December 2009 - skunkworks - Skunkworks Site

The Google Phone is for real...
by saidimu apale 16 Dec '09

16 Dec '09

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/12/11/google-phone-zomg/ And even better, it may be data-only VoIP : http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/11/18/the-google-phone-may-be-data-only-voip… Apple is toast, just like my Sunday breakfast : http://ebooktest.wordpress.com/2009/12/12/the-ugliest-fight-ever-apple-vers… Saidi

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In Programming, One Is The Loneliest Number
by Murigi Muraya 16 Dec '09

16 Dec '09

In Programming, One Is The Loneliest Number<http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000890.html> Is software development *an activity preferred by anti-social, misanthropic individuals who'd rather deal with computers than other people?* If so, does it then follow that all software projects are best performed by a single person, working alone? The answer to the first question may be a reluctant yes, but the answer to the second question is a resounding and definitive *no*. I was struck by this beautifully written piece<http://eddiesguy.blogspot.com/2007/06/creating-my-own-personal-hell.html>which explains *the dangers of programming alone*: Some folks have claimed that [working alone] presents a great opportunity to establish your own process. In my experience, *there is no process in a team of one*. There's nothing in place to hold off the torrents of work that come your way. There's no one to correct you when the urge to gold-plate the code comes along. There's no one to review your code. There's no one to ensure that your code is checked in on time, labeled properly, unit tested regularly. There's no one to ensure that you're following a coding standard. There's no one to monitor your timeliness on defect correction. There's no one to verify that you're not just marking defects as "not reproducible" when, in fact, they are. There's no one to double-check your estimates, and call you on it when you're just yanking something out of your ass. There's no one to pick up the slack when you're sick, or away on a business trip. There's no one to help out when you're overworked, sidetracked with phone calls, pointless meetings, and menial tasks that someone springs on you at the last minute and absolutely must be done right now. There's no one to bounce ideas off of, no one to help you figure your way out of a bind, no one to collaborate with on designs, architectures or technologies. You're working in a vacuum. And in a vacuum, no one can hear you scream. If anyone's reading this, let this be a lesson to you. Think hard before you accept a job as the sole developer at a company. It's a whole new kind of hell. If given the chance, take the job working with other developers, where you can at least work with others who can mentor you and help you develop your skill set, and keep you abreast of current technology. Working alone is a temptation for many desperate software developers who feel trapped, surrounded by incompetence and mismanagement in the desert of the real. Working alone means complete control over a software project, wielding ultimate power over every decision. But working on a software project all by yourself, instead of being empowering, is paradoxically * debilitating*. It's a shifting mirage that offers the tantalizing promise of relief, while somehow leaving you thirstier and weaker than you started. Like many programmers, I was drawn to computers as a child because I was an introvert. The world of computers-- that calm, rational oasis of ones and zeros-- seemed so much more inviting than the irrational, unexplainable world of people and social interactions with no clear right and wrong. Computers weren't *better* than people, exactly, but they were sure one heck of a lot easier to understand. Computing in the early, pre-internet era was the very definition of a solitary activity. Dani Berry, the author of M.U.L.E., sums up with this famous quote: <http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000306.html> *"No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had spent more time alone with my computer.'"* But we've long since left the days of solitary 8-bit programming behind. The internet, and the increasing scope and complexity of software, have made sure of that. I can barely program these days without an active internet connection<http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000787.html>; I feel crippled when I'm not networked into the vast hive mind of programming knowledge on the internet. What good are nifty coding tricks if you can't show them off to anyone? How can you possibly learn the craft without being exposed to other programmers with different ideas, different approaches, and different skillsets? Who will review your code and tell you when there's an easier approach you didn't see? *If you're serious about programming, you should demand to work with your peers*. There's only so far you can go in this field by yourself. Seek out other smart programmers. Work with them. Endeavor to be the dumbest guy in the room <http://markeseremet.blogspot.com/2006/12/dumbest-guy-in-room.html>, and you'll quickly discover that software development is a far more social activity than most people realize. There's a lot you can learn from your fellow introverts. Posted by Jeff Atwood </end> Check out SOLO MOVER responses to this post @ http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000890.html

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Soliciting for Skunks Server Hardware : Need your contributions
by aki 16 Dec '09

16 Dec '09

This thread was : http://lists.my.co.ke/pipermail/skunkworks/2009-December/016757.html To donate : http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AopdHkqSqKL-dHlQVTMxU1VBdU1BSWJxdy1… Total raised so far is a remarkable Ksh. 72,000/- You time to act is now, add your contributions. Help keep continuity of the list while ensuring that the server is kept local Rgds. -- ( the rise of Yoda! Ready are you? What know you of ready? For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi... )

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Obopay on Yu
by Mbugua Njihia 16 Dec '09

16 Dec '09

>From the vine. Any clarifications?

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@145K
by Murigi Muraya 16 Dec '09

16 Dec '09

We are @145K. Who will get us to 146K-147K-148K...150K?

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Installing Geo Restricted Windows
by Daudi Were 16 Dec '09

16 Dec '09

Good evening Skunks, A relative recently travelled to Bangkok and bought 2 copies of Windows 7 Professional to upgrade their systems. Handing over the packages to me handle the upgrade I notice a BIG RED warning on the cover “Activation Restrictions. Distribution and required activation must occur n Southeast Asia.” Now there was a time when Ngumo was called Mogadishu (before eclyee stole the name) but I have never heard to it referred too as SE Asia so clearly we are in a fix! Anyone with any experience when trying to activate these Geo Restricted Windows products? Since Africa is lower in the MS food chain that SE Asia it would make sense for activation from Africa to be recognised ama? Has anyone tried installing one of thwse Geo restricted products before?Is there any point opening and using these installation disks? (We will leave the discussion on madness of Geo restricting software activation for another day!) Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated. -- Pamoja e:daudi.were@gmail.com <e%3Adaudi.were(a)gmail.com> skype: d.were

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Webmail apps
by Peter Karunyu 15 Dec '09

15 Dec '09

Good people, I am in search of an application that can handle webmail for about 1000 users; open source, web based, preferably done with PHP and storing all data in a MySQL database. It is intended to be deployed in an intranet. RoundCube <http://roundcube.net/> seems like a good option, anyone who has used it? How is it? What other reliable apps are available?

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Missing out
by Ouya Obunga 15 Dec '09

15 Dec '09

The flare-ups doing rounds about OTs and adverts got me thinking. Instead of the shoutings among skunks, I would love to be given a chance to put some restrictions, code-wise. That would ensure no more OTs and the subsequent shouting march. I believe there is an extensive use of Python??!!?? That will come in handy for me as I'm taking great leaps to mastering Python. Just a thot of seeing the third side of a coin! Ouya Obunga.

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Dynamic Linking to a pdf file
by Calvin Omari 15 Dec '09

15 Dec '09

Hi techies, I am building a small application that reads vacancies from a database and displays them in a tabular row format, I want to create a link in one of the field say vacancy_id i.e when you display using the following script. All the details are to be fetched from db print("<tr><td bgcolor=$colorbg><a href='*vacanacy.pdf?id=$Field1*'>$Field1</a></td><td align=left bgcolor=$colorbg><a href='apply.html?id=$Field1'>$Field2</a></td><td align=left bgcolor=$colorbg>$Field3</td><td bgcolor=$colorbg>$Field4</td></tr>"); Now the vacacny.pdf is the file to be viewed when you click on the displayed vacancy number that is dyanamic, Techies is it possible or I am just guessing Thank you

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15" LCD Wall Mounts
by Geofrey Karani 15 Dec '09

15 Dec '09

Hi All, Am looking for the above. Is there any company in Kenya that specializes in making quality and professional mounts customized to a clients' specification? Thanks in advance Jeff jeffkarani(a)gmail.com

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