Screaming Penguin

GWT-Maven 2.0-beta26 released

charlie.collins — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:58:00 +0000

From the group: release notes for 2.0-beta26:

Address these issues (includes the patches):
http://code.google.com/p/gwt-maven/issues/detail?id=172 - doubled classpath entries
http://code.google.com/p/gwt-maven/issues/detail?id=176 - same/related to 172
http://code.google.com/p/gwt-maven/issues/detail?id=173 - resource filtering
http://code.google.com/p/gwt-maven/issues/detail?id=180 - NPE DirectoryClassPathEntry.descendToFindResources

Also note: default version of GWT now set to 1.5.3 (latest version, which is now in central repo).

Docs updated too:
http://gwt-maven.googlecode.com/svn/docs/maven-googlewebtoolkit2-plugin/...

Archetype updated too (version 1.0.3 corresponds to 2.0-beta26):
http://gwt-maven.googlecode.com/svn/docs/maven-googlewebtoolkit2-plugin/...

My Flickr isn't REST rant

charlie.collins — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:28:46 +0000

Ok, so I was all set to write a big rant about how Flickr isn't using REST at all, even though they call it REST everywhere (it's a very nice RPC API, but REST it's not). Then, I did a quick search for similar rants and found this.

Enough said, thanks to Gareth Rushgrove I don't have to write a rant now ;).

To summarize, in Gareth's own words:
And remember, just because an API makes use of HTTP doesn’t make it RESTful.

Child's Play

charlie.collins — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:13:17 +0000

You know the drill by now, the 2008 time is here: Child's Play.

Animated GIFs sure are annoying, except this one

charlie.collins — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:06:37 +0000

So this weekend I was doing a bit of research and ended up on a tangent into exactly how GPS works. I get the basics, sure, but wanted to dig into the details a bit more. I didn't have to look any further than the Wikipedia GPS article for an excellent source of information.

While there one of the many resources that caught my eye was the fantastic little "how GPS works" GIF:

It's not often that an animated GIF actually *enhances* a web page, but man, this one is great. The "orbital planes" of the "space vehicles" are clearly displayed in this simple, small, informative graphic (and the movement here is essential, of course). All of the equations in trilateration and such are still a bit over my head, but me likes the pictures ;).

Unlocking Android updates: code and book

charlie.collins — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 02:39:02 +0000

I have updated a bunch of the code at the Unlocking Android Google Code site over the last few days. Most notably I have added the Telephony project. Everything there now works with the 1.0 SDK.

The book itself is about to go to another final review (after we made all the updates for the 1.0 SDK), and get updated on the MEAP (Manning early access program) site (that hasn't happened yet, what is there is pretty old, but it will happen any day, I am pushing for it).

I am really hoping the book is ready (available in print, *and* out of my hair ;)) long before the date they have on the Manning site, April. We are trying to get that moved up to a much earlier date since we basically have all the work done (pending the re-final review).

If you want to be a reviewer, the more the merrier, just drop me a line and I will have Manning add you to the list.

Stupid log4j tricks

charlie.collins — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 20:24:02 +0000

I know the cool kids don't even use log4j anymore (at least not directly), but I still do (just habit, and it still seems to work just fine). Recently on a project we ran into an issue where log4j was configured twice. A developer had done the BasicConfigurator.configure() thing in a standalone file (not part of the main API), and there was also a log4j.xml on the classpath.

The result was more than one root logger and double log output.

The easy way to fix this is what I have always done over the years, kick anyone in the shin that provides a log4j config file WITH A LIBRARY. You can't do that man, you take away the control of the user of the library, and you can create all sorts of weird stuff. If your library JAR has a log4.xml (or log4j.properties) you will cause headaches. Turns out this simple "just don't do that" approach is a bit naive. There is more to this tale on a few fronts.

When you don't include any configuration for log4j, but do use it in a library, you still put a little burden on the users of your library. That is to say, you expect them to configure logging somehow, or they will see this (and we have all seen this):

log4j:WARN No appenders could be found for logger (YourLibraryClassHere).
log4j:WARN Please initialize the log4j system properly.

So what if you want to BOTH allow the user to configure their own logging settings if they want, and also not bother them at all if they don't. Well, it turns out there is a bit of a hack that seems to work pretty well for this.

. . .
private static Logger log;
 . . .
static {
      boolean rootIsConfigured = Logger.getRootLogger().getAllAppenders().hasMoreElements();
      if (!rootIsConfigured) {
         BasicConfigurator.configure();
         Logger.getRootLogger().setLevel(Level.INFO);
      } 
      log = Logger.getLogger(YourLibraryClassHere.class);
   }

What this essentially does is check if there are any root loggers, no matter how they might have been configured, and then only if and when there are none it does the BasicConfigurator thing. This allows users to setup the config if they desire, and also avoids the error message and still gives them some logging (to the console generally, but up to your library), if they don't.

There are a few downsides to this too. First your Logger isn't a constant anymore, and really it should be (normally you want private static final Logger LOG = Logger.getLogger(YourLibraryClassHere.class);). Second it's a little verbose. Third, it's a hack. It assumes that anyone who does bother to configure log4j will make a root logger, and there may be rare cases where people don't do that (I have never seen one, but it could happen).

I might not use this for normal API classes, but it works well for command line main method type classes. And, I suppose it could be done in one "bootstrap" type class for your API too, if you really wanted to.

The idea here is to make it nice for the people, whether they want to configure the logging, or not.

(Credit where due, I originally found the jist of this approach here: http://marc.info/?l=log4j-user&m=102775658930710&w=2.)

How I kicked the Mac habit - with Ubuntu

charlie.collins — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 02:35:39 +0000

My new Linux machine

I recently ended up building a new home desktop running Ubuntu - Intrepid Ibex.

I use this machine mostly for development work, but being a home "desktop" it also needs to serve as a great web browsing platform, play music and videos, have a word processor and other essential software, connect easily to other local machines, and support devices like a fancy graphics card, a DVD burner, a headset, and so on.

I considered buying a new MacBook, and just docking it at the house, but for the money the machine I could build far outperforms what I could buy from Apple. Don't get me wrong, I still really like Apple (fanboy, yes), but I ended up with a great Intel P45 chipset motherboard (Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R), 3.16GHz Core 2 Duo with 4GB ram, a 512MB Nvidia 8800 GT video card, dual raided 400GB SATA drives (nice ones), a 1TB non raided drive, and the rest including a wireless keyboard and mouse, and 22" LCD monitor for under $1K (well under actually). I started from the Ars System Guide in terms of components, and then went off in a few tangents of my own. I couldn't touch that with any Mac product, much less a MacBook (it's not a fair comparison to the mobile machine, I know that, but I felt I could keep my old MacBook for going mobile and throw some horsepower at the desktop while using Ubuntu).

It's a long story as to how I wound up in Ubuntu land (see below), but suffice to say it has been virtually perfect thus far. Stuff just works in Ubuntu, much like OS X (98% of the time, they are both still computers after all). The only Ubuntu issue I have had is with a Wireless PCI card that it couldn't automatically handle (had to use ndiswrappers - but after the manual setup it works fine). Everything else was literally a click of a button, Ubuntu finally has the "desktop" polish that Linux has been in need of, in my opinion (printing was a snap for example, I recall that being a bizaatch back in the Linux desktop day - with Ubuntu it recognized my wireless printer over the network and found the right driver with zero intervention, nice).

I didn't really "kick" the Mac habit entirely, I still like OS X too, but being really solid AND an open platform is important to me, so I went back to Linux for the latest machine.

How I arrived at Ubuntu - the long version

I have used many PC operating systems over the years. I am old enough that the first PC in the house was an 8088 that ran simply MS-DOS. We also had an Apple IIe way back when, which was my brothers preference. I ended up with a 286 and Windows 3.1 in college, and more Windows from there (95, NT4, etc). In the early-mid 90's, when I was working for IBM and using a little bit of AIX, I also started wishing I could get some of those Unix utilities and that seemingly more robust setup in a PC too. That is when I installed Slackware on a PC at the house using 20+ floppy disks. I thought it was cool, but didn't really put it to work (and my colleagues, and boss at IBM at the time scoffed at it).

I continued to mess around with Linux at home, and, after being tasked with setting up some brochure-ware type websites on an SGI box running Irix at the office, also experimented with Linux and Apache. I first setup Screaming-Penguin.com running Red Hat in 1997-98, with some graphics and programming help from other like minded friends (it ran a custom PHP website framework and relied on MSQL - the Internet Archive only has TotSP back to 1999, but it was there long before that). The "penguin" as I call it has evolved over the years and now runs Fedora and Drupal (but still runs at the house).

When I left IBM to join a web company and become a developer for the dot-com boom, I worked a lot more with Linux, and with Solaris. At that time Linux was growing in popularity but was still pretty rough around the edges. I used Linux for DNS, email, web applications, and many other "server side" purposes for various customers - and still ran it at the house - but it never seemed to make the cut for me as a "Desktop." I did use Linux as a desktop at home off and on, and at one job back in the day, but it was never easy to keep up with updates and compile things like audio and video players and other desktop stuff. I really wanted Linux to be my desktop too (in addition to handling all the server tasks), but it just never made the final cut for one reason or another.

I never really looked at an Apple again, after the IIe, until OS X came out. A desktop that "just worked" and had all that polish, AND ran BSD at the core, was great in my mind, and I could still use Linux for the server (the open source nature of Linux mattered to me, I have earned many Windows, and other proprietary software scars over the years, suffice to say I believe strongly in open source for many reasons). After getting to play with OS X some, even though it was a closed platform, I decided to buy a MacBook. It was that good. I have used that same MacBook for 2+ years now (an Intel, but an old one, 32 bit Core Duo - not Core 2 Duo). It's been a great machine, I can't complain about much there (other than Apple being dickwads about Java 6 on OS X Tiger 32 bit, a different long story).

After starting a new job this year though I was brought back around to Linux on the desktop. My first day at the office I was asked "so do you want Windows or Linux"? No brainer for me, even with my past pains on the desktop. Linux. (Oh, and they also asked me to pick a hostname themed off of a beer - I thought, man, I made the right choice coming here.) That was how I formally met Ubuntu. I ended up with a Hardy Heron box that has worked really really well.

So when it came time recently to look at getting a newer faster personal machine, I had a dilemma. Ubuntu is pretty darn nice, and I can just buy a Dell or something and install it (UPDATE- I have been informed that Dell will sell you a machine with Ubuntu preinstalled too, I didn't know that previously), or get a new MacBook. I waited for the MacBook update announcements, but a new decent one was just too expensive (I want a video card this time, so need a Pro - even the refurb older model Pro, which would have worked for me, was $1400+USD). I ended up deciding I would keep the current MacBook for going mobile, and just build myself a new desktop at home that runs Ubuntu (since I already have another nice Ubuntu machine at the office, and I don't travel a ton). So far, good call.

A little slice of redemption

charlie.collins — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:07:03 +0000

It has been said by many others by now, but on a follow up politics note I have to say that I am very proud of my country today - and it is the first time in a long time that I felt like I could say that (about the country as a whole). The election of Obama to the office of President sure feels like a fresh start - a start based on logic and reason, on issues, and yes on hope. It won't be an easy road ahead, but at least I now feel like this country has some leadership, for the first time in over a decade (yes, I include the last few Clinton years as rudderless as well).

I am even optimistic that the different parties will be able to work together on a few things. I would like to see the president elect appoint John McCain to be the Secretary of State, for instance (if he wants the gig, which he may not).

That would be a REAL way to start off reaching across the aisle and showing that the work is more important than the ideology. I believe McCain could potentially be very good in that position (really can't be any worse than what we have, but I digress). I saw a glimpse of the old McCain in his concession speech, not the 2007-8 McCain that sold his soul to the Republican party to get the nomination and had to swallow all their crap to do so, but the McCain of old. The real McCain, the one that spoke of the dangers of the far left AND RIGHT fringes of the parties, and of issues rather than of fear. Now there would be some differences to potentially work out mind you (we wouldn't really want a secretary of anything that states even in hindsight he would have still have supported the Iraq war - an unfathomable stupidity - or who plays fast and loose with threats such as what was involved with Georgia and Russia), but the gaps might not be as wide in reality as they have been played out to be in a campaign (I am not sure John McCain himself believes a lot of the crap he was forced to push in his campaign, he was being led by the wrong elements in his party, and he was trying to play certain situations to gain certain advantages).

Also, I have to add that the retirement of Chuck Hagel from the Senate is a sad notion. He was my favorite Senator, an actual straight talking, logical, seemingly non-special-interest-beholden legislator (what our system really needs is to get rid of the special interests on BOTH sides). I have heard his named mentioned in Defense Secretary discussions, and that would be an excellent across the aisle choice as well.

So it's a historic time, yes, and many people are hopeful for the future, and the choice certainly has resonated well around the world, but Obama could take it even further and build a coalition now, and then actually get some non-partisan work done.

Tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999

charlie.collins — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:02:51 +0000

Today in the states we elect a new President. Hallelujah.

No matter which of the current candidates wins (though I do have a huge preference), the big news is that George W. Bush will no longer be the President. Yes, he technically has a few months left, but he will officially be a lame duck as of the close of business today.

The last time we could party like this actually *was* 1999. Even though the situation and job will be tough for the new President, whomever it is, we all win without W on the ballot.

You don't get to vote for the President - unless you are an "elector"

charlie.collins — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:49:16 +0000

It's been a while since I stepped up to the politics plate, but it being election time in my dysfunctional state, I thought I would chime in about the Electoral College.

Technically, in the US, you don't get to vote for the President, or Vice President. Rather you get to vote to indicate your preference to the electors in your state, who then in turn directly vote for those offices.

The Electoral College in the states consists of 538 electors. One for every Representative and Senator in Congress (535) and three for D.C. The electors themselves are chosen based by the political parties based on the rules of their state. Some states nominate and directly elect electors, other states do it at party conventions, and others still allow the campaign committees to nominate them.

"Each State shall appoint, in such manner as the legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors..."
(U.S. Constitution: Article II, Section 1, clause 2)

The electors meet in each state "on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December" and choose the President and Vice President. You don't get to choose either of those offices, despite your interest in the process, and your "vote."

In many states the electors are legally obligated to honor the popular vote, but in others, like Georgia, they aren't. The Green Papers lay this out on a state by state basis.

So, in all, go ahead and feel empowered by democracy and cast your votes, but keep in mind that you are really voting for Senators and Congresspeople, and local offices, and not the President or Vice President (not directly anyway, and not at ALL in some states, like mine).

(Side note: also keep an eye on sneaky amendments and ballot initiatives that some states like to throw in there. Many of these are rarely discussed before the election and surprise a lot of voters. Just trying to read the legalese on the ballot often confuses a lot of people (they are "push-worded" in many cases, trying to paint the votes in one direction or another.)

Intrepid Ibex: Ubuntu 8.10 final to drop today

charlie.collins — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:33:30 +0000

Ubuntu has become my favored Linux distro as of late, and 8.10 or Intrepid Ibex is supposed to go final today.

Ubuntu is impressive to me for it's simplicity and reliability, stuff just works as you would expect. Really the difference with Ubuntu over other the other Linux distros that I have used for a decade+ is that it's more intuitive at install/upgrade and or add new feature or piece of software time. Underneath it all it's the same stuff of course (Debian Linux, and either Gnome or KDE), but it's just packaged and polished a bit more than other offerings.

Ibex has a laundry list of new packages and a new kernel, and many new features (new Gnome, use of NetworkManager which supports 3G, and more). Also, it might seem small with all of the other changes, but it's about damn time Tomcat 6 made it into the main repo.

Sidenote: I ordered a new set of components the other day to build a new home desktop just for Ubuntu 8.10, so I will post more about the whole setup, and maybe an actual review of a Linux distro on Screaming Penguin (as crazy as that sounds ;)) in the coming days.

Ylastic

charlie.collins — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:03:14 +0000

Ylastic is really damn cool. Right now it's featured on the YUI blog, where many of the details are discussed - but in a nutshell, it's "a single unified user interface to the the AWS cloud computing environment — S3, EC2, SQS and SimpleDB."

Along with handling that heavy lifting, I also have to give the team credit for a great looking UI, and an apparently very flexible and agile architecture.

Props to Prabhakar (a great guy, whom I used to work with), and the whole Ylastic team.

The best Eclipse plugin you have never heard of: MouseFeed

charlie.collins — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:53:52 +0000

If you are still a philistine who slums around using Eclipse, like myself, then you need to check out the MouseFeed plugin (we disarm the IntelliJ zealots right out of the gate, we don't need to argue about which is better or worse here, I use Eclipse, so do many other people, like it or not).

You probably haven't heard of MouseFeed (well maybe you have, but I hadn't until I saw Neal Ford espouse it's virtues yesterday), but you need to check it out.

MouseFeed will help you learn to stop using the mouse. That sounds simple, but it is about the most productive thing you can do if you are heavy Eclipse user. The keyboard is just a ton more efficient in your day to day and minute to minute dev life. Many of us know the basic Eclipse hotkeys (all the copy past move commands, Ctrl-O quick outline, Ctrl-Shift-O organize imports, etc), or have created our own, but I would venture to guess that few among us actually stick to the keyboard a majority of the time and really leverage all the myriad hotkeys Eclipse provides. The docs are tough to slog through, so use MouseFeed to remind you.

Simply put, every time you use a menu item, MouseFeed tries to help you learn the shortcut/hotkey for that. And, if you use stuff that doesn't have a shortcut/hotkey, it can help further remind you to create one.

No Fluff Just Stuff: Atlanta

charlie.collins — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 19:32:29 +0000

I am lucky enough this year to have been able to attend a No Fluff Just Stuff conference (thanks to my employer). It's the first time I have been to an NFJS event, and I have to say, it's pretty damn good (even though it's Friday-Saturday-Sunday, strange time frame - in fact, I am in the conference as I type this).

Overall most of the presentations I have attended are high quality - not all of them mind you, but most (I am blogging right now, for instance, instead of paying attention in a pretty lame session which shall remain unnamed).

Ted Neward is here, and his concurrency presentations were good. Neal Ford is here, and as always his presentations have been excellent thus far (Productive Programmer, TDD, Code Metrics). David Geary is here, doing GWT stuff (though I haven't been able to attend one of his talks due to scheduling conflicts).

In all I am very impressed with the quality of the setup, and the speakers. If you get a chance to see the NFJS tour (which comes to multiple cities, see the site), do it.

http://source.android.com/

charlie.collins — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:11:05 +0000

Somehow I missed the announcement yesterday but the Android source code has finally been released: http://source.android.com/.

Guess they finally got all the French swear words out of the source ;). Now if they could just get all of the stupid damn leading "m"s for member vars, I might swear less when I work with it.