else{}

January 2012

Leigh — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:01:23 +0000

Lesson one from Megauploads

Leigh — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:57:23 +0000

Music and movie companies are failing their markets and their shareholders. I can’t legitimately get most of the music I want in a high quality lossless format, yet I can be criminalised for attempting to obtain it by other means. I’m a regular purchaser from online retailers who stock albums in a 24/96 FLAC or better format, but most record company back catalogue isn’t available. I don’t want the expense or effort of investing in a transcription turntable and chasing pristine vinyl – and I certainly don’t want to buy and store CDs – but I’m happy to pay a premium price for the music I want in a decent format. I already spend hundreds of dollars a year on high quality legal downloads; if the titles were available I could easily spend thousands. Yet while music distributors wring their hands about the decline of CD sales they do nothing to meet the changing market beyond making limited catalogue available in lossy low-quality formats. Yes, I understand they and their movie counterparts are grieving the demise of highly lucrative vertically-integrated industries, but it’s past time they got over that and adapted to the new realities of digital distribution. Sites like Megauploads are not the problem, they’re a symptom. Removing them won’t make things better for music and movie companies; it will only breed further resentment. In 2012 it’s no longer possible to force customers into your optimal business model, but there are expansive opportunities for those who will give customers what they want.

SourceMaid

Leigh — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:30:08 +0000

SourceMaid

Zip and deliver project code with one click.

SourceMaid

Process multiple projects in a single operation.

SourceMaid

Automatically parse project files and dependencies.

SourceMaid

Automatically deliver by FTP or email.

SourceMaid

Collate, zip and deliver in one easy step.

When I release a new version of client software I send the clients updated source code so they have a zip file to hang onto – in case I’m hit by a bus. It can be a laborious task trying to ensure every dependency is included and relative paths are maintained.

At the end of 2011 I set out to automate the process for my own benefit. The resulting Windows utility proved so useful I decided to make it available to other developers. I’ve called it SourceMaid. The initial release works with generic projects created with wildcard listings, and Delphi projects for which it parses the .dpr and .pas files.

The fun parts

I’ve built up quite an application toolkit as I’ve written projects for other clients. This is the first time I’ve used so many of these building blocks in a project of my own, and it was delightful to see how quickly it took shape.

The tricky bits

Excluding files distributed with Delphi required some lateral thinking. In the end SourceMaid makes those decisions against a list of application directories created by the Delphi installer.

The future

I’ll add support for automated parsing of other development environments. On the list at the moment are java, c, c++ and c#. I’d also like to export the project to Lazarus and create versions for Linux and OS X.

Try it for free

SourceMaid

SourceMaid can be downloaded for a free 28 day trial. The standard price is USD29.00 if you decide to purchase. Download and enjoy. The website also has links to the SourceMaid help resource if you want to know more about how it works and exactly what it does.

A dependency too far

Leigh — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:25:25 +0000

Google was down this morning. For what seemed like an hour there was no Google search, no GMail, no Libraries API, Calendar or Google+. My partner initially thought the internet had disappeared, but I couldn’t see the problem until I refreshed my Google Calendar. While admiring Google’s innovation, I’ve always been wary of putting all my eggs in the GBasket. I routinely use another search engine, host my own primary email account and don’t build web apps that rely on the Libraries API. Sure, I do have a backup GMail account and I’m intrigued by Google+, but my only real GDependency is Google Calendar, and after today’s outage I’m chasing some redundancy for that. For me, Google is too large and obvious a target for cyberterrorism. It’s an amazing company with some powerful products, but it’s potentially a single point of failure. While I’m sure the Mountainview team has thorough and practiced recovery strategies, I want to continue working even when Google stops.

A national infatuation with cheese

Leigh — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:48:18 +0000

While in Europe, two simple dishes I particularly enjoyed were bruschetta and patatas bravas. While visiting Auckland this week I spied both dishes on the menu of a cafe in the Viaduct Harbour. The flavours of Italy and Spain flooded back, and I ordered both without hesitation. I was dismayed at what I was served. The bruschetta was soggy: it had been thickly piled with vegetables before being topped with cheese and grilled. The patatas bravas were so coarsely cut they resembled wedges and, perhaps unsurprisingly, had been smothered with salsa and cheese. Should I mention the prawns coated in glutinous sauce strong enough to ensure all the native flavours were obliterated? Perhaps not. In all cases, great effort had been invested to make simple, light and delicious food stodgy and boringly similar. Presumably the menu was constructed to appeal to the New Zealand palate; if so the New Zealand palate requires some re-education. It’s not necessary to serve everything with cheese, New Zealand.

December 2011

Leigh — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:20:03 +0000

Click any image to enlarge it, then use the arrow keys on your keyboard to navigate through all the images on this page.

DateMaid

Leigh — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 04:33:43 +0000

Every developer needs a utility to convert dates and times between formats. The latest version of my date time converter is call DateMaid and it’s freeware.

DateMaid lets you select, enter or paste dates and times in several different formats and have them instantly converted. This version supports Unix, SQL, and Delphi plus a configurable option that allows you to create and work with for your own format.

How it works

Paste a datetime value into the corresponding DateMaid edit box to see it immediately converted into all the other displayed formats. Edit the date in one format and all the others are instantly updated.

Create your own

If you’re working with unusual date and time formats, DateMaid’s Format option lets you create a format to match. Then you can paste and edit values in that format for instant conversion.

Restrictions

If you’re really clever, you’ll find that formats such as dnmhy don’t work well – perhaps that’ll be improved in the next version. I’ve not yet found a format like that in use, but who knows.

DateMaid is freeware

Download

Version 1.1.2 is available to download and use in whatever way you choose. This is a Windows application; it’ll run on Windows 2000, XP, Vista or Windows 7. There’s no help file – as the video above shows, the functions are self-explanatory.

The curious history of a protest

Leigh — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:52:49 +0000

The New Zealand government introduced Food Bill 160-2 into parliament in May 2010. It was referred to the appropriate select committee in July of that year and hasn’t yet returned to the chamber for a second reading. A full year later the local blogosphere began to resonate with opposition to the admittedly draconian scope and provisions of the proposed legislation, and issues raised by the Green Party’s Sue Kedgley resulted in undertakings from the responsible Minister that key definitions in the bill would be revised. The galling reasonableness of Kate Wilkinson’s reply appeared only to fan the flames of opposition: on-line petitions now claim that the government will sneak the bill into law over summer, despite its need for a second reading in the New Zealand House of Representatives which is in recess. My point? The bill as it was written eighteen months ago is not well-drafted and the apocalyptic language of many opponents goes with the territory. What I find curious is the twelve months that elapsed between the bill’s select committee referral and the visibility of any opposition. If Food Bill 160-2 really is this troubling, what hope is there for democratic protest in New Zealand if it can sail below the horizon for more than a year?

Bah humbug

Leigh — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 03:19:33 +0000

It’s become fashionable to hate Christmas. Moaning about the stress of the season, groaning about the music playing in the shops: the negative voices are the same in the media and on the streets. Alternative opinions seem rare this year, but I have one. I love Christmas. I love the whole Jesus-in-a-manger, gifts-under-the-tree, family-coming-together affair, from the first glint of tinsel to the last lick of Christmas pudding. Yes, I loathe the crass commercialism that surrounds the event, but I manage to avoid most of that. What I seem unable to avoid this year are the pervasive voices of the grinches and naysayers whose palpable bitterness steals some of the joy for those of us who don’t share their misanthropic view of the occasion. Shame on them. I intend to enjoy the day anyway.

For the year

Leigh — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 04:52:02 +0000

As 2011 draws to a close, it’s time to look back and celebrate the year that’s been. There have been hard times: the deaths of my friend and colleague Barry Lakeman and Richard’s beloved Aunty Nook. There have been good times: days spent with family and friends … and our trip to Europe. This short song and accompanying images wraps up the year that was.

FULL LYRICS

Light a candle,
Hold the light to the window against the night,
And remember all that was right for the year.

Hold the memory of the days,
Hold the promise and the pain,
Hold the future,
It can wait for the year.

Then we will fly across the oceans
West across the sea
Where we will drive to discover
The land of history

In the morning night has come,
Yet the evening brings the sun,
And our journey must be run for the year.

Now we have flown across the oceans
Back across the sea
There is past in our future
Held in memory
For the year