BPI inside

Category: Uncategorized

  • Stackoverflow: first class Q/A for software developers

    For some time now I was aware that the Question/Answer platform from Joel Spolsky, StackOverflow.com, was up and life.
    But I didn’t bother any further as I was quite happy with Google and the set of references and personal know-how I’ve build up over the time.

    A few days ago I had a problem which was not solvable with my usual batch of resources and in my desperation I hopped over to StackOverflow and tried to find help there.
    Within a day I got exactly the hint I needed to be able to solve my problem and continue the work.

    Quite happy with this experience, I decided to give it a bit more thought and maybe also answer some questions myself if I knew a bit about it.
    After some time I noticed a bar on top of the site telling me that I had earned a "Student" badge and seconds afterward a "Scholar" badge. What were these? Reading on I found out that the "Student" badge means that someone accepted/voted on my question when he thought it was an useful question. And the "Scholar" badge means that an answer from me had been accepted as the most helpful one for the questioner. And then I noticed that on top of the page there was some sort of Score, the Reputation and also a small statistic on my earned badges.

    After thinking about it some more now and continuing to participate on the site I came to the conclusion that the way the questioning and answering works on StackOverflow.com is the most ingenious way to help developers I’ve seen so far in my life.

    StackOverflow.com turns the boring process of writing a question and giving an answer on forums and webpages into an exciting game, where good questions and answers are rewarded (by upvoting) and bad ones are hindered (by downvoting). And you also have a running score (the Reputation) which you can compare to others and is calculated from up/down-votings on your questions and answers and also how often your answer was considered as the best one for the one having the question. Even the factor how often your question has been found and visited counts to points and badges.

    Earning a lot of different badges and improved abilities on the site (e.g. leaving comments at Rep of 50, Retag questions with Rep 500 and even edit other peoples posts with a Reputation of 2000) add to the fact that one wants to reach the goals and also has a long-term motivation to continue giving help.
    And this means qualitatively high questions and answers as this earns more points faster and consistently on the long term than quick answers which only contain tiny pieces of help and get a few points for just a few hours.

    I personally already have added StackOverflow.com as a quick, reliable and qualitatively high resource to my recherche-sources and will continue to build up my highscore 🙂

  • SCRUM Deja Vu

    For a few days now I’ve been joining another development team in our company to work on something which is more related to this team than to my current SCRUM team.

    This experience is like a Deja’Vu.
    The new team is just existing for 2 sprints (~4 weeks) and being in it reminds me of the beginning time of our own SCRUM team a year ago.

    It’s like a look in our own past where we hadn’t applied SCRUM as we do today and our team was not working as closely together.

    But they have the same learning progress which we had, even faster than ourselves. And that’s something they have to do on their own, this cannot be done by explaining or trainings.

    I think this team has the potential to become very successful.

  • OpenOffice 3.0 Installer issues

    The problem

    I just had a problem with the installer of OpenOffice.org 3.0. I wanted to modify my installation and add the Base module. I didn’t have the installation files lying around so I had to download them again, which I did from http://www.openoffice.org. After downloading, the setup extracted the installation files into a specified directory and started the installation (where I expected to be able to modify my local setup). This is where the first hints of errors showed up.

    The setup showed me a messagebox which told me that

    The same version of this product is already installed.

    and completed afterward, denying me any possibility to modify my setup. Fine, I thought and went into the Windows ‘Add or Remove Programs‘ control panel to change my setup there. At that location I was able to modify my setup for OpenOffice 3.0 and continued to the installation. I expected it to ask me for the location of the setup files as I didn’t have them at the original installation directory. It asked me for the file ‘openofficeorg30.msi‘ and I navigated to the directory where I extracted the files after the download.

    The following error telling me that

    The installation file ‘…./openofficeorg30.msi’ is not a valid installation package for the product OpenOffice.org 3.0. Try to find the installation package ‘openofficeorg30.msi’ in a folder from which you can install OpenOffice.org 3.0.

    was a bummer. It completely refused all of my attempts to install or modify my setup at latest when it required that file ‘openofficeorg30.msi‘ which was sitting there in the extracted installation directory and was completely valid.

    The solution

    It took me quite some time to track down the source of this problem but finally I got it. When I initially installed OpenOffice 3.0 the first time, I used an installation package WITHOUT an included JRE because I already had a more recent one installed. This time when I downloaded the installation files I got the default version which has an INCLUDED JRE. And seemingly, my JRE-less installation can’t cope with the installation-files of OpenOffice.org 3.0 with an included JRE, throwing above stated errors at me.

    I finally investigated a bit and got my hands on a setup-file without included JRE and this time modifying my setup worked flawlessly straight from the installation file itself.

    The setup file with included JRE is named OOo_3.0.0_Win32Intel_install_wJRE_en-US.exe and the one without is OOo_3.0.0_Win32Intel_install_en-US.exe.

    The problem here seems to be, that by default you just get JRE-including installation files from openoffice.org.

    Do the following to get a setup-file for OpenOffice 3.0 without JRE:

    1. Go to http://www.openoffice.org and click on "I want to download OpenOffice.org"
    2. Don’t download but click the small link below called "Get more platforms and languages".
    3. On the following page there is a small checkbox "Include the Java JRE with this download" just above the list of the download links
    4. Uncheck this checkbox
    5. Choose your favorite OpenOffice.org installation below from the list, this time you get a version which has no JRE included

    Maybe this little guide is helpful for others too if they hit the same problem as I have.

  • Let the games begin…

    Ready… Set… Go! There it is, the new year. Christmas is behind us, the year-change too, so don’t be lazy and dive into it with full power.

    This year is set to hold some changes for us, so be prepared.

  • Skype chat commands

    It’s not a widespread knowledge that Skype has not only hidden emoticons (see also Skypes own emoticon list)but also allows some special commands within an open Skype chat. Thanks to my darling for the hint. There are some lists available on the net but they aren’t easy to locate and I found none which has a listing of all commands. Well, I don’t know if I for myself have found all available commands, but none of the list contained all of those I know.

    So here I’m compiling my own list of Skype commands with descriptions and if you’re interested some of the lists I used for this are at the bottom of this entry. Most of the commands are for administering the running chat, some are only available when you are the chat creator and some more only if you issued "/goadmin" before. Also at some spots in the net it was said, that some commands are only applicable when the "IRC Style" view of chats is activated but I couldn’t confirm that.

    Furthermore a lot of the commands show only effect or make any sense at all (especially the user management related ones) if used in a public chat.

    If you have knowledge of more of those commands or about the ones with a question mark please leave me a note in the comments.

    Update 2009-04-25 – Filled most gaps, added descriptions and links to official Skype pages.
    Update 2010-08-21 – Minor updates to the options concerning joining a chat.
    Update 2010-10-30 – Discovered a load of additional mysterious chat commands. Left them in a separate post until more info available.
    Update 2012-11-17 – Minor updates for Skype 6

    table.skype { border-width: 1px; border-spacing: 1px; border-style: solid ; border-color: gray; border-collapse: collapse; } table.skype th { border-width: 1px; padding: 1px; border-style: inset; border-color: gray; } table.skype td { border-width: 1px; padding: 1px; border-style: inset; border-color: gray; }

    Commands

    Command Description
    /me [action] Describes an action of the user by printing his name followed by the action.
    /help Shows a list of available commands. It’s incomplete but helps with general administrating tasks.
    /add [skypename] Adds the user skypename to the chat.
    /leave Leave the current chat (only if not creator).
    /topic [newTopic] Sets a new topic to the chat.
    /find [text] Looks for text in the chat history.
    /fa or / Repeats the last search.
    /alertson or /alertson [text] “/alertson text” sets the skype notification to occour on special text in messages. “/alertson” resets it to the default. If an alert is set, every instance of the text will be highlighted in the chat window for easier detection of the alerting lines.
    /alertsoff Turns off all notifications for this chat.
    /history Loads the complete chat history into the active chat window.
    /htmlhistory Generates a HTML file of the chats history and opens it in the browser. Skype 4: not iplemented in this version anymore.
    /clear Clears the chat window.
    /info Shows number and limit of chat participants.
    /call [skypename] Opens a call to skypename.
    /goadmin Enters the administration mode of the chat (only if creator) and adds a small text “Creator” to the user-icon in the chat. I didn’t find so far a way to leave this mode again. According to the Skype documentation the only effect is the “Creator” tag but I’m not so sure about that.
    /get creator Shows the creator of this chat.
    /get role Shows the current role of the user.
    /whois [skypename] Shows some info of the user skypename, for example the current role.
    /setrole [skypename] MASTER | HELPER | USER | LISTENER Sets roles of chat members. See below for more info.
    /kick [skypename] Removes skypename from the chat.
    /kickban [skypename] Removes skypename from the chat and bans him.
    /get guidelines Shows the guidelines of this public chat.
    /set guidelines [text] Sets the guidelines of this public chat.
    /get options Shows the current active options for this chat.
    /set options [[+|-]flag] Sets options for this chat, see below for more info.
    /get [creator|masters|helpers|users|listeners] Shows a list of users in the particular role.
    /setpassword [password] [hint] Sets a password for this public chat, no spaces allowed, and also a password hint in the same command.
    /clearpassword Removes the password for this public chat.
    /set pasword_hint [text] Sets a password hint for this public chat.
    /get password_hint Shows the password hint for this public chat.
    /set password [text] Sets a password for this public chat, no spaces allowed.
    /set banlist [[+|-]mask] Bans members from this public chat.
    /get banlist Shows all users which are banned to this public chat.
    /set allowlist[[+|-]mask] Allows members to this public chat.
    /get allowlist Shows all users which are allowed to this public chat.
    /get uri Skype 4: Gets the URI link for this public chat which can then be sent to contacts or embedded in webpages.
    /eggy ? Has been rumoured as easter-egg but seems to have no effect at all (at least not in recent versions of Skype).
    /undoedit Skype 6: Reverts the last edit of a message.

    Chat roles and privileges

    Straight from the Skype API Documentation.

    Role Description
    CREATOR Member who created the chat. There can be only one creator per chat. Only creator can promote other members to masters.
    MASTER Also known as chat hosts. Masters cannot promote other people to masters.
    HELPER A semi-privileged member. Helpers will not be affected by the USERS_ARE_LISTENERS option. Helpers cannot promote or demote other members.
    USER Regular members who can post messages into the chat.
    LISTENER A demoted member who can only receive messages but not post anything into the chat.
    APPLICANT A member waiting for acceptance into the chat. Member cannot be demoted to applicants once they have been accepted.

    Chat options

    These options are also from the Skype API, I had no chance to test these so far.

    Option Description
    JOINING_ENABLED When this bit is off, new users cannot join the chat. This option has to be enabled before the options JOINERS_BECOME_APPLICANTS and JOINERS_BECOME_LISTENERS can be set. Also, this cannot be disabled while one of the JOINERS_BECOME_xxx options is still set.
    JOINERS_BECOME_APPLICANTS When this bit is on, new users will be able to join the chat but they will be unable to post or receive messages until authorized by one of the chat administrators (CREATOR or MASTER).
    JOINERS_BECOME_LISTENERS When this bit is on, new users will be able to receive message in chat but unable to post until promoted to USER role. Basically a read-only flag for new users.
    HISTORY_DISCLOSED When this bit is off, newly joined members can see chat history prior to their joining. Maximum amount of history backlog available is either 400 messages or 2 weeks of time, depending on which limit is reached first.
    USERS_ARE_LISTENERS Read-only flag for chat members with USER role.
    TOPIC_AND_PIC_LOCKED_FOR_USERS When this bit of options is off, USER level chat members can change chat topic and the topic picture.
    USERS_ARE_WRITERS ? This appeared to me after setting and removing the USERS_ARE_LISTENERS in a chat, but I didn’t recognize some changed behavior to the standard.

    Other Skype trivia

    • If you press different key combinations of 3 letters at once on your keyboard (fast!) you can make some other hidden status-icons appear next to your Skype-image (and in recent versions also in the chat-window itself) in a chat. For example "jkl" or "uio" produce an animated icon where a pencil is broken, "cat" or "dog" make a nice cat appear. Just try around, until now I’ve just found those two icons.

    External Links & Sources

    http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2008/04/skype-chat-taking-control-of-group-chat.html
    http://vafer.org/blog/20080504113126
    http://support.skype.com/en_US/faq/FA883/I-am-an-advanced-user-who-would-like-to-use-IRC-style-commands-to-moderate-my-chat-How-do-I-do-this
    http://developer.skype.com/accessories
    http://support.skype.com/en_GB/faq/FA10042/What-are-chat-commands-and-roles
    http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=311671 How To Make Links To Skype Chats On Web Pages And Email

  • RSA SecurID Token number symmetry

    At our company we’re using RSAs SecurID hardware tokens to connect our computers to the central company network infrastructure.

    As my computer, for unknown reason, drops out of the VPN connection regularly I have to log on using this token quite often. And the more I have to look at the generated numbers, the more I get the impression that the tokens often generate "symmetric-looking" numbers. Just at the moment I’m looking at 568561. The next such ones (in a timeframe of about 8-10 minutes) are: 804508, 259825, 438858, 832738.

    To me these numbers look not as random as they should, but of course I could be wrong and everything is really just coincidence. Is it really just randomness which causes so many codes with such a symmetric display and so many repeating numbers?

    One could now begin to calculate the chances of two digits appearing twice in a collection of 6 digits. How high would the probability be?

    I don’t really know because I don’t have enough time to investigate, but it leaves a curious feeling…

  • Bye bye, Rodney…

    Rodney leaves Stargate 🙁

    As sad as this is for all Stargate-Fans, including myself, I wish you good luck and that your plans work out.

    Did anyone notice, that the article at IO9 was written by a "Meredith"? 😉

  • In case you’re still using Filterset.G for your AdblockPlus…

    … dump it.

    On one of my computers where I recently updated the Adblock Plus advertisement blocking plugin for Firefox, it gave me a note that the Filterset.G causes trouble for the recent versions (slowing down, etc.) and that it hasn’t been updated for ages.

    For replacement filters look for the "Add Filter Subscription…" item in the Adblock Plus preferences, there are some quite good there.

    I personally use some filter subscriptions from http://easylist.adblockplus.com, for me they work quite fine.

  • Online payment

    Finally, they got me. I’ve recently opened a PayPal account. I’ve been forced to this step because my hoster LVCS.net, who has transferred my Freepgs-account to his servers for free until now, has decided to take 3$ per year as payment to keep up this "free" hosting.

    Three dollars is not even worth to mention, but nevertheless has to be paid somehow. And the only possibility for me is the Paypal-method as the other ones require either creditcard or giving personal data to companies I’ve never heard of.

    So I finally got over my antipathy for such online-payment-services and signed up for an account. Maybe I can then also shop a bit easier abroad. There are already some sites (here or here) where the unability to purchase without giving creditcard or other personal information prevented me to acquire something.

    For now I’ve tried to transfer 25EUR from my bank account to PayPal. It’s stated, that it can take a few days for the transfer to arrive.

    I’m curious how this works out…

  • University is taking its toll

    As the title says, the University has quite an impact on all students in my class. The workload currently is enormous, with projects, tests and homework in almost any lecture.

    Our class currently has already just half the size it was at start of studying, but still some are considering to shrink their worktime to be able to cope with studying. Every single lecture is manageable on its own but the sum of all of them is more than previous classes had to work on.

    We’re planning to have a talk with the head of our study-department on the issue although we don’t have any proposals for solutions… It’s not easy to shift the work around.

    Let’s see, what this develops…