General Development Archive

Shed Skin: Python-to-C++ Compiler Released

Submitted by Luis Gonzalez 2005-09-25 General Development 25 Comments

Shed Skin is an experimental Python-to-C++ compiler. It can convert many Python programs into optimized C++ code, without any user intervention such as adding type declarations. Its main purpose is to optimize algorithmic-like Python code, by applying advanced global type inference techniques.

Python: Scaling a New PEAK

Thom Holwerda 2005-09-21 General Development 4 Comments

The Python Enterprise Application Kit (PEAK) is a Python framework for rapidly developing and reusing application components. While Python itself is already a very high-level language, PEAK provides even higher abstractions. One fairly recent capability added to PEAK is the capability to create generic functions and specifically to dispatch them on predicates, not simply on type. Sounds mysterious?

Eclipse Customized Jakarta Slide Open Source CMS

Thom Holwerda 2005-09-20 General Development No Comments

This tutorial, first in a series, will walk through installation of a bundled Apache Tomcat and Jakarta Slide that will result in a working content management system. In Part 2 of this series, learn how to download the sources, set up Eclipse, and build the Jakarta Slide open source CMS. Part 3 will walk through the customization of Jakarta Slide with Eclipse to create a new store back-end adapter that will allow documents stored to Slide to also be stored in a database. Other options for creating stores will also be explained. Note that a free registration is required to view these articles.

Software Plasticity with Aspect-Oriented Programming

Eugenia Loli 2005-09-18 General Development 39 Comments

Most software is rigid in nature, making it difficult to reconfigure and modify without costly upgrades. Can software be made more plastic or malleable? Stephen Morris demonstrates how aspect-oriented programming provides an important tool in the race to achieve plastic software. If IBM's on-demand computing spreads across the industry, this requirement will become the rule rather than the exception. Will you be ready?

Next-Generation SOA Server Service Data Objects

Submitted by anonymous 2005-09-16 General Development 2 Comments

Here are a couple of good articles from the SOA front. The first one provides guidence to architect a powerful and flexible Service-Oriented Architecture that integrates heterogeneous data, simplifying your IT solutions. The second article explores the next-generation business process server, which automates business processes and supports all styles of integration based on SOA and open standards.

Interview: Hans Reiser

Submitted by Martin McGreal 2005-09-13 General Development 45 Comments

In this interview, Hans discusses his background and how he came to create Namesys and Reiserfs. He looks back at Reiser3, describing the advantages it had over other filesystems when it was released and its current state. He then explores the many improvements in Reiser4, describing the plugin architecture and its exciting potential for future semantic enhancements.

Weigh Your Options Before Building a Customizable UI

Submitted by anonymous 2005-09-12 General Development 10 Comments

Customization typically offers users the ability to manipulate shiny objects, but not much real power. Wouldn't it be better to put the time into supporting a more powerful and flexible user interface?

Submitted by exception 2005-08-31 General Development 20 Comments

"Due to being dissatisfied with the inability of existing open source Continuous Integration solutions to prevent developers from abusing the codebase, I've been prototyping a new proactive approach to Continuous Integration. Sin, a framework for Continuous Integration, is the result of this work. I discuss the problems with existing solutions and the advantages of Sin here."

GridShell Extends the TCSH and BASH Syntaxes

Submitted by anonymous 2005-08-30 General Development 4 Comments

GridShell is designed to incorporate grid concepts into command shell environments. In this article, the author describes the motivation for GridShell and provides a high-level description of the extensions to the language interface the tool provides. GridShell extends the TCSH and BASH syntaxes. Users familiar with both will be able to write scripts that include these grid shell language extensions, and orchestrate and coordinate the execution of programs across the grid.

Why REXX Scripting Is Faster

Submitted by anonymous 2005-08-29 General Development 12 Comments

If you learn Rexx, you'll know a scripting language that runs everywhere from mainframes to handhelds - and everything in between. This article shows you why the Rexx scripting language is faster than developing code in traditional languages like C++, Java, or COBOL. If you want to learn a quick way to develop database scripts, start here.

Crafting Java Code With Test-Driven Development

Submitted by Eugenia 2005-08-29 General Development No Comments

This article will teach you how to define and test for parameters within the Java environment by creating a simple system for for tracking course enrollment.

Finding Unresolved Plug-in Dependencies in Eclipse

Thom Holwerda 2005-08-28 General Development 7 Comments

Trying to locate an unresolved plug-in dependency can be strenuous and time-consuming. Almost every plug-in depends on a bunch of other plug-ins, and those plug-ins, in turn, may depend on many more. This article shows you how to resolve plug-in dependencies more quickly by automating their discovery.

Eclipse CDT 3.0 Released

Submitted by ajam 2005-08-24 General Development 24 Comments

One of the longest running Eclipse projects, a fully-functioning IDE for Eclipse 3.1, has a new release out. The CDT (C/C++ Development Tools) Project just recently released 3.0, with a bunch of new improvements.

Introduction to Subversion

David Adams 2005-08-23 General Development 1 Comment

Informit has published a sample chapter of William Nagel's new book, "Subversion Version Control: Using the Subversion Version Control System in Development Projects."

Avoid the Cost of New Hardware through Emulation

David Adams 2005-08-23 General Development 4 Comments

This article introduces PowerPC emulation and cross-compiling for developers without access to real hardware. It is intended for developers familiar with computer architecture who own an x86-based workstation but are interested in experimenting with PowerPC.

A Piece of CherryPy for CGI Programmers

Submitted by anonymous 2005-08-22 General Development 6 Comments

CherryPy uses the same concepts as CGI to bind a Web server to a Web application, but it improves performance and gains persistence across requests by handling all its requests within a single process. Find out how to write Web applications with CherryPy, an application framework for Python that makes Web applications easier to write than plain CGI.

Submitted by Eraser 2005-08-18 General Development 4 Comments

"Some of the readers of my previous review of the Echo2 framework expressed concern that I didn't write a complex enough application to give it a fair shot. Fair enough, I just finished writing a new web application using the Echo2 framework, complete with input validation and database access using Hibernate for object-relational mapping." Read on.

Servlet Cookbook with Cloudscape, Derby and Tomcat Recipies

Submitted by anonymous 2005-08-18 General Development 1 Comment

Cloudscape and Derby are relational database managers implemented in Java. Tomcat is the reference servlet container implemented in Java. This article is a cookbook, providing step-by-step recipes for integrating them in three common scenarios: the prototype integration, the casual integration, and the enterprise integration.

ObjectiveCLIPS

Submitted by Phil 2005-08-18 General Development 12 Comments

Todd Blanchard has just released ObjectiveCLIPS (), a new open source project for Cocoa development on Mac OS X. ObjectiveCLIPS combine Cocoa and Core Data together with CLIPS (the original NASA's artificial intelligence engine) and F-Script, a high-level scripting language for Cocoa. Now, Cocoa developers can design rule-based applications around their Core Data object models. The inference engine can reason about rules and apply them when needed. ObjectiveCLIPS is easily embeddable in applications.

Profiling and Optimizing Ruby Code

Submitted by anonymous 2005-08-15 General Development 19 Comments

If you're writing production code in Ruby and haven't been exposed to optimization strategies, take a look at this tutorial. Learn how to profile and optimize Ruby code (free reg. req.) with RubyInline and ZenOptimize, two tools that make this process easier.