Archive for the Software category
August 1st, 2008
This is probably the most obscure post ever - but I need to put it up here, in case it helps someone, somewhere at some point.
I recently had a consulting job, where the client wanted a little help with a software installation of some ‘enterprise’ software at their office. (Quite why the business community have decided that their software needs to be labelled ‘enterprise’ still eludes me - it makes it sound like a naval vessel.)
Anyway - this business runs Mac OS X server (10.5) and needed to install a web app called LiveTime. LiveTime used to be a WebObjects application (the history of WebObjects is a fascinating topic - which I won’t go into here) but now is almost entirely Java-based and runs from an instance of the Apache Foundation’s Tomcat application server. Apache are the fine, fine people who brought us the Apache web server, which is basically the back-bone of the Web: it serves the majority (apparently 70%) of web sites that you’ll ever visit (including this one.)
Mac OS X Server comes with Tomcat built-in - so I started by trying to deploy the web application through the built-in version of Tomcat (which seemed pretty up to date.) That didn’t go well and I got errors from Tomcat when I tried accessing the webapp along the lines of ‘Servlet WOServletAdaptor is not available.’
Googling this error message only lead to WebObjects developers on Apple’s WebObjects mailing list attempting to deploy applications that they had written themselves. Googling for ‘LiveTime’ and this error got one result, which wasn’t useful.
It’s quite telling how you can often solve open-source application install issues, simply by googling, yet with proprietary apps, you have to go through their own support systems due to lack of public information. I’m not saying that LiveTime’s support was bad - in fact I got (24 hours later) very good support from a very nice, very knowledgeable and very busy Aussie who walked me through the install process. I do wonder, however, how much more quickly the issue would have been resolved if I hadn’t had to call the vendor.
So, one of the first things that I learned from my support guy was that the supplied Tomcat install on Mac OS X server wasn’t quite right for their software. Once I’d installed a fresh copy in /usr/local/ (instead of the default Mac OS X Server /Library/Tomcat/ install) things went a lot more smoothly, although not entirely smoothly. Apache and Tomcat weren’t playing well together - The LiveTime application was serving most of the application correctly from Tomcat’s own webserver on port 8080, but Apache (on the normal port of 80) simply couldn’t get a proper connection to the Tomcat server via its Jakarta Connector.
At this point the support guy and I hit a wall and I spent the next day working though each part of the install trying to work out where we were going wrong. After a lot of hair-pulling I figured it out: it turns out that the bridge by which Apache and Tomcat were trying to communicate (mod_jk - the Jakarta module for Apache) could not get up and running because the port it was trying to use (8009) was already in use by Mac OS X Server’s iCal Server.
So - if you’re trying to install LiveTime on Mac OS X server note the following:
1 - don’t use the installed version of TomCat which comes with Mac OS X Server - install a fresh version in /usr/local or /opt/local
2 - don’t use the suggested port for the jk worker, pick another.
March 8th, 2008
“The backup is too large for the backup volume. The backup requires 4.2GB, but only 22.9GB are available.”
Just posting this bug so I can reference it in a bug report. It may be my fault though, because I’m using an unsupported volume: a drive on a remote machine on my local network backed-up over airport. Worth noting anyway.
Half of the backup happens to be a disc image of the iPhone SDK.
It looks from what I’ve seen so far: i.e. nothing but the video of the Apple announcement, and a few iTunes U Apple Developer Connection introduction videos, pretty good. I’m getting more and more keen to get an iPhone. I’ve been waiting for three things before I do: Version 2.0 of the phone hardware (hopefully with GPS and 3G), the SDK and an end to the network lock-in. I hate being told that to use a specific handset I have to use a specific GSM network, it’s just wrong. Now the SDK is here, I’m weakening…
The info about the SDK looks very impressive so far - Apple taking 30% of the revenue from sales of the apps seems a little bit steep - but (in my opinion) they generally tend to be a benevolent dictator. Symbian has had voluntarily signed apps for a long time, however, very few developers bother to sign their apps, so users tend not to care or know about code signing. Even worse - when they find out about code signing it tends to confuse them. Apple mandating signing of all code means it can be seamless.
Having a single channel of delivery for iPhone apps may, to many, seem draconian and I would imagine it’s not long until someone writes an app which Apple denies distribution, yet most people find inoffensive.
I don’t know…. I’m torn - Steve’s Reality Distortion Field has really got me this time, yet I still in my heart of hearts think ‘hey - this is *my* miniature, hand-held computer - how dare you tell me what I can and can’t install on it.’
My resistance to not having a physical keyboard is also waning, and although being a Nokia devotee since I first had a mobile phone (back in oooh 1996), and therefore a Symbian fan of late - my experience with the mail client on my E61 and the limitations of Series 60 compared to Mobile OS X (network/email/voip config on the E61 is a real bore - and it doesn’t get the concept of falling back to different networks depending on what’s available) make the iPhone a very desirable next phone. Plus I’m familiar with the development environment.
I have noticed, from my limited peeking around, that there is no access to the Bluetooth functions of the phone. I could be wrong about that though. I think that the intention is that most external comms are to be done via TCP/IP over the wifi hardware.
Anyway, enough of my prattling - congratulations to all the engineers at Apple who are delivering the SDK, it’s a stunning feat of engineering.
February 2nd, 2007
Not that anyone in their right mind reads this blog, but just in case:
I’ve enabled OpenID as a method for authenticating when posting a comment. I look forward to this distributed ID system becoming more common throughout the net.
If you have a blog of your own then I recommend enabling OpenID (I used the wpOpenID plug-in for Wordpress - very easy to set-up.)
edit: I’ve also enabled Gravatars
March 13th, 2006
Well - My Blog appears to be atrophying to beyond the post-per-month status…
Here’s a quick update on my uninteresting life:
- Broken a life-time habit, and bought a Microsoft product - the XBox 360 - very impressive - most impressive part is ‘Live’ - especially the marketplace and the downloadable demos - currently very much enjoying ‘Geometry Wars’ and ‘The Outfit’ multiplayer demo….
- Meanwhile - in PS2-land - Loving ‘Shadow of the Colossus’ and ‘Black’ - both fine examples of farewell salutes to the platform…. Especially ‘Black’ - which has humourous mission objectives and Matrices-esque destructible pillars in large (soldier-filled) rooms.
- Became 30 - sigh…. on the upside - got an HDTV for my birthday - very nice - just need Sky to launch their HD service…
- If by any chance you are reading this because of my software - - - yes, a Universal Binary of ‘More Internet’ is forthcoming - soon…..
October 25th, 2005
Someone has hacked FrontRow so that it doesn’t require the Apple Remote control. The torrent file seems dead - but you can download it from here. (Standard warning - Downloading hacked software from unknown sources could be dangerous.)
Seems to work OK on my Powerbook.
I’ve been mucking around with trying to make my own clone of FrontRow (I call it BackRow) - so far it doesn’t do anything but scroll one menu. I’m not trying to make a MediaCentre app (like CenterStage - just a remote control like thing that uses AppleScript to control other apps.)
June 3rd, 2005
Woo - Bulldog are upgrading all their 4Megabit DSL accounts to 8Mbit. Here’s a bit of the email:
“Why 8 meg? With 8 meg, downloading DVDs or music, or just browsing is so much better, and even huge files can be downloaded in a flash. It really will help you experience the internet the way it’s meant to be.”
Sooo - they want me to torrent DVDs.
Growl has been updated to 0.7 - lots of new goodness - including the ability to create your own styled displays using CSS and HTML. Here’s a (rather basic) example that I made for my mail notifications:
if you make one - don’t forget to upload it to ResExcellence.
FyKnight has made massive strides with iTele and the MMInput Drivers - He’s even implemented AppleScript support and a new and groovy event timeline for iTele
Also there’s an amazing new system for the drivers he’s developed which allows the hardware to be shared over the network and advertised via Rendez…. Bonjour.
April 15th, 2005
The Cocoa Frameworks on Mac OS X have some very cool things in them.
One of the very, very coolest - that relatively few people know about, and I should imagine even less people use, are NaturalDateFormatters.
Bascially they allow you to enter a date in English-like syntax, and it will be automatically converted into a form that the computer recognises.
e.g. It’s a friend of mine’s birthday today, and another’s was a couple of days ago. I realised that I didn’t have their birthdays in the Address Book, so I added them pretty quickly, without ever looking at iCal - or clicking on the clock to get the date.
Here’s how: (2.4mb MPEG-4 Quicktime Movie)
Cool, n’est pas?
p.s. Rendez-vous’s new name (’Bonjour’) is terrible.
March 3rd, 2005
I tend to swing between two different development modes: Web and Mac. I’ll get obsessed by one field for a while, then get very annoyed by it (or my lack of abilities in it) and switch to another.
At the moment, I’m on the software side and I’ve finally got into collaborating in some OpenSource projects - specifically:
- Growl
- A Notification System for Mac OS X. — 0.6 was Released a few days ago and has some nice improvements from 0.5. I predict that Growl will be one of the apps that really takes off in 2005. Together with QuickSilver it has totally changed my workflow. Look out for an extra called HardwareGrowler in the next release…
- iTele
- Bring the Digital TV into your digital hub. Drivers for various digital TV receivers (DVB/Freeview and the US ATSC system) and an app called iTele that allows you to watch and record. Yes, you’ve been able to have analogue tv capture for a while - but analogue is rubbish. Using Digital keeps the whole thing clean and you don’t get a generational loss. Another cool thing about DVB is that you can decode several channels at once (as long as you have the horsepower and the channels are on the same Multiplex.) There are several relatively cheap PCI or USB2 tuners which are compatible.
In related news - more info on Sky’s HD plans.
- The CenterStage Project
- A project to build a ‘Media Centre’ app for Mac OS X. Less than two weeks old, but already has a nice site and what looks like the beginnings of a good, highly expandable architecture. Haven’t actually contributed here, but am watching its infancy with great interest. Could well tie in with iTele in the future
- Cocoalicious
- Buzz Andersen’s client for posting to del.icio.us. Essential for us delicious junkies.
September 21st, 2004
QuickSilver
I’ve been meaning to write a post about QS for a long time (about a month) - but didn’t think that I could really do it justice with my rather bad, terse, prose style.
Sod it - I’ll never do it justice - so I’m posting about QS now. I won’t explain it very well - but you (dear reader) can find out more by Googling or reading the docs.
QS has become an addiction for me - if I find myself using a Mac without QS installed I get very frustrated.
It all started (for me) about a year ago when a friend showed me LaunchBar which allows you to open files by typing parts of their names. I thought “wow - that’s clever, but I’m not paying for it” (I can be rather cheap like that.)
Then early this summer I found out about QS. I can’t even remember where from now… At first I thought it was just a free version of LaunchBar - but I quickly discovered that it is so much more flexible than just a file locator.
Now I use it for almost everything.
The QS Interface:
iTunes Integration:
OS X System Services Integration:
I shall add to / edit this post later…
August 2nd, 2004
I have decided not to make my own WordPress style - I’m using Scandinavia by Michael Heilemann of BinaryBonsai - - He’s got a nice clean new style called Kubrick as well that is worth looking at.
As a sidenote - there are some nice tessellating patterns here.
June 21st, 2004
A bit late - but better late than never:
Two apps to help you track your team’s progress:
Also two great pages from the Beeb:
Shockwave Virtual Replay
and
Score Predictor - which is not really a predictor - but shows you the effects of the 1st round matches. (put results into games that have not happened yet and see what happens to the group tables.)
May 7th, 2004
Luckily these things aren’t so much of a problem for Macs - but in case you need to clean out a Windows machine that you suspect has spyware on:
SpyBot and Ad-Aware.
February 27th, 2004
Salling Clicker has been updated to support the Sony Ericsson P800/P900.
Clicker Main Menu
It’s a very nice piece of software - very “mac-like” and now supports Palm, Series 60 phones, UIQ phones and some older pre-symbian Sony Ericsson phones. And with today’s exchange rates - it’s very reasonably priced as well - $20 (~£11).
If you have a Symbian phone, or a Bluetooth enabled Palm I suggest you check it out.
iTunes integration
The really cool thing about it (apart from the iPhoto and iTunes integration) is that it can be extended with AppleScripts - so you can ask your Mac to do almost anything from a phone/palm.
iPhoto integration
(This image file does not exist on my Phone - It was slurped from iPhoto over Bluetooth. Funky.)
Flip-Closed
January 17th, 2004
Before XML, back in the mists of the 20th century people needed a way to get datasets between databases. They came up with a system called CSV:
Comma-Separated Variable (C-S-V)
A file format used primarily to transfer basic data between databases and spreadsheets. Each line (up to the carriage return) is considered a record. Fields within each record are divided by a comma. Each line must have the same number of fields (commas). If a comma or leading and/or trailing blanks appear in any field value the field must be enclosed by quotes (”) to indicate the information is data and not a field divider.
Vodafone and BT now offer online billing - which is nice - and they also provide CSV files to download that contain the bill data. This is even nicer - since you can squirt it into MySQL (or any other DB) and you’ve got a digital record of all your outgoing phone calls.
What’s not so nice is when Vodafone doesn’t create it’s CSV files properly.
Below you will see two views of part of my bill -
This one is from the online bill
This one is the CSV file.
The value that represents the volume of data transferred during a data call contains a comma 15,801 BT. This a problem - because commas define value boundaries - so any DB trying to import the file will get out of sync and split the value into two new values 15 and 801 BT. This then causes all data after this value (in this line) to be put in the wrong field.
Sigh..
The designers of CSV realised that commas in values would cause a problem - so they added the ability to “encapsulate” the values in inverted commas - Then there’s no problem because the computer importing the file knows that since the comma is within the “” marks it does not designate the start of a new value.
Does vodafone encapsulate their values to avoid this? No.
Why can’t big companies - get basic IT right? It makes you wonder how well their complex IT systems are run….
Of course the Vodafone web-site feedback form has no option for feedback about the site its-self.
December 3rd, 2003
This article about phone UIs at The Register lead me to install Tracker with the “iPhone Jaguar” skin.
(actual tasks blurred for privacy.)
It’s quite cool - basically it’s a desktop for your P800/900 - which is a lot more flexible than the Favourites bar that usually sits at the top of the screen.
Of course being a Symbian app - it’s not free (20 Euros.) But it seems possibly worth it - I’ll use it for the trial period and see if it’s worth keeping.
November 13th, 2003
Steam is a nice little application that shows you what’s on now and next on your favourite BBC Radio stations. It also opens the streams should you wish.
More useful if you are abroad I suppose - but nice to have.
November 13th, 2003
There are many, many nice little improvements in Panther - One of the less noticeable (but very welcomed) changes is in the NSMenu class. It used to have a limit on the number of levels (5 I think) that a menu could have. As the screenshot above shows - that isn’t the case anymore.
So you can now get to anywhere in your filesystem from the dock. Now if only Apple would make the Dock “Spring-Loaded” (Like the folders in the Finder - so if you drag onto it - the folder pops open.)
