Saved my B.U.T.

http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

This is a great tool that saved me. I stupidly formatted the drive that had Ubuntu on it and somehow GRUB got messed up.  I used Unetbootin to create a USB boot drive with Super Grub Disk on it and went through the steps to boot straight to Windows.

No worries.  I plan to go back to Ubuntu, but need to get this machine running Windows for work requirements.

Comparison of issue tracking systems on Wikipedia

Comparison of issue tracking systems - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not a lot of pretty Java based bug tracking systems out there. Several are proprietary or "free for non-commercial use". I've heard about JIRA, but in most environments I work in (work/home) I want to use an open source issue tracking system.

So Bugzilla and Mantis are there. I've used Mantis lately due to it's easy setup on a Windows machine. Not too sure I want to dig into Bugzilla yet since there are several steps including ActivePerl setup. Looks kind of crazy and I'm suppose to be getting a new laptop in Q1. :)

Upgrade NetBeans from 6.7.1 to 6.8

 

1. Step 1 - What I’m installing
   1. Basic Java stuff with Sun Glassfish Enterprise Server
      1. not Java ME
      2. not Groovy
      3. not Tomcat (I’ve got other installations on my machine)
         
2. Step 2 – Accept terms
3. Step 3 – Installation Location
   1. I’ve selected C:\DevelopmentTools\NetBeans 6.8 for my install folder
   2. Selected JDK 1.6
      
4. Step 4 – Install Glassfish
   1. Install to C:\DevelopmentTools\glassfish-v3
      
5. Summary
   
6. Press Install and wait for the install.
7. Once complete, I started NetBeans 6.8 from my desktop and imported my settings from 6.7 when prompted.

Google Chrome Beta

I upgraded my Chrome browser to the Beta version (4.0.249.43).  Some of the issues I had in 3.x have gone away.  Mostly things like collapsible elements.  So far it’s working ok.

Installing and Running Development Tools and Software Locally

I’m a big fan of running certain software locally for several reasons.

• Test and try to see if it’s something you think the organization would need.
• Keep track of your own information (notes, dev issues, etc.) to help improve your efficiency.
• Learn.  You can learn a lot just by installing the software, configuring it, and running it.

Management and the corporate IT departments typically don’t like you doing this because

• it alters the machine from the standard image.
• they don’t want to have to support it
  • FYI, I didn’t ask for you to support it. I’m a developer with the knowledge to do it.
• Security risks
  • Understandable, but I don’t install software from John Doe that I found on an obscure website that hardly gets used or tested.  I’m installing well respected software with a large user community.  It’s already been tested and put through the hoops.  If a malicious piece of code was to be placed in the software, the project would get red flagged everywhere.

Software I run locally:

• Tomcat for
  • Hudson
    • To evaluate and test several build processes
  • JSPWiki
    • To document what I learn on the job
    • Possible Java project that I would like to get involved with
• XAMPP Lite (Apache, PHP, MySQL)
  • Mantis
    • Try and test
    • Document issues and how I resolve them.
• SQuirreL – SQL Client

 

The role of a software developer or engineer is more advanced as you learn and grow.  In the end, isn’t it to make life easier for others by simplifying their life or automating tasks?  Some software makes my life as a developer easier.  New software is developed to do this and I feel we need to evaluate and learn about the options to make better decisions.  Moving forward so to speak, rather than staying in one spot.  There’s a reason we aren’t using typewriters as much (or at all?) anymore. :)