis.
On a similar note this post and this one here show how to integrate Thunderbird with the online google calendars. Given that you can run Thunderbird from a USB key drive, this is perfect for contracting.
Question: can I can a USB key based version of firefox? Answer: yes
Update: forget the google solution - Thunderbird on a stick is fine, especially when integrated with the online google calendars.
- gmail is a great web interface
- google now provides IMAP for use with Thunderbird at home
- good email notification tools
On a similar note this post and this one here show how to integrate Thunderbird with the online google calendars. Given that you can run Thunderbird from a USB key drive, this is perfect for contracting.
Question: can I can a USB key based version of firefox? Answer: yes
Update: forget the google solution - Thunderbird on a stick is fine, especially when integrated with the online google calendars.
2007-11-25
Starting Up As an IT Contractor
"Congratulations - you've done the hard part" (landing your first contract). Advice from a contracting resources site.
It's a great site but that piece of advice was waaaay misleading. The hard part is rushing around like a blue-arsed fly trying to get everything you need in place before you start the job. Limited company. Accountant. Contracts (is IR35 going to eat it?). Business bank account. Professional Indemnity insurance. This, that, the other insurance.
Arrgh. All when your current boss is doing a brain-drain on you before you leave. No, all of the above is the hard part!!
Before anyone says, "who cares about your old job", IMO its a good thing to keep 'em sweet - references, future work when you're in a dry patch, possible joint business ventures. Lots of reasons.
So here I am, at 11pm trying to figure out what the hell to ask a list of accountants over the phone in order to try and figure out if they're actually any good or not.
Please. no smug comments please along the lines of "why didn't you get all of that sorted out before getting the contract?" The answer is initial outlay and how to limit/avoid it.
It's a great site but that piece of advice was waaaay misleading. The hard part is rushing around like a blue-arsed fly trying to get everything you need in place before you start the job. Limited company. Accountant. Contracts (is IR35 going to eat it?). Business bank account. Professional Indemnity insurance. This, that, the other insurance.
Arrgh. All when your current boss is doing a brain-drain on you before you leave. No, all of the above is the hard part!!
Before anyone says, "who cares about your old job", IMO its a good thing to keep 'em sweet - references, future work when you're in a dry patch, possible joint business ventures. Lots of reasons.
So here I am, at 11pm trying to figure out what the hell to ask a list of accountants over the phone in order to try and figure out if they're actually any good or not.
Please. no smug comments please along the lines of "why didn't you get all of that sorted out before getting the contract?" The answer is initial outlay and how to limit/avoid it.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
