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gadgets

Weird iPad Fix

September 28, 2011 21:14:41.165

My daughter came home after a long Greyhound trip, complaining that her iPad didn't play sound through the headphones. On the off chance that I'd find something simple, I Googled - and it turned out that this thread gave me a solution. My guess? Some app left sound in a bad state, and Skype, when starting up, resets the bad state.

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ST 4U 138: Configuring Coding Assistance in VA Smalltalk

September 28, 2011 11:37:54.120

Today's Smalltalk 4 You looks at the configurability of the new coding assistance feature of VA Smalltalk 8.5 (which was ,a href="blogView?entry=3494234789">covered in another screencast). If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube. To watch now, click on the image below:

Code Completion.

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:


Today we'll look at configuring the new Coding Assistance (auto complete) that is part of the new VA Smalltalk 8.5. To get there, go to the Options menu item in the launcher, and select the pull right for Code Assist. Note that you can turn it on and off, or select more granular options, which we'll do now:

Code Completion Settings

Select the Edit option - you'll get a preferences window:

Code Completion Settings

Now you can toggle any of the available settings - for instance, you can change the key for accepting an assist from <Enter> to <Tab>. The changes are immediate, and note that you can simply restore the defaults at any time.

Need more help? There's a screencast for other topics like this which you may want to watch. Questions? Try the "Chat with James" Google gadget over in the sidebar.

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smalltalk

New Evaluation License for Cincom Smalltalk

September 28, 2011 10:45:06.654

Cincom has updated the license for the download versions of VisualWorks and ObjectStudio - it seems to be a lot more reasonable than earlier drafts that were up on the site. More importantly, the license that comes with the download now matches what you'll find on the site, so there's no confusion as to what the terms are. Check it out.

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posted by James Robertson

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copyright

Who Needs Rights When we Have Copyrights?

September 28, 2011 8:35:38.695

The bizarro universe beast that is ACTA is still alive, and it looks like the power elites of the Western world want to ram it down all of our throats, regardless of how the law is supposed to work. Via Techdirt:

Despite serious Constitutional concerns in the US, and significant legal questions in the EU, it appears that the US and the EU, along with most of the other participants in the ACTA negotiations are planning to sign ACTA this weekend in Japan. In the US, this may very well lead to a Constitutional challenge. President Obama, via the USTR, is ignoring the Senate's oversight concerning treaties, by pretending ACTA is not a treaty, but rather an "executive agreement." Pretty much everyone else agrees that ACTA is a binding treaty -- in fact, EU negotiators have been quite vocal on that point.

All I can say is wow - the gall involved here is massive. If this thing is so important, it can go to the Senate and follow the process. The fact that the powers that be want to avoid that route is very, very telling.

posted by James Robertson

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travel

Which Century Does Greyhound Live In?

September 27, 2011 23:58:34.725

I got a call from my daughter - her school basically closes down for a few days for the upcoming Jewish holidays, and she decided to come home - we looked into Greyhound. That's when the hilarity ensued, at least for some types of hilarity.

Try this: visit any airline website, or a site like Expedia. See if you can buy a ticket at any time of day. Gosh, it works. Now try looking into buying a Greyhound bus ticket at a time when one of the stations involved is closed for the day.

Not having noticed that the web is a 24x7 thing, they don't allow that. So... do they run little courier sacks between stations to handle the transactions? Do they have a teletype machine at the back of each station spewing out orders? Are they just stupid?

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js4u

JS 4U 94: JQuery data

September 27, 2011 10:23:21.581

Javascript 4 U

Today's Javascript 4 You. Today we look at some complex elements selections using JQuery. If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube.

Join the Facebook Group to discuss the tutorials. You can view the archives here.

To watch now, click on the image below:

data

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:

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smalltalk

Coral Scripting

September 27, 2011 9:03:15.898

Pharo based scripting is coming along:

Coral makes it possible to write shell scripts with Pharo. It’s actually several parts:

  • A wrapper shell script
    • To seamlessly invoke the VM from the command line.
  • A tiny syntax extension
    • Smalltalk has no syntax to declare classes and methods outside of the code browser. Coral’s syntax extension allows to declare classes, methods, and to evaluate code, all in a simple text file.
  • A lighter, prepared image
    • The Coral image is configured to launch quickly, without a graphical interface, and is preloaded with packages useful for scripting, like access to the system’s filesystem and processes.

If you follow the link, there's a video as well

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posted by James Robertson

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smalltalk

More ESUG 2011 Video

September 26, 2011 20:38:56.228

Some of the videos from Monday, August 22 have been posted.

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ESUG Videos on YouTube

September 26, 2011 14:32:23.000

The ESUG folks are getting their videos posted to YouTube.

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st4u

ST 4U 137: Using Fuel as a Package Loader

September 26, 2011 9:24:56.554

Today's Smalltalk 4 You looks at using fuel as a package exporter/importer. This code is experimental - you should read Mariano's post on it before you decide to "us it in anger". If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube. To watch now, click on the image below:

Fuel

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:

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smalltalk

Updated Glorp for Pharo

September 26, 2011 8:30:44.589

You'll want to grab Pharo 1.3, and then do this to load the latest:


Gofer it
    squeaksource: 'MetacelloRepository';
    package: 'ConfigurationOfGlorpDBX';
    load.
    
(((Smalltalk at: #ConfigurationOfGlorpDBX) perform: #project) perform: #version: with: #stable) load

Looks like a lot of work went into that in order to update Glorp for Pharo to the latest code being used in VisualWorks - great job!

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podcastAAC

IM 47: Simberon Moves (AAC)

September 25, 2011 11:03:47.468

Welcome to episode 47 of Independent Misinterpretations - a Smalltalk and dynamic language oriented podcast with James Robertson, Michael Lucas-Smith, and David Buck.

This week Dave Buck talks about some ideas he has for expanding Simberon, his consulting business. If you want to see those details evolving over time, thne you'll want to subscribe to his blog, where more details will be coming as they are available.

You can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes (or any other podcatching software) using this feed directly or in iTunes with this one.

To listen now, you can either download the mp3 edition, or the AAC edition. The AAC edition comes with chapter markers. You can subscribe to either edition of the podcast directly in iTunes; just search for Smalltalk and look in the Podcast results. You can subscribe to the mp3 edition directly using this feed, or the AAC edition using this feed using any podcatching software. You can also download the podcast in ogg format.

If you like the music we use, please visit Josh Woodward's site. We use the song Troublemaker for our intro/outro music. I'm sure he'd appreciate your support!

If you have feedback, send it to jarober@gmail.com - or visit us on Facebook - you can subscribe in iTunes using this iTunes enabled feed.. If you enjoy the podcast, pass the word - we would love to have more people hear about Smalltalk!

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podcast

IM 47: Simberon Moves

September 25, 2011 11:03:10.108

Welcome to episode 47 of Independent Misinterpretations - a Smalltalk and dynamic language oriented podcast with James Robertson, Michael Lucas-Smith, and David Buck.

This week Dave Buck talks about some ideas he has for expanding Simberon, his consulting business. If you want to see those details evolving over time, thne you'll want to subscribe to his blog, where more details will be coming as they are available.

You can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes (or any other podcatching software) using this feed directly or in iTunes with this one.

To listen now, you can either download the mp3 edition, or the AAC edition. The AAC edition comes with chapter markers. You can subscribe to either edition of the podcast directly in iTunes; just search for Smalltalk and look in the Podcast results. You can subscribe to the mp3 edition directly using this feed, or the AAC edition using this feed using any podcatching software. You can also download the podcast in ogg format.

If you like the music we use, please visit Josh Woodward's site. We use the song Troublemaker for our intro/outro music. I'm sure he'd appreciate your support!

If you have feedback, send it to jarober@gmail.com - or visit us on Facebook - you can subscribe in iTunes using this iTunes enabled feed.. If you enjoy the podcast, pass the word - we would love to have more people hear about Smalltalk!

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esug11

ESUG 2011 Videos

September 24, 2011 11:57:49.597

Some video from ESUG 2011 has come online - the IWST sessions. More is coming - I know how much time it takes to get things encoded into a format that is easy to post, and small enough to encourage access....

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smalltalk

Don't make objects that end with 'er'

September 23, 2011 23:44:55.442

Travis has some interesting thoughts on how we should make objects

posted by James Robertson

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st4u

ST 4U 136: Code Completion in VA 8.5

September 23, 2011 12:46:29.236

Today's Smalltalk 4 You looks at a new feature in VA Smalltalk 8.5 - code completion in the browsers. It works pretty well, and will improve your VA experience a lot If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube. To watch now, click on the image below:

Code Completion.

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:


Today we'll look at one of the nicer new features of VA Smalltalk 8.5 - code completion in the browsers. To demonstrate, we've created a new class with an instance variable - below, we started initializing it to an instance of OrderedCollection:

Code Completion

Notice how it narrowed the possible selections down to the only one possible. If there were more matches, it would have given us a list. To take the selection, simply hit return - or to not take it and continue, just keep typing; the pop up does not have keyboard focus. Next, note what happens before we finish typing #new:

Code Completion

Here we see a list of all possible matches that extend from the three letters that are entered. If we hit period, the pop up will be dismissed. To take one of the selections, use the arrow keys, then hit return. Again, to just finish on your own, simply keep typing. Finally, what about instance variables?

Contextual Code Completion

VA Notes that one of the instance variables is a possible match, and offers it up. gain, select with return, or keep typing.

Need more help? There's a screencast for other topics like this which you may want to watch. Questions? Try the "Chat with James" Google gadget over in the sidebar.

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smalltalk

Fast Package Loading for Pharo

September 23, 2011 9:50:11.501

Via Torsten:

Mariano is working on fast package loading for Pharo using Fuel. Impressive: 7 seconds for loading Seaside - he will report soon on his blog.

Sounds like the same idea as Parcels for VisualWorks.

posted by James Robertson

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smalltalk

MethodWrappers Find Their Way to Squeak

September 22, 2011 19:44:27.697

Torsten notes that Method Wrappers have been ported to Squeak:

Eliot ported Method wrappers to Squeak 4.2. If you know VisualWorks you may already know that Method Wrappers can add hidden behavior to a method without recompiling it. It is a very useful package for implementing coverage and tracing tools.

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smalltalk

Dolphin on the Mac?

September 22, 2011 14:22:17.000

Ported via Wineskin, and it looks good. Take a look at the screencast.

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posted by James Robertson

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fnvdiaryAAC

That Podcast 24: The End of the Road

September 22, 2011 14:01:16.662

That Podcast: FNV Diary

Welcome to episode 24 of "That Podcast: An FNV Diary" - a podcast where Michael Lucas-Smith and I document our trials and tribulations in Fallout: New Vegas.

Today is pretty much the end of the road for "That Podcast" - we wrap up the latest (and last) DLC, "Lonesome Road", and offer a few retrospective ideas on the game. Along the way we mused a bit about where the franchise might go from here. Thanks for listening!

We'll likely have one more (very brief) audio update to announce the particulars for our planned Skyrim podcast. So keep the iTunes subscriptions live, at least for a little while longer.

You can subscribe in iTunes (or any podcatcher) using this feed, or this one for the AAC edition. You can get to the podcast directly in iTunes via this link. You can also go to the iTunes store and leave a comment, or join the Facebook Group and discuss the podcast.

If you want to download the podcast directly, I've provided it in three formats:

Got feedback? Send it to James. We'd really appreciate it if you head on over to iTunes and leave a comment - enjoy the podcast, and we'll see you in the wastelands!

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fnvdiary

That Podcast 24: The End of the Road

September 22, 2011 14:01:14.102

That Podcast: FNV Diary

Welcome to episode 24 of "That Podcast: An FNV Diary" - a podcast where Michael Lucas-Smith and I document our trials and tribulations in Fallout: New Vegas.

Today is pretty much the end of the road for "That Podcast" - we wrap up the latest (and last) DLC, "Lonesome Road", and offer a few retrospective ideas on the game. Along the way we mused a bit about where the franchise might go from here. Thanks for listening!

We'll likely have one more (very brief) audio update to announce the particulars for our planned Skyrim podcast. So keep the iTunes subscriptions live, at least for a little while longer.

You can subscribe in iTunes (or any podcatcher) using this feed, or this one for the AAC edition. You can get to the podcast directly in iTunes via this link. You can also go to the iTunes store and leave a comment, or join the Facebook Group and discuss the podcast.

If you want to download the podcast directly, I've provided it in three formats:

Got feedback? Send it to James. We'd really appreciate it if you head on over to iTunes and leave a comment - enjoy the podcast, and we'll see you in the wastelands!

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js4u

JS 4U 93: The toArray() Function

September 22, 2011 9:43:56.326

Javascript 4 U

Today's Javascript 4 You looks at the toArray() function in JQuery. If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube.

Join the Facebook Group to discuss the tutorials. You can view the archives here.

To watch now, click on the image below:

complex selection

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:

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smalltalk

Smalltalk Superpowers

September 22, 2011 8:09:17.691

Spotted in ObjologyTravis found another one:

lk is like a gun, that "with great power comes great responsibility." Some times, some of the tricks tempt me, and if I know no one's looking (read: I'm not going to be putting this in any production code), I find myself looking around for opportunities to flex a little bit of language super power muscle. Just for the grins. Just because I can.

If you want to see a "don't try this at home" example, follow the link :)

posted by James Robertson

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smalltalk

Seafox Gets Updated

September 21, 2011 20:57:34.000

Via Torsten:

There is an updated version of Seafox for Seaside, now with an HTML to canvas translator. It's helps you building real Seaside apps from existing HTML templates. You can read more about it here

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smalltalk

What is Moose?

September 21, 2011 17:43:55.000

If you've heard about the Moose project, but haven't been able to wrap your head around it - maybe this video presentation from Doru will help. Hat tip Torsten

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fnvdiaryAAC

That Podcast 23: Lonesome Warheads (AAC)

September 21, 2011 11:23:20.731

That Podcast: FNV Diary

Welcome to episode 23 of "That Podcast: An FNV Diary" - a podcast where Michael Lucas-Smith and I document our trials and tribulations in Fallout: New Vegas.

On today's podcast, Michael and James are joined by maki, and guest host Austin Healy, one of our regular listeners. The topic - what else: the last DLC, "Lonesome Road". We cover the entire DLC except for the ending, as - at record time - only Austin had finished the DLC. Next podcast we'll go over the possible outcomes, and likely wrap the entire podcast up. Thanks for listening!

You can subscribe in iTunes (or any podcatcher) using this feed, or this one for the AAC edition. You can get to the podcast directly in iTunes via this link. You can also go to the iTunes store and leave a comment, or join the Facebook Group and discuss the podcast.

If you want to download the podcast directly, I've provided it in three formats:

Got feedback? Send it to James. We'd really appreciate it if you head on over to iTunes and leave a comment - enjoy the podcast, and we'll see you in the wastelands!

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fnvdiary

That Podcast 23: Lonesome Warheads

September 21, 2011 11:22:50.081

That Podcast: FNV Diary

Welcome to episode 23 of "That Podcast: An FNV Diary" - a podcast where Michael Lucas-Smith and I document our trials and tribulations in Fallout: New Vegas.

On today's podcast, Michael and James are joined by maki, and guest host Austin Healy, one of our regular listeners. The topic - what else: the last DLC, "Lonesome Road". We cover the entire DLC except for the ending, as - at record time - only Austin had finished the DLC. Next podcast we'll go over the possible outcomes, and likely wrap the entire podcast up. Thanks for listening!

You can subscribe in iTunes (or any podcatcher) using this feed, or this one for the AAC edition. You can get to the podcast directly in iTunes via this link. You can also go to the iTunes store and leave a comment, or join the Facebook Group and discuss the podcast.

If you want to download the podcast directly, I've provided it in three formats:

Got feedback? Send it to James. We'd really appreciate it if you head on over to iTunes and leave a comment - enjoy the podcast, and we'll see you in the wastelands!

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st4u

ST 4U 135: Exporting and Importing Code with ENVY

September 21, 2011 10:22:35.726

Today's Smalltalk 4 You looks at how you export code from one ENVY repository and import it into another. The context here is moving from one edition of VA to another, but the process is the same regardless of why you need to move code between repositories. You can download the exported repository being used as well. If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube. To watch now, click on the image below:

Exporting Code.

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:


Today we'll look at how to migrate code out of one ENVY repository and into another one. This can be useful when moving between a personal repository and the "corporate" one, or when upgrading your version of VA. That's the example we'll be working with today - moving the versions of the Seaside Tutorial from VA 8.0.3 to VA 8.5. To start, open up the application editions tool, right click in the listing of applications, and select export:

Export

Once you do that, you'll see a three pane tool. Applications in your repository are on the left. Select one, and all released (not open) editions will display in the second pane. Select the versions you want to export, and move them to the rightmost pane:

Select Editions

Hit Ok, and you'll get a prompt for the ENVY server location. If you are running in a server environment, enter that data. If you are using File IO (as we are in this example), leave it blank, so you'll get a file prompter:

Export Choice

If you left it blank, you'll get a standard file dialog:

File Dialog

Since we are moving the code to VA 8.5, we've selected the image directory for 8.5:

File Destination

You'll get one prompt we aren't showing here if you aren't exporting to an existing repository, and that's whether the destination repository should be a 1GB max or 16 GB max. It turns out that you are creating a full ENVY repository; the only thing limited is how much stuff we are creating in it to start. Next, Fire up VA Smalltalk 8.5 (or the destination system if it differs), and open up the Application Manager. Select Import from the context menu:

File Import

You'll see the same system prompter - either enter the IP of the source system, or, if using File IO (as we are here), leave it blank:

Import

Next you'll see a standard file dialog - select the file you exported from the other VA image:

Select File

You should now see the same three pane selector you saw on export - now you need to move applications and editions to the right in order to import them. While our example imports everything, you can be more picky if that's desired:

Select Editions

Now go back to the Application Manager - you'll see as much history as you imported. The imported applications are now ready to be loaded from ENVY.

Imported

Need more help? There's a screencast for other topics like this which you may want to watch. Questions? Try the "Chat with James" Google gadget over in the sidebar.

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