HandyAndE

Happy New Decade!

andy@handyande.org (Andrew Williams) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 11:32:59 +0000

OK so not exactly newsworthy but for those that had not noticed it is a whole new year and (for those who celebrated the new millenium at 01/01/00) a new decade also.

I'm not really one for new year resolutions but I do think it is a good chance to start new projects and to start afresh on old ones that have dropped by the wayside. Stay tuned for some cool new things later this year, I hope to have some cool stuff ready soon!

Best of luck for all your endeavours this year...

Why the AppStore review is not a bad thing, though I don't always feel that way

andy@handyande.org (Andrew Williams) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:17:44 +0100

I don't know if I am the only one or not but I am getting bored with everyone complaining about the AppStore review process and the accompanying chants for it to be opened to a free-for-all. Sure there may be those that begrudge not being allowed to post feature X or show image Y due to some rule or other but why not look at this from the other side?

The 2 week wait for an application to be accepted (if you have followed the rules and it gets in first time) means there is a real push to get it right first time. Don't get me wrong, I don't believe that software is buggy by default but when you have to wait 14 whole days to get a patch out to the world you make damn sure that the testing and review processes have been followed! If you could push changes out at the drop of a hat there is a very real risk of early betas being pushed to the customer to the detriment of the software and platform as a whole.

Of course when you do encounter a bug that both your software team and the Apple review team missed it is quite a frustration to have to leave the "known bugs fixed bug pending review..." text in the application description for all to see.

SMTP auth with Postfix + SASL - FINALLY

andy@handyande.org (Andrew Williams) — Sat, 16 May 2009 13:34:34 +0100

Wow, who would have thought I would ever get it working? Not me, that's for sure...

But thanks to this great howto i finally did it, what a relief it is too - thanks Jimmy!

Blogging?

andy@handyande.org (Andrew Williams) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:43:11 +0000

Oh yeah, there it is - erm - so I write on this thing then?

Well, so I should write about what is on my mind and such. Unfortunately I cannot afford the psych bills and will assume the reader cannot either.

I recently attended the London date of the iPhone Tech Talk World Tour. YEAH I hear you cry? absolutely, but I cannot talk about that as it was a confidential briefing - of course, if they were giving out cool t-shirts then I may have picked one of them up.

As a result I am excited about developing for my iPhone ( and the other 13 Million out there I guess) but am lacking ideas to base the apps on - any ideas just let me know :)

Oh, and whilst we were down in London (Michelle and I) we headed to see Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre. That was fantastic, one of the finest musicals ever without a doubt. But as it has been running for 23 years I'm not sure what new light to cast on it.

Guess I better sign off now until I think of something to actually write about...

Using SearchMash instead of Google in Safari on OSX

andy@handyande.org (Andrew Williams) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 23:13:04 +0000

OK, so having played around with SearchMash for a while I decided to set it as my search engine for Safari.

Not an easy task indeed, but here is the answer, just follow the following simple steps:

open a Terminal
run "vim /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/MacOS/Safari" (without the quotes)
hit the ":" key to enter command mode
paste in "%s/http:\/\/%@.google.com\/%@?q=%@&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8/http:\/\/%@%@@searchmash.com\/search\/%@?ua=safari/" (again without the quotes) and hit enter
save and quit by typing ":wq"
restart safari

Enjoy! of course, I cannot guarantee you will not run into any problems - do the above at your own risk - but it worked for me :)

Maven talk accepted by Developer Day Scotland

andy@handyande.org (Andrew Williams) — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 22:06:13 +0000

A talk on the introduction to Maven that I proposed has been accepted for the preliminary agenda for Developer! Developer! Developer!'s Scotland conference this year!

If you would like to hear it, or think it would be useful to others then please vote for it :)

Sure I'm nervous - but somehow we have to spread the good news around the country.

I am Charlie Pace from Lost

andy@handyande.org (Andrew Williams) — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 19:04:29 +0000

It's funny that these quizzes are usually nonsense - but this one totally matches me, freaked me out a little!

You are: Charlie Pace

You almost have two different personalities. You are a good person but have some issues you've been struggling with. You aren't one of the bravest people in the world but you defend what is closest to you. You are willing to fight for what you believe in, no matter the cost. You are also a smooth operator and your charm and honesty make people like you. You can be a bit cocky at times but definitely have the right to be. You feel the need to take care of people because of guilt from your past. Ultimately, you are a courageous soul and want to be everyone's friend.

First impressions of the iPhone

andy@handyande.org (Andrew Williams) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 16:05:06 +0000

OK, so the iPhone is not really new news as it has been out in the 'States for 4 months now but that did not stop UK Apple fanatics from being excited about the UK iPhone launch.

The queue at the official Scottish launch in Edinburgh was only around 30 people at 6:02 when the store opened, and some of them were just there to buy normal mobile phones. Nevertheless there was still a buzz in the atmosphere, a calm sophisticated excitement which I have learned to associate with Apple launches. The promotional goodies at the main Edinburgh O2 store included free chocolates, muffins, water and hand warmers. However, in London there were giving away sweatshirts, coffee and pizza! The London queue probably deserved it though as some of them had been there for over 24 hours whereas in Edinburgh the queue only started to form at about 4.30pm.

Apart from the selection of goodies packed in the O2 bag the iPhone box looked like any other well designed phone box such as that of the XDA Orbit. However, when I went to the till to pay that was all I had to do! There was no contract to sign, no monthly rate haggling, no sales banter. All you had to do was pay your £269 and then you could wander out of the shop with your shiny new iPhone. It was more like buying an iPod than a mobile phone.

It is not until you get home that you start the activation process (or rather when you plug it into your MacBook Pro on the move!). This is a pain-free process which took around 15 minutes of my time and about 30 minutes to sync my data and music to the new device. And that includes the time it took to transfer my current number to my new iPhone. So, in around an hour the iPhone was entirely ready to use. That's impressive in my book - last time I tried to transfer a number it took a week!

However, after I had completed the activation process I noticed a problem. The EDGE network had not been discovered. It was most confusing, annoying and disappointing for a device that seemed to work perfectly in every other way. I followed the advice on the Apple site and did a post-activation reboot (aka turn-it-off-and-back-on-again) which seemed to sort the problem.

Since then playing (sorry working productively) with my iPhone has been a breeze. It's a joy to use and a wonder to behold :) I'm not surprised that O2 is reporting over 8000 activations on launch day!

Link returns in the Phantom Hourglass

andy@handyande.org (Andrew Williams) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 18:09:23 +0000

The long awaited Zelda title for the game boy DS has finally arrived. With the combination of a new method of game play and a renowned game genre it already looks set to be a classic.

Link's latest adventure continues where the "Wind Waker" (for GameCube) left off. Link's pirate friends are merrily sailing the high seas and Zelda has once again renounced her title and returned to her former life as Tetra the pirate. The adventure begins when they are attacked by the mysterious Ghost Ship and (surprise surprise) our beloved Zelda is kidnapped once more. The game player is thrown into a world of pirates, sailing and swashbuckling.

Although true to it's Zelda roots in many respects, including the music, there are a number differences from previous Zelda titles.

Firstly, and probably most obviously, is the method of game play. Nintendo have made the most of their DS console, utilising the tall split-screen, microphone, hinge and responsive touch screen during gameplay. The control is almost entirely through the touch screen which is a very peculiar sensation for those used to the previous portable titles. However, it becomes second nature within minutes. Scribbling on maps could be seen as a gimmick but it does become useful later in the game.

Secondly, the Phantom Hourglass is remarkably easy to play for a significant proportion of the game. Admittedly it does get rather complex further into the game but for the first few hours of game play there is little to challenge the hardened Zelda fanatic. Although newcomers may love this some die-hard Zelda fans have been less than amused. The in-game world is also much smaller than in previous Zelda titles, mirroring the compact nature of the portable device it runs on. This is actually one of my favourite points of the game as even lengthy journeys are reasonably rapid.

The most notable feature of the Phantom Hourglass is it's remarkable charm and playability. It feels similar to playing on the Wii for the first time. At first the strange controls and new ideas seem peculiar but very soon you realise that you have been playing for 5 hours and have forgotten about the beer sitting next to you!

Esudoku goes global with a competitive edge

andy@handyande.org (Andrew Williams) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 16:55:19 +0000

Sudoku is now a global phenomenon. The logical 9x9 numerical puzzle was initially developed by an American before gaining popularity in Japan. Now the whole world has taken notice. And so has Retang.com...

eSudoku is the fastest open source logical sudoku solver available. It uses logical algorithms to calculate the sudoku answers. It also helps users learn sudoku as it explains each step it takes to find the answers. It can run on linux, unix, osx and there is an online version available at http://dev.rectang.com/esudoku.php.

... and now eSudoku has made a leap for freedom ...

Rectang.com's eSudoku is backing a new competitive daily sudoku game on Facebook. The Facebook application has daily sudoku puzzles varying from easy to diabolical. There is an unlimited time limit on each puzzle (up to one day!) and you gain points for completing each puzzle. More difficult puzzles are awarded more points and the leaderboard keeps track of the scores and rankings. The puzzles will get more difficult towards the end of each week giving new users a chance to get started. Esudoku is already proving popular. Check it out at facebook.com.

The next stage for eSudoku is developing a logical, equally rapid generation algorithm. Watch this space ...