Currently...

Well... I started wrapping a C++ dll again, this time for the Canon 20D. I like Canon's support for the SDK better. Deeper, clearer documentation, and the SDK supports several of their cameras. (Kodak had 3 DLLs which supported about 3 apiece.)

So, I'm working on that, but I might have a hook up with some folks who already did this in C#. That would make things easier.

Also, my article has been posted on Developer Fusion. COOL!

Inter-App communication

As in, two applications talking to one another. DataMatch had no cropping features, and it also had no way to get images from cameras. I began developing a while back an application that would recieve images from cameras.

So, this image is going to be a small utility that will capture from cameras, and crop images. I have set up 2 way communication, so that images captured from the camera can be entered into DataMatch, and images in DataMatch can be sent to this utility.

This is a good exercise for me, because we are looking to enlarge our software offering into a suite of programs. I will be able to share controls and libraries I've already created, it will really simplify the process.

In the Gran Turismo line of things, I'm up to 7 golds in the B class license tests. I'm working on the International B license, and I won my first car from the FF Car Challenge, a Honda Mugen Accord SIR-T.

Have a few issues with Linux still, but haven't had that much time. Got my service time up, have a talk tonight, and I may be giving a presentation on CSS in April.

Strange ad

Click here for the image - I use yahoo for e-mail, and they show many different ads throughout the day. I saw this one today. I don't think it will be up long.
Edit: I took the image off here, and made it a link, cause it bugged me.

My first tutorial

I posted a page which I consider to be my first real tutorial. It is called .Net Applets. It is also known as Hosting Windows Forms User Controls in HTML. I had some help editing the text, code, and layout, but the content is mine. It is how I express this concept, and I hope it helps you folks.

Currently it is hosted on GeoCities, but as my systems at home improve, I hope to host all those pages on my linux box. Currently I use my Windows box as a router, but hope to get a real router soon. When that is accomplished I will be able to go live with the site at home.

Other than that, cropping is finished. I do have Apache and PHP running on my Linux box. I've installed Mono, but have yet to get MonoDevelop started. Also, I do not have mySQL running. It says shutting down after the system starts up. I will investigate later.

In the mean time, I have bought my second car in Gran Turismo 2, I have gotten the two basic licenses, and the International C license. For the basic A, I have 5 golds. If I get all golds I win car... but I digress.

One more thing, current readings... Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott. So far, I'm to chapter 10, and it's pretty good. Knights, jousting, fair maidens. That sort of thing. Older english, but not shakespear old.

The space revolution?

Many of us have learned bits and pieces of the 'Industrial Revolution' where industry, manufacturing, changed the social climate of the world.

I am wondering if there will soon be a 'Space Revolution'. While I have yet to see how space could change our day-to-day lives, I am noting more and more private and commercial adventures in this field. Take for instance Bigelow Aerospace. They are looking at putting hotels into space, already! (No kids, it doesn't have a pool, yeesh!)

And now it looks as if Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, is looking to set up a spaceport.

Of course, my explaination is simpler (following Occum's razor). I figure these guys are rich, and want their own X-Wings! Well, I do anyways.

Quirks, games, and other stuff

Boy, quirky... I get an System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: 'Syntax error converting the varchar value 'TC002' to a column of data type int.' But in Query analyzer, no problem. It ended up that the query was trying to cast a field for an addition operation instead of a concatenation operation, one of the problems of using '+' for concatenation. I just did a cast as a varchar(50) on the field, and all is well.

I haven't been playing with my Linux box lately, though I did get PHP 5 running on it. I will eventually move my home site (not my blog) to that system, but I am having routing issues, as I am currently to cheap/poor to validate buying a router. I am using this windows box and internet sharing to pass requests to the Linux box, but it hasn't been working.

The reason I haven't been playing much with Linux, other than guests, has been pulling out my playstation. I am borrowing Gran Turismo 2. I know, it's an older game, but never before was I into racing games. But this is not simply racing. You can buy and sell cars, and soup 'em up to race with. Mucho fun!

Other than that, not much is going on. My cropping project is a success. We continue to tweek for usability, but it's functional. Still haven't heard back from the folks who were going to quote us on writing that piece of software.

It is built

Okay, I did it, the fourth time. I got sound and network built into my kernel, which is optimized for PII with my video card and no SCSI.

I'm going to save this config, and try to trim it down some more. It builds AGP stuff, but I am using a PCI card right now. I want to see what else I can trim down. Compile time was quick tho.

Stinkin' computer thinks it knows better...

I was trying to run my distributed.net clients only on RC5-72 equations, but they ended up doing some for another project. I had to go clean that up.

I just finished my third compile of kernel 2.6.11 and am now on to the fourth.

The first worked but no sound and no network. I found that 2.4.29 was using 486 optimizations, so I changed this build to use PII and no math emulation (since 486DX and newer chips have math coprocessor onboard).

For the second I copied the .config file from 2.4.29 and then had network in my list of configuration choices (when I ran 'make gconfig'), but it didn't get past 'Loading Linux-2.6.11...........'

The third recompile got past that, it got to 'BIOS data check successful' then the screen went black. Guess I koosed the command prompt video settings.

Now on to the fourth.

Sorry if this post has little detail. I had a nice long detailed post, but it got wiped out by blogger with an html error.

I compiled my kernel!

That's right, I've upgraded my kernel to 2.6.11. Gnome comes up, so I think it's a pretty good compile. 2 things tho, I wanted to have my network card and sound card compiled in, but they didn't. Guess I'll just have to compile again.

Rolling my own kernel

Going around online I was confronted with some PC peers who teased me about my old Linux kernel. (2.4.29 or something like that.) How was I supposed to know? I just installed the 'Latest' distrobution of Slackware, 10.1. I figured it had the 'Latest' kernel. Come to find out, the latest kernel (2.6.11) came out Wednesday. I'm gonna have to keep up on this stuff.

So what am I to do. Roll my own. Now, not my own kernel, but I am going to compile my own version of the kernel, choosing all the options I want for it and none of the ones I don't.

Now, I see the benefits of Linux. I can custom tailor the kernel, to include my drivers, and none of the ones I don't want. That has to be a performance benefit. Also, (I'm not compiling this, but will let it be a module) if I so choose, I can right to some of the cpus on the market! Wow! Boy, I could really do some damage...

Anyway, I'm doing my reading, posting my questions, and should be posting more info soon.

Ahh.... linux is home!

Got my network gear today. My windows box is working as router now, except during working hours when I'm VPN'd and the NIC connected to the cable modem is locked down.

Sound is working too. And at start up. I just put it into rc.local, right before the line for distributed.net. That worked fine, both sound and the dNet client are running.

Next step, Mono. Also, sound, my mp3s and videos sound like they're coming through a helicoptor, sputtering like. I might work on this tonight. But I want to take my wife out. With all this snow and being stuck home, she's getting antsy.