Workplace 2.0

So apparently workplace 2.0 is out and they are all talking about it in the Workplace forum.

Just had a quick shufty at the hardware requirements and apparently:

Server                          Minimum                       Minimum
platform                        processor                     RAM
 
IBM AIX(R)                      1.2 GHz Power 4+              4 GB
 (single-server, demo            processor
 deployment)
Linux(TM) (single-server,       2.0 GHz Pentium(TM)           4 GB
 demo deployment)                4 or equivalent
Microsoft(TM) Windows(TM)       2.0 GHz Pentium               4 GB
 (single-server, demo            4 or equivalent
 deployment)

Maybe I'm a lightweight, but these kind of numbers make me think of HMS Ark Royal

Scheduled Tasks and Websphere

In my Domino to Websphere app re-write I need to run a number of scheduled tasks which perform various bits of business logic/run report etc. Now I am expecting (being a crusty old Domino Charlie) that there is some way to set this up within the application itself. Trouble is I can't seem to find a standard/common/best practice way of doing this. Doesn't seem to be any standard J2EE way, is there any proprietary way in Websphere? ... any one know?

Maybe you have to use things like "Quartz Job Scheduler" ..

Please please don't say you have to create cron jobs because I will burst into tears.

Thirty-four wagon and we call it a woody ...

Surfs up here at "Can I get down now dad?" and I am the proud owner of:

I am currently teaching myself "Wipe Out"; the only problem is Mrs Spuggy is steadfastly refusing to do the drum solo bit on the kitchen table .... help me Rhonda please.

Java Standard Tag Libray

Today I have been re-writing my big domino web application. This app uses a lot of views to create statistical data for the end users. I have kind of replicated this in a j2EE stylee by creating a table full of select statements:



The app then picks the right view by via a URL like like:

http://localhost:8080/sampler/displayReport.do?name=SITBYTEAM

This gets executed and the results stuffed in a Data Transfer Object and pushed back into a jsp page (which is kind of acting like a $$defaultviewtemplate).

In the JSP I use the rather nobby Java Standard Tag library to chuck the view on the page:

<table>
<tr>
<c:forEach  var="colName" items="${reportDTO.columnNames}">
   <th><c:out value="${colName}"/></th>
</c:forEach>
</tr>
<c:forEach  var="row" items="${reportDTO.rows}" varStatus="lineNo">
<tr class="AltTable<c:out value="${lineNo.index % 2}"/>">
	<c:forEach  var="col" items="${row}">
	<td><c:out value="${col}"/></td>
	</c:forEach>
</tr>
</c:forEach>
</table>

This is kind of fab as it avoids all the nastty scritplet cobblers which are so frowned upon.

So now if want to do a new view I just create a new view record with some SQL in it, give it a name like BORINGTHEBOLLOCKSOFUS and whack a url on a page like

http://localhost:8080/sampler/displayReport.do?name=BORINGTHEBOLLOCKSOFUS

and Bob is your aunties live in lover.

Maybe it's me ...

Am I missing something in these?

From the boundary's edge

One of my ambitions when moving to the country was to join the local cricket team. This Sunday I achieved my aim when I turned out for my local team: "The Commoners".

We met at the pub for a pre match pint (how fab is that) and then drove off to a picturesque cricket pitch, somewhere in the darkest Cotswolds.

Village cricket is full of fascinating and terrifying characters: huge public schoolboy fast bowlers, with huge noses and giant ears who speak as though they have mouth full of ball bearings; ex-army lance corporals, brickies and roofers; little fat blokes who can surprisingly run very very fast; ancient old ladies who do the tea and buns between innings; mysterious Indian spin bowlers from the local Balti house; it's just fab.

Anyhow, I batted number four and came in at a crisis point when we had lost two quick wickets. Amazingly, after some stout defence, I managed to score thirty-nine runs with seven fours; returning to the pavilion, flushed with pride, to a ripple of applause from my team mates.

Sadly, my bowling was a mixture of Julian Clarey and Ray Charles and I was quickly ushered to mid-off with a: "thanks very much mate" from our wicketkeeper captain. Still, a successful debut, not so much because I scored a few runs but rather avoiding getting out for duck and looking, as my team mates would have no doubt whispered: "a bit of a w@nker that new bloke, aint he, eh?"

Comments

I have lost the odd comment from the site of late (I get the notification but they do not appear on the site) and have been wondering whether I should switch over to the native Blogger commenting system. I had a look at the features and it turns out that when visitors add a comment, they either have to register, or remain anonymous. What load of Sandra Bullocks that is eh?

So I am goin to stick with Squawkbox comments for now.

I realise this is less than fascinating but hey! Wad'ya want for nothing? A Rubber Biscuit? Bow bow Bow ...... . .

Lollipop Lady

If there is a god I am sure he is trying to get me to quit the computer business. All day long thrashing about with WuuuSAD. Crashing and burning, installing fixes, trawling the web and newsgroups for help. I am going to reinstall the operating system now, god help me.

Any how, I reckon I would like to be a lollipop lady. The hours are good, you get your own lollipop, you can be cross with drivers and everyone loves you.

It's the job for me!

Can I get down now dad? .....

No you bloody can't.

Cloudscape

If you are trying to create a new cloudscape database in WSAD you create a new database connection and make sure you put ;create=true after the database name. Like so:

Cloudscape_dbdir\database_name;create=true

Don'tcha just love intuitive software.

Getting things done

If like me, you're a procrastinating moron trapped in the headlights of the 21st century, then I think you may well find Getting Things Done by David Allen a good read. It's a whole different angle to the "Seven habits of really smug b@stards".

Its has inspired me to finish my own book:

"How to avoid work by reading seemingly endless piles of self help literature"

BLX

  
 
 

Self Portrait

 

<Late night BBC2 Arts program>
Nigel: "Well he has missed the websphere space ship, but he still has 3 men left".
Germaine: "I see what you are saying but most of the green defence blocks have been destroyed so I still feel it represents despair."
Nigel: "Agreed, but the highest score is 3520 so someone else has managed to succeed, so in that sense there is some element of hope."
Germaine: "Certainly, but with no credit left, I  can't help feeling the overall message is melancholy"
</Late night BBC2 Arts program>

 

Working At Home Part 19: The Search for Spock

Working at home, doing things with Websphere portal, looking out the window, looking in the fridge, making tea, making coffee, looking out the window, installing things, checking the news, checking email, checking ebay, playing the ukulele, changing cds, writing some programs, sitting in underwear, changing shoes, eating cheese, eating apples, talking to george, talking to Mrs Spuggy, looking out the window, singing, talking like Shelock Holmes, doing things with Websphere portal, looking at the wallpaper, it's the end of the world as we know it, lenny bruce, lester bangs, cheesecake, it's a man's world, I shot a man in reno just to watch him die, drinking coke, thinking about starting smoking, woof woof there's a wasp in here!

Excel as a Development Environment

So when I press the submit button ....

It posts the form to my controller servlet.
which looks for the correct command object to handle the request.
the command object creates a formObject which validates the form and
returns a valueObject by calling billions of setters on the billions of member variables.
the busines facade object grabs the corect Data Access object and passes the value object thru.
the Data access Object fills a preparedStatement by calling billions of getters on the value object and saves the record in the datbase.

sheesh.

So how do you manage all the variables, settters and getters no to mention the create table scripts? Good old fashioned excel of course. Who needs expensive tools or XLST?

Local School Sports Day Race Results 2004

Local School Dad's 80 yard dash results 2004.

1. Athletic Dad.
2. Teenage father.
3. No more than 25 year old dad.
4. Dressed in a suit with suprising burst of speed dad.
5. Hippie dad in sandles.
6. Sweaty red faced dad I thought I'd easily beat.
7. Monkey Programmer Boy Dad dignity intact.
8. Fat no-good-looser-kids-will-never-live-it-down dad.

More Certifications ......

Watching Paint Stay Wet for Windows Developer
Developer with minimum of two years experience on a major project using Watching Paint Stay Wet for Windows (version 5.x). You will have good knowledge of Java, J2EE framework, HTML, XML and a solid understanding of skiving on the Internet whilst appearing to be a hive of activity. Previous experience of something dreadful like dbase is desirable. Candidates must also be flexible on location as the project will almost certainly be based in some god forsaken shithole near the M25 that even the Luftwaffe couldn't be arsed to bomb.
Type: Contract Location: London Country: England Start: ASAP Posted: 08/07/2004 11:59:21 Reference: JS/GIG/666

Watching Paint Stay Wet for Windows Version 5.03

I find myself reading lots of PDFs at the moment. You know, dull stuff like: "Watching Paint Stay Wet for Windows Version 5.0". To make this bit more palatable I have take to rotating the view (view-rotate view-clockwise) and then setting full screen on (window-full screen view).

Once you have done this you can flip your portable up and pretend it is a real book, it's all rather pleasant. You can even sit in the armchair and drink coffee.

Hey I could even get one of those tablet PCs .. hah ahahhhah ahhhhahh haha hhahhh ha cough.

Working at home office for too long ...

Today I have decided to affect the voice of Sherlock Holmes. I insist on calling Mrs Spuggy "Mrs Hudson", and can often be heard shouting down for tea and things like "can you get the door Mrs Hudson".

All day long I am locked in my study creating computer programs and playing the ukuele at jars of flies, just to piss them off.

Occasionaly I will stop my my experiments and play punk rock songs on the uke, for instance:

Teenage Kicks

Teenage Kicks in the style of George Formby