BPI inside

Month: May 2010

  • Beware of the ad-bundled freeware

    In the last few years I’ve recognized that many popular freeware applications have included ad-bundles into their installers. For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, these are freeware applications which can be downloaded and used without any restrictions but during the installation process there is a step where an "app-bar" or "browser-addon" for a better user experience is offered for installing and enabled by default. Although, this bar does nothing more than just add a search-bar to your browser or/and redirect the default homepage to an ad-supported page which, most of the time, just redirects its searches just to Google or Bing.

    But almost always it is possible to avoid the installation of these ad-addons. Either during some (sometimes not very logical) de-selecting during the installation process or by downloading a different and, most of the time, almost hidden "light"-version from the homepage.

    Some candidates from the former category, where you have to disagree or not accept licenses for the ad-supplement during the installation, are for example:

    • Foxit PDF Reader (Ask.com toolbar)
    • Winamp (Winamp Search(r) )

    And applications which secretly provide an ad-free version are:

    • SuMo (using the red-stroked R/K-icon on the download-page)
    • CCleaner (using the "slim" version from the builds page)

    I completely understand the freeware applications need for some funding, but what I just cannot stand are those sneaky attempts to get the ad-ware placed on the customers computers. I have been called for support to computers, where the Internet Explorer took almost a minute to start up and when finished had almost one third of its screen filled with various search-bars and rating-tools which suggest "interesting" websites.

    Instead of having to take care during every installation, I’d rather have a way to encourage users for support like Avira does (small ad-popup, once per virus-definition update). Another clever way is how the DonationCoder.com site uses for its tools (which I already talked about more than four years ago) where you’re presented with a small popup once per application start and where you can get a time-limited no-ad license (ie. for six months) for free from the website.

    Please dear freeware-developers, consider such alternatives more in the future!

  • Language affinity and my 5cents on the best programming language

    Every now and then the well known and never-ending discussion of the "best" programming language comes up. Often this drifts into the direction where people compare specific language capabilities and features and how specific problems can be solved so much easier than in the other language(s).

    When I’m caught in such a discussion people often assume that I’m a Java evangelist. But I always try to make clear, that I try to focus on solutions and problems rather than Java features. It’s just that when I need to make examples, I use Java because it is currently the language which I know best. This doesn’t mean that Java is the best language for the job.

    I always try to make clear that I think that different languages always have a specific goal or type of problem which they can handle better than other programming languages. Take for example C/C++ for creating fast and efficient binaries, Perl for excellent handling of large quantities of strings, Shell scripts for quick automation of system management activities, PHP for fast creating dynamic web content, and so on… Of course I know that every of these exercises can be solved with almost every other language as well but the difference is, how fast and understandable the result can be produced. Creating a webserver with shellscripts is possible but I certainly wouldn’t try it.

    So, once and for all: I think almost any language has its area of excellence and there is no such distinction like a better or worse language. ie. Java is not better than C# nor the other way round.

    Of course, if there hast to be a decision made on choosing a language this decision cannot be solely based on which language would be the best for the present problems. One has also to take into account, which languages are known by the developers and how well they know them. Furthermore one has also to be aware that available frameworks for languages often can change the capabilities of languages and how this language can be applied to certain types of problems.

  • Java Tip #6: Use the for-each of Java5 whenever possible

    The Java Tips series gets another entry, yay! I’ll keep within the plain Java language this time, no frameworks or other fancy tricks, just basic Java know-how.

    Advice

    Use Java5’s for-each loop instead of manually iterating over arrays or collections whenever it is possible.

    Code-Example

    Before

    ...
// access using index
for (int i = 0; i < offerList.getMembers().size(); i++) {
    CustomizedOfferOverviewDTO dto = (CustomizedOfferOverviewDTO)offerList.getMembers().get(i);
...
}
...
// access using iterator
Iterator iter = m_elements.iterator();
while (iter.hasNext()) {
    ILoadable loadable = (ILoadable)iter.next();
...
}
...

    After

    ...
for(CustomizedOfferOverviewDTO dto : offerList.getMembers()) {
...
}
...
for(ILoadable loadable : m_elements) {
...
}
...

    Benefit

    Readability gain. The for-each makes it a lot easier to iterate over collections and arrays and to read and recognize the code. Furthermore the Java compiler might also be able to optimize the loop a bit better internally but in general this improvement is beyond measuring accuracy and therefore is not an argument in this case.

    Remarks

    This only works as long as it’s not modifying the collection or array beneath it. If deleting or replacing elements, you have to use the previous-style looping again where you have direct access to the Iterator.

  • Final piece of bathroom ordered

    It took quite a long time since the last major progress but now there has been another milestone reached. Yesterday I finally decided, after lots of thinking and measuring, which washing basin combination I’ll take to finish off the last missing piece for a 100% functional bathroom.

    A sample picture of the combo and how I ordered it (I hope this link lasts):

    Pelipal Roulette 09

    One catch still, it takes about six weeks until I receive it, the delivery is scheduled for July 5th. But then it’ll be great 🙂

  • Java Tip #5: Use Apache Commons DateUtils when dealing with dates

    Tip #5 in my Java Tips series is again focussing around the Apache Commons framework. In the same manner the StringUtils simplifies many common operations on Strings (see also Java Tip #3), DateUtils ease some of the pain when working with Java Date objects.

    Advice

    Use Commons DateUtils to manipulate and calculate dates.

    Code-Example

    Before

    ...
private static Date add(Date date, int field, int amount) {
    Calendar cal = Calendar.getInstance();
    cal.setTime(date);
    cal.add(field, amount);
    return cal.getTime();
}
...
public static Date getNextDay() {
    return add(getCurrentDay(), Calendar.DATE, 1);
}
...

    After

    ...
public static Date getNextDay() {
    return DateUtils.addDays(getCurrentDay(), 1);
}
...

    Benefit

    Huge readability gain. By using DateUtils for calculating and manipulating Dates the code footprint gets smaller and easier to read. Furthermore by using explicit methods like addDays() it is clearer which part of a date is to be modified, compared to the partly ambiguous constants in the Calendar class. DateUtils also contains methods to round or truncate Dates to certain parts of the date, eg. truncate() by Calendar.HOUR sets minutes, seconds and miliseconds to zero.

    Remarks

    None.

  • Java Tip #4: Use implicit NULL checks on constants

    Tip #4 of the Java Tips series is just a quick tip to enhance the codes robustness.

    Advice

    When comparing constants, always compare the constant to the unknown value.

    Code-Example

    Before

    if(str != null && str.equals("XYZ")) { ... }
if(value != null && value.equals(SomeEnum.ENUM_1)) { ... }

    After

    if("XYZ".equals(str)) { ... }
if(SomeEnum.ENUM_1.equals(value)) { ... }

    Benefit

    Safety gain. Minor readability gain. The constant value can be compared to a null value without resulting in a NullPointerException. The check for null can be skipped because when the constant is compared to null the condition simply evaluates to a boolean false.

    Remarks

    None.

  • Java Tip #3: Use Apache Commons StringUtils for String checks

    The next tip in my series of Java Tips deals with the usage of Java frameworks. Some people still have a certain hatred against Java frameworks because many of them have been not easy to deal with in in their past. Nevertheless, while those have either disappeared or evolved in a more usable shape, there have always been some frameworks which were rock-solid and widely accepted as simple and extremely useful. One of those is the Lang package in the library collection of the Apache Commons. In my opinion this one is a must-have for almost every Java project or application. Use it. Period.

    Advice

    Use Commons StringUtils for checking Strings content for null, emptiness or blankness.

    Code-Example

    Before

    if(str != null && !str.equals("")) { ... }
if(str != null && !str.trim().equals("")) { ... }
if("".equals(str)) { ... }
if(str == null || "".equals(str.trim())) { ... }

    After

    if(StringUtils.isNotEmpty(str)) { ... }
if(StringUtils.isNotBlank(str)) { ... }
if(StringUtils.isEmpty(str)) { ... }
if(StringUtils.isBlank(str)) { ... }

    Benefit

    Huge readability gain. Safety gain, as StringUtils methods are null-safe. By using the provided utility methods from StringUtils the intent of a condition is much easier and faster to recognize. Furthermore, since all methods of StringUtils are able to correctly process null Strings, there is no danger of an unexpected NullPointerException anymore because of a forgotten null-check.

    Remarks

    None.

  • Nasty ankle issues

    I’m still having problems using my injured ankle which I hurt now more than a month ago. I have no difficulties with everyday movements but when I try to tilt my foot beyond a certain angle (front-, back- and also sideways) it quickly builds up a pulling and if I continue the motion it begins to hurt. This pretty much rules out most sports activities currently which is more than just a tiny inconvenience for me.

    I’m also having some doubts on the diagnosis from the hospital. Don’t know why but I’m not sure that a single pulled tendon can cause the exact combination of problems and pains I’m experiencing.

    I’ve picked up the address and number of an orthopedist which got excellent reviews by a few people who already visited him but I also have squeeze this visit into my currently quite tight schedule. Hopefully, I’ll manage to organize this quite soon…