More iTunes Gripes
iTunes continues to frustrate in seemingly innocent ways. This time, it's the difference between my nicely folder-organized playlists and the ability to pick those playlists when copying them to my iPod.
All posts by Martin MC Brown
Develop SQL databases with Eclipse, SQLExplorer, and Clay
Robi Sen, friend and fellow IBM developerWorks author, has written a great piece on using SQL databases from within Eclipse.
He’s done a great job on what was originally my idea and outline but which I just didn’t have the time to carry forward when the proposal was approved by IBM.
The tutorial covers the use of SQLExplorer (my favourite interface) and Clay (which I admit I’ve probably never extracted the best from because I don’t have time to devote to it at the moment). From Robi’s own intro:
Learn how to use Eclipse and the SQLExplorer plug-in to connect to any database that supports a JDBC driver. These tools allow you to view database schemas, view table data, add and edit table data, and write, edit, and execute SQL. You will also learn how to use Azzurri Clay to create Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERDs), reverse-engineer databases, add tables, edit tables, delete tables, edit relationships, add indexes, and change your underlying data model into different SQL dialects.
If you do any sort of database development using Eclipse you should at least check out the article and better still, add the plug-ins to your environment.
Cited in the Linux Journal
It can be quite a surprise to see your name in a magazine when you didn’t expect it…
There I am, reading the latest issue of Linux Journal (January 2006), and there I am, quoted in their ‘They Said It’ section at the front.
They chose to quote my mega Solaris/Linux/Distributions post. Just the first couple of sentences:
If there’s one aspect of Linux that has lead to its popularity it is the ability of a suitably enthused individual to produce their own distribution. It has spawned thousands of different solutions and, in turn, has lead to the creation of numerous tools and products that we all find useful.
Apache 2.2.0: Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Apache 2.2.0 is out and ServerWatch asked me to do a quick write up of the main features and some thoughts on whether you should upgrade to the latest version.
I’ll leave my recommendations for the article, but if you use Apache 2.2.0 for serving websites, and even more importantly if you develop Apache modules and components, then you should check out the article to find out the realy differences between the previous stable release and the new one.
Ubuntu server project
Ubuntu is fast becoming a popular choice for people wanting a capable Linux-based desktop environment. I like it (although I admit to using Gentoo because it appeals to my development needs). Although I generally recommend Kubuntu to most new users. Ubuntu is popular because it comes pre-configured with a lot of the applications that people need, right there, out of the box. Well, off the CD. Or DVD. Ubuntu is also available both as an installable version, so you can place it on your hard drive, and as a Live CD, so that you can try it out before you install it.
Being secure is a state of mind
Alex Scoble argues that Security is not about the application, it's about a process and being vigilant, proactive and responsible about what you do.
I agree entirely, but I think I'd go a bit further and say that security is more just a process: its a state of mind.
It's not just about constantly being vigilant, it's about never trusting anything, no matter what application, or environment you are in. That goes way beyond computing into other areas as well, because today you never know when that piece of information about you will wind up being used in a computing environment. Your card may be skimmed at a checkout and then used online; giving out your DOB to anybody but those that really need it is daft. Answering the phone and giving security details is equally silly - the information you just provided over the phone could be used to login to your bank account online.
iTunes database issues
I love iTunes, and I love that it provides me with convenient access to all my music. But I'm beginning to get frustrated with some of the interesting DB issues present in the way iTunes was developed.
Linus prefers KDE
Computer religion is just as polarized as any other facet of human existence, and even if you use the same OS, there's usually something else you can find to argue about. In the Linux world, once you've got over the argument about using Linux, and then which distribution to use, the next argument is usually which desktop environment to use. As I've explained before, there are loads of choices if you want them, but the majority of Linux users employ one of two solutions - Gnome and KDE:
- Gnome is about usability, accessibility and ensuring that the user can do and understand what they need to. Sometimes this is at the risk of more complex functionality. Gnome instead concentrates on providing a rich foundation of basic features.
Forced OS updates followup
Yesterday I commented on the issue of forcing users to update their systems to help eliminate the threats from worms like Blaster.
A few people have commented and pointed out the flaw to my argument - that updates break some environments and that forced updates in the business world would be a bad idea.
They are right, of course, but I did state in my post yesterday that I don't see computers within organizations and with well defined policies on updating their machines and keeping them up to date as the big issue; it's the home users and small businesses that are the most likely culprits for continuing to distribute worms in this way, and therefore the people who should be forced to update.
Getting people to update their OS
Two years on, and apparently Blaster Worm still prevalent in the wild.
The article looks at some of the reasons, but many of them relate to people re-installing the OS and then not updating and the large numbers of individuals not updating their systems from Windows XP SP1 to SP2.
How do you get people to update to the latest version and protect their machines?
In a large company where they have policies and use the functionality of Group Policy and Software Update Services to force individual clients to be kept up date. Ironically, these organizations are usually the ones with firewalls and email filtering that probably means these types of attacks do not make it through in the first place.