My first experience with operating a PC was when I turned 16 and was ready to enter university -- still the DOS era. I never knew there was such thing as a graphical user interface (gui) not until I came to Japan and I met Windows 98. It had no stunning effect on me. I also met SunOS (Solaris) and Macintosh (I didn't really care how they called their OS back then) during that time. Coming from a command line interface (cli) background, it was a daunting task to learn how to navigate the Windows desktop. Then I met Linux and everything changed! I had the power of the command line (by starting a terminal) again. The first distribution that I poked my fingers with was Red Hat. It was a very nice experience. Then I met FreeBSD and started customizing my kernels... until I got hired and I'm back facing Windows.
Our company is a Microsoft Certified Partner. We receive support for anything. Remember the dialog thing of the project I am working on? Well, I threw the problem to someone named Noda from MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network). I am still waiting for an answer. Who else can lead and show the innards of a house except it's owner? With this persistent problem, it'll take the guts out of those guys building something relatively stubborn and messy.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Thursday, June 23, 2005
I'm Stuck and It Sucks
I have been working on a project regarding an enterprise application that was formerly designed to run using Netscape Navigator 4.78 as its web interface. I have to make it run on Windows XP SP2 running IE 6.0. If contracts were to be honored, then this application should have only been fixed for Windows XP SP2. Alas, I was told to fix it also for Windows XP SP1, and as of late, for Windows 2000!
The application is STILL using Excel 95 for its templates. Using NN 4.78, there appears to be no problem when a client tries to download and open a worksheet, but when using IE, and using Excel 2000, the file won't be opened and it says "An application error has occured." (of course it's all in Japanese since I'm working in Japan). A "solution" to this is to upgrade the template to be Excel 2000 compatible. But then again, the customer insists on telling me that some users of the said application are STILL using Excel 95 and it would cause a great deal of pain if the templates will be upgraded. Poor me -- I'm damned! Microsoft no longer provides support for Excel 95...
The application is deployed on BEA WebLogic Server in a tight network security. Using NN 4.78, a download dialogue box asks you how you want a file to be handled (either to be opened or to be saved locally) and it gives you the option not to be asked anymore the second time the same filetype/mimetype is encountered. In IE, you can set how downloads are to be handled in each zone (internet, intranet, etc). The customer was accustomed to NN's file handling capability that it bugs me when I'm asked to put the damn download prompt to go away for good. I have already set the "always prompt on download" to disable on both the internet and intranet zones, but still, the download prompt still pops up! This damn configuration thing works in our office but why won't it on the customer's site? *#@#$^&
With these two problems, I of course turn to msdn.microsoft.com and google for help but the answers are nowhere to be found. I'm stuck and it sucks!
The application is STILL using Excel 95 for its templates. Using NN 4.78, there appears to be no problem when a client tries to download and open a worksheet, but when using IE, and using Excel 2000, the file won't be opened and it says "An application error has occured." (of course it's all in Japanese since I'm working in Japan). A "solution" to this is to upgrade the template to be Excel 2000 compatible. But then again, the customer insists on telling me that some users of the said application are STILL using Excel 95 and it would cause a great deal of pain if the templates will be upgraded. Poor me -- I'm damned! Microsoft no longer provides support for Excel 95...
The application is deployed on BEA WebLogic Server in a tight network security. Using NN 4.78, a download dialogue box asks you how you want a file to be handled (either to be opened or to be saved locally) and it gives you the option not to be asked anymore the second time the same filetype/mimetype is encountered. In IE, you can set how downloads are to be handled in each zone (internet, intranet, etc). The customer was accustomed to NN's file handling capability that it bugs me when I'm asked to put the damn download prompt to go away for good. I have already set the "always prompt on download" to disable on both the internet and intranet zones, but still, the download prompt still pops up! This damn configuration thing works in our office but why won't it on the customer's site? *#@#$^&
With these two problems, I of course turn to msdn.microsoft.com and google for help but the answers are nowhere to be found. I'm stuck and it sucks!
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Is Linking Free?
Who could this person be?
Well, he is no other than Dr. Richard M. Stallman. The founder of FSF (Free Software Foundation).
Well, he is no other than Dr. Richard M. Stallman. The founder of FSF (Free Software Foundation).
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Apple, Intel, IBM -- A Love Triangle?
Various Software and Technology newspapers and magazines have been running their headlines on Apple's dumping of IBM's processors in favor of Intel's.
My Analysis:
Should Apple change its processors to Intel's "what not" architecture, the battle for operating system differences and total desktop domination will be over.
I think Steve Jobs has finally seen that the marriage of Microsoft (Windows) and Sun Microsystems (Solaris -- a UNIX variant) has paved the way for interoperability (read as "i can open your *.doc or *.xls file using StarOffice and vice versa") thus making a more profitable endeavor. If they change their PowerPC architecture to "what not" architecture, it means that the MacOS (system is based on FreeBSD -- another UNIX variant) will need a total rewrite. Applications running on MacOS will also need total rewrite which means more money spending. In order for them to take a bigger share of the market, they should ride the bandwagon now.
In a way, Apple is just like Sun -- Apple ships its computers bundled with their own OS (some third party vendors like Terra Soft Solutions ship Apple computers budled with Linux). But they can't even come close to what Sun can do which is to dictate the next trend in computing. Apple wants to have its cake and eat it too but they don't even have a plate to place it on!
When Apple finally makes this move, the next logical question will be : "Will Apple become Microsoft's partner too?"
My Opinion:
I can only ask Steve Jobs : "Tinamaan ka ng magaling, bakit Intel?" I know you don't want to be in the shadow of Sun but why did you not consider AMD? I'm a big supporter of AMD! For me, computing power is spelled as AMD and defined as Advanced Micro Devices...
If time permits and they change their processors to AMD and if my wife will allow me to, I'll head straight to Yodobashi and bring home a shiny new Apple desktop with all the devices that could be plugged to the said system. But until then, all I can say is : "Steve, I hope you survive this one."
My Analysis:
Should Apple change its processors to Intel's "what not" architecture, the battle for operating system differences and total desktop domination will be over.
I think Steve Jobs has finally seen that the marriage of Microsoft (Windows) and Sun Microsystems (Solaris -- a UNIX variant) has paved the way for interoperability (read as "i can open your *.doc or *.xls file using StarOffice and vice versa") thus making a more profitable endeavor. If they change their PowerPC architecture to "what not" architecture, it means that the MacOS (system is based on FreeBSD -- another UNIX variant) will need a total rewrite. Applications running on MacOS will also need total rewrite which means more money spending. In order for them to take a bigger share of the market, they should ride the bandwagon now.
In a way, Apple is just like Sun -- Apple ships its computers bundled with their own OS (some third party vendors like Terra Soft Solutions ship Apple computers budled with Linux). But they can't even come close to what Sun can do which is to dictate the next trend in computing. Apple wants to have its cake and eat it too but they don't even have a plate to place it on!
When Apple finally makes this move, the next logical question will be : "Will Apple become Microsoft's partner too?"
My Opinion:
I can only ask Steve Jobs : "Tinamaan ka ng magaling, bakit Intel?" I know you don't want to be in the shadow of Sun but why did you not consider AMD? I'm a big supporter of AMD! For me, computing power is spelled as AMD and defined as Advanced Micro Devices...
If time permits and they change their processors to AMD and if my wife will allow me to, I'll head straight to Yodobashi and bring home a shiny new Apple desktop with all the devices that could be plugged to the said system. But until then, all I can say is : "Steve, I hope you survive this one."
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