tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259938379348545182024-03-13T02:01:13.414-07:00Ryan Watson's Technical BlogWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-36634021803002936602009-11-18T07:15:00.001-08:002009-11-18T07:15:28.301-08:00Network Monitoring Tools<iframe src="http://docs.google.com/present/embed?id=dgzz4f2q_254bdgqkgv" frameborder="0" width="410" height="342"></iframe>Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-13676735925545483632009-11-11T07:49:00.001-08:002009-11-11T07:50:09.192-08:00CCMI - Presentation Link<a href="http://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0ASYkQGNj_IaQZGd6ejRmMnFfMTJmNjlma2pkcA&hl=en">Click Here</a> to view presentationWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-59996270661318080362009-10-31T15:39:00.001-07:002009-10-31T15:43:26.733-07:00MySQL & XAMPP<span xmlns=''><p style='text-align: center'><br /> </p><p><br /> </p><p>"The MySQL® database has become the world's most popular open source database because of its consistent fast performance, high reliability and ease of use. It's used on every continent -- Yes, even Antarctica! -- by individual Web developers as well as many of the world's largest and fastest-growing organizations to save time and money powering their high-volume Web sites, business-critical systems and packaged software -- including industry leaders such as Yahoo!, Alcatel-Lucent, Google, Nokia, YouTube, and Zappos.com."<br /></p><p>MySQL is flexible enough to be able to run on about 20 different platforms, from Windows to Mac to Linux. Leaving the ability to have different types of applications running in balance with MySQL one of these programs is XAMPP. XAMPP is an open source project that bundles MySQL with Apache Server, PHP, and Pearl making it a dynamic bundle being able to create and run websites. One other feature that XAMPP has is that it provides support for creating and manipulating databases in MySQL allowing developers to have greater flexibility while writing their applications.<br /></p><p>"XAMPP's designers intended it for use only as a development tool, to allow website designers and programmers to test their work on their own computers without any access to the Internet. To make this as easy as possible, many important security features are disabled by default. In practice, however, XAMPP is sometimes used to actually serve web pages on the World Wide Web." When XAMMP's security features are enabled it makes it a secure web service, and makes secure calls to the MySQL database. <br /></p><p>XAMPP is just one example of a development tool that can be used with MySQL to create dynamic web pages. MySQL is often the choice of developers because it can be tied in closely with PHP creating a rich user environment. The reliability of MySQL being able to be bundled with other programs makes it indispensible when trying to search for databases that are compatible with other software packages. <br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>BIBLIOGRAPHY <br /></p><p>Sun Microsystems, Inc., (n.d.). Retrieved Oct. 30, 2009, from <a target='_blank' href='http://mysql.com/why-mysql/'>http://mysql.com/why-mysql/</a><br /> </p><p>Apache Friends, (2009, Oct. 07). Retrieved Oct. 30, 2009, from <a target='_blank' href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XAMPP'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XAMPP</a><br /> </p></span>Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-2701656064689097072009-10-16T15:02:00.001-07:002009-10-16T15:03:51.432-07:00Why SDK Development?<center><a href="http://devimages.apple.com/global/elements/registration/images/start_sdk3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 349px; height: 333px;" src="http://devimages.apple.com/global/elements/registration/images/start_sdk3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a></center><br /><br /><span xmlns=""> <p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:8;color:#333333;">I worked for a company that provided virtual tours for real estate agents for the homes that they listed to sell. Near the end of 2007 the company wanted to set itself apart from other companies that were providing virtual tours. The company wanted to provide a tool for real estate agents that would help their prospective buyers take more psychological ownership of the home. This tool later became a product call StyleDesigner, which allowed perspective buyers to customize pictures of the home by changing the colors of the walls, change carpet to hardwood floors, color of trim, and the colors of the cabinets. The company knew they could cut costs and development time if they could purchase software that already provided the masking utilities they needed and then add some custom features to give them the extra edge. They were able to find a company that provided an SDK for them to work with so that they could build their custom product.<br /><br />There are many other companies like Microsoft, Apple, Bytes Software, and Quick Books that provide SDK's for developers so that they can customize their products and make them flexible so they can communicate with other systems. "Many of our clients have proprietary systems that have been developed over time," explained Joe Herb, general manager of Byte Software. "The SDK will allow those clients to radically streamline their processes by automating tasks that were previously done manually. That, combined with the ability of third-party vendors to integrate their systems directly into BytePro, makes the SDK a key addition to our product line." Byte Software was able to make themselves more marketable because they were able to provide a way for their existing customers and potential customers systems to integrate with other financial institution's systems to provide service to their customers.<br /><br />Apple's iPhone SDK is one of the most popular SDK's for programmers to become familiar with. It has opened up a new door for companies to reach users in a mobile environment. Apple also provided the SDK on a platform that made it easy for developers to work with to help them build rich programs. Brian Doig, a software developer with Walt Disney said the SDK is "A bag full of awesome . . . you can reach in and find everything you need." Other mobile devices have similar programs, he said, but nothing as easy to use as this. The trick, according to Mike Myer, another Walt Disney developer, is that Apple lets developers debug their apps right on the phone.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:8;color:#333333;">SDK's are providing a platform to help take a company's products into ventures that the companies could possibly only dream of, because it helps tie in the customer directly with their products. It is also helping developers work on an existing platforms that they are familiar with so they can provide programs for companies they work for at lower costs, than if they had to build whole custom program themselves instead of just adding on extension to programs that already exist.</span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:8;color:#333333;"><strong>Bibliography</strong><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:10;color:#262a2c;"><em>Byte's SDK to Ease Integrations</em> [SEATTLE, WA] 16 July 2007, Technology sec.: 14. Print.</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:8;color:#333333;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:10;color:#262a2c;">"Developers: iPhone Software-Writing Tool is Awesome." <em>Developers: iPhone Software-Writing Tool is Awesome</em>. Popular Science, 9 June 2008. Web. 16 Oct. 2009. .</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:8;color:#333333;"><br /></span></p></span>Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-752841774462711442009-10-06T09:20:00.001-07:002009-10-06T09:20:47.541-07:00What’s wrong with this spreadsheet?<span xmlns=''><p>Working with the Suspicious Subtotal worksheet in Chapter 8 on page 257 our group noticed the following:<br /></p><ol><li>When the person originally was sorting the spreadsheet they had sorted the totals by each specific item, then by category, then by month. This added about 1900 rows to the spread sheet that weren't needed because the information wasn't sorted correctly. What we did was just the opposite sorting by month, category and then item.<br /></li><li>When working with the Subtotal function we just wanted to see the main subtotals for the months, then break down into category, and then by item. When doing subtotals you need to not replace subtotals when you are doing a break down, meaning you just want the main subtotal to be for the Month, and then you want your own subtotal for category, and item. If you select replace subtotal in the design box in excel it will change your information so that it will be incorrect. </li></ol></span>Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-63521930625081992382009-10-03T21:03:00.001-07:002009-10-03T21:03:05.358-07:00Data Flow Diagrams to understand life.<span xmlns=''><p>Data Flow Diagrams are mostly used for developers to get a physical representation of the system of they are using, or designing. You can use them to represent how a customer is going to interact with an ordering system, to how you are going to have your system provide a data export to a third party vendor. <br /></p><p>However I realized today that I learned about data flow diagrams as early as eight years old, and in a place that would seem very unusual for a data flow diagram to be found. I learned it while attending a Primary class from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint on a lesson about the Plan of Salvation. The lesson was about how we lived before we came to this earth and where we will go after we leave our mortal life.<br /></p><p>If we look at the diagram below and understands ourselves as an actor in the data flow diagram it is easy to see that there is more for us then us just being here in mortality. To better understand the really the purpose and concept of the diagram of the Plan of Salvation The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints states:<br /></p><p>In the premortal existence, Heavenly Father prepared a plan to enable us to become like Him and receive a fullness of joy. The scriptures refer to this plan as "the plan of salvation" (Alma 24:14; Moses 6:62), "the great plan of happiness" (Alma 42:8), "the plan of redemption" (Jacob 6:8; Alma 12:30), and "the plan of mercy" (Alma 42:15). The plan of salvation is the fullness of the gospel. It includes the Creation, the Fall, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and all the laws, ordinances, and doctrines of the gospel. Moral agency, the ability to choose and act for ourselves, is also essential in Heavenly Father's plan. Because of this plan, we can be perfected through the Atonement, receive a fullness of joy, and live forever in the presence of God. Our family relationships can last throughout the eternities. <br /></p><p><br /> </p><p><br /> </p><p><br /> </p><p>We can take this diagram and then we can break it down even more in to lower level diagrams so that we can better understand what it is that we need to do in this life to receive all that our Father in Heaven wants from us. We build a data flow diagram to show all the things that we need to do here on earth such has how we need to search for truth, be able to grow in faith to, accept the atonement of Jesus Christ so we can have faith in him, and how can provide service for others. From an article given by Elder Duane Gerrard of the Quorum of the Seventy of the LDS Church we read:<br /></p><p>The Lord has carefully provided a plan of life called the plan of salvation. It comprises all of the laws, ordinances, principles, and doctrines required to complete our mortal journey and progress to a state of exaltation enjoyed by our Father in Heaven.<br /></p><p>I know that if someone had try to explain the plan of salvation to me as a young boy without the aid of a diagram that I would have been severely lost and would not have understood what it was the teacher was trying to get across to me. Data Flow Diagrams help us to physically represent information if we were to just to try to explain to someone would be hard from them to grasp concepts that are unfamiliar with. <br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>Bibliography<br /></p><p>The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.The Plan of Salvation, Retrieved October 3, 2009 Website: http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&sourceId=45af9daac5d98010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=bbd508f54922d010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD<br /></p><p>Gerrard, D.(1997).The Plan of Salvation: A Flight Plan for Life. Ensign<br /></p><p> <br /> </p></span>Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-80929387936396654022009-09-26T23:10:00.001-07:002009-09-26T23:10:05.040-07:00Importance of Asking Questions<span xmlns=''><p>I have worked in support and help desk positions for the past three years and have learned that asking questions is crucial to getting anything done. Before the company I worked for had invested in any type of remote support software like GoToAssist, or LogMeIn123 I had to try my best to describe to our clients how to maneuver through the management end of their websites so they could edit information on their personal website. <br /></p><p>I took a call one day from an older lady, who wasn't to tech savvy, wanting to know how she would edit the information on her personal website. I began my regular routine of asking her to open a web browser, and then enter in her username and password into the website. Then once logged into the management area of the site to select the particular area of the website that she wanted to edit, and after she has edited her changes to click the saved button. She then said to me, "I don't see the save button" I then said, "It's off to the bottom right corner of the site" she then replied, "I am not on your website." I was confused because I thought that she had been following along with my instructions on how to maneuver through the website. What was my mistake throughout all this phone call? I was giving her instructions and not asking questions. <br /></p><p>When working in a technical support role you are going to be finding yourself asking a lot of <strong>Close Ended</strong> type of questions. Closed Questions are those for which there are a limited number of acceptable responses or "right answers."(1) For example asking something like, Have you opened up a web browser?, and Were you able to successfully log into the website? If asking those questions I will know exactly whether or not the person has completed the instructions that I just gave them. <br /></p><p>There also comes an important need to listen to your clients and especially listen to the questions they ask you. "Try to give more than a one word answer. No matter which questioning technique customers use, try to answer as though the question is open ended."(2) You now have a great opportunity to share more with your clients about your system so that they will be able to know how to get the most out of using your products and services. This will also lead to building a relationship of trust with the customer because they see that you are willing to listen to them, and are able to answer their questions.<br /></p><p>The art of asking questions is something that you will continue to learn over time, and you will need to be able to detail your questions to the specific clients you deal with in different situations. People in technical support positions are often described as very non-commutative, and not very customer oriented. You will be able to get an edge over others in a technical field if you learn to communicate effectively and be able to ask questions to further your fact finding to help someone. <br /></p><p>I have noticed with the people that I work with now that they are very appreciative of the service that I provide to them. They comment on how I am able to ask those questions that guide them through the steps on how to get their work done on websites more easily and efficiently. I have come a long way since I very first started in providing technical support, and I know that I will continue to grow as I learn how to communicate with people, and to ask questions so I know what level of service and guidance that I need to provide to them. <br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>Bibliography<br /></p><p><span style='color:#262a2c; font-family:Trebuchet MS; font-size:10pt'>(1) Blosser, Patricia. "How to Ask the Right Questions." National Science Teachers Association. Web. 26 Sept. 2009. <http://site.ebrary.com/lib/byuprovo/Doc?id=10240824&ppg=4>.</span><br /> </p><p><span style='color:#262a2c; font-family:Trebuchet MS; font-size:10pt'>(2) Renee, Evenson. "Customer Service Training 101 : Quick and Easy Techniques That Get Great Results." AMACOM. Web. 25 Sept. 2009. <http://site.ebrary.com/lib/byuprovo/Doc?id=10120166&ppg=67>.</span></p></span>Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-11043450130666328222009-09-19T16:08:00.000-07:002009-09-19T19:44:24.266-07:00Fishbone DiagramA Fishbone diagram is a visual tool that one can use to see what could possibly affecting a system. The book <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Quality: a critical introduction</span> suggests, "that the major categories such as 'Men, Machines, Material and Methods' may provide a useful first set of categories, each of these categories, each of these categories is then subdivided again, the 'fishbones' gaining further rubs and subribs as the whole issue is explored"<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span></span><br /><br />In an article in <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Tooling and Production</span> it gives some helpful hints in creating these diagrams. "The diagram is best constructed by a group that is knowledgeable about the process at hand. The group brainstorms what variables in each category may contribute to the current problem.This exercise stirs the thought processes of the group's members and extracts core process knowledge to identify likely contributing factors." So if you are an outside consultant hired to go into a company to see what you can do to help the company streamline its operations this can be a very useful tool. You may want to gather together those who are in different levels of the "company food chain" to better understand the companies needs to create a better working environment.<br /><br />The <a href="http://mot.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/mt322/Ishikawa.htm">Vanderbilt University School of Engineering</a> has a great diagram that we can look at and then break it down to better understand the fishbone diagram. <center><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mot.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/mt322/image/fishbo.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 410px; height: 249px;" src="http://mot.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/mt322/image/fishbo.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></center><br />The diagram is trying to dissect why a company may have unhappy workers. Listed are four areas where there could be potential problems, environment, workers, management, and machines. We can see that branching off of these areas:<br /><ul><li>The environment is to hot</li><li>The workers feel like they have not been adequately trained</li><li>The machines are to old</li></ul>I'm sure that there are many other reasons why the workers may be unhappy however you can get a good idea on why these workers are unhappy with the information provided in the diagram.<br /><br />In conclusion you should try using a fishbone diagram in the next system analysis that you do. It will provide you with a great physical representation of what problems exist in a system so that you can better analyze what solutions will best fit for your company.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bibliography</span><br />Maze-Emery, Elizabeth. "Knowing the cause is half the battle." <i>Tooling and Production</i><br /></span> Nov.-Dec. 2008: 28-29. Print. <span style="font-size:85%;"><i style="font-style: italic;">(Beckford, John. Quality An Introduction</i><span style="font-style: italic;">. 1st ed. New York: Routledge, 2002. Print.</span></span>Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-56732675571018099772009-09-12T21:03:00.000-07:002009-09-12T21:08:07.806-07:00Future Value Equation<div>Did you know what you can invest smarter with Excel? Its true! Our good friends at Microsoft Office have this wonderful formula in Excel that is called <b>Future Value</b>. How does it work, and how do you use it? Well lets first bring up a situation where you would apply this formula. </div> <div><br /></div> <div> Over at <a href="http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/HA011117451033.aspx#Borrowing" id="w6_n" title="Microsoft Office">Microsoft Office</a> they have a great example situation: </div> <div><br /></div> <div> If I invest $2,000 a year for 40 years toward my retirement and earn 8 percent a year on my investments, how much will I have when I retire? </div> <div><br /></div> <div> Really you can put any numbers in there, but now we have the situation and its time to show you how to put in that information. The equation for the formula looks like this: </div> <div><br /></div> <div> <span style=" FONT-STYLE:normal; FONT-WEIGHT:normal; TEXT-ALIGN:autofont-family:'Times New Roman';color:#000000;"><span style=" TEXT-ALIGN:left;font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:#484848;"> <pre style=" BACKGROUND-COLOR:#eeeeee"><span style="font-size:85%;">FV(rate,#per,[pmt],[pv],[type])</span></pre> </span></span> </div> <div><br /></div> <div> The break down: </div> <div><br /></div> <div> rate: this is the interest rate, so we are looking at in our example it is 8% or .08 </div> <div><br /></div> <div> #per: is the number of periods in the future for what you are calculating the future value. #per is also the number of periods during which the annuity payment is received. In our example it is 40. </div> <div><br /></div> <div> pmt: is the payment that is going to be made each period. In this example, pmt is -$2,000. Why the minus sign? It means that we are receiving money over all. </div> <div><br /></div> <div> pv: is for if we were to owe someone money or if we have money in savings. If we owed money then we would simply input it in as $10,000, if we had the money in savings -$10,000. But we right now will ignore this because it doesn't apply to do what we are going so we will just leave this blank.<br /></div> <div><br /></div> <div> type: is meaning when a payment is made. You have only two values you can enter 1 or 0. 1 is for if the payment is made at the beginning of the period and 0 is for if the payment is made at the end of the period. If you were to leave this blank then the formula will assume the value should be zero. </div> <div><br /></div> <div> If you have made it this far you are a trooper! To put all of that together would look like: </div> <div><br /></div> <div> <b>FV(.08,40,-2000,0,0) </b>and the final value will be <b>$518,113.04</b>. </div> <div><br /></div> <div> You may now be asking, "Thats great and all, but how do I switch out the numbers easily?" I got you covered! You are able to use cell references so that you will only need to change the value of the cell and not the equation each time you want to do a calculation. The screen shot below will explain: </div> <div><br /></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYBn90DxKHJiJcbbJfX7OJx8iXd4-KZlBUGK9L5SvO_KkRqbBszvaRESfFlIg8oj5-m5A5ihFqe7d1ampQBwxvHFirlrVGnY_HR8DZGant8xbqPaVwVBFnGdXYpEOijPISqH2K83mm138Z/s1600-h/ExcelFV.PNG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 105px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYBn90DxKHJiJcbbJfX7OJx8iXd4-KZlBUGK9L5SvO_KkRqbBszvaRESfFlIg8oj5-m5A5ihFqe7d1ampQBwxvHFirlrVGnY_HR8DZGant8xbqPaVwVBFnGdXYpEOijPISqH2K83mm138Z/s200/ExcelFV.PNG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380798706552226066" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div> <div> <div id="djrh" style="TEXT-ALIGN:left"><br /></div><br /></div> <div> You will see that we have the cell referenced of <b>B2</b>, <b>B3</b>, and <b>B4</b>. Here you will see that I used semi colons in the formula, this is because I used Open Office to compile the equation <b>=FV(B2;B3;-B4;0;0). </b>In Microsoft Excel it would look like <b>=FV(B2,B3,-B4,0,0)</b>. </div><br />Now all you will need to do is change the values in the cells and immediately the information will show in the total. If you have any other additional question feel free to leave a comment, or you can <a id="f:jk" href="http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/HA011117451033.aspx#Borrowing" title="Click Here">Click Here</a> and read the full article provided by Microsoft Office.Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-25629024735796941402009-09-08T08:00:00.000-07:002009-09-08T08:19:18.103-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bis.ldsbc.edu/model/img15.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 289px; height: 303px;" src="http://bis.ldsbc.edu/model/img15.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />One of the great things about attending a LDS Church owned school is that they have a different teaching structure is different then most schools. Here at the LDSBC ( Latter-day Saint Business College) one of the main focus's is teach one another. In this way the students are more responsible for their education then at other college's or universities. As part of the schools mission statment we read:<br /><br /><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Teach One Another</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: Engage in meaningful learning experiences individually and in groups to help you understand concepts and develop skills.</span><br /><br />I would like to pose the question, Who learns more then the teacher while teaching? A student may grasp bits and pieces of what the teacher is saying, but when a teacher is prepairing the lesson and then sharing with the students what they have learned, the teacher is in more of an advantage then the students. Why? becuase they have internalized the message then they figured how to share that information. That part is crutial, the ability to be able to vocalize what you have taken in.<br /><br />From one of the sciptures of the church, D&C 88:78 we learn:<br /> 78 Teach ye diligently and my <sup>a</sup><a href="http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/88/78a" mark="a" type="B" title="TG Grace.">grace</a> shall attend you, that you may be <sup>b</sup><a href="http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/88/78b" mark="b" type="C" title="D&C 88: 118; D&C 90: 15; D&C 93: 53; TG Education.">instructed</a> more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand; <a name="79"></a><br /><br />As we teach he will have the help of the Lord, and we will have a better understing of what it is that we are supposed to learn. Now for the application, we need to teach one another the things that we learn. As we teach we learn, and as others teach us they will learn as well.Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-17324963212095808062009-01-16T12:36:00.001-08:002009-01-16T12:36:25.634-08:00Open Application Created by Visual Studio 2008<span xmlns=''><p>When creating an application using visual studio I was trying to figure out a way that I could just run the application without having to install it first on my machine. You can run the application without installation by opening the project folder of your application then navigating to the bin folder, then the release folder:<br /></p><p>My Documents\Visual Studio 2008\Projects\Visual Basic 2008 Terms\Visual Basic 2008 Terms\bin\Release<br /></p><p>You can then double click on the application file without having to first installing the setup.exe file that is found if you publish the program.</p></span>Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-72577898143841000442009-01-16T12:22:00.001-08:002009-01-16T12:23:29.998-08:00Why use Linux Operating Systems<span xmlns=""><p>"When Miguel De Icaza spoke at the 2000 Ottawa Linux Symposium, he opened his talk with a blunt message, "Let's make Unix not suck."(McAllister, 2004)<br /></p><p>Miguel De Icaza can make such a statement because he is one of the main founders of Gnome, which is a GUI that is widely accepted and used in different distributions of Linux. His idea is that we need to use concepts that are already familiar to computer users, but just make those concepts better.<br /></p><p>With dedicated programmers such as this you may wonder why they are having what they created open-source or essentially free to the public to use. The reason for this is that they are helping create a standard amongst developers and programmers to create systems for the benefit of all users.<br /></p><p>This can be seen widely through all of the forums that are available on how to use Linux distributions. There are many discussions on how to fix security issues that may exist as well as different bugs and errors that they have come across while using Linux. With so many eyes looking at what is going into making Linux better there are not many major security issues as there are with Window's products. Usually when a security issue is found by someone outside of Microsoft Windows Development team they will exploit the security vulnerability and the issue may not be found by Microsoft for many months. Security issues with Linux are more easily detected and then are fixed sooner, making it more secure and a better option for those who do not like Microsoft operating systems.<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">References<br /></p><p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 22pt">McAllister, N. (2004). Open source's usability champion narrows the gap between linux and windows.<em> InfoWorld, 26</em>(21), 52-53. Retrieved from <a href="http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=13196091&site=ehost-live&scope=site" target="_blank">http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=13196091&site=ehost-live&scope=site<br /></a></p><p> </p></span>Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-44226130078102051912009-01-09T14:37:00.000-08:002009-01-09T14:42:44.496-08:00Fedora 10 "Failed to get a TID" ErrorProblem:<br /><br />When trying to update Fedora 10 I got this error:<br /><br />failed to get a TID: A security policy in place prevents this sender from sending this message to this recipient, see message bus configuration file (rejected message had interface "org.freedesktop.PackageKit.Transaction" member "SetLocale" error name "(unset)" destination "org.freedesktop.PackageKit") (0)<br /><br />The fix:<br /><br />Open Terminal and type:<br /><br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;">su -c 'yum update'</span> then press "Enter" to execute the command<br /><br />Your system will then search for available updates and then install them. Restart your system and then everything should work fine from there.Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-31769681899311740232009-01-09T10:26:00.000-08:002009-01-09T10:27:30.383-08:00Why Linux for business needs?Why Linux? First off, its free! The ability to have an operating system that is free makes a huge difference when needing to cut costs in a business. You also have developers constantly looking at the different flavors, or brands of Linux. With hundreds of developers looking at Linux operating systems there are constant fixes to bugs that effect the security of your system and the performance of the machine. You also have the opportunity to install only the key components of Linux that you are needing in order to be productive. You can go even as far as writing program specific programs for Linux to meet your company needs. Just think about how awful it would be to choose a company to write a custom DBMS for you to then have them all of a sudden go out of business without warning. Who then will support the product you just purchased? Who will refund the money you just spent as well? By doing your own custom programming you then do not need to worry about these issues, and constantly update, and fix bugs that may come across. Linux can be used for Mail Servers, Routing, FTP services, Web Services, DNS Services, and much more.Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-26502812749095717652009-01-07T08:24:00.000-08:002009-01-07T08:35:00.280-08:00What to consider when choosing a database<style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --></style>Gints Plivna at gplivna.eu has some great advice on what factors you are needing to consider when choosing a database. I am going to attempt to “Cliff Note” the article for convenience . <a href="http://www.gplivna.eu/papers/choose_database.htm" refurl="http://www.gplivna.eu/papers/choose_database.htm">Click here</a> to view the full article.<br /><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">How robust is the system needing to be?</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A Geo Metro cant perform as a Power Stroke Ford F-350 can with how much it can carry and how fast it can move. If you are expecting the system to not to be strained or have to carry to much data then go with something that will perform like the Geo, but if you are expecting high volume and a lot of strain then go with the F-350.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Will it work with the existing system?</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lets continue to think of the database as a car and now your system as the garage. Can your new car fit in your old garage? Or are you going to have to build a new garage for your new car? You need to make sure that what you already have in place is compatible with what you are going to implement. </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">What will the cost benefit be?</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If its going to cost to much to keep the system up and hire someone to maintain the system then it may not be in your best interest to upgrade to a new system. However if you are able to do most of the work yourself, find forums, and other useful tools that are free then it could be beneficial to you to implement the system. </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Keep these three questions in mind when you are thinking about upgrading or starting out with a new database. </p>Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-34273698546914156112008-12-08T20:32:00.000-08:002008-12-08T22:09:17.639-08:00Bulk Add Users and GroupsIt is very easy to add users and groups, especially using a batch file. Open up your favourite text editor, I prefer <span style="font-weight: bold;">Notepad.</span> Just start on the first line in the document begin your commands. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Example</span></span>:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>net user CharlesFrozen Password01 /ADD <br />net localgroup "Students" /add<br />net localgroup "Students" CharlesFrozen /ADD</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>On the first line you are telling the computer that you are adding a user by the name of <span style="font-weight: bold;">CharlesFrozen </span>with the password of<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Password01 </span>and you are telling the computer to<span style="font-weight: bold;"> add </span>him to the user group<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>with the <span style="font-weight: bold;">/Add</span> command<span style="font-weight: bold;">.<br /><br /></span>On the second line you are telling the computer to add a group by the name of<span style="font-weight: bold;"> "Students" </span>then th<span style="font-weight: bold;">e /ADD </span>command.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span>On the third line you are telling the computer to add to the<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> "Students" </span></span></span>group<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> CharlesFrozen </span></span></span>then the<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> /ADD </span></span></span>command.<br /><br />Now to show you how to do more users and groups:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net user CharlesFrozen Password01 /ADD </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net user JessicaMiller Password01 /ADD </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net user JillRobber Password01 /ADD </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net user KimSheep Password01 /ADD </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net user ElvisAbbot Password01 /ADD </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net user MikeMeathead Password01 /ADD </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net user IkeOverload Password01 /ADD </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net user ClintWallpaper Password01 /ADD </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net localgroup "Students" /add </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net localgroup "Students" CharlesFrozen /ADD </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net localgroup "Students" ClintWallpaper /ADD</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net localgroup "Students" IkeOverload /ADD</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net localgroup "Students" MikeMeathead /ADD</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net localgroup "Students" ElvisAbbot /ADD</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net localgroup "Students" KimSheep /ADD</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net localgroup "Students" JillRobber /ADD</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net user KeithMcRay Password02 /ADD </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net user KenLasery Password02 /ADD </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net user LindaHiker Password02 /ADD </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net user KitFinal Password02 /ADD </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net localgroup "Faculty" /add </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net localgroup "Faculty" KeithMcRay /ADD </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net localgroup "Faculty" LindaHiker /ADD </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net localgroup "Faculty" KitFinal /ADD</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">net localgroup "Faculty" KenLasery /ADD</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span>The last and final step is when saving the document is to write <span style="font-weight: bold;">.bat</span> at the end of the file name that you are saving it as, <span style="font-weight: bold;">BatchAddStudentAndFaculty.bat</span>.<br /><br />To deploy just right click the file and select <span style="font-weight: bold;">run</span>. You may need to select <span style="font-weight: bold;">run as administrator</span> depending on the operating system.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-31269108263728447732008-12-06T17:22:00.000-08:002008-12-06T17:30:11.310-08:00Retrieve Wireless Internet KeyHave you ever been in the situation where you needed the key back to your wireless internet key? You can remember the one of thousands of passwords you may have used for it? Well <a href="http://lifehacker.com/366649/recover-lost-wi+fi-passwords-with-wirelesskeyview">WirelessKey View</a> has your back. It will be able to retrieve the password of all of the wireless networks you have connected to. There is no install, just run the <span style="font-weight: bold;">.exe</span> file and you are all set.<br /><br /><a href="http://nirsoft.net/utils/wirelesskeyview.zip">Click here</a> to download WirelessKey (Download not work? <a href="http://nirsoft.net/utils/wireless_key.html">Click here</a> for the homepage)<br /><a href="http://lifehacker.com/366649/recover-lost-wi+fi-passwords-with-wirelesskeyview"><br />Click here</a> to read about it on Lifehacker.comWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-14422052684025814012008-12-06T16:47:00.000-08:002008-12-06T17:12:18.292-08:00How to Start your SpoolerWent to go print a document and it wouldn't print. Went to see what the problem was and my printer spooler had stopped. What is a print spooler? It is a program that puts print jobs in order so that it can print documents one at a time, so if this stops then nothing will print.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Solution</span>:<br /><br />1. Open a command prompt<br />2. Type <span style="font-weight: bold;">net start spooler</span><br />3. Let the magic happen<br /><br />That's it! You have now successfully started your print spooler. You should now be able to print your documents.Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-56638326976873245152008-12-06T13:55:00.000-08:002008-12-06T14:37:42.855-08:00Cant edit a document scenario<span style="font-weight: bold;">The scenario: </span><span class="fnt0"><br /><br />John Smith has finally reached his goal of getting his dream job as a<span> </span>copy writer in the Marketing department. He has been an accounting clerk for the past five years </span><span class="fnt0">On his new PC, he has been told to login, and then<span></span> navigate to the M (Marketing) drive and modify his biography. When he goes to edit the </span><span class="fnt0">biography he finds that he is not able to edit it.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The solution:<br /><br /></span>The biography was in <span style="font-weight: bold;">read only</span> mode<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>which means that the document can be read but not edited. To fix the problem access the biography document as an administrator and <span style="font-weight: bold;">right click</span> on the document and select <span style="font-weight: bold;">properties</span>. In the <span style="font-weight: bold;">General Tab</span> of the properties window <span style="font-weight: bold;">uncheckread-only</span>. Next click on the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Securities Tab</span> and add John Smith's user account to the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Group or User Names </span>with the access to be able to <span style="font-weight: bold;">write </span>to the document. John Smith now will be able to edit his biography in the Marketing drive.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">How to apply this:<br /><br /></span>The<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span>next time you get a call at the help desk from someone in your office saying they cannot edit a document on the network, or in a shared folder, check to see if they have the correct permissions to edit the document.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><br /></span>Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-13831896072568334072008-11-12T09:12:00.000-08:002008-11-12T09:42:53.398-08:00Baselining Your Vista<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>To simply put it, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Baselining</span> your machine means that you are defining the normal performance for your machine. Vista, even though it may be a ugly word amongst most people, has given you a tool to help you baseline your machine, which is the <a href="http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc722173.aspx"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reliability </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Performance Monitor</span></a>.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9r1u5gp8ybPeruwGBU9YYFElDjOVN_rwI1awLcPadF3-cpYza5OhviZn_pXdCt3rigbOaCHNwyTuo9sSls12AR2Z2Az8upVIMxF96aIgHcdvOFs8VKZDSVnHOnxbI1Go3J94-ubplKSsH/s1600-h/ReliabilityPerformanceMonitor.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9r1u5gp8ybPeruwGBU9YYFElDjOVN_rwI1awLcPadF3-cpYza5OhviZn_pXdCt3rigbOaCHNwyTuo9sSls12AR2Z2Az8upVIMxF96aIgHcdvOFs8VKZDSVnHOnxbI1Go3J94-ubplKSsH/s200/ReliabilityPerformanceMonitor.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267823466247736498" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Till now you may not have know that this has existed and it may look a little intimidating, but there is nothing to worry about. Once you check around and play with it you will be glad you did.<br /><br />To do a simple check of your performance do the following:<br /><br />1. Go to start<br />2. In the search box type in " <a href="http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc722173.aspx"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reliability </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Performance</span></a><a href="http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc722173.aspx"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Monitor</span></a>", and click on it<br />3. When it opens click on "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Monitoring Tools</span>" on the left side of the window.<br />4. Click on "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Performance Monitor</span>". You should see now that there is a counter already going to check you Processing Time.<br />5. Click on the "green plus"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwr3B5EbLh7MVE2eyGU7gwNs0tg5_cu3elo7zAyXVtOHvWSKccJqc0lqi57jZpKwJk7KpcARsC02zbsrq0eaz5z_NQgkTnNk8YVorfz8dqP_eCxewO9W5kTk93tGDt3tirRbrFenyADKO/s1600-h/AddingCounters.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwr3B5EbLh7MVE2eyGU7gwNs0tg5_cu3elo7zAyXVtOHvWSKccJqc0lqi57jZpKwJk7KpcARsC02zbsrq0eaz5z_NQgkTnNk8YVorfz8dqP_eCxewO9W5kTk93tGDt3tirRbrFenyADKO/s200/AddingCounters.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267827551932859874" border="0" /></a><br />(click on window to expand)Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-12935760060817704342008-09-17T09:32:00.001-07:002008-09-17T09:40:26.766-07:00Striped Volume<span xmlns=""><p>A striped volume is part of the dynamic disk storage family. It requires the use of two or more dynamic disks and up to 32 dynamic disks. One of the benefits of using <strong>striped volumes </strong>is that you are able to break up the information of a file and store it on multiple dynamic disks to increase speed of saving a file. One down side is that it is not fault tolerant, and if a disk in the striped volume fails you loose the whole volume.<br /></p><p><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=c0EnU1X4uE8C&pg=PA352&lpg=PA352&dq=striped+volume,+windows+vista&source=web&ots=GnLTwO49In&sig=2_vBrdkXUPJx2XYcXADFMnoGUh0&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result">Click here</a> for more information on <strong>striped volumes</strong> provided by Google Books.</p></span>Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-76890859817150652802008-09-12T08:29:00.000-07:002008-09-12T08:54:54.963-07:00Linux Flash Drive - How to mountI am very new to Linux. I am using Fedora Core 2 at one of the work stations here at LDSBC. It wasnt recognizing my flash drive so I "googled" for the answer and these are the steps that I found to make sure you can see the device, directory is created, and the flash drive is mapped.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Steps</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />1. </span>Open Terminal on you linux machine<br />2. To make sure you can see the flash drive type:<br /> <b class="command"> less /proc/bus/usb/devices</b><span class="command"><br /> 2a. You will need to use the Up and Down arrow keys on your keyboard<br /> to scroll through the list of devices. You should then see the description<br /> of the device.<br /> </span><span class="command"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDY_suqIlF-LoL9CfAmP_s8Xm93lxQu000NCFdVIgTelwbVcfk-dv4c7AFv_3sJ3idHy8aufQo3J0XgZ7MpgThIspaHg_0rfDknlCQOLFaQbdgk3hVjcVs8s-qNTrx65hgThjTOBfaTBT/s1600-h/UsbDrive.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDY_suqIlF-LoL9CfAmP_s8Xm93lxQu000NCFdVIgTelwbVcfk-dv4c7AFv_3sJ3idHy8aufQo3J0XgZ7MpgThIspaHg_0rfDknlCQOLFaQbdgk3hVjcVs8s-qNTrx65hgThjTOBfaTBT/s400/UsbDrive.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245161761679168002" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">3. When you see the drive open a new terminal window and type the following. </span><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">mkdir /mnt/usb1 (type with the space, this makes the directory)</span><br /></span> <pre style="font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/usb1 (this maps the drive)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">4. You are done! Browse to it by going to</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">computer on the desktop, select file system, select mnt, </span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> then select Usb1 and you will see the files on your usb drive</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">.<br /></span></span></pre> <span style="font-weight: bold;">If you have any other tips please post them. This probably isnt the easist way to do it, but it works.<br /><br /><br /></span>Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-66879060848773334802008-09-12T07:24:00.000-07:002008-09-17T06:34:27.878-07:00Improving Myself :)Realizing my strengths and weaknesses is hard for me to do, especially realizing my strengths. It is so easy to point out every little thing that I have done wrong, and just skip over all of the accomplishments that I have. What I am going to try to do now is list all the things that I am good at in the realm of System Development Phases, because this is a tech blog :), and see what I can improve on to make goals to better myself.<br /><br />I love getting to know people. One of the part time jobs that I have is doing promotions for Dodge, Jeep, and Chrysler. All I do for them is go to football games and different events and talk about how great it is to own one of their vehicles. With every person that I talk to I try to get a feel for them to see what their personality is so that I can make sure they get the most out of the experience of talking with me about cars. I listen to everything that they say and make sure that I say something like, "well just like you said" or "I get where you are coming from" so that they know I actually care about them as an individual and not just trying to push a vehicle on them. Listen and getting to know someone is key to understanding what they need and then you can plan on what you are able to deliver to them and build a structured plan off of that.<br /><br />I also feel that I am able to remain flexible with what people want out of something. Usually I am able to adapt pretty to well to what people need. But this can be bad however when I am I am trying to give an accurate price to someone. I like to save people money and sometimes give them a little more then I should so that I can assure that they are happy with a product or service. I need to just give people a price and stick to it.<br /><br />I can plan out every detail when designing a program or even planning out an event. But I just <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">dont</span> like to have others be my task manager over me. I like to work at my own pace, but when your boss is trying to make you accountable for your work it can make it hard at times. I know why they are asking for status reports along the way, but there are some tasks that will just take longer as planned and I for some reason, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">dont</span> like to let people down and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">dont</span> want to tell them I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">didnt</span> want to reach my goal. I know this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">isnt</span> the right <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">mentality</span>, so this is another area I think that I can improve on.Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-59788036093582717532008-03-05T21:00:00.000-08:002008-03-05T22:05:09.628-08:00Data Mining is an important tool in know what a customer is going to buy. We discussed this by talking about CRM's in a previous post. But this will be a good to talk about again. What type of businesses need to have the most up to date information to best sell their product? Resturaunts like Red Robin, Einstiens, and Pizzeria Uno need the most up to date informaiton. If they can see what it is their cutomers are buying then they are able to adapt and do better product placement in menus and advertising. AFC Enterprises will break the information they receive by a specific region. They know if they offer a certain product in a certain area, like a specialty deseret, then the customer will respond buy getting an extra cup of coffee. They are then able create opportunities that the customer may not have realized before.Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925993837934854518.post-11045306427544987112008-02-21T00:32:00.000-08:002008-02-21T01:34:49.873-08:00How to over come crappy programingWho hasn’t had a project deadline be pushed back by a crappy code that has been written? This will happen to every company at one point. It just will. Let’s face it. All hope is not lost though! You can minimize your risks with proper planning, implementation, and testing before fully releasing the program to the public or to internal staff members.<br />Remember this acronym SDLC, which means Systems Development Life Cycle. The reason why this is important is this helps you see what all needs to happen in order to create a fully functioning program. The steps are simply to:<br /><br />1. Plan<br />2. Analyze<br />3. Design<br />4. Develop<br />5. Test<br />6. Implement<br />7. Maintain<br /><br />I want to touch mostly on three of these which are the planning phase, testing, and maintenance. Who hasn’t heard the phrase "Piss poor planning leads to piss poor performance"? This is a phrase that has been told to me many times, and it rings true every time. You must first define a system that needs to be developed. Being precise and straight to the point here is necessary, because if you are too vague on what it is that you are trying to develop you are as if you are an airplane pilot in dense fog without any instruments. Not knowing which way to guide the plane you will end up crashing because you do not know which way is up or down. Setting your sights and sticking with it all the way will make all of the difference in saving you time and money. For in this digital world time is money, and if you are not able to produce your competitors will and you will loose out. Once you know what it is that you are gong to create you need to define the tasks that need to get done, what resources it will take, and set up specific dates that you want to have things accomplished, or in other words setting milestones. After this initial step has taken place you then can move onto the analysis, design, and development portion of the SDLC.<br />Testing is critical. If you do not test the code that you have written how will you know if it is any good? Not wanting to name names, or to say negative things for a company I know, the development team used to be infamous for writing code and then just implement what they had done without any testing. I being in customer service would then have to take phone calls and get yelled at for several minutes by an angry customer for things our development team did. Many times through all these issues we had at the company, we would loose customers for these errors. Overall meaning loss in revenue, and a bad reputation to potential clients for having a faulty system. If the development team would have simply taken the time to test what they had done then we would not have lost customers, and would have had a better reputation amongst our potential clients for having a well maintained site. My view of testing is to try to break what it is that I have created. Putting the code through the ringer to see what would happen if I did certain things under different conditions. You will then need to start implanting what it is that you have created and do further testing to make sure that what you have done fits together with your total system. You can have created a killer code that will jump through hoops and go over the moon, but then have it not work with the rest of the system. To what then is this code to value to you? It’s worth nothing. Testing and retesting will always need to take place to make sure everything fits together well.<br />The maintenance will always be an issue with writing programs. You will need to make sure that you have a help desk trained in helping others to maneuver around what it is that you have created. This helps to lead to further customer satisfaction, happy customers to you means more money in your pocket. Understanding that business environment changes constantly and you will need to be sure what you have created will fit the needs of your users. You will at times need to update code that you have written to meet any type of demand of the growing environment of your business.<br />Every year billions of dollars are wasted in faulty written code. There is no need for this. Taking these simple suggestions and applying them into your business will make all the difference in the long run. Having a plan set forth from the start will give you direction and not having to constantly wonder what you should be doing or what others around you should be doing. Testing the code that is written will help you see if there is anything that you have missed in any portion of development, and maintaining the program so that it works consistently will make customers come back for more all of the time. The goal in all of this is to help you cut your expenses and make you money.Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05074507766758632825noreply@blogger.com0