Decoupled Musings

Moving my Blog!

2010-01-21T07:55:00.000-06:00

Things have been VERY busy, here at Intertech (in the best way possible)... and as a result, my blogging had to take a backseat. In addition, all of the Intertech blogs are being moved to our own server; I'll post that URL shortly. As things settle down, I expect to get back to writing about the things I love!

Actually, that isn't completely accurate - I never really stopped! I've been writing and sharing bite sized bits of information every day on our Twitter account! If you have an account, you can add @intertechinc or go to http://twitter.intertech.com/ - When you add me, send me a note so I can add you back, and also let me know what kind of technologies you work with: I've created several public lists to help us developers and tech enthusiasts network with one another! In addition to the usual discussions on new APIs, technologies, and yes... LOST, we'll also be tweeting periodic contests and posting free seminars & specials! Please tell your friends! :)

Intertech - Course Planning

2009-10-22T11:38:00.005-05:00

I'm putting the finishing touches on the follow-up to my "Access Modifiers" entry, but first wanted to make a quick request for some feedback. Here at Intertech - http://www.intertech.com/ - we're investigating new topics and technologies that we can add to our training offerings. Your opinions on this are important, so if you could take a few minutes to fill out a survey by clicking this link: 2010 Intertech Course Planning Survey... I'd really appreciate it!

... and as an extra incentive, you'll receive a coupon for $250 off any Intertech training course in 2010 - just for completing the survey!

Access Modifiers in Java

2009-10-09T10:21:00.022-05:00

I've always felt that the standard explanation for Access Modifiers in Java:

Public = Accessible to All
Protected = Accessible to the Class, any Class in the same Package, and any Subclass
Default = Accessible to the Class, and any Class in the same Package
Private = Accessible only to the Class itself.

...wasn't entirely accurate (and admittedly, since most designs stick with basic encapsulation: private fields and public methods, more specific details are often academic).

So to illustrate the complexity, I've created three simple classes. The first two, "Parent" and "Child" are in the same package.

package com.intertech.examples.java.accessmodifiers;

public class Parent
{
   public void printPublicMessage()
   {
      System.out.println( "printPublicMessage()" );
   }

   protected void printProtectedMessage()
   {
      System.out.println( "printProtectedMessage()" );
   }

   void printPackageMessage()
   {
      System.out.println( "printPackageMessage()" );
   }

   private void printPrivateMessage()
   {
      System.out.println( "printPrivateMessage()" );
   }
}

and ...

package com.intertech.examples.java.accessmodifiers;

public class Child extends Parent
{
   // Does nothing but extend Parent
}

Which methods from "Parent" do you think would be visible to the three objects below (note that this class extends Parent as well, but is in another package).

package com.intertech.examples.java.accessmodifiers.another;

import com.intertech.examples.java.accessmodifiers.Child;
import com.intertech.examples.java.accessmodifiers.Parent;

public class AnotherChild extends Parent
{
   public static void main( String[] args )
   {
      Parent parent = new Parent();
      /* which "Print" methods from the Parent class would be visible for this Parent object? */

      Child child = new Child();
      /* which "Print" methods from the Parent class would be visible for this Child object? */

      AnotherChild anotherChild = new AnotherChild();
      /* which "Print" methods from the Parent class would be visible for this AnotherChild object? */
   }
}

Try to do this without putting it into an IDE or running the actual code. I'll post the answers next week with some further explanation. You can find more information on "Complete Java" or other courses taught at Intertech - by visiting our website: http://www.intertech.com/

Microsoft Security Essentials: Freezing / How to Remove

2009-10-01T10:29:00.034-05:00

Microsoft recently announced a free anti-virus application called "Microsoft Security Essentials" - http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

While most of my friends have installed this without issue, I had the complete opposite experience: immediately after the updating of the signature files, my computer froze.

Restart -> Freeze -> Restart -> Freeze -> Restart -> Freeze... grr...

Each time I would do a hard shutdown (by holding in the power button), and restart, I would attempt to remove the software. Unfortunately, my computer would freeze before this was possible. Although the installation does tell you to remove other anti-virus / anti-spyware software, which I did, I believe that my issue was the result of a conflict with a firewall. [Edit - 10/1/09, 3:10 PM - According to this comment and this other comment, it looks like my firewall was the likely culprit]

No big deal, I've had software conflicts before: boot into safe mode and remove the software.

That's when I saw this:

"Can't run the Microsoft Security Essentials setup on a computer running in safe mode." Great. I can't remove the software in normal mode and I can't remove it in safe mode. Now what?!

After a few trial and errors here are the steps I took to be able to uninstall the app...

To be clear, I'm not encouraging people to uninstall or avoid this software; if my computer hadn't exhibited this effect, I would be using it right now! These are just instructions you can use if you are having the same issues I was (i.e after installing MSE your computer freezes. You decide you want to uninstall it, but are unable to do so). For those of you that fit this description, you can follow these steps - at your own risk, of course :)

Step #1:

Reboot into Safe Mode. In most versions of windows, this is done by tapping the F8 key during boot-up.

If you are unfamiliar with how to do this for your specific version of Windows, just check google; there are tons of "how to boot into safe mode" websites out there...)

Step #2:

Start up MSCONFIG: go to the Start menu, type "MSCONFIG" in the search box.

Step #3:

Select the "Selective startup" radio button in the "General" tab.

Step #4:

Uncheck "Microsoft Antimalware Service" from the "Microsoft Corporation" in the "Services" tab.

If you are having trouble finding this, you can click the "Service" header and it will sort the list alphabetically.

Step #5:

Uncheck "Microsoft Security Essentials" from "Microsoft Corporation" in the "Startup" tab. Click "OK"

Step #6:

MSCONFIG should ask you if you want to restart (or it may do it automatically after clicking "OK"). Allow it to restart and after windows has finished loading, uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials as you normally would (typically through the Control Panel).

Step #7:

Load MSCONFIG as you did in Step #2, and return the "Startup selection" to "Normal startup." Click OK, and restart your computer.

Good Luck!!!

Globalization Answers

2009-09-30T11:39:00.002-05:00

Here are the answers to the Internationalization (i18n) quiz from a few entries ago.

1) What are the three elements that make up a Java Locale?
A - Language, Country, and a Variant.

2) What is the ISO standard that defines available "Variants?"
A - While there are ISO standards that are used for the Language and Country code, the Variant is up to the developer.

3) What GUI considerations do you need to make, in regards to localization?
A - Text expansion / contraction / direction. Elements such as table cells can be pushed out in ways not expected or visible when viewing a page in one's native language.

4) What is the difference between "internationalization" and "localization?"
A - Internationalization is the process of extracting hard coded regional specific information (text, date/time stamps, number formatting, etc.) and using various APIs to return localized content at runtime. Localization is the process of creating one or more "resource bundle" with regional specific information. For example, one would internationalize their application to prepare it for serving any number of languages / regions, and would later localize the application for the languages / regions they wish to support (by creating a resource bundle for each region).

5) What is the purpose of a ListResourceBundle?
A - To return any kind of localized object the developer wishes. This is in contrast to creating a property resource bundle which handles localized text.

6) How do you pass parameters to a PropertyResourceBundle?
A - First you put place holders in your property file for where you want the parameters to appear in the text. These place holders are written as zero-indexed integers surrounded by curly braces (i.e. Hello {0}, Today's date is {1}). Next the parameters are substituted with the actual data at runtime by using the MessageFormat class.

7) How do you implement a "locale-agnostic" search or sort algorithm?
A - Use a Java Collator

8) What happens if you have a resource bundle that is more specific than a user's submitted locale (i.e. a user's locale is "en", and your resource bundle is "en_US")?
A - If this is the only resource bundle created for the application, the bundle would not be located. The search pattern for a locale is to find the exact resource bundle submitted, and if nothing is found, it will try to find a more general bundle. Since the language code is the most general locale that can be created, it will attempt to find a resource bundle that matches the application's default locale (or something more general). Finally it will try to find a resource bundle with no locale specified at all.

My next entry will be focused on the topic of Access Modifiers in Java. The basic, and most common usage (private properties and public methods) result in fairly predictable results, but you may be surprised by some of the visibility issues with protected and package modifiers!

Globalization / i18n Webinar Available Now!

2009-09-23T10:12:00.003-05:00

In my last entry, I listed several questions to test your knowledge about Globalization / Internationalization. Before I post the answers to those questions, I'd like to invite you to view my presentation on "Globalizing Your Java Application" - which can be found here: http://www.intertech.com/downloads/o2-i18n/stream/

After you have had a chance to view the presentation, try taking the quiz again and see if any of your responses have changed. I'll post the answers in a few days!

Resource Bundles

2009-09-15T13:16:00.004-05:00

Last week I delivered a presentation on "Globalizing Your Java Application." The purpose of my talk was to define the various processes and APIs that help ease this task - as well as to emphasize the idea that "internationalizing" your software is a good practice... even when you are only required to support one language.

If you missed this presentation, stay tuned - I've just finished recording it and am in the editing process. It will be available on YouTube very shortly... http://youtube.intertech.com/

In the meantime, you can test your knowledge by answering these questions:

1) What are the three elements that make up a Java Locale?
2) What is the ISO standard that defines available "Variants?"
3) What GUI considerations do you need to make, in regards to localization?
4) What is the difference between "internationalization" and "localization?"
5) What is the purpose of a ListResourceBundle?
6) How do you pass parameters to a PropertyResourceBundle?
7) How do you implement a "locale-agnostic" search or sort algorithm?
8) What happens if you have a resource bundle that is more specific than a user's submitted locale (i.e. a user's locale is "en", and your resource bundle is "en_US")

Answers will follow in my next post...

AJAX Frameworks / Toolkits

2009-09-04T14:43:00.004-05:00

Now that many of the popular AJAX frameworks / toolkits have matured, I'm curious to hear what you are currently using! Which is your favorite (and why?): jQuery, Prototype, Mootools, Dojo, GWT, Yahoo! UI Library...?

Java Internationalization (i18n)

2009-08-19T00:22:00.001-05:00

On September 11th, I'll be giving a free presentation discussing how to "globalize" your Java applications (Internationalization + Localization = Globalization).

More information and registration can be found here:

Webinar (online):
http://www.intertech.com/Resource/Briefing.aspx?EventID=204

Abstract:
Java provides a strong infrastructure to ease the development of multi-language enabled applications. This is accomplished through a two part process: internationalization (the process of decoupling your application from any particular language), and localization (adding one or more language / country specific presentations.) The combination of these two approaches is known as “Globalization,” and this presentation covers the basic considerations and processes one must follow to create a “Globalized Application”:

--The Internationalization (i18n) process
o Moving text and images into resource bundles
o Dealing with numbers, dates, and currency
o Character encoding issues
o Patterns and best practices

--The Localization (l10n) process
o Understanding locales
o Finding translation services
o Submitting resource bundles
o Localized testing

I Digress...

2009-08-05T17:54:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, as I was researching a topic for my upcoming OxygenBlast (at Intertech), I became increasingly aware at the amount of awful writing / documentation that is produced for topics of a technical nature. This thought kept popping up again and again as I looked at other bits of documentation around my home... which may have been the reason the following stood out to me...Written in the instructions for my Comcast DVR:

"Tip - You can only fast-forward up to the point of the live broadcast - in other words, you can't fast-forward ahead of live TV."

Imagine having a position, where your experience with clients made adding such a statement an obvious necessity...

Java Reflection

2009-07-18T13:35:00.003-05:00

Question of the week:

When was the last time you used Java reflection in the software you were writing, and what circumstances led you down that path (was it by design or to get around some constraints from pre-existing libraries)?

Hibernate Class - 25% off!

2009-07-15T16:51:00.003-05:00

Intertech is having another discounted class in exchange for some detailed feedback on the new material! If you were thinking about signing up for some training on Hibernate, now is the perfect time! This discount is only applicable for the August 4th - 7th offering.

For more information, visit:
http://www.intertech.com/Courses/Course.aspx?CourseID=99267

Top 5 Software Engineering Books

2009-06-19T14:00:00.002-05:00

During my classes, I like to recommend books that are related to the given courseware. One "theme" that tends to be requested again and again: books that help a good developer become a great developer.

Here are my top 5 books that meet this goal (in no particular order):

1) Freeman, Elisabeth, Eric Freeman, Bert Bates, and Kathy Sierra. Head First Design Patterns. O'Reilly, 2004.

While there are many books on Design Patterns - this is by far the best introduction I've read. Design Patterns are a way to recognize and solve types of problems that happen over and over again.

2) Bloch, Joshua. Effective Java (2nd Edition). Prentice Hall, 2008.

Typically, the shelf life of a book that is based on a specific version of a technology is pretty limited. Bloch's book is one of the few entries in this category that has remained very relevant to writing code in Java. With a recent update in 2008, the book is still one of my favorites: contains information about rules one should follow when writing java (i.e. if you override equals(), you must override hashcode()).

3) Hunt, Andrew and David Thomas. Pragmatic Programmer, The: From Journeyman to Master. Addison-Wesley, 1999.

A list of tips on how to be an excellent software developer - this book is programming language agnostic.

4) Fowler, Martin, Kent Beck, John Brant, William Opdyke, Don Roberts. Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code. Addison-Wesley, 1999.

One of the most misused terms I hear in software is "Refactoring." People often use it when they mean "Rewrite my code." Refactoring is much more subtle - it's the application of algorithmic processes to existing code to make it more maintainable / flexible, etc. This is the primary text on the subject.

5) Cockburn, Alistair. Writing Effective Use Case. Addison-Wesley, 2000.

Writing excellent software starts by understanding the task at hand, and use cases are a great way to distill and document this understanding. Most people understand how to write a use case, but aren't sure the best way to approach this process; this book answers that question.

What are some of your favorite Software Engineering books?

2009-05-26T14:41:00.006-05:00

Looking for some instruction in Spring? Intertech has a brand new course that we're offering, and we're looking to get some detailed feedback on the material. In exchange for providing the feedback, we're offering a 25% reduction in the "standard" course price.

This offer is only applied to the following dates:

June 8 - 10
Complete Spring Core Training

June 11 - 12
Complete Spring Web Training

To take advantage of this deal, register via the phone @ 651-994-8558 x23 and mention that you want the "BETA-RUN" special mentioned in my blog!

Free Expression Blend Presentation

2009-05-05T10:30:00.005-05:00

As the market grows, I'm finding that a lot of peers are complementing their Java skills with .NET.

If you fit the description above, there's a free seminar being given on Free Expression Blend (a remarkable tool used to design WPF & Silverlight projects)!

Two ways to attend
Live in person (@ Microsoft): https://www.clicktoattend.com/invitation.aspx?code=135487

Live webcast: https://www.clicktoattend.com/invitation.aspx?code=135590

Revisiting the Basics of Java

2009-04-19T22:07:00.004-05:00

About twice a year, I like to revisit the basics of the Java API to see if my experience has given me any new insight on how a forgotten (or written off) library might be used on future projects. Right now I'm reconsidering Java Assertions (added to JSE in 1.4), and am curious to hear how you are using this in your own work. Do you use it in lieu of, or in concert with, a testing framework (i.e. JUnit)? I'll be posting my own thoughts on the subject shortly...

Intro to GWT - Part 3

2009-04-14T16:06:00.003-05:00

The third and final part of my presentation on GWT can be found at http://www.intertech.com/downloads/gwt/part3/

What topics are you interested in hearing about next? Dive deeper into GWT (perhaps spending the entire session creating a more sophisticate module)? How about creating an application for the iPhone or Facebook? Let me know what you're interested in!

GWT Presentation - Part 2

2009-04-02T17:38:00.002-05:00

Part two of my GWT presentation has been posted here:
http://www.intertech.com/downloads/gwt/part2/

OxygenBlast: Google Web Toolkit

2009-03-31T16:37:00.001-05:00

Several weeks ago, I delivered a live presentation (in-house at Intertech in Eagan, MN, and as a webcast) on the "Google Web Toolkit (GWT)."

Simply put - GWT allows developers to write AJAX enabled widgets / web applications in Java, while the browser-optimized JavaScript is generated through a compiler. The benefits are plenty:

One code base can be used, but multiple variations (i.e. support for different browsers) generated.
The ability to use Java IDEs for creating and debugging applications
Great library of pre-existing widgets
Built in RPC support

... and much more.

I spent some time re-recording / editing this presentation, and am now able to start posting the results. The first part is up now, and focuses on a short background regarding AJAX. The remaining parts (those focused more on GWT than AJAX) will be posted before the end of this week.

To view the first part of my presentation, please click the link below:

http://www.intertech.com/downloads/gwt/part1/

Speaking of presentations - there are many more free seminars on the way... Jim White is going to be speaking about JavaFX in a couple of weeks (April 14th). Like all of our "OxygenBlast" seminars, you can either attend this in person, or view the presentation on the web. Registration info can be found here:

Watch at our training center in Eagan, MN (4/14, 9am - 11am CDT):

http://www.intertech.com/resource/Briefing.aspx?EventID=195

Watch via the web (1pm - 3pm CDT):

http://www.intertech.com/resource/Briefing.aspx?EventID=196

If you want to stay on top of the schedule (and participate in general tech / industry topics), sign up for our LinkedIn group: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1681947&trk=hb_side_g

Opportunities in Education

2009-03-01T16:26:00.008-06:00

I'm in the process of completing a podcast / blog on the topic of GWT (the Google Web Toolkit), and will be posting it shortly! However, in the meantime, I wanted to make a quick mention of a program that has been established in the Twin Cities (I'm sure there are similar programs in other States as well):

"The DEED Dislocated Worker Program" - http://www.deed.state.mn.us/dw/

If you are like many of my talented / motivated peers, you may find yourself counted as a regrettable statistic in the large number of layoffs. If so, I strongly urge you to check out this program. Among the many services they provide, I'm particularly excited about their "training assistance." Essentially, if you qualify, you may be able to receive free training in an area that will increase your skill set (and thus marketability). For example, if you have been focused in software development, but specialize in a legacy or custom technology, you might be able to use this program to receive free training to learn a more marketable software language (i.e. Java or .NET).

Now, I'll state right off the bat, that as an educator by profession (I teach Java, AJAX, WebServices, Struts, etc at Intertech in Eagan, MN), I'm definitely biased. Nevertheless, I chose this profession because I truly believe that intensive training is one of the best ways to quickly come up to speed with a new technology. This program can make education financially accessible, at a time where you may need to be more careful about spending! So if you had written off the possibility of training due to costs (especially if you are 'in between jobs'), it's time to reconsider and take advantage of your options!

Send me an e-mail (or leave a comment) if you have any questions about classes we have at Intertech!