piątek, lutego 18, 2005

Kolejny indeks TIOBE

TIOBE Programming Community Index for February 2005
February Headline: Fourth increase in a row for both Java and C#

The TIOBE Programming Community index gives an indication of the popularity of programming languages. The index is updated once a month. The ratings are based on the world-wide availability of skilled engineers, courses and third party vendors. The popular search engines Google, MSN, and Yahoo! are used to calculate the ratings. Observe that the TPC index is not about the best programming language or the language in which most lines of code have been written.

The index can be used to check whether your programming skills are still up to date or to make a strategic decision about what programming language should be adopted when starting to build a new software system.
Position (Position) Programming Language Ratings (Ratings) Status
1 C 19.820% +1.63% A
2 Java 18.340% -4.22% A
3 C++ 11.337% -4.37% A
4 PHP 10.278% +3.02% A
5 Perl 8.861% -0.61% A
6 (Visual) Basic 7.102% -2.04% A
7 SQL 3.373% -0.14% A
8 Python 2.506% +1.50% A
9 C# 2.363% +0.19% A
10 Delphi/Kylix 1.895% +1.17% A
11 JavaScript 1.779% -0.36% A
12 SAS 1.378% +0.66% A
13 COBOL 0.874% +0.13% A
14 IDL 0.686% +0.31% A--
15 ABAP 0.678% +0.51% A--
16 Lisp 0.656% +0.20% B
17 Pascal 0.556% +0.06% B
18 Fortran 0.518% +0.03% B
19 Ada 0.462% -0.04% B
20 MATLAB 0.402% +0.17% B
Legend

Some columns need extra explanation:

*

(Position). This column indicates the difference in position with respect to last year.
*

Ratings. The search query '+" programming" -tv' is used to calculate the TPC Index. This query is executed for the regular Google, MSN, and Yahoo! web search and the Google newsgroups for the last 12 months. The formula that is applied is #(normalized Google web hits) + #(normalized MSN web hits) + #(normalized Yahoo! web hits) + #(normalized Google newsgroup hits). The term "normalized" means that the sum of all web hits of the first 50 languages for a query is taken and evenly distributed.
*

(Ratings). This column indicates the changes in ratings for the last 12 months.
*

Status. Programming languages that have status "A" are considered to be mainstream languages. Status "A-" and "A--" indicate that a programming language is inbetween status "A" and "B". From a supportability point of view, it is strongly advised to stick to mainstream languages for industrial, mission-critical software systems. If a programming language has a rating that is higher than 0.7% for at least 3 months it is rewarded status "A". The first two months the programming language will receive status "A--" and "A-" respectively. The opposite holds for languages that go from status "A" to status "B".

Sending us artefacts or ideas how to improve the way the TPC index is calculated are very appreciated

Nowa wersja StarOffice ma nowy format zgodny z wymaganiami OASIS


StarOffice 8 Learns From MS Office
By David Worthington, BetaNews
February 17, 2005, 8:10 PM

Basking in the limelight of LinuxWorld, Sun used the occasion to show off a working mock-up of the next version of its StarOffice productivity software. In many ways, StarOffice 8 represents the suite's continued maturation.

Built-in usability enhancements conform to the look and feel of industry standard functionality, configuration options and language support is enhanced, and interoperability with Microsoft Office is more comprehensive. Sun has also has thrown in a newly redesigned database engine and software development kit (SDK).

In its quest to produce a substitute for MS Office, Sun has taken care to soften the transition. Usability enhancements are intended to make the software easier to learn and use, reducing migration and training cost. Features such as toolbars and menus, down to headers and footers, resemble Office and have adopted Office terminology.

For instance, "AutoPilot" has been renamed "Wizard." Notable changes were made to mail merge and a new feature named "Format Paintbrushes" preserves copy and paste styles like Microsoft Office Smart Tags.

What's more, StarOffice has been programmed to behave as a native application -- with native widget rendering -- for every supported operating system such as Solaris, Linux and Windows.

No matter how successful it is at erasing any observable differences between StarOffice and Microsoft Office, Sun must labor to ensure seamless compatibility under the hood. The 8.0 release of StarOffice now has the same set of AutoShapes that Microsoft provides in PowerPoint, and has vastly improved handling of Excel spreadsheet files.

Despite it emphasis on Office, Sun has not forgotten third parties. StarOffice 8.0 has improved PDF support, which for the first time allows quality selection for images, as well as well PDF exports. Some new formats such as Xforms are also supported.

Under Sun's guidance, StarOffice has continued to adhere to open standards. The default file extension for StarOffice files has been changed to the OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) Open Document Format (.odx). Sun maintains backward compatibility to StarOffice 7.0 and previous versions.

In addition, Sun has updated its database engine to HSQLDB, which is open source and Java driven, and has moved to a new front end. Sun claims that it is now much easier to create forms, queries and reports. The software supports most major database types and connectors.

In an appeal to the enterprise, a configuration manager will be bundled with the Java Desktop Configuration Manager. This tool helps manage user settings such as profiles, policies, security and authentication, and access controls.

Since StarOffice fares well overseas and has a broad base of supported languages, the software also has a multi-language installation feature that can be selected during installation.

Lastly, Sun has continued its push -- which began with StarOffice 6.1 -- to court the enterprise sector with extended customization that allows customers to include more functionality or change interface elements. The updated SDK has included API concepts and sample code written in several popular 3G languages.

StarOffice 8 is a free public download.

czwartek, lutego 17, 2005

środa, lutego 09, 2005

Drukowanie ...

Today's focus: Printing from a Linux client via a Windows
server

By Steve Blass

Our 2003 Windows terminal client server can connect with any
Windows client via the Internet - it provides connection, sound
and printing services back to the client. We have a Linux client
that we can connect to the server and do everything except
print. Any help?

Printer redirection through remote desktop is a feature of
Version 5 of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). The Unix
rdesktop client distribution release package (rdesktop 1.3.1)
supports only Version 4 of RDP, so you would need to set up your
local Linux printer as a network printer on your terminal server
to print to it.

The good news is the development version of rdesktop, available
through the Concurrent Versions Systems (CVS) repository on
SourceForge, does support Version 5, including printer
redirection (instructions are at the
).

After downloading the source with CVS you can build rdesktop
with the standard GNU build command sequence 'configure'
followed by 'make' and then 'make install.'

If you aren't familiar with building from CVS, rdesktop is a
straightforward project to get started with.

wtorek, lutego 08, 2005

Nowa przeglądarka AOL wraz z wyszukiwarką

AOL Opens Browser, PC Search Beta
By Nate Mook, BetaNews
February 7, 2005, 2:26 PM

Furthering efforts to attract fresh users to its services, America Online has opened beta testing for its standalone AOL Browser and Desktop Search to anyone with an AOL or AIM screen name.

Initially available only to internal testers, the AOL Browser beta utilizes Microsoft's Internet Explorer engine, but packs on additional features such as tabbed browsing and advanced pop-up blocking. The browser also integrates AOL's Desktop Search to scour local files, including Microsoft Office, PDF, HTML, and WordPerfect documents. BetaNews has learned that AOL plans to expand its search to index previously viewed Web pages and AIM chat logs saved as text.

AOL joins a growing list of companies investing in desktop search as a way to increase brand reach beyond the Web. Rivals Microsoft and Google have launched beta desktop search products, along with Yahoo and Ask Jeeves. For its own software, AOL partnered with third party desktop search developer Copernic.

AOL has shifted its focus to attracting consumers with free Web services in the face of increasing competition and a declining AOL subscriber base. As first reported by BetaNews, AOL beta tested its AMP media player as a standalone release in December, with sources citing plans for a public preview.

Both AMP and AOL Browser were components of AOL's Fanfare suite, an alternative client for broadband users that has since been disbanded. But despite reviving Netscape in November with the help of Mozilla Firefox, AOL has continued to make progress on its own IE-based Web browser.

AOL Browser takes many features from current browsers, but also includes some innovations of its own, such as "tear-off tabs." Tear-off tabs can be rearranged or pulled away from their original window and spun off into a new window. Additionally, AOL has added thumbnail preview images of Web pages that pop-up when the mouse cursor hovers over a tab, or the Back and Forward buttons.

Part of its "Power Browsing" feature, AOL includes added privacy options to remove any "footprints" left while browsing the Web, including cookies and cached files. Page zooming, high contrast viewing and enhanced information tools are also included in the Power Browsing menu.

AOL has not offered a final release timeframe for AOL Browser or Desktop Search. However, a company spokesperson told BetaNews last year, "This beta test is part of our continual efforts to test concepts and technologies."

AOL Browser with integrated Desktop Search is available for download via FileForum.

Narzędzie webowe do Linux'a

Pojawiło się świetne narzędzie do administrowania systemami Linuxo-podobnymi webadmin autorstwa Jamie Cameron.

Błąd w przeglądarkach innych od IE

Błąd polega na niewłaściwych kodowaniu i wyświetlaniu znaków diakrytycznych różnych języków. Skutkiem tego wizualny adres strony nie jest zgodny z adresem pod który wejdzie przeglądarka. O zgrozę przyprawia fakt, że nie można tego sprawdzić (do tej pory taka sytuacja miała miejsce w IE, ale ktoś czujny mógł sobie sprawdzić czy jest zgodność adresów (w polu URL i we właściwościach strony) adresy są takie same ponieważ są w obu przypadkach źle wyświetlane - mogą totalnie zmylić u żytkownika i uśpić jego czujność. Błąd tkwi w złej implementacji IDN (internet domian name), której nie implementuje IE. Twórcy innych przeglądarek na razie proponują wyłączyć IDN. Opera twierdzi, że ten błąd jej nie dotyczy.

MS się otwiera ku deweloperom

Microsoft explores opening up to developers

08/02/2005 13:41:20

Seeking to be more transparent to developers, Microsoft is weighing plans to make available more early versions of its software and share more source code, company representatives said Monday.

Speaking to an audience of developers at the VSLive conference in San Francisco, Soma Somasegar, corporate vice president of the Developer Division at Microsoft, said he wants to work closely with external developers for the benefit of the end user.

"I really want to think about you as an extension to my product development organization so that together you and us, as a product group, can combine forces and help develop and deliver the right products for our customers," he said in a keynote address on Monday.

Somasegar wants to make available every software build that Microsoft compiles and involve developers in just about all decisions he makes regarding products that come out of the developer division, such as Visual Studio and the .Net Framework.

"Last year, with the release of community technology previews, we took a huge step forward in transparency, and that was only the first step," Somasegar said. "Every build that comes (out) of the main build lab, I want to be able share with you; every spec or specific document that I like, I want to be able to share with you; every feature decision that I make, I want to be able to get your input and involve you in the process."

Additionally, Microsoft is debating whether it should make the source code to Windows Forms available to developers. Windows Forms is part of Microsoft's .NET Framework, and developers use it to build client applications. The source code can help developers resolve problems when building applications. Uwaga gdzieś przeczytałem, że w Longhorn zachęca się aby aplikacje pisać z wykorzystaniem WF a nie Forms-ów internetowych.

Shawn Burke, a manager on the Windows Forms team, wrote in a posting on his Web log last week that he wanted to make the code available but there were issues to resolve. These issues include intellectual property rights and scrubbing the code of inappropriate comments. Also, not everybody at Microsoft backs the idea, he wrote.

Many developers commenting on Burke's Web log said they are eager to see the code. However, it is far from certain that the Windows Forms code will be made available, said Christopher Flores, a lead product manager in Microsoft's Developer Division, in an interview on Monday at VSLive.

"Shawn started a lively discussion. Certainly there are people inside of Microsoft discussing the pros and cons of doing this, but as far as I know, today, we have no plans to share the Windows Forms code," Flores said

sobota, lutego 05, 2005

Nowe slogany Gates'a

Gates Promises Interoperable Software

By Nate Mook, BetaNews

In a letter to customers this week, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates made a promise to design software that is interoperable with other systems. Although Redmond is traditionally known for its closed formats and code, Gates said communication between applications is critical for business.

He also took a swipe at open source, saying such development hinders interoperability.

E-mails directly from Gates usually signify the start to major initiatives within Microsoft. His letters have previously focused on security issues and changes to Redmond development policies to better protect customers. But now, Gates has shifted his attention toward industry standards.

"Microsoft has been working with the industry to advance a new generation of software that is interoperable by design, reducing the need for custom development and cumbersome testing and certification," said Gates. "These efforts are centered on using XML, which makes information self-describing - and thus more easily understood by different systems."

Gates cited the use of XML in Office 2003 as one example of how Microsoft is pushing interoperability. "Office documents, spreadsheets and forms can be saved in an XML file format that is freely available for anyone to license and use. Office also supports customer-defined XML schema beyond the existing Office document types," he said.

However, the company's Office formats have become a point of contention, as although Microsoft makes use of the open XML architecture, its formats are closed and encumbered by licensing restrictions. The state of Massachusetts recently found itself unsure of how to classify Microsoft's Office formats under its new "Open Standards" policy.

"I think Microsoft is premature trumpeting the open-format messaging. And to be clear, by any definition typically applied to file formats, Office isn't open," Jupiter Research senior analyst Joe Wilcox told BetaNews.

But Gates made clear in his letter that interoperability does not equate to open source. He said that interoperability is about how different software systems work together, regardless of licensing and development. Gates claimed that open source could actually have a detrimental effect on making software interoperable.

"The open source development approach encourages the creation of many permutations of the same type of software application, which could add implementation and testing overhead to interoperability efforts," Gates argued.

środa, stycznia 26, 2005

Ciekawe linki

Strony dla developerów:
  • www.nonags.com
  • www.jumbo.com
  • www.sqljunkies.com/HowTo/B197B9E7-EF3D-4D70-9B5E-47B74E57EF38.scuk
  • mcpmag.com/columns/article.asp?editorialsid=883
  • www.aspobjects.com/ASP_Components/Utilities/
  • www.sqldts.com/?302
  • www.dameware.com/products/dexp/

Narzędzia do administracji serwerami SQL

Pod tym adresem zanjdują się odwołania do narzędzi.

Jak można sprzedawać złe wiadomości

Vulnerability alerting services - ten termin jest określany na usługi związane z udostępnieniem informacji na temat zagrożeń bezpieczeństwa związanych z wykorzystaniem internetu oraz oprogramowania. Zawiera informacje na temat kiedy powstało zagrożenie, jakeigo produktu dotyczy, czym jest to zagrożenie oraz jak można je obejść. Niby proste ale jak uwzględnić ilość takich raportów w ciągu roku (w roku 2004 było ich 889) to może być kłopot z terminową obsługą i reakcją na te zagrożenia. Dlatego wiele firm udostępnia płatny serwis informujący o tych zagrożeniach. Najlepszą z firm okazał się Symantec z produktem "DeepSight Alert Service". Inni to: Co-Logic Security, Cybertrust, PivX Solutions, SecurityMob, SecurityGlobal.net, Secunia. Ciekawe, że firmy autorskie danego oprogramowania udostępniają te raporty bezpłatnie np.: Microsoft, Cisco, IBM. Wadą tych rozwiązań jest to, że mimo ich statusu bezpłatności ograniczają się do swoich tylko produktów. No z wyjątkiem Microsoft, który pokrywa znacznie więcej produktów i ma dodatkowo KB. Więcej na ten temat można znaleźć tu.

MS zaciska pętlę na piratach

Od 7 lutego rusza program blokowania dostęu do aktualizacji MS Windows dla uzytkowników nielegalnych kopii zwany - Genuine Advantage program. Dodatkowo, posiadacze legalnego systemu MS Windows mogą uzyskać rabaty oraz dostęp do atrakcyjnych programów.

wtorek, stycznia 25, 2005

IBM dalej rozwija usługę biurową Workplace

IBM's Lotus unit on Monday updated Workplace, its collaborative software line, with enhanced development tools and a hosted document-management service offering. The announcements were timed to coincide with the Lotusphere conference taking place this week in Orlando, Fla.

The company introduced Workplace Collaborative Service, a set of Web-delivered collaborative programs, including e-mail, calendering and electronic learning tools, which IBM will sell as a single bundle. Workplace is IBM's line of Java-based productivity applications that run with the company's WebSphere Portal software. To help the transition from its current Notes and Domino to Workplace, the company released tools aimed at simplifying Workplace application development. It also added a hosted service to manage and collect reports required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. In a release, IBM said that version 7 of Notes and Domino will be available this summer.

Kody AIX do przejrzenia przez SCO

BM ordered to reveal source code to SCO
IBM has been ordered to hand over source code of its AIX and Dynix operating systems to SCO, in the latest installment of the long-running Linux intellectual property rights legal case between the pair.
A federal court in Utah has ordered that IBM must supply the code by 11 February after a successful application from SCO, which wants to examine it to see if any of its code was used in IBM products.
The legal feud started in spring 2003 when SCO claimed its code had been used to develop various commercial Linux products, and IBM was the subject of a multibillion-dollar lawsuit.
Other firms supplying Linux products are also being threatened by SCO. SCO claims parts of its Unix System V operating system have been used by other companies to develop Linux and other types of software products.
IBM denies any infringement to SCO’s intellectual property, and the outcome of the case will have a huge impact on the Linux open-source market.
Many users of Linux products are now seeking indemnity from their suppliers against prosecution from SCO.
The full trial is not expected to begin until the end of the year.

Usługi sieciowe (WS) i MS SQL Server

At the formal release of the Microsoft .NET Framework, Bill Gates promoted Web services by demonstrating the SQL Server 2000 Web Services Toolkit, which comes with XML for SQL Server 2000's third Web release (SQLXML 3.0). The Web Services Toolkit is a jewel, letting you graphically create a Web service that exposes database objects such as stored procedures and user-defined functions (UDFs). If you're handy at T-SQL and stored procedures, SQLXML 3.0 turns you into a Web services wizard with practically no learning curve.
SQL Server Magazine has chronicled SQLXML 3.0 since its inception. Brian Moran, for example, described how to get started creating Web services with the initial release of SQLXML 3.0 in his February 21, 2002, SQL Server Perspectives column, "Use the SQL Server 2000 Web Services Toolkit to Get Started with .NET" (InstantDoc ID 24206). Since then, Microsoft has released two service-pack updates to SQLXML 3.0. You can find the latest update, Service Pack 2 (SP2), as a free download at http://www.microsoft.com /downloads/details.aspx?familyid=4c8033a9-cf10-4e22-8004-477098a407ac&displaylang=en. In this article, I take you beyond the basics of building a Web service. The sample telephone-directory Web service application demonstrates how to invoke stored procedures and UDFs by passing parameters and capturing return values. Learning how to build the sample application will equip you to create flexible Web services solutions that expand the uses for existing SQL Server database objects. In addition, some organizations might find the sample application a quick and easy solution for an online telephone directory that runs behind a firewall

czwartek, stycznia 13, 2005

Usługi w Windows XP są po to aby je wyłączyć

Services You Can Disable
Updated 10/30/03
There are quite a few services you can disable from starting automatically. This would be to speed up your boot time and free resources.They are only suggestions so I suggestion you read the description of each one when you run Servicesand that you turn them off one at a time.Some possibilities are:
Alerter - Sends alert messages to specified users that are connected to the server computer.
Application Management - Allows software to tap directly into the Add/Remove Programs feature via the Windows Installer technology.
Background Intelligent Transfer Service - The Background Intelligent Transfer service is used by programs (such as Windows AutoUpdate) to download files by using spare bandwidth.
Clipbook - ClipBook permits you to cut and paste text and graphics over the network.
Error Reporting Service - Allows applications to send error reports to Microsoft in the event of an application fault.
Fast User Switching - Windows XP allows users to switch quickly between accounts, without requiring them to log off.
Help and Support - Allows the XP Built-in Help and Support Center to run.
IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service - You don't need this if you have other software to create CDs.
Indexing Service - Indexes contents and properties of files on local and remote computers; provides rapid access to files through flexible querying language.
IP SEC - Manages IP security policy and starts the ISAKMP/Oakley (IKE) and the IP security driver. If you are not on a domain, you likely don't need this running.
Messenger - Transmits net send and Alerter service messages between clients and servers. This is how a lot of pop-up windows start appearing on your desktop.
Net Logon - Supports pass-through authentication of account logon events for computers in a domain. If you are not on a domain, you don't need this running
Network DDE - Provides network transport and security for Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) for programs running on the same computer or on different computers.
NT LM Security Support Provider - Provides security to remote procedure call (RPC) programs that use transports other than named pipes.
Performance Logs and Alerts - Collects performance data from local or remote computers based on preconfigured schedule parameters, then writes the data to a log or triggers an alert. If you don't need to monitor your performance logs, then you don't need this service.
Portable Media Serial Number - Retrieves the serial number of any portable music player connected to your computer
QOS RSVP - Provides network signaling and local traffic control setup functionality for QoS-aware programs and control applets.
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager - Manages and controls Remote Assistance. If you are not using Remote Desktop you don't need this service.
Remote Registry - Enables remote users to modify registry settings on this computer.
Routing & Remote Access - Offers routing services to businesses in local area and wide area network environments. Allows dial-in access.
Secondary Login - Enables starting processes under alternate credentials. This is what allows you to run an application as another user.
Smart Card - Manages access to smart cards read by this computer.
Smart Card Helper - Enables support for legacy non-plug and play smart-card readers used by this computer.
SSDP Discovery Service - Enables discovery of UPnP devices on your home network.
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper - Enables support for NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) service and NetBIOS name resolution. This should not be needed in today's network environment.
Telnet - Enables a remote user to log on to this computer and run programs, and supports various TCP/IP Telnet clients.
Uninterruptible Power Supply Service - Manages an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) connected to the computer.
Universal Plug and Play Device Host - Provides support to host Universal Plug and Play devices
Upload Manager - Manages synchronous and asynchronous file transfers between clients and servers on the network.
Volume Shadow Copy Service - Manages and implements Volume Shadow Copies used for backup and other purposes.
Web Client - Enables Windows-based programs to create, access, and modify non-local files across the Internet.
Wireless Zero Configuration - Provides automatic configuration for the 802.11 adapters
WMI Performance Adapter - Provides performance library information from WMI HiPerf providers.

Zmiana twarzy w OpenOffice

The latest OpenOffice.org Snapshot reveals an office suite that includes a personal DBMS (database management system), similar to Microsoft Access. OSDir takes us for a quick tour of OpenOffice.org 1.9.69 Base. Yahoo reports - Microsoft Office, with which OpenOffice is often compared, comes with the Access database. Starting with 2.0, however, OpenOffice will include the open-source HSQL database engine. HSQL is a Java-based database. It is an SQL (structured query language) DBMS engine that's also designed for use with JDBC (Java DataBase Connect). As such, it's a database designer tool, not an office-worker tool.

czwartek, stycznia 06, 2005

Zabezpiecz w rejestrze zmiany zawawansowane MS IE

** Restricting Access
Let's suppose that you would like to keep the Microsoft Internet Explorer Advanced Settings tab inaccessible to others. You can do this by editing the system Registry. However, we decided to create a Reg. file that will do the editing for you. To create the file, run Notepad and type in the following text. (Where you see PRESS ENTER HERE, just press Enter. If you type in PRESS ENTER HERE, your Reg file won't work.)
REGEDIT4 (PRESS ENTER HERE) [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Control Panel] "AdvancedTab"=dword:00000001 (PRESS ENTER HERE)
Now choose FileSave As. When the Save As dialog opens, name your file NoAdv.reg, locate a folder to save it in (or accept the default folder) and click Save. Double-click the new file to merge it into the Registry. You'll get a dialog box asking if you're sure about this. Click Yes. You'll get another dialog box telling you that the merge is complete. Click OK. Run IE and choose ToolsInternet Options. You'll find that the Advanced tab no longer exists. To get the tab back, copy the Reg file and change the line
"AdvancedTab"=dword:00000001
to
"AdvancedTab"=dword:00000000
Name this Reg file AdvOn.reg and save it. Double-clicking the new file will return the Advanced tab.

środa, stycznia 05, 2005

Perełki internetowe

Bardzo ciekawe adresy:

Obrona IE

Phil Windley says that corporate IT infrastructures are created to be extremely homogeneous as a form of self defense. True, heterogeneous environments can be more expensive to maintain and user support can be more difficult. However, Windley points to a hidden cost for the homogeneous mentality --corporate IT users are "unable to use many of the more innovative products and applications that consumers use everyday. As an example, Windley quotes from an article about the reluctance of IT vendors to put the widely popular --and more secure than Internet Explorer-- Firefox Web browser on the desktop when they sell to corporate IT department. In addition, many IT executives are reluctant to give up the problematic Internet Explorer because Firefox is lacking in other features, as Meta Group points out:

Despite all the media noise around the Firefox browser, we do not believe the majority of IT organizations will decide to support it for a number of key reasons. These include the lack of subcomponent administration (for desktop lockdown), compatibility, and integration with other desktop applications. Compatibility is an interesting one. While IE has been criticized by purists for its poor adherence to standards, it is also the browser most sites have customized their development for. Many of the features talked about with Firefox are red herrings (e.g., tabbed browsing, ad blocking, extension architecture). However, some IT organizations have noticed stunning performance benefits in using Firefox with specific applications and will therefore likely support it in limited release - but only where performance is a more important consideration than the combination of all other factors. If consumer take-up of Firefox reaches the vast majority of users, then IE in the corporate environment will be reconsidered, but for now, the benefits of migration do not stack up.

Pożyteczne programy do wykorzystania

  • FireFox - ciekawy artykuł na temat pozycji tej przegladarki, sugestie: wsparcie dla ActiveX oraz "niestandardowych" rozszerzeń MS IE. Spełnienie ich pozwoli opanowąć w większym stopniu rynek,
  • AbiWord - ok, jako niewielki i prosty edyt or z możliwością tworzenia tabel, brak możliwości exportu/importu plików MS Word,
  • AEdix - świetny edytor programistyczny, podświetla składnię m.in. asp, python, sql, html
  • Sqlplus - podpięcie się do bazy oracle, wywołanie: sqlplus user/pass@deva_blade01
  • Netcraft toolbar - narzędzie musowo do zaintstalowania w MS IE, pokazuje czy strona na którą weszliśmy jest wiarygodna (na pasku pokazuje statystykę informacji o danej stronie)

poniedziałek, stycznia 03, 2005

Odchudzić... Windows XP

Lista jest na stronie
Artyluł na ten temat
Ciekawe download-y
Inne rekomendacje:
Service What it does
Portable Media Serial Number Retrieves the serial number of a portable music player attached to your PC.
Task Scheduler Schedules unattended tasks to be run. If you don't schedule any unattended tasks, turn it off.
Uninterruptible Power Supply Manages an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) connected to your PC.
Automatic Updates Automatically checks for Windows updates. (You can check manually by going to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/.)
Telnet (service available on XP Pro only) Allows a remote user to log in to your computer and run programs. (This will not be found on all versions of XP Pro.)
Wireless Zero Configuration Service Automatically configures a Wi-Fi (802.11) network card. Disable this only if you're not using a Wi-Fi network card.

Nowy ROK, nowe problemy

  • Udało mi się w końcu przemigrować dane z MS SQL Servera 2000 do Oracle 9i. DTS nie działa prawidłowo: dodaje do nazwy tablicy nazwę użytkownika "WAWRZYNCZYK_M"."TABLICA" (można to wyprostować przez zmianę nazwy "TABLICA" poleceniem "rename 'TABLICA' to tablica"), w haśle podłączenia do bazy zmienia nazwę uzytkownika na duże litery ("WAWRZYNCZYK_M"). Po długiej walce udało się utworzyć pustą tablicę SPRZET.
  • Dalej pomógł mi VFP 8.:
  1. stworzyłem połączenie do oracle (poprzez DSN),
  2. stworzyłem widok zdalny 'komputery' bazujący na w/w tablicy w MS SQL,
  3. stworzyłen widok zdalny 'ora_sprzet' do takiej samej tablicy w Oracle, trzeba pamiętać o wypełnieniu zakładki 'UPDATE',
  4. otworzyłem widok 'USE ora_sprzet' i wykonałem ' INSERT INTO ora_sprzet SELECT * from komputery' i działa! Mam teraz dane w Oracle.
  • Jeszcze jedna uwaga - mój serwer MS Windows 2003 nie pozwala na podłączenie się do zdalne bazy w ASP (MS IIS), nie wiem jak skonfigurować IIS.

piątek, grudnia 31, 2004

Koniec usługi MS Passport dla firm

Dzisiaj właśnie odpadł ostatni klient korzystającyu z uwierzytelniania swoich klientów poprzez mechanizm MS Passport. Usługa ta planowo została wygaszona dla zewnętrznych firm. Będzie nadal stosowana do dostępu do MSN oraz innych witryn MS (np. MSDN). Większość firm opowiada się za mechanizmem "federated" tzn. podobnie jak państwa świata, każda firma ma swój "paszport" i decyduje czy uznać "paszport" innej firmy. Najpopularniesze wdrożenie takiego machanizmu to Liberty Alliance firmowany przez SUN-a. Mechanizm ten popierają firmy Fidelity and American Express i konsortium to ma około 150 członków.

poniedziałek, grudnia 27, 2004

Nowy artykuł na DNJOnLine

Tim Anderson interviews Craig Symonds, general manager of the Visual Studio product team, on forthcoming versions of Visual Studio, Microsoft's relationship with the Open Source community, the problems of migrating from Visual Basic 6.0, and whether Visual C++ really is faster than C#. Visit http://dnjonline.com to find out more.


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ODBC żyje nadal

ODBC is not dead

One of the .NET Framework features often highlighted is its new data access model, ADO.NET. Some of its improvements over its predecessors include scalability, speed, and its disconnected nature features. A .NET data provider is used to access a database system; a good example is the Oracle Data Provider for .NET. One problem is some systems don't have a data provider available, so, thankfully, you can easily add support for the older ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity) technology. ODBC is an established industry standard with ODBC drivers available for most systems in use.

Working with ODBC

ODBC is a uniform interface standard that you may use to access database systems. It's a database access library that enables applications to work with data contained in a database. One aspect of ODBC is that you may use it to access almost any type of database, albeit Oracle, Access, Sybase, mySQL, spreadsheets, text files, and so forth. It's a mature technology, so locating an ODBC driver for a particular database system is usually not a problem.

ODBC .NET Data Provider

The ODBC .NET Data Provider is an add-on component to the Microsoft .NET Framework Software Development Kit (SDK). It provides access to native ODBC drivers the same way that the OLE DB .NET Data Provider provides access to native OLE DB Providers. The ODBC .NET Data Provider is intended to work with all compliant ODBC drivers, but the Microsoft site states that it has only been tested with the Microsoft SQL ODBC Driver, Microsoft ODBC driver for Oracle, and the Microsoft Jet ODBC driver.

ODBC setup

ODBC consists of a driver and driver manager. The driver is specific to a database vendor's product. For instance, Oracle provides a driver for working with an Oracle system. The driver manager is used to install the necessary driver files and configure data sources (that take advantage of the driver) to be used in applications. On Windows-based systems, the ODBC Data Source Administrator is used to create and maintain ODBC connections. You may utilize an ODBC driver in a .NET application once it is property installed and set up.

ODBC classes

Once you install the ODBC .NET Data Provider, you can utilize it in an application. If you're using Visual Studio .NET, you may add a reference to its dll file, Microsoft.Data.Odbc.dll. If you're developing from the command line, you can add a reference during compilation or copy the dll file into the application's bin directory.

The ODBC classes are contained in the Microsoft.Data.Odbc namespace. It includes the following classes:

  • OdbcConnection: Used to connect to an ODBC data source. The name assigned to the ODBC data source, during its setup, is used to access it.
  • OdbcCommand: Used to execute a command against a connection.
  • OdbcDataReader: Allows you to loop through the results of a query against a data source.
  • OdbcParameter: Used to bind a parameter to a command.
  • OdbcDataAdapter: Used to fill a DataSet object from an ODBC data source.
  • OdbcCommandBuilder: Creates default Insert, Update, and Delete statements for an ODBC data adapter.

The next example takes advantage of a few of these classes. It utilizes a previously established ODBC data source (aptly called Test). The DSN name is used in the connection string, along with the user id and password to access the database. A basic SQL statement is used to retrieve all rows from the Customers table with the column values displayed. Finally, the connection is closed and all other objects are disposed. The C# code follows:

using System;
using Microsoft.Data.Odbc;
namespace BuilderODBC {
class TestClass {
static void Main(string[] args) {
string connectionString = "DSN=Test;UID=Chester;Pwd=Tester;";
string sql = "SELECT CustomerID, ContactName, ContactTitle FROM Customers";
OdbcConnection conn= new OdbcConnection(connectionString);
conn.Open();
OdbcCommand comm = new OdbcCommand(sql, conn);
OdbcDataReader dr = comm.ExecuteReader();
while (dr.Read()) {
Console.WriteLine(dr.GetValue(0).ToString());
Console.WriteLine(dr.GetValue(1).ToString());
Console.WriteLine(dr.GetValue(2).ToString());
}
conn.Close();
dr.Close();
comm.Dispose();
conn.Dispose();
} } }

The equivalent VB .NET code follows:

Imports Microsoft.Data.Odbc
Module Module1
Sub Main()
Dim conn As OdbcConnection
Dim comm As OdbcCommand
Dim dr As OdbcDataReader
Dim connectionString As String
Dim sql As String
connectionString = "DSN=PracticalLotusScriptTest;UID=Chester;Pwd=Tester;"
sql = "SELECT CustomerID, ContactName, ContactTitle FROM Customers"
conn = New OdbcConnection(connectionString)
conn.Open()
comm = New OdbcCommand(sql, conn)
dr = comm.ExecuteReader()
While (dr.Read())
Console.WriteLine(dr.GetValue(0).ToString())
Console.WriteLine(dr.GetValue(1).ToString())
Console.WriteLine(dr.GetValue(2).ToString())
End While
conn.Close()
dr.Close()
comm.Dispose()
conn.Dispose()
End Sub
End Module

Dealing with ODBC errors

The Microsoft.Data.Odbc namespace includes the OdbcException class for handling any errors that may occur when interacting with ODBC data sources. We can alter our example to utilize this class to handle any runtime exceptions that may occur. The altered C# code follows:

using System;
using Microsoft.Data.Odbc;
namespace BuilderODBC {
class TestClass {
static void Main(string[] args) {
string connectionString =
"DSN=PracticalLotusScriptTest;UID=Chester;Pwd=Tester;";
string sql = "SELECT CustomerID, ContactName, ContactTitle FROM Customers";
OdbcConnection conn = null;
OdbcCommand comm = null;
OdbcDataReader dr = null;
try {
conn= new OdbcConnection(connectionString);
conn.Open();
comm = new OdbcCommand(sql, conn);
dr = comm.ExecuteReader();
while (dr.Read()) {
Console.WriteLine(dr.GetValue(0).ToString());
Console.WriteLine(dr.GetValue(1).ToString());
Console.WriteLine(dr.GetValue(2).ToString());
}
dr.Close();
}
catch (OdbcException oe){
Console.WriteLine("An ODBC exception occurred: " + oe.Message.ToString());
} catch (Exception e) {
Console.WriteLine("An exception occurred: " + e.Message.ToString());
} finally {
if (conn.State == System.Data.ConnectionState.Open) {
conn.Close();
}
comm.Dispose();
conn.Dispose();
} } } }

You'll notice the ODBC objects are declared outside the try/catch block, so they may be utilized in the finally block. ODBC exceptions are handled separately from generic errors. The connection is checked to see if it is open before closing it.

Every data source available

ODBC has been around for numerous years. Consequently, ODBC drivers exist for almost any data source imaginable. The ODBC .NET Data Provider providers ODBC access within .NET applications through the Microsoft.Data.Odbc namespace. Use this data provider when you cannot find a native data provider for the data system used in your application.

Tony Patton began his professional career as an

Mocniejszy Linux w teście miodowej pułapki

Unpatched Linux systems are surviving longer on the Internet before being compromised, according to a report from the Honeynet Project released this week.

The data, from a dozen networks, showed that the average Linux system lasts three months before being compromised, a significant increase from the 72 hours life span of a Linux system in 2001. Unpatched Windows systems continue to be compromised more quickly, sometimes within minutes, the Honeynet Project report stated.

The results are probably due to two trends, said Lance Spitzner, president of Honeynet, which develops software for deploying computer systems as bait for online attackers. The default installations of new Linux systems are much more secure than previous versions of the open-source operating system, he said. Secondly, attackers seem to be much more concentrated on Windows systems than on Linux systems, and on attempting to fool desktop users, of which the vast majority use Windows.

"Everybody is focused on Windows," Spitzner said. "There is more money (for an attacker) to be made on the Windows systems."

The study is the latest data on the relative security of Linux systems versus Microsoft Windows. Last week, students found dozens of flaws in software that runs on Linux systems, and a research report stated that a thorough analysis of the Linux kernel turned up hundreds of flaws. However, in relative terms, those numbers are low compared to commercial applications.

Honeynets, a term coined by the project, are networks of computers that are placed on the Internet with the expectation that they will be compromised by attackers. The networks are heavily monitored, and the data is used to research the latest tactics of online miscreants.

While some of the Windows XP systems on the honeynets used for the latest study were compromised within minutes of being placed on the Internet, newer versions of the Linux operating system from Red Hat failed to be compromised by random attacks for more than two months.

Debbie Fry Wilson, director of product management for the security response center at Microsoft, told CNET News.com that the company's latest operating system is more secure than the report suggests.

"While it is not clear which version of Windows was used during the study, we feel that a Windows XP SP2 configuration with the Windows firewall enabled is the most resilient client operating system available in the market and can withstand attack much longer," Wilson said. "We are pleased that the report indicates that two Windows-based honeynets in Brazil withstood attack for several months. However, we are not certain that the report provides conclusive data based on a controlled and scientific study comparing the two operating systems."

Every Windows system compromised during the study had its security breached by a worm.

However, Spitzner stressed that the Honeynet Project does not have enough Windows systems deployed to offer meaningful data on that operating system's security. Moreover, the report does not specify what version of Windows XP had been running on the systems that had been compromised and whether any Service Pack upgrades had been installed.

The study did find that more recent versions of the Linux operating system lasted longer on the Internet without patching.

Dla moich dzieci

  • http://www.pcworld.pl/witryna/1321/17.html - serwis "starych" gier, które można pobrać legalnie
  • różnorodne wtyczki do Total Commander (iso, przeglądarka plików graficznych, odtwarzacz wielu formatów muzycznych, ściąganie stron, dostęp do ext oraz raifs)
  • serwer z MS SQL - konto marekw/Trava16
  • serwer T-SQL - konto marekw/piotrola
  • cacheman - optymalizator dla pamięci CACHE w XP, serwer - outertech.

niedziela, grudnia 26, 2004

Różnica między profesjonalistą a pracownikiem

n this section I'll cover the things every professional Database Administrator should know: business matters that are outside the strictly technical realm.

What separates a professional from the average employee? An employee feels that work is useful, and normally appreciates at least the social aspects (and the paycheck) of his job. He is not usually interested in the subject of their work outside of the office or place of work, but is quite competent at their job.

The professional feels that her work is important. She spends time outside her job learning more about the craft. She tries out new ideas, and is highly motivated to promote her part of the whole.

But there's more to being a professional than extensive subject knowledge and enthusiasm. Professionals are defined by what they do, not just what they know. Professionals respect themselves and others, and are always looking for the best solution to the problem at hand, even if it's not their solution. They don't care whether they "win" or not; they only care whether the problem is solved.

In this section, we'll explore ways to develop your professional database administrator career. I use the term DBA to refer to the development, administration, and data architect roles of the job. This section has less to do then with pure technical knowledge than it does with other professional aspects of database technology.

czwartek, grudnia 23, 2004

Zbadaj zmiany w Windows XP

Have you ever been in the process of troubleshooting and needed to know what configuration changes the system has recently experienced? Knowing this kind of information can go a long way in helping track down the cause of the problem you're investigating.

Windows XP's System Information tool takes a daily snapshot of your system's configuration, and it records all changes to key elements. In fact, System Information compiles and stores a month's worth of data in its history file. As such, System Information provides a beneficial troubleshooting database.

You can easily investigate System Information's configuration change history. Follow these steps:

  1. Open the System Information tool by typing Msinfo32.exe at the command prompt. (You can also access it by going to Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System Information.)
  2. From the View menu, select System History.
  3. Select a category from the System Summary tree on the left.
  4. Select a date from the View Changes Since drop-down list.

When you do so, you'll see a listing that displays the date and time of the change along with detailed information on the exact nature of the change.

If you know what you're looking for, you can use the System Information tool's Find feature to quickly scan through the listing.

Wykorzystanie ID w HTML-u

Linking to IDs

You probably know that you can link to a specific place in an HTML document by marking that place with a named anchor (e.g. ) and then referring to the name in the link URL (e.g. ). What you may not know is that you can also link to any element that has an ID assigned to it.

The id attribute is supported by every single HTML tag, so you can assign an ID to any part of the page. IDs are most commonly used to single out HTML elements to control the way they look and behave using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and JavaScript, respectively.

But assigning an ID to an element also lets you link directly to it. For example, this paragraph has an ID of "intro":

id="intro">This is an
introductory paragraph.

To link to this paragraph from within the same document, simply point to the ID:

#intro">Go to the

introduction

To link to it from another document, also include the document's file name, or full URL as you normally would:

href="example.html#intro">Introduction

Internet Explorer for Windows actually takes this convenience one step further. If you use this method to link to a form field, the browser will give that field focus when the user clicks on the link!


id="email" />


Don't forget to fill in your
email address!

Unfortunately, Internet Explorer for Windows is the only browser to do this, but other browsers will still scroll to the field as with other HTML elements.

MS SQL server - indeksy

Artykuł na temat indeksów grupowych (cluster) : www.databasejournal.com/features/oracle/article.php/3429281

Stare dane z Access'a w Linux

Dzięki tej bibliotece jest możliwe aby dane z baz .mdb były dostępne z poziomu środowiska Linux, przykład artykuł na otn:

Projekt Unii wspomagający tworzenie oprogramowania typu open-source

Konsortium firm europejskich stworzyło program dotowany przez EU pod nazwą EDOS (Environment for Development and Distribiution of Open Source). Projekt ma na celu zapanowanie nad zarządzaniem projektami Open Source z uwagi na specyfikę tworzenia aplikacji w środowisku Linux. Chodzi głównie od wielorakie zależności między pakietami wchodzącymi w skład dystrybucji Linux.

środa, grudnia 22, 2004

SQL Server Alter Evey Table

Alter every table in a database

Notice to subscribers: Due to the holiday, the SQL Server newsletter will not be delivered on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2004. Look for your next edition of SQL Server on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2005.

All developers make mistakes from time to time; sometimes this happens because we fail to build in obvious but unstated requirements.

Here's an example: Your database is up and running successfully but various errors in data entry and updating mandate a new requirement: add two columns (LastUpdated and UpdatedBy) to every table. There are hundreds of tables, so it's impractical to perform this task by hand.

This is clearly a chunk of reusable code, so you want to write it once and ensure that it can work on every database. (You might have to refine it slightly for each new database by, for example, changing the column names. But the idea is, you want a procedure to walk all the tables in a database and add one or more columns.)

It's easy to obtain the list of user tables:

SELECT Name FROM sysobjects WHERE Type = 'U' ORDER BY Name

The result set is more conveniently handled as a user-defined function that returns a table:

CREATE FUNCTION dbo.UserTables_fnt
()
RETURNS TABLE
AS
RETURN
(SELECT TOP 100 PERCENT name
FROM dbo.sysobjects
WHERE type = 'U')
ORDER BY name
)

Suppose that you want to add a column called LastUpdated (of type TimeStamp) to every table in the database. To add such a column to any given table, e.g., Customers, your command would look like this:

ALTER TABLE MyDB.dbo.Customers ADD LastUpdated TimeStamp NULL

Now you create a query (view, stored procedure, UDF) that manufactures the statements you need to accomplish your task:

SELECT
'ALTER TABLE NorthwindTest.dbo.[' + name + '] ADD LastUpdated TimeStamp NULL'
AS CommandText
FROM dbo.UserTables_fnt()

Assuming that you make a copy of the Northwind sample database called NorthwindTest and run this code against it, the results look like this:

ALTER TABLE NorthwindTest.dbo.[Categories] ADD LastUpdated TimeStamp NULL
ALTER TABLE NorthwindTest.dbo.[CustomerCustomerDemo] ADD LastUpdated TimeStamp
NULL
ALTER TABLE NorthwindTest.dbo.[CustomerDemographics] ADD LastUpdated TimeStamp
NULL
ALTER TABLE NorthwindTest.dbo.[Customers] ADD LastUpdated TimeStamp NULL
ALTER TABLE NorthwindTest.dbo.[dtproperties] ADD LastUpdated TimeStamp NULL
ALTER TABLE NorthwindTest.dbo.[Employees] ADD LastUpdated TimeStamp NULL
ALTER TABLE NorthwindTest.dbo.[EmployeeTerritories] ADD LastUpdated TimeStamp
NULL
ALTER TABLE NorthwindTest.dbo.[Order Details] ADD LastUpdated TimeStamp NULL
ALTER TABLE NorthwindTest.dbo.[Orders] ADD LastUpdated TimeStamp NULL
ALTER TABLE NorthwindTest.dbo.[Products] ADD LastUpdated TimeStamp NULL
ALTER TABLE NorthwindTest.dbo.[Region] ADD LastUpdated TimeStamp NULL
ALTER TABLE NorthwindTest.dbo.[Shippers] ADD LastUpdated TimeStamp NULL
ALTER TABLE NorthwindTest.dbo.[Suppliers] ADD LastUpdated TimeStamp NULL
ALTER TABLE NorthwindTest.dbo.[Territories] ADD LastUpdated TimeStamp NULL

I used brackets around the table names because they guard against a problematic table name: Order Details. In the absence of spaces, the parser doesn't care about the brackets; but in the presence of spaces, the generated SQL will cause an error.

You can deal with this result set in a variety of ways, including paste it into Query Analyzer and execute it, turn it into a stored procedure, or turn it into an updateable view. Given its one-off nature, I prefer the first choice.

I love writing code that writes code because then I don't have to do it--and it never misspells anything. You can extend this concept to perform just about any DML action that you could perform by hand.

If you're going to try this technique, I strongly encourage you to create a SELECT query first, which manufactures the desired DML, so you can inspect it and check its syntax before running it.

Arthur Fuller has been developing database applications for more than 20 years. He frequently works with Access ADPs, Microsoft SQL 2000, MySQL, and .NET.

Pseudo grafika z css

Styling text with pseudo-elements

Notice to subscribers: Due to the holiday, the Design and Usability Tactics newsletter will not be delivered on Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2004. Look for your next edition of Design and Usability Tactics on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005.

Most Web builders are familiar with using CSS pseudo-class selectors to style the different states of hyperlinks in order to achieve rollover effects. However, you may not be aware of another "pseudo" selector that you can use to create text effects, such as initial caps.

The selector constructs I'm referring to are the :first-letter and :first-line pseudo-elements, and they enable you to create styles that apply to the first letter or first line of a text element such as a paragraph. They're called pseudo-elements because they work as if there was an extra markup tag (such as a tag) defining the first letter or first line as a separate element that can then receive its own styling.

Creating an initial letter effect

A classic typographic effect that is often used to add emphasis to the beginning of a text passage is to accentuate the first letter of the first word with some distinctive formatting. Ancient manuscripts were famous for their elaborate initial letters at the beginning of each chapter or verse, but we don't see that treatment much anymore. The modern initial letter effect is usually more sedate, with an initial letter that is just a little bigger and bolder than the normal text that follows. We can create this effect easily with the :first-letter pseudo-element.

Suppose you want to accentuate the beginning of each paragraph of text as shown in Figure A. You could start with the following XHTML markup. (The text within the

tags has been abbreviated to make the example code easier to read.)

<..body>

Or bends with the remover ... nor no man ever loved.


Which alters ... no man ever loved.


Love's not time's fool, ... it is an ever fixed mark.


And then you could apply the following CSS styles to achieve the effect:

p {
font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 12px;
line-height: 16px;
color: #000000;
}
p:first-letter {
font-size: 30px;
font-weight: bold;
color: #FF0000;
}

There's nothing in the markup that separates the first letter from the rest of the text, but you can still apply distinctive styling to the first letter of each paragraph by defining that formatting in the p:first-letter style. The rules in the p:first-letter style override the corresponding rules in the p style, but only for the first letter in each paragraph.

Combining and controlling the effects

Now, suppose you want to combine the initial letter effect with one that accents the first line of text as well--but you only want the effect to appear on the first paragraph, not on the paragraphs that follow.

The combined effect shown in Figure B may look tricky, but it's fairly easy to accomplish. The :first-line pseudo-element enables you to format the first line of a paragraph just as the :first-letter pseudo-element does for the initial letter. The :first-line pseudo-element works better than tags for selecting the first line of text because the selection adapts automatically to changes in line lengths as the browser window is resized. Combining the :first-letter and :first-line pseudo-elements with a class (or ID) applied to a specific paragraph tag in the markup enables you to restrict the effect to that paragraph.

Here's the XHTML markup for Figure B (with the text abbreviated as before):

<..body>

Or bends with the remover to remove .... nor no man ever
loved.


Which alters ... no man ever loved.


Love's not time's fool, ... it is an ever fixed mark.


And here are the CSS styles that create the effect:

p {
font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 12px;
line-height: 16px;
color: #000000;
}
p.firstgraf:first-letter {
font-size: 30px;
font-weight: bold;
color: #FF0000;
}
p.firstgraf:first-line {
font-size:18px;
font-weight:bold;
line-height:18px;
}

Caveats and notes and browser compatibility (oh my)

You need to keep a few things in mind as you work with the :first-letter and :first-line pseudo-elements. First, the pseudo-element must be the last construct in the selector portion of your CSS code. For example, div#main p.firstgraf:first-line is a valid use of the pseudo-element, but p:first-line a:link is not.

Secondly, when you create an initial letter effect with :first-letter, the initial letter is still part of the main text block, so you can't really position it independent of the rest of the text. As a result, this technique isn't a good way to create drop cap effects where a large initial letter should extend below the text baseline and the following text lines should flow around it. Letter spacing is also hard to control with the :first-letter pseudo-element, so it doesn't work well for large, heavily undercut letters (such as T and W) followed by small text.

Finally, you need to consider browser support for the pseudo-elements. Generally, browser support for these selectors is reasonably good among the current versions of the major browsers. However, the same can't be said for older versions of those same browsers.

Fortunately, selectors containing the :first-letter and :first-line pseudo-elements are generally ignored by the older browsers, which means that the text appears normally, without the initial letter (or line) effect. Since these effects are usually optional visual enhancements, you can often accept the loss of the effect in the deficient browsers without resorting to hacks or alternate formatting to compensate for those deficiencies.

Michael Meadhra has been working in the field since the earliest days of the Web. His book credits span some three dozen titles, including How to Do Everything with Dreamweaver MX 2004, published by Osborne/McGraw-Hill.

Pseudo grafika z css

Styling text with pseudo-elements

Notice to subscribers: Due to the holiday, the Design and Usability Tactics newsletter will not be delivered on Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2004. Look for your next edition of Design and Usability Tactics on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005.

Most Web builders are familiar with using CSS pseudo-class selectors to style the different states of hyperlinks in order to achieve rollover effects. However, you may not be aware of another "pseudo" selector that you can use to create text effects, such as initial caps.

The selector constructs I'm referring to are the :first-letter and :first-line pseudo-elements, and they enable you to create styles that apply to the first letter or first line of a text element such as a paragraph. They're called pseudo-elements because they work as if there was an extra markup tag (such as a tag) defining the first letter or first line as a separate element that can then receive its own styling.

Creating an initial letter effect

A classic typographic effect that is often used to add emphasis to the beginning of a text passage is to accentuate the first letter of the first word with some distinctive formatting. Ancient manuscripts were famous for their elaborate initial letters at the beginning of each chapter or verse, but we don't see that treatment much anymore. The modern initial letter effect is usually more sedate, with an initial letter that is just a little bigger and bolder than the normal text that follows. We can create this effect easily with the :first-letter pseudo-element.

Suppose you want to accentuate the beginning of each paragraph of text as shown in Figure A. You could start with the following XHTML markup. (The text within the

tags has been abbreviated to make the example code easier to read.)


Or bends with the remover ... nor no man ever loved.


Which alters ... no man ever loved.


Love's not time's fool, ... it is an ever fixed mark.


And then you could apply the following CSS styles to achieve the effect:

p {
font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 12px;
line-height: 16px;
color: #000000;
}
p:first-letter {
font-size: 30px;
font-weight: bold;
color: #FF0000;
}

There's nothing in the markup that separates the first letter from the rest of the text, but you can still apply distinctive styling to the first letter of each paragraph by defining that formatting in the p:first-letter style. The rules in the p:first-letter style override the corresponding rules in the p style, but only for the first letter in each paragraph.

Combining and controlling the effects

Now, suppose you want to combine the initial letter effect with one that accents the first line of text as well--but you only want the effect to appear on the first paragraph, not on the paragraphs that follow.

The combined effect shown in Figure B may look tricky, but it's fairly easy to accomplish. The :first-line pseudo-element enables you to format the first line of a paragraph just as the :first-letter pseudo-element does for the initial letter. The :first-line pseudo-element works better than tags for selecting the first line of text because the selection adapts automatically to changes in line lengths as the browser window is resized. Combining the :first-letter and :first-line pseudo-elements with a class (or ID) applied to a specific paragraph tag in the markup enables you to restrict the effect to that paragraph.

Here's the XHTML markup for Figure B (with the text abbreviated as before):


Or bends with the remover to remove .... nor no man ever
loved.


Which alters ... no man ever loved.


Love's not time's fool, ... it is an ever fixed mark.


And here are the CSS styles that create the effect:

p {
font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 12px;
line-height: 16px;
color: #000000;
}
p.firstgraf:first-letter {
font-size: 30px;
font-weight: bold;
color: #FF0000;
}
p.firstgraf:first-line {
font-size:18px;
font-weight:bold;
line-height:18px;
}

Caveats and notes and browser compatibility (oh my)

You need to keep a few things in mind as you work with the :first-letter and :first-line pseudo-elements. First, the pseudo-element must be the last construct in the selector portion of your CSS code. For example, div#main p.firstgraf:first-line is a valid use of the pseudo-element, but p:first-line a:link is not.

Secondly, when you create an initial letter effect with :first-letter, the initial letter is still part of the main text block, so you can't really position it independent of the rest of the text. As a result, this technique isn't a good way to create drop cap effects where a large initial letter should extend below the text baseline and the following text lines should flow around it. Letter spacing is also hard to control with the :first-letter pseudo-element, so it doesn't work well for large, heavily undercut letters (such as T and W) followed by small text.

Finally, you need to consider browser support for the pseudo-elements. Generally, browser support for these selectors is reasonably good among the current versions of the major browsers. However, the same can't be said for older versions of those same browsers.

Fortunately, selectors containing the :first-letter and :first-line pseudo-elements are generally ignored by the older browsers, which means that the text appears normally, without the initial letter (or line) effect. Since these effects are usually optional visual enhancements, you can often accept the loss of the effect in the deficient browsers without resorting to hacks or alternate formatting to compensate for those deficiencies.

Michael Meadhra has been working in the field since the earliest days of the Web. His book credits span some three dozen titles, including How to Do Everything with Dreamweaver MX 2004, published by Osborne/McGraw-Hill.

Wykorzystanie możliwości Oracle w zakresie zarządzania hasłami

Use profiles to create a password management policy

Notice to subscribers: Due to the holiday, the Oracle newsletter will not be delivered on Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2004. Look for your next edition of Oracle on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005.

Most Oracle database users create user accounts with the default profile. Since Oracle 8, it's possible to lock an account by creating a profile and assigning it to a user with either of these two statements:

CREATE USER myuser . . . PROFILE myprofile;
ALTER USER myuser PROFILE myprofile;

A typical attempt to break into a database account is to try several commonly used passwords, such as "welcome" or the username. You can prevent multiple failed attempts at logging in by using the profile tag FAILED_LOGIN_ATTEMPTS:

CREATE PROFILE myprofile LIMIT
FAILED_LOGIN_ATTEMPTS 5
PASSWORD_LOCK_TIME 1;

Users assigned to this profile will be locked out of their accounts after five login attempts with an incorrect password. The account will be inaccessible for one day or until a DBA issues the command ALTER USER ACCOUNT UNLOCK.

Even after several years, I've found that my old password still works on previous projects. This makes a good case for placing a limit on a password's lifetime so it will expire after a certain period (e.g., at the end of a contract). There's also an option to allow a specific grace period, which is useful for projects that aren't used very often. If the user doesn't log in until after the password expires, the user can still connect, but a warning will display until the grace period expires. Use the PASSWORD_LIFE_TIME and PASSWORD_GRACE_TIME tags on a profile to enable these features.

ALTER PROFILE myprofile LIMIT
PASSWORD_LIFE_TIME 30
PASSWORD_GRACE_TIME 3;

Users assigned to that profile will be locked out of their accounts 30 days after the last time the password is changed. After 30 days, attempting to log in will result in warning messages for three more days before the account is locked.

Many users will see these limits and simply try to reset their passwords to what they were previously using rather than using a new password each time. You can prevent users from reusing a password with the PASSWORD_REUSE_TIME and PASSWORD_REUSE_MAX tags.

ALTER PROFILE myprofile LIMIT
PASSWORD_REUSE_TIME 30
PASSWORD_REUSE_MAX 100;

Users with this profile will not be able to reuse a password for 30 days, or until after they change the password 100 times.

Finally, some users will use passwords that are easy to guess. It's possible to restrict a password's format (such as checking for a minimum width, letters, numbers, or mixed case, or verifying that the password isn't a variation of the username) by creating a PL/SQL procedure that validates passwords. You must format the procedure like this:

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION verify_password
(
userid varchar(30),
password varchar(30),
old_password varchar(30)
) RETURN BOOLEAN
. . .

You can assign this function (which can be any name, but it must be owned by the SYS account) with the following:

ALTER PROFILE myprofile LIMIT
PASSWORD_VERIFY_FUNCTION verify_password;

Scott Stephens worked for Oracle for more than 13 years in technical support, e-commerce, marketing, and software development.

Projekt biblioteki GUI dla aplikacji Webowych

Elementy interfejsu graficznego i interakcji:
  • menu hierarchiczne,
  • menu kontekstowe,
  • podpowiedzi opcji (dymki-ballon-hints)
  • ustawianie fokusa na wybranym elemencie
  • biblioteka obsługująca poprawność pola i poprawność pól (submit)
  • elementy dhtml
  • wybór z listy do listy
  • wyszukiwanie na liście (zawężania zgodnie z postępem zgodnie z wybranym prefiksem)
  • arkusze styli css
  • raporty na poziomie korporacyjnym z serwera (Agata/PHP lub RL/Python)
  • sposób zapamietania stanu (cookies/MS persistant)
  • pobranie dynamiczne danych bez konieczności przeładowania strony wykorzystania HTTPXML (obsługuje już Firefox)

Wewnętrzne złączenie na jednej tablicy

Działa, tablica wygląda tak:
CREATE TABLE [dbo].[hierarchia] (
[nr] [numeric](18, 0) NULL ,
[Nazwisko] [char] (10) COLLATE Polish_CI_AS NULL ,
[kier] [numeric](18, 0) NULL
) ON [PRIMARY]
GO
select a.nr, a.nazwisko,b.nazwisko,b.kier from hierarchia a inner join hierarchia b
on a.nr = b.kier where a.kier=5 order by b.kier

Uawga: bardzo ważna, przy MS DTS i łączeniu się z bazą Oracle należy pamiętać o podaniu nazwy użytkownika dużymi literami (zawsze), hasło podajemy bez zamiany. Inaczej nie uda się przenieść tabel z MS SQL Servera na Oracle 9i

wtorek, grudnia 21, 2004

Programować można wszystko, nawet MS Office

Microsoft plans first Office System developer eventFebruary conference aims to train developers on Office System productsBy Paul Krill December 20, 2004
Microsoft (Profile, Products, Articles) is inviting approximately 800 specially selected developers to attend the first-ever Microsoft Office System Developer Conference from Feb. 2 through Feb. 4 in Redmond, Wash.
The conference is intended to help developers and architects build enterprise-class solutions using Office System products and enabling technologies, the company said.
“This is to train developers on Office System products and technologies, and it’s really an opportunity to learn about the Office System directly from those who built it,” said Adam LeVasseur, group product manager for the information workgroup product management group at Microsoft. The company’s message about Office is that it is “a genuine platform for enterprise solutions,” LeVasseur said.
Products such as the 2003 editions of SharePoint Portal, Exchange Server, and Visio are part of Office System. Tools being used with the Office System include Visual Studio Tools for the Microsoft Office System and Microsoft Office Information Bridge Framework.
Prospective attendees at the conference are “field-nominated,” meaning Microsoft personnel will select them, according to LeVasseur. The event is being limited to about 800 persons because of the capacity of the venue, the Microsoft Conference Center.
Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates will provide a keynote address at the event. Partner solutions also will be showcased.

poniedziałek, grudnia 20, 2004

Czeski... case?

The Best Day Ever To Design A Database StructureBy Vladimira SikorovaContributing WriterArticle Date: 2004-12-08Have you ever been faced with the challenge of designing a new database structure? Do you have to redevelop an existing database?The truth is that creating or developing a database structure requires at least basic knowledge of SQL scripts. If you have to design a very complicated database structure with a lot of tables (entities), plenty of information (attributes) and complicated relationships among them, it' s very uneasy... Overall, whatever you have to do with databases, it has always been difficult, time-demanding and expensive. Computer aided software engineering (CASE) is a technique that using some of its tools enables you to create softwares more easily. CASE tools assist software engineering managers and practicioners in every activity associated with the software process, e. g. in systematic analysis, design, coding, implementation, testing work, maintenance etc. Using CASE tools, the architecture and design of the software become more apparent and easier to understand and modify. Charonware, s. r. o., a software company based in the Czech Republic, specializes in designing high-quality database modeling CASE tools. Its flagship product CASE Studio 2 new version 2.18 has just been released. "CASE Studio 2 helps companies create or redevelop their database structures easily, quickly and at a very reasonable price in comparison to other similar competitive products," says Vaclav Frolik, Charonware's Sales and Marketing Manager. In other words, instead of many hours spent on writing SQL scripts, CASE Studio 2 allows you to draw large Entity relationship diagrams and generate SQL scripts automatically, even for various databases (and at a reasonable price). Other powerful CS2 features are: reverse engineering, generation of HTML and RTF documentation, data flow diagrams, export into XML format and many more. "CASE Studio 2 is a highly customizable CASE tool that respects individual requirements of each customer. It supports more than twenty databases and is being used in more than sixty countries," adds Vaclav Frolik. Key enhancements of the CS 2 new version 2.18 are: Full support for PostgreSQL 8.0, Sybase Anywhere 9 and MySQL 4.1, a new HTML report and new graphics of relationship lines. "The new version 2.18 includes more than 80 significant improvements, however, we expect that CS 2 users will mainly appreciate the possibility to move relationship lines and add break points", says Vaclav Frolik. With this feature, Charonware wanted to respond to its customers' needs. To get practical insight on how to work with CASE Studio 2 and its newly added features, Charonware offers very helpful instructional movies on its website. Other useful documentation like the CS2 White Paper and manual are also available. Finally, to consider whether CASE Studio 2 meets customer's requirements and runs without any problems, it is possible to test the CS2 demo version. Charonware provides time-unlimited, free demo version and at the same time free email support. "Charonware provides highly professional and customizable, smoothly integrated database modeling and reporting tool at unmatched price. Our aim is to make software products that would be beneficial for database designers, developers and all who want to accomplish all their database-related tasks with greater productivity and higher quality," concludes Vaclav Frolik. Well, it seems like it's a piece of cake to develop a database structure with CASE Studio 2!? I would give it a try.

Coroczne nagrody Cringely

The “Mission Accomplished” Award goes to Oracle for rescuing PeopleSoft from the throes of a brutal dictatorship … or is that the other way around? As part of the deal, PeopleSoft agreed to drop its poison-pill defense against the takeover, and Oracle’s Larry Ellison agreed to enroll in an ego management program.
The “Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight” Award goes to Dell Computer. The makers of the original flaming laptop continue a proud tradition with the recent recall of nearly a million AC power adapters, which ran so hot users had to wear asbestos skivvies.
The “Fire Down Below” Award goes to the researchers at the State University of New York at Stonybrook who discovered that using a laptop in your lap could cause infertility by, um, overcooking your eggs. And if you’re using a Dell laptop, get ready to serve up some huevos rancheros.
The “If It Wasn’t for Bad Luck” Award goes to SCO, which got ditched by its last remaining investor, saw its licensing revenue drop by more than 90 percent, and had its Web site defaced by fiendishly sardonic hackers. (“We own all your code. Pay us all your money.”) I think somebody needs to give CEO Darl McBride a hug.
The “No Such Thing as Bad Publicity” Award goes to the Motion Picture Association of America, which filed its first lawsuits against file swappers in November. Frankly, that seems a little harsh — don’t you think downloading and watching Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace is punishment enough?
The “Show Me the Money” Award goes to Microsoft, naturally. During the past year, the cash-rich Redmondites settled disputes with InterTrust ($440 million), Novell ($536 million), Sun Microsystems ($1.6 billion), disgruntled shareholders (a $32 billion dividend), and a host of others. Maybe money can’t buy you love, but it can produce new and improved forms of loathing.
The “Andy Grove Humanitarian” Award goes, not surprisingly, to Intel. In 2004, the $30 billion chipmaker canceled two planned processors, issued a recall of one chip, delayed production of another, and saw its CPU market share dip dangerously close to 82 percent. Thanks for giving the little guys a chance to catch up.
The “That’s Not Writing, That’s Typing” Award goes to the bleary-eyed denizens of the blogosphere. From the cadre of font geeks who ripped the lid off “Rathergate” to the congressional assistant who lost her job for writing about her bedroom escapades with Bush administration officials, America’s 4 million bloggers served with distinction. Please remove your tin-foil helmets and take a bow.
Got hot tips or eggnog recipes? Share them with cringe@infoworld.com; you may win a screaming yellow “I Spy 4 Cringely” messenger bag in 2004.