I’m not sure when Oracle started this initiative, but it seems that Oracle can be had for free if you’re a ISV. You must be a member of OTN, but it seems that the kit for Linux and Windows will be sent to you if you fill in all the information. The kit includes the 10g database, the latest application server and “Tools software” (not exactly sure what that means). So head over to their website, and fill in your information.
PHP 5 has been released, and on the same day a new version of 4: 4.3.8.
Version 5 has several improvements over 4, the most important of them being the completely rewritten XML support and the use of the new Zend-II engine that has real object support (instead of a modified document model to suit OO-programming). Browse to their website, and find out everything there is to know about this new version.
This is cool. Some people love vi so much, that they turn MS Word into vi! Check this out.
Like I used to said a couple of years ago: real programmers use vi.
I tried to install PostgreSQL, the 7.5 binary development night-build (since I can’t build it from source). The basic procedure is:
- Unzip in directory, let's assume C:PostgreSQL
- Add C:PostgreSQLBin and C:PostgreSQLlib to PATH
- Add environmentvariable PGDATA and have it point to C:PostgreSQLData
- Now start the following command: initdb -L "C:/postgresql/share"
First problem encountered: PostgreSQL won’t run as admin. So I created a limited-user (I’m using Windows XP Pro) and logged in as that user. The init-command now crashes with an unhandled exception. Can’t see what it is, or what to do about it. Just a message that somebody is sorry for the inconvenience (you know what I’m talking about!).
Let’s wait a while until 7.5 with the real Windows installer is there. In some online documents I read that this Windows support was supposed to be included in version 7.4 already. But hey, who cares about tons of users?
If you have an USB-key or pendrive, then this tool from HP allows you to format it so you can boot from it. Think of the possibilities: as a rescuedisk, as an alternative way of booting Linux, as Symantec Ghost bootdisk, whatever. Great.
After being known for about 9 months, Microsoft is finally trying to do something about the security-hole in ActiveX, for IIS 5.0 users known as Download.Ject.
The change means that ActiveX will not be allowed to write to the system’s disk. Wasn’t that one of the things that developers did NOT like about first versions of Java?
For Free! Visual Studio 2005 beta 1 is available to MSDN subscribers (at a later stage to non-subscribers as well) for immediate download and the lite versions (Microsoft decided to call them “Express”, like Outlook Express) of Visual Basic, C++, C#, J#, Webdev and SQL are available to everyone.
The Express versions are light-weight, easy-to-install products, targetted at hobbyists, enthusiasts and novices to enable them to expand their knowledge or just to create dynamic (web)applications without losing an arm and a leg.
Wow! I must say my perception of the whole Microsoft domination changed when they introduced .NET, but lately I think that one should wonder why NOT go with Microsoft?
If you bought Windows 2003, but you want to use it as the good-old Windows 2000 Workstation or Windows XP Pro, then you can now. Follow the instructions on this page, and you should be good to go!
Thanks Perry, for the tip.
If you’re into C++, but can’t afford a decent compiler, then look at Microsoft’s latest initiative: they give away the C++ compiler and the whole shebang. All you need is a propert code-editor or IDE and you’re all set up to create Win32 and .NET programs in C++. The edition has no real restrictions and is the same as the compiler found in the Professional edition of Visual C++ or Visual Studio.
How could I have missed this one: WSE 2.0 is out for download. WSE is a supported enhancement to VS.NET and the .NET Framework, so for secure applications you’d better install/use it.