Automatix2 now comes with Crossover Office Standard and Professional on Ubuntu 7.04 amd64 (which basically means you can run a ton of 32 bit windows software on Ubuntu 7.04 amd64). Also.. what really caught our attention of late was that, Michael Dell, Founder and CEO of Dell Inc., uses Automatix2 on his home computer.
The above came from Automatix official website
My friend Deep, who is a J2EE architect, sent me this article to "use it as a benchmark every time I am asked to rate my skills as a software engineer". I found it very cool and right away it helped me to see people on the project I am currently on in a very efficient and "simply simple" (KISS) perspective. I will definitely revisit these stages in the future to see what stage I am on, or between which stages I am at.
Here they are – The Meilir’s Seven Stages of Expertise in Software Engineering:
Below is a part of the article written by Meilir Page-Jones for Wayland Systems Inc.
I spoke with Meilir, and with his permission I am posting his wisdom here
A Stage 1 may not have heard of Software-Engineering techniques. Or — more likely nowadays — he may be vaguely aware of their existence but may not see their possible relevance to his situation. Indeed, he may be only dimly aware that there are any software-development problems in his shop. You may find it incredible that Stage 1s could exist in the 1990s, but they do. And the reason stems from the way in which software complexity evolved.
Software became insidiously more and more complex in the 1970s and 1980s as users demanded more and more sophisticated systems be installed on the more and more powerful hardware that became available. Yet there was no sharp transition. The earth was not hit by a Complexity Asteroid in 1975 that suddenly made software three orders of magnitude more complex and cast our reptilian development techniques into extinction.
I call the way in which software complexity actually increased “Frog in the Pan.” This is because although a frog will jump out of a pan of hot water, a frog that is placed in a pan of cold water and slowly heated will fail to leap forth and will actually boil to death. The temperature gradient is so gradual that there will never be a point at which the frog declares: “Boy, it’s suddenly gotten hot in here! I think I should hop out.” (Before I get into deeper trouble from animal-rights folks, I hasten to add that this analogy is apocryphal. I’ve never tried the experiment and I don’t recommend that you do so either !)
Many Stage 1s are experiencing “Frog in the Pan” and are trying to tackle problems of the 1990s with approaches of the 1960s and 1970s, without realizing that the problems they’re facing are the very ones that modern Software-Engineering techniques were created to alleviate.
Stage 2s have noticed that the water is getting decidedly warm, if not downright hot. So they are actively seeking Software-Engineering techniques that will get them out of the pan or at least reduce the heat. Stage 2s may survey magazines, confer with colleagues or attend one-day overviews of the techniques. Their interest level is high but their knowledge level is low, being limited to a few terms and definitions and not based on any practical Software-Engineering experience.
Stage 3s have attended one or two 5-day workshops on Software-Engineering techniques. In these workshops they tackled small but realistic case studies that resembled their own projects in miniature. The case studies provided valuable kinesthetic reinforcement of the formal lecture material and were thus indispensable. However, the case studies’ apparent realism conveyed to the Stage 3 a confidence that is often unwarranted.
If a Stage 3 absorbs everything from a seminar, then he is minimally equipped to tackle a true, full-sized project in the corporate jungle. Usually, however, a Stage 3 does not grasp everything or has difficulty scaling the techniques up from a case study to a real project. You could say that most Stage 3s know just enough to be dangerous!
The rite of passage to Stage 4 is the use of Software-Engineering techniques on at least one significant project. Achieving “Stage 4-hood” is for many people the most difficult transition of the six transitions between stages. The fledgling Stage 4 is asked to take untried (by him) techniques and apply them to a corporate project with the usual demonic cocktail of politics, deadlines and changing requirements. At the same time, he is attempting to recall what he learned in class and scale up the examples 10- or 100-fold. He continually needs consulting advice, without which he will encounter a series of minor setbacks or major failures. Since many people throw up their hands at this point and revert to their old mediocre but familiar ways, a large proportion of Stage 3s never make it to Stage 4. If an entire project is peopled with Stage 3s, then it’s highly likely that the project itself will fail and the Software-Engineering techniques will be publicly pilloried and then abandoned.
Stage 5s have made it. Their experience of Software-Engineering is “latched” in place and there is little risk of their reverting to the past. In the Stage 5 the Software-Engineering techniques yield for the first time the productivity the marketing folks promised; and on each successive project a Stage 5 further hones his skill and enhances his productivity. A Stage 5 is self-sufficient – more often the source of Software-Engineering advice than its recipient.
The Stage 6 not only is an adept technician, but also possesses a profound methodological foundation. Beyond the “whats” and “hows”, the Stage 6 knows the “whys” of Software Engineering. This depth allows him sometimes to break a surface rule, while adhering to a more fundamental methodological principle. The Stage 6 is a good instructor because his theoretical and practical knowledge give him the wherewithal to tackle difficult student questions.
The Stage 7 is concerned with delivering the latest developments in Software Engineering to a wider audience, via books, articles and conference appearances. The Stage 7 looks out for flaws in contemporary Software-Engineering techniques and for consequent ways to improve the techniques. He also scans the horizon for new problems towards whose solution Software Engineering can be extended and generalized. The Stage 7 is at a methodological pinnacle.
These Seven Stages of Expertise are valuable in their own right. You might think about a Software-Engineering technique that you know and consider which of the stages you are in with respect to that technique. You may also decide what (if anything) you should do to progress to the next stage.
However, there are organizational implications behind the Seven Stages. Below I discuss four of these: The Productivity Curve, Pilot Projects, The Critical Consulting Core and Ephemeral Technology.
Below is a "Stage-based Productivity Graph" that was compiled by Meilir based on his clients’ statistics:
Apache released version 1.4 of the Jakarta Commons configuration library!
A very useful library that unifies the way all the configuration parameters are handled and lead to much more clear layout in especially big projects with a lot of packages, components and frameworks.
Commons Configuration provides a generic configuration interface which enables an application to read configuration data from a variety of sources. Commons Configuration provides typed access to single, and multi-valued configuration parameters as demonstrated by the following code:
Double double = config.getDouble("number");
Integer integer = config.getInteger("number");
Configuration parameters may be loaded from the following sources:
Different configuration sources can be mixed using a ConfigurationFactory and a CompositeConfiguration. Additional sources of configuration parameters can be created by using custom configuration objects. This customization can be achieved by extending Abstract Configuration or AbstractFileConfiguration.
The full Javadoc API documentation is available here.
Natalie Portman placed a priority on her education, and pursued tertiary studies at Harvard University as a psychology major, despite the chance it might conflict with her acting career:
Saturday Night Live on March 4, 2006, hosting the show with musical guest Fall Out Boy and special guest star Dennis Haysbert
Not that long after I published my hookah tips, I received an e-mail from Hookah Town guys asking me to review one of their hookahs on my blog. They offered to ship me a hookah to keep in exchange for this very review. So here it goes..
a "mini night light" hookah kit I received
It was very well packed and arrived the next day, after I agreed to review it. As it is seen from the picture, this is a "double hosed", small, travel hookah. It is very light and easily fits on my small kitchen table, while me and my guests are drinking tea.
First thing I noticed when I unpacked everything was that, compare to some other vendors I dealt with in a past, all the "nuts and bolts" of this hookah were in brand new condition. It is also very neatly done, having no slipshod spots – all the parts match and are screwed to each other, which provides a good seal. The only part that has no threading (to screw in) is the glass base which is sealed through a rubber around the pipe.
What I found interesting about this hookah is that both inputs for hoses are enhanced with bearing balls.
These balls work as valves and filters at the same time, and here is how. Firstly, when two people are smoking there is no need to cover a "non-smoking" hose with a finger, because it is always closed by this bearing ball unless smoke is inhaled. Secondly, when there is no inhalation, it keeps smoke from going out of the glass base, which helps to maintain the amount of smoke during session, and also it keeps the hose cleaner.
The other obvious use of a "valve-ball" is forcing the smoke out of glass base when needed. When there is a taste problem, or just too much smoke than desired, blowing into the hose will result in a pressure within a glass base that will open up a "ball-valve" and let the smoke out.
This hookah is very easy to clean since practically everything is "unscrewable" and washable. Here is what it looks like completely disassembled:
The overall smoking experience was nice. One thing to notice is, however, since this is a small-travel hookah, the pipe is short and it does not filter necotine and tar as it would in full-blown hookahs. The hoses are short as well making "lying on a sofa" smoking impossible – but it can be easily fixed by buying longer hoses.
The bowl for tobacco, that was shipped with the hookah is large and deep which allows to pack a lot of tobacco in to enjoy the richer taste and amount of smoke.
There is also a switch that turns on a blue light around the pipe that is a part of that "new chill" that Hookah Town guys are talking about. :)
The above is my final "mini night light" setup