Archive for December, 2007

Plan and plan again. or not!

Published on December 16, 2007 in Yadda. 0 Comments

Let me add some context before I begin. Recently developing a site on a shoestring budget, I built the prototype proof of concept which was not really built from a solid specification more add-hoc per specification. Quickly the time came for the Directors to seek investment to fund future growth, i assume emails went to and throw between director and investor ideas a plenty; you can imagine one person saying “this” and another person saying “that”. To cut a long bit and make it shorter, the prototype site become the live site and more things than i can count on both hands and feet needed updating and changing.  like yesterday!

With no time to plan and without question i set about making the ideas real, some things simply wouldn’t work with other things and so had to be twisted and pushed. Many other things worked just fine. of course this way of working isn’t easy, without the planning it didn’t take long for us to realise we had introduced bugs, areas that worked fine before no longer functioned as they should. each change had a knock on effect.

I would love for this to be a story of morality, a tale of woe that by seeing the error of our ways we went forward into the light and for ever and day all was good. it’s not. I simply wanted to share a moment. I will not plan like the plan is everything if the client does not have the funds to support such antics. It may not be good for the client to go to the investor with only a plan, the plan alone will probably get them nowhere. For a plan on its own is just an idea and ideas are everywhere. Everyone has one, even me.

The client needs a prototype “a beta” if you will, with a prototype they have proof of concept and users too. They have what is needed now to acquire funding, maybe for a plan. Be it bank or brother someone will get excited and hold out a hand.

Bottom line given the choice if the client has limited funds go for the build, build like you have never built before, yes things will break and things will go wrong but they can be fixed and put right. Right now the client needs funding and you know what to do! when the funds are in you can plan because the client can afford you to, and plan well. its going to be fun and you will be proud.

Thanks :)

Session_OnEnd not being called in your global.asa ( kb 934903 )

Published on December 16, 2007 in Yadda. 0 Comments

You and me both, well at least me until i discovered that Microsoft had released IIS6 with a big bug in the ASP.dll and then installed the Hotfix.

For some reason the bug simply causes the session to end without calling the sub routine Session_OnEnd in your global.asa file.Why and how they missed this, and why the fix hasn’t been released generally begs some questions.

Luckily for me I am the recipient of great Microsoft support.You can try your luck by going here and following the instructions. MS might if you ask nicely send you the fix as they have not released it for download.

Navicat should release an update

Published on December 12, 2007 in Yadda. 0 Comments

Following from my previous post, I contacted Carol at Navicat she told me:

“It should be released in minor upgrade but the time frame could not be provided at the meantime. We will contact you if any news.”

Excellent, I look forward to the update, soon.

Navicat 8 missing feature?

Published on December 11, 2007 in Yadda. 0 Comments

Call me pedantic if you wish, however; I really think that an applications mainform and its descendant’s state should be persistent. that is if i open a wizard or new form from an application option any configurable item such as window size, splitter position or other should remain as I set them upon the next use. Don’t agree? are you mad? try the new version of Navicat 8, play with the “Query Editor” set everything to a comfortable position and size for your screen, close the form and do it again! argh now you have to do it all again before getting on with the sql task at hand.

Very annoying Navicat, please I beg of you release a patch update or something to prevent me from ripping all of my hair out. It’s one of those things that begin to grate, I almost don’t want to use this feature anymore just because of this.

Don’t get me wrong, I recommend the software to everyone i encounter, I have recently upgraded from version 7 and look forward to version 9. Thanks for reading :)