Entries by kevin

[display_podcast]

With all the talk lately of bad iPod and iPhone experiences and iTunes nightmares (See here, here, and here!), I decided to share my system for managing my music and movies to hopefully ease some iTunes pain. I've shunned iTunes management in favor of simplicity. I typically manage music on an album by album basis with play lists tossed aside.

My requirements were simple:

• Keep my music away from iPod and iTunes shackles. I want the ability to buy some other player in the future if I so desire.


• Have the ability to get all my music and movies back on the iPod quickly should iTunes force me to "restore" it.


• Do this without 3rd party software. Floola and Anapod are great for older iPods, but as of this writing, neither support the newer iPod classic that I bought.

Here are the steps:

1. Setup iTunes for manual management of your device. I'm using iTunes version 7.4.3.1


2. Rip CDs to mp3 using 3rd party software. I like dbPowerAmp.


3. Correct mp3 tags and add album art using mp3Tag.


4. For movies, I use DVDFab Decrypter to convert DVD direct to mp4. (Yes, other players do support mp4)


5. Save these original files to someplace safe. I don't consider the iPod to be a safe place! Use an external USB hard drive that is at least the size of your iPod.


6. Now connect the iPod and start iTunes.


7. Select the iPod device music or video folder ( depending on what you are planning to drag over) on the left hand menu.


8. Drag and drop the files from the external USB drive to iTunes.

You can now take your iPod and external USB hard drive to any machine that you've installed iTunes on. Just follow the steps above to place your original rips on the USB drive and the "iTunes copy" on the iPod.

The best part about this plan is if something bad happens like a SYNC... Gasp!! You can drag over all the original files to get the iPod back the the original state. What do you think? Got better ways to do this?

[display_podcast]

Since my last article about keeping software safe and bug free, I came across an interesting news flash that frightens me... Let me explain.

Apple has taken over the mp3 player market by storm. No one can come close to penetrating the market the way Apple has. I've avoided buying an iPod for over 2 years and even waited anxiously for a slim version of the Creative Vision M. Creative has the technology to compete with Apple but apparently cannot cut it on the business and marketing side. There are several posts of people getting angry (like I did) at Creative for failing to deliver a decent competitor to the iPod.

I finally caved in and joined the 'evil empire.' No, I'm not talking about the Yankees nor Microsoft. I saw the still tiny 160 GB iPod at Costco, and jumped on the Apple bandwagon. I hate having to convert video. I want more supported codecs. I hate being married to iTunes (3rd party software isn't working with the new firmware just yet). But oh man... 160 GB! I'm at 45GB of usage so far and still have lots of junk to copy over. I rationalized the decision by telling myself I can just put stuff on and never have to take it off... since it's 160 GB!

But wait... what's this?!?! "iPod Sets Man's Pants Aflame"

Okay, now I need to worry about catching on fire? What's the deal Apple? I've noticed nearly every time I use iTunes (yuck) to drop new stuff on my iPod, a new firmware update is available for download. That tells me one thing: Apple is pushing out their products before adequately testing. Maybe Creative is still testing...? Hmm...

If you are a software or hardware professional, please insist on proper design, development, and testing procedures! Let's prevent embarrassing and life threatening bugs.

There are way too many bugs in software today. How many times have you seen the a screen of death? Do you like the phrase "PLEASE TELL MICROSOFT ABOUT THIS PROBLEM"? Did your Segway break your teeth? (Check out this video clip)

Software can kill you because too many of the people that build it don't bother to build it right. Certain companies are notorious for pushing out software releases before it's truly ready for customer use. The source code is riddled with bugs and inefficiencies that may never be corrected until they injure or kill someone. Inadequate use of software methodologies and shortcuts therein lead to annoying, expensive, and downright dangerous bugs. These are bugs that can be prevented with the proper care and feeding of source code.

Here are just a few things that help catch problems in software before it's released. Perhaps you'll use one to find a bug or two in your code before it goes out the door of your company. Maybe we can save some headaches, teeth, or a life.

Write code so others can read it.

This seems like common sense, but far too often source code is written in some very obscure ways. Variable, method, and class names are not descriptive. Indentation is all over the place. Not enough whitespace. The list goes on and on... Plain and simple: take care in writing your code to some agreed upon coding convention so some other sucker won't make big mistakes.

Write and use automated tests.

Unit testing, White-Box, Clear-Box, Black-Box, X-Box (just kidding), etc. Find some you like and put them to use. The idea here is pretty simple. Write some code, submit it to source control and let some drone machine run tests on it. There are a bunch of ways to do this. My colleague Harold and I like running our tests with CruiseControl, but there are plenty to pick from.

Prevent bloat.

Don't over-engineer your designs or your code. Solve the problem at hand in the most straight-forward and simple manner possible. Lots of code has bells and whistles that are never needed or used. Although these are creative, they can be a waste of time and introduce the possibility for more bugs. Software is an art-form and the impulse to go nuts is hard to contain at times. Control yourself (and keep an eye on others)! Write the ideas down for further discussion as they may very well be desired at some point. If not, you probably just saved lots of people lots of time.

Keep an eye towards the future.

There's a fine balance between over-designed and extensible software. Learn to apply design patterns to keep your software limber and ready to change.

Reduce Redundancy.

In any project, the less code you have to manage, the better. Try to combine common code whenever you see it. If you find yourself making the same change in more than one place (copy/paste), you probably have a good candidate for code reduction. Some simple tips:

• Use common locations for constants, helper functions, etc. whenever possible.


• "Combine" class code by extending from classes that have similar functionality.


• See if code generation can help reduce repetitive coding tasks.


• Always take a step back to see if the problem you are trying to solve has been solved before. Leverage other people's time in this situation by finding ways to use their solutions.

Know what's going on around you.

Communicate with your fellow employees! Call, email, or simply talk to your colleagues about what you are working on. Ask as many questions as possible. You can prevent many mistakes you or others might make by bouncing ideas around and knowing what is going on around you.

Use source control.

Source control is useful not just for the obvious reason of keeping versions of code in a central location. It can also serve as a great communication tool. Monitor the code you care about however your source control software allows. Keeping tabs on what others are doing is not only a great way to learn, but also helps others follow some of these guidelines.

The more opportunity you create to catch mistakes that lead to bugs, the better. Software developers need to help each other create better software. Remember: Prevention is the best medicine.

Are you looking for a fun and exciting place to work? How about a place that gives away video game systems and iPods to its employees in various contests?

I started working at PC-Doctor in January of this year. During the past several months, I have worked hard and have had a ton of fun. During the short time that I have been here, there have been:

• Movie nights (once at a drive in)


• A ski trip


• A rafting trip


• Weekly soccer games


• A company picnic where the Executive team got into a food fight


• A jammed-packed training week culminated with great presentations, food, and silly contests with gift card prizes (Can you build paper airplanes? How about a tower with marshmallows and balloons?)


• FTP trips (ask about this after you're hired)


• Contests and incentives nearly all the time

You might be thinking: 'This sounds great, but what kind of people would I work with?'

I have worked in the software industry for over 7 years and am amazed at how energetic, friendly (and normal!) the people are here. We all work towards common goals and objectives as a team. We are always willing to help each other out. This is a real team environment without the bureaucracy and politics I've seen and heard of far too often.

We are always on the look out for bright and talented people to join us. We tend to be picky in order to keep the environment the way it is and to ensure we find the best talent possible. If you think you might fit in, please visit our careers page today!