Open Web Awards

"Open Web Awards is the only multilingual international online voting competition that covers major innovations in web technology. Through an online nominating and voting process, the Open Web Awards recognizes and honors the top achievements in 26 categories." - Open Web Awards

Winners

Enjoy!

Goodreads ... share your bookshelves

Goodreads is a place where you can share your books, your reviews, your recommendations and check what books your friends are reading. goodreads was started by Otis Chandler, software engineer and entrepreneur. according to wikipedia, As of December 2007, 10,000,000 books were added to goodreads. I'm planning to use it unless you have a better alternative.

Paperless (3) - Microsoft OneNote

If you have a weak memory and you tend to forget the tasks that you need to focus on, give Microsoft OneNote a shot. You can have multiple notebooks, in each notebook you can have sections and in each section you can have pages. You have the option of inserting date/time, tags, pictures, audio and video, you can also sync it with outlook. I've been using it for 2 days now and i like it! I'm sure there are more things I haven't discover yet.

I have created a notebook for my projects so I can keep track of the changes I'm making and later on convert my notes into a decent documentation.

If you are a student you can use it too to store lecture notes if any, research notes, ideas, thoughts, important articles ... etc.

Complete the current? or Create a new one?

There is this in-house budget application that was developed by an ex-developer (PL/SQL, 15,000 lines of codes).

The following year and 2 weeks before using the application, they came up with huge list of errors they have faced with application the year before. I was forced to modify the application (that i didn't develop) in only 2 weeks! and moreover they kept asking for new requests over the following 2 months. The application now consists of over 26,000 ugly lines of codes.

For version 3 this year, Do I cont. building on it? or do I take it from scratch?

1. Won't give up PL/SQL, althu the ugliest? but at the same time it's the fastest!
2. I'm seriously thinking of switching to APEX (Oracle Application Express).
3. I have Jan-Mar to build this.

I will still keep thinking ...

Paperless (2)

So I have started the "Paperless phase" at work and I have been using the sticky notes for over 2 months now. It's not enough anymore! here is what I want:

1. I want to keep the notes, store them to refer back to them anytime I want.
2. I want to include pictures, maybe audio, video with the notes.
3. I want to organize the notes based on defined tags.
4. I want to be able to search my notes.

Here is one option: (I really like the features that it offers):

• Microsoft OneNote, check the demo clip they have.

I want Google to create a smart online application for this (I don't like desktop applications).

The python experience

I have attended a "Python" session last week althu I was never interested in such programming languages. The robot is from Georgia Tech. The thing they have done is to make the robot walk, dance, talk, sing and take pictures with the built-in camera using the various libraries in Python. The session was fun! I never thought its that easy!! And now I want a robot myself!!!!!

More gifts for "Sun" Fans

Got these this summer from Sun Wear Store
I also got the Swiss Army for my friend but his reaction was "w3 I'm not into Java any more!" so make sure that your friends still like Java before you buy anything :p

Java Poster

If ( You instanceof Programmer && You have an empty wall && You like Java )
check this: Java Poster. I bought this last year, looks great in the office!
else

skip this post.

Watch Out @@

The reason for me to post this is because of some employees checking some X material at work. I'm not judging anyone! but please keep it at home because some one is watching you!! @@

In my case I can list some products of what I've seen:

1- WebSense: This product allows us to control the internet bandwidth thru setting various policies. I know for a fact that we bought this product in order to block the monster "YouYube" from eating our bandwidth but on the other hand this product gives you a complete statistics on what your employees are doing. What pages they are accessing, how much traffic they do generate and much more. (this how they checked employee X viewing X websites).

2- Last month, the system admin showed me a product where he can view any user's desktop! We tested it on a "geek" we have in office and he didnt feel anything!!! he was even chatting with his gf!!

I know its not ethical to check on users (privacy) and I really don't see any relation between productivity and prohibiting users from accessing what they want! kaifna!! I like to play games sometimes (helps my brain!) but it happens! they do check on us (even thu i dont care!).

Update: The whole point of this is to say that employees should be aware of such tools ...

Sun Certified Java Programmer 310-065

if you are seriously thinking about passing the "Sun Certified Java Programmer 310-065", then this book is the perfect book for you. I would never ever pass the exam without reading this book!!

*love Kathy Sierra, big fan*

Pro Oracle Application Express

My book has arrived today (First Book on APEX). I'm too excited since I'm a big fan of APEX and there are no books on the subject yet ...

I believe that APEX will take over Forms one day (I HATE forms).

Open Office!

I needed to open a doc file today and I discovered that I don't have Microsoft word installed.

1- Why won't all applications be online .... mo arya7? i hate installing software, I think that all software should be "convereted" to web applications o '7alas. the hard-disk will then be used only for storage!

2- I decided to download OpenOffice. If you're stuck like me download it, It seems to be a good. it comes with six different flavors.

• Writer: (Microsoft Word, word processor)
• Base: (Access, databases)
• Calc: (Excel, spreadsheets)
• Impress (Power Point, presentations)
• Math (writing mathematical equations)
• Draw (sketching diagrams)

For more info: http://www.openoffice.org/

Online Payment

why is it so scary to do the online payment thing :s

its simple ... lets state some facts:

* I'm not going to store any credit card info.

* I'm only sending the amount, order id to the payment gateway.

* The result will be either accepted or not accepted.

* Before updating the DB, I should check if its a double post (sometimes the payment gateway sends back the result more than once).

* DB connection entries are encrypted in the config file (ASP.NET).

What else ... ? isn't simple? is it scary because its simple or maybe because it involves money?

Have you ever developed something like that? I have already done everything but I keep reviewing the things I have done serveral times in my head ..

free software movement?

I asked my colleague today, are you with or against the "free software movement"? he said I'm with it! and I asked why? he didn't answer.

I was thinking why is all the world taking us for granted? why should all software in the world be free? why are we pushing too hard toward the "free software" thingy?

I never thought of this topic but today it came to my mind and I thought why wouldn't doctors for example save patients' lives for free, I know that there are free clinics but why not all hospitals in the world treat people for free? just like what we are pushing for (free software for all?).

I would like to get rewarded for what I'm doing, If it was for free I would be looking into something else to do. I'm with the open source movement but against the free software movement. "open source" pushes us to develop something more efficient, useful, ... etc but free software makes me think of switching to another job!

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note: "open source" is different from "free software", as an example, when a doctor explains how he treated a patient its called "open source" and when a doctor treats the patient for free its called "free software".

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What do you think of the "free software movement"? If you're with it to explain to me why? maybe I would change my mind!

User Requirements

When I first started working as a developer, Users used to drive me crazy with their changing requirements. They say we want this thing to be done that way .. I go to the office spend a week doing the task and then the users come and say yes its good but I was thinking that this is not what I wanted exactly, why not doing it the other way around ?

I used to get frustrated although never showed up my feelings. I saw my co-workers getting frustrated when users changed requirements frequently .. and I did like them ..

Last month, I was thinking while I was on vacation that all great Software/Websites/.. etc didn't just became great ... there was one day a basic version 1, then updated to version 2 ...until it became what it is today. (developement)

So I just realized maybe IT IS OK for users to change their requirements, maybe i need to put myself in their shoes ... I think If I was the user I would change the requirements frequently and way more than my users are changing their requirements.

I feel so good now that I'm ok and I can understand that great things can't just come up right from the first try out ... I became flexible ... (Do I sound desparate?)

What do you think ... ?

Designers

"A designer Knows he has arrived at perfection not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away." -- Saint-Exupéry

A joke

A programmer is walking along a beach and finds a lamp. He rubs the lamp, and a genie appears. "I am the most powerful genie in the world. I can grant you any wish, but only one wish."

The programmer pulls out a map, points to it and says, "I'd want peace in the Middle East."
The genie responds, "Gee, I don't know. Those people have been fighting for millenia. I can do just about anything, but this is likely beyond my limits."

The programmer then says, "Well, I am a programmer, and my programs have lots of users. Please make all my users satisfied with my software and let them ask for sensible changes."

At which point the genie responds, "Um, let me see that map again."

This is how you pass parameters thru apex

f?p=108:1::NO:::PARAM:VALUE

yup count the dots ...