Fair And Biased

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Fake awards.

Command line xpath script

Here's a script I've been using to run XPath queries from the command line.  It's handy for unit testing. If your code does a lot of XPath stuff, it'll be useful to unit test the query without running the whole program.  The script shown here is simple, free, and only requires the free Ruby runtime.

# This script executes an XPath query against an XML file
# Syntax: xapth.rb <filename> "xpath query goes here"
# This code is based on an example from: _Ruby Cookbook_, "Navigating a Document with XPath"
require 'rexml/document'

# Get command line params
filename = ARGV[0]
xpathqry = ARGV[1]

# Read in XML file
xmlfile = ''
File.open(filename, "r") { |f| xmlfile = f.read }

# Create Xml Document from file contents
doc = REXML::Document.new xmlfile
puts "Using XPATH=" + xpathqry

# Run xpath query on XML document, and print the results
REXML::XPath.each(doc, xpathqry) { |val| puts "#{val}" }

Save the above script to a file called xpath.rb, and run like so:

xpath myxml.xml "/xpath/query/goes/@here"

With a little modification, this script can read from STDIN instead of a file, if you're into the whole piping/filtering thing.

Is .NET CF Headed Toward J2ME?

AddressOf has a long post that talks about the modifications being made to the .NET Compact Framework to run on XBox 360.  They're taking out the VB namespace, and AddressOf (being a VB-centric blog) is taking issue with that.  Looking past the C# vs VB tone of the post, I can't help but notice how this is similar to the whole J2ME problem that Java has.  Namely, how J2ME is split into the CDC and cLdc specs which are both compact versions of the Java runtime, but targetted at different devices. 

I say problem because this sort of split creates the exactly the kind of issues that AddressOf is blogging about.  Sounds like Microsoft is taking a similar path now by forking .NET CF.  And it's not 100% clear from the post, but according to this, you may only be able to write .NET CF for Xbox 360 using C#.  Anyway, aside from an interesting high-level architecture note it doesn't really bother me.  I like C# and being able to write for XBox is still way cool.

Developing for XBox With Familiar Tools

I got into software for game development.  I don't know how, but somewhere along the line, the goal changed to writing software for large corporations and governments, and the consulting work that surrounds it.   Fortunately, Jason Zander talks about bringing .NET development tool support to the XBox.  Even if I don't write any games, it would be cool to have the ability to write code for a gaming console using familiar tools (VS.Net) and APIs (.NET Framework).

.NET 3.0 Announced

.NET 3.0 has been announced, or renamed.  Now I'll be 2 versions behind of the latest and greatest — just like in Javaland.  .NET is becoming more and more like Java.  Here's the post, along with an amusing bit of truthiness:

.NET Framework has becomes the most successful developer platform in the world.

MS Releases First Commercial .NET App

Often criticized for not eating it's own dog food regarding .Net, MS has finally released a commercial desktop app written in .NET: MS Office Small Business Accounting 2006 (SBA).  One of the developer's blogs the design decision to use .Net over more traditional development platforms.  A worthwhile read.

The business mags have reviewed it: Infoworld, PC Mag, PC World, Network Computing, CNet.

Curiously, a couple of them comment on speed.  I've installed it, and it's not exactly a fast app.  But I'm going to cut it some slack.  Here's why:

• My two year old laptop is not exactly cutting edge in terms of speed.
• Being from the Java world, I remember how the first desktop Java apps had the same complaints.  I think Eclipse has put those complaints to rest, No?
• Being part of the Office suite, SBA will be compared to Excel.  Excel is unbelievably fast.  SBA probably has more complicated business rules, plus a SQL engine to store project data to instead of a binary file.
• SBA has to "work" for us ISV folk to believe that it's viable to develop commercial-grade desktop apps in .NET.  Or Java, or other managed/gc'd environments with larger footprints and DLL/JAR/Runtime versioning headaches that traditional "native" apps lack.

Speaking of versioning hell, the installation was pretty straightforward.  Just one 112MB setup file to download and run (trial version). Of course, I have .NET 1.1 and 2.0 already installed so I may not be a good test case.

Iron Architect

Microsoft is holding an Iron Architect contest to integrate 52 customer databases.  In short, the readers of the blog devise a solution.  This is going to be priceless because big CRM integration projects are notorious for failing on the first go.  Either that, or they treat it as a big data mapping and centralization problem.  Instead of a "let's design a new system to satisfy all 52 customers" problem.  Let's see what happens...

A Purpose for YouTube

I found a purpose for YouTube: finding stuff I forgot to Tivo.

Thumbdrive = RAM Disk ?

Vista's superfetch feature can be used with a thumbdrive — useful for people who have to switch machines faster than they can upgrade memory.  My old flash based mp3 players, an iPod shuffle and a Creative MuVo (which I've been using as a thumbdrive) will have a new use.  Not a real memory upgrade but good enough.

7 Hour Daily Commute

This person does an astonishing 7 hour commute to get to work. Everyday. And he's been doing it since 1989. I'm too astonished to criticize. Also, it's just too easy..