04.30.08
I started using Twitter two weeks ago. Take a look. twitter.com/zeljkofilipin
04.28.08
Edge of Network
The software I am testing is built around the edge of network idea. Yesterday, edgeof.net site is launched. Visit it and see what it is all about.
04.22.08
The Way I Like My Windows
I created this reminder the last time I reinstalled Windows XP but it never got out of drafts. Since Windows XP Service Pack 3 will be out soon, I will need this again.
- Download the latest service pack.
- Backup data.
- Make list of applications you use. Wakoopa and del.icio.us can help. Do not forget application (mainly Firefox) add ons.
- Install operating system.
- Install service pack.
- Fix Internet connection (Broadcom 440x 10/100 Integrated Controller):
Insert hp restore plus! CD > start > My Computer > right click > Manage > Device Manager > Other Devices > Ethernet Controller > right click > Update Driver… - Activate operating system.
- Install other updates.
- Install antivirus.
- Install Firefox and Adobe Flash Player plugin.
- Keyboard:
start > Control Panel > Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options > Add other languages > Languages - Text services and input languages > Details… > Settings:- Installed services > Add.. > Input language > Croatian > OK
- Default input language > Croatian > Croatian > OK > OK
- Sound (SoundMAX Integrated Digital Audio):
Insert hp restore plus! CD > start > My Computer > right click > Manage > Device Manager > Other devices > Multimedia Audio Controller > right click > update driver - TV:
Insert WinFast Drivers (CX2388x) CD > start > My Computer > right click > Manage > Device Manager > Other devices > Multimedia Controller > right click > Update Driver…- Multimedia Controller - WinFast TV2000 XP Global/TV Global
- Multimedia Video Controller - WinFast TV2000 XP Global/TV Global WDM Video Capture
- Unknown device - WinFast TV2000 XP Global/TV Global WDM Crossbar
- Unknown device - WinFast TV2000 XP Global/TV Global WDM TVTuner.(Xceive XC2028)
- Monitor (Intel(R) 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics Controller):
Insert hp restore plus! CD > Start > My Computer > right click > Manage > Device Manager > Other devices > Video Controller (VGA Compatible) > right click > Update Driver… - Desktop:
right click > Properties > Settings > select monitor labeled 1 > check check box Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor. > OK - Time:
start > Control Panel > Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options > Change the date and time > Time Zone > GMT+01:00 Sarajevo, Skopje, Warsaw, Zagreb - Regional and Language Options:
start > Control Panel > Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options > Regional and Language Options > Regional Options > Standards and formats > Croatian > Location > Croatia > OK - Windows Explorer:
- View > Details
- Tools > Folder Options… > View
- Folder views > Apply to All Folders > Yes
- Advanced settings: > Hide extensions for known file types > uncheck > OK
- Remove Internet Explorer clicking sound:
Control Panel > Sounds, Speech and Audio devices > Sounds and Audio Devices > Sounds > Program events > Windows Explorer > Start Navigation > Sounds > (None) > OK
04.21.08
Getting Things Done
Let me tell you about a recent chat with my boss. It went something like this:
Boss: “I do not mean to say that I think you are not organized, but are you interested in improvement?”
Me: “Sure. I am always looking for ways to improve.”
Boss: “I have read Getting Things Done (GTD) by David Allen. Have you heard about it?”
Me: “Yes. Here and there somebody mentions it.”
Boss: “I really like it. I will send you the book, if you would like to read it.”
Me: “Deal.”
Me (thinking): “But I doubt a buzzword will help me.”
Time passed and I have forgot about it. (My boss lives in another country.) One day, the book arrived. I said to myself: “Well, since he has sent it to me, the least I can do is read it. 250 pages is not so much”.
I was skeptical about GTD. Really, really skeptical. But hey, I am a tester. I should be skeptical. Until I see something working, I do not trust it to work.
I always thought of myself as organized person. But, to be honest, for some time I was not happy with the way I organized my work. Like something was missing. I knew I had to change something, but I had so much to do (at work and after it), so I did not have the time to sit down and think where I could improve.
Another thing worth mentioning is that I have bad memory. Really bad memory. What is not written down is forgotten. At the beginning of the book, the author said that everything should be written down. I said to myself: “I already like it.”
I will not get into detail about GTD. You can find a lot about it using your favorite search engine. I just wanted to say that I implemented it in my life and it looks like it is working.
I guess I will have to say more about it in a year or two.
04.08.08
Webscale Computing
Yesterday I saw Webscale Computing presentation held by Mike Culver from amazon.com. I forgot to take my camera, so there are no photos.
I saw something that I could not get out of my head since. Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). In short, rent Linux machines $.10/hour (hour is the smallest time unit).
I could use this for testing. I could really use this.
At the moment I test with one machine that has enough CPU and RAM to open one VMware image with application I test running inside. I have six independent test suites for the application, and it takes about an hour to run them all sequentially inside the image.
I could speed it up. I could rent 6 machines and run all tests in about 10 minutes. Since I must pay for the whole hour, it would cost me about $.60. I am not in such a hurry every day, but there are days where such speed in executing tests would make a difference.
The only problem is that my application and my tests run on Windows. But since it is VMware image, I can run it on Linux.
Now, let me day dream for just a minute.
Amazon starts to bill by the minute (or second). While I am dreaming, they also lower the prices. I fragment my test suites, so every takes about a minute (or less). I could rent as many machines I need and be done with testing in an minute. Of course, it is all done automatically. Every time a developer commits new code, a machine is automatically rented, set up for testing, multiplied (so I do not have to spend time powering up, getting new application code, building it, getting new test code…).
I will really have to check this out in detail.
04.07.08
Ruby on Beers
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The first Ruby on Beers meeting happened last Saturday, April 5th, 2008 at lake Jarun, Zagreb, Croatia (map).
Ruby on Beers is informal gathering of Ruby users. It all started at ruby-hr Google group (in Croatian) that came to life after the first BarCamp Zagreb where we realized that there are more than one Ruby user in the near (as I thought before Barcamp).
The four of us appeared. Branimir Šloser, Saša Branković, Mislav Marohnić and me.
We enjoyed excellent Tomislav beer and discussed the meaning of life, the universe, and everything, and more specifically, what to do next.
The next meeting should be on Saturday, May 10th, 2008. I hope I will be able to talk about Watir, and there are rumors that there will be something said about Git and Unicode. Only the time will tell.
More details at Ruby on Beers official page.
If you are in the near, please drop by.
