Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with development

Your script is my command!

Drasher — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:09:18 -0800

[Software Development filter] I am working on a project that uses a PC (Windows) and a dedicated microprocessor to perform a specific task. I want to create a scripting language that will allow the user to write their own sequences for the tool. The front-end of the software is being created using MS Visual Basic (Visual Studio) 2008. There is a "processing" back-end being created with the same development package, but using C++ to create a DLL. The DLL uses USB to communicate with a PIC (PIC24FJ256GB110) microprocessor that will control elements of the tool (heater, flow controllers, valves, solenoids, and relays) and gather data from other elements (pressure sensors, temperature sensors, liquid sensors, gas chromatograph).

I want the end user to have the ability to write a script and have the tool process the commands.
The script will have a simple language and limited number of commands.

For example:
10 DELAY XXX ms/sec/min
20 TURN ON PUMP_1
30 TURN OFF VALVE_3
40 FLOW_CONTROLLER PURGE
50 FLOW_CONTROLLER 100 ml/min
60 IF PRESSURE_SENSOR_1 > 100 THEN GOTO [line number]
and so on...

I have searched for and found a couple of "tiny basic" interpreters written in C that look like they could be modified and wedged into service. These interpreters use integers only, I might need floating point capability (pressure value comparisons, etc.) One interpreter requires line numbers the other uses labels for GOTOs and GOSUBs. I don't know if I should use line numbers (requires renumbering at some point) or labels (preprocess a symbol table).

I have a feeling that the end users are not very computer savvy so the scripting would have to be easy to understand and provide adequate error messages.

Do you (or someone you know) have an idea of a better path?
Should I try lex & yacc?
Should I just suck it up and try starting an interpreter from scratch?

Any and all replies are welcome.
AskMe has pulled me out from a jam before, PLEASE do it again!

Gramps, what d'ya think?

litleozy — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:22:49 -0800

What are your 20s like? (Premise stolen shamelessly (okay maybe some shame) from here)
Starting up in my 20s and I would like someone to sit me down and tell me some of the things to expect during this long, winding decade. I am all ears and I will listen. I may smirk occasionally.

What I am looking for is advice or wisdom that you wish the 40 30 year old you could tell the 30 20 year old you. What sort of challenges to expect, what sort of changes to anticipate, etc.

A Year in a Minute

cuban link flooded jesus — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:55:49 -0800

What are your 30s like? I really wish someone would have sat me down when I was 20 and told me some of the things to expect during that long, winding decade. I probably wouldn’t have listened, but I am all ears now. Most developmental advice is to teenagers, it seems, e.g., you will fall in love, but it probably won’t be forever. That sort of jazz.

What I am looking for is advice or wisdom that you wish the 40 year old you could tell the 30 year old you. What sort of challenges to expect, what sort of changes to anticipate, etc.

How do I save the planet with computers and stuff? and get paid!?

Gaeacon — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:19:34 -0800

I want to help guide the development of "new" environmentalism... Where should I (educated/trained as an Ecologist) start on a career change into media (online/web development)? better explained... I graduated in June with a Master's in Ecology/Conservation and a certificate called Leaders in Sustainability. I started out in the PhD program, but about half a year in I started thinking a lot about doing something at the interface of environmentalism/activism/science through an online medium. I distracted myself immensely, setting out my grand entrepreneurial vision. I thought I could balance all that....and my very demanding dissertation research abroad.

Well, I couldn't. A couple of years of tortured back and forth, I decided to take the Master's and try to explore the sort of channels I was envisioning. The entrepreneurial vision still exists, although on the back burner a bit. I was faced with the reality that I have a lot to learn, and my ideas need maturation.

I set out to learn more and gain experience. In my last year of grad school, I worked with an environmental non-prof that aimed to engage youth in recreating activism...a lot of interactive, educational pieces at events and festivals. I functioned as an event coordinator/"engineer"/educational programmer....many hats, so to speak. I really enjoyed the broad audience and the "cool" factor of this type of work. The work, however, wasn't paid and would not last forever.

Since graduating, I have worked with The Nature Conservancy. It was a short term position that has been extended by working myself into some new projects....but I am starting to earnestly look forward to what's next. TNC has been a great learning experience - amazing to see conservation on the ground and to be involved behind the scenes with all the different stakeholders. That being said, I still feel my heart gravitating to the entrepreneurial vision I had in grad school.

I know I can't rely on a vision alone, so I need the help of you MeFites to figure out my next steps....

My "vision" rests deeply upon the future of the internet/social networking and the fusing of media with environmentalism/science.

What would be a logical next step to dive into this realm? What kind of jobs can I apply to? I feel like I have been hovering around the conservation world for a bit....and maybe I should be exploring the media side some more.

I am very interested in computers and web development. I don't have much of a "formal" background in computers so I am not even sure which area would be the best (or if I even would have a chance of working anywhere).

What about back-up plan? Should I continue in the conservation world? Perhaps seeking out work with environmental consulting companies?
(OH YEAH, I am in debt and need something that pays at least 30-35k)

Any tips on career change and anything that would help get me closer to my goal would be greatly appreciated. TY

I live in Los Angeles...if that helps

What's the best agile project management tool?

bshort — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:24:47 -0800

What's your favorite agile project management tool? I'm looking for something that allows tracking of backlog, user tasks, developer time for tasks, and provides reporting for sprints, projects, and user stories on a daily, weekly, and sprint-level basis.

I've looked at AgileBuddy, which is pretty great, but the reporting isn't very good. I need to be able to see who did what 6 weeks ago, and I need to be able to do it without referring to the "activity view", which shows every action by every team member.

Is there another tool out there that I should be looking at?

Oh, and it needs to be web-based.

Fair Market Value for a Custom iPhone App?

saraswati — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:18:35 -0800

What's the going rate for custom iPhone application development? I've been asked to do an iPhone app for a local business. I'm capable technically, but I have no idea what the market rate for this kind of thing is. If you've done this/had this done for you, or know of someone in either position, what is a fair price tag?

It's a reasonably basic app, no OpenGL or anything crazy.

Seeking clicking mechanism or design...

pallen123 — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:21:02 -0800

What kind of small toys or devices click when you rotate them forwards and backwards? Seeking mechanism or design... I’m trying to help a friend design a small toy and she needs a mechanism that will click in very small increments as she rotates a small (1 inch diameter) dial that turns 360 degrees on its axis. She needs the dial to click precisely as it turns clockwise and counterclockwise in smallish increments. I was thinking a fishing reel mechanism might work, but that just allows turning in one direction. Then I thought a ratchet wrench mechanism might work, but that also turns in just one direction (and I’m not sure how the inside of a ratchet wrench works either). Can anyone think of existing toys or devices that have a clicking mechanism that freely rotate? Novel solutions? Suggestions? Thank you!

Development, to enjoy or not to enjoy?

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:35:13 -0800

Do you work in Development for a university? If so, I want to know more! If you perform research for a university development office, can you tell me what your job is like? Do you like it? What do you not like? Tell me everything! I recently applied for a research analyst position with a university development office. After doing a telephone interview last week, I received a phone call asking me if I would like to do a day long on-campus interview with multiple interviews and a few tests.

As of now, I am a state government employee, but my division recently underwent a massive budget withholding and my already meager salary has been slashed twenty percent to the point I am barely above the poverty line. My experience with development research is limited. My division did have a development officer who I assisted as needed, but the development program itself was barely one year old before his job was eliminated last month. We did not have access to a prospect management system, nor did we have access to fee based vendor programs. Before he left, our development officer encouraged me to apply for this position because of my research skills, advanced degree, and previous experience.

There are a ton of other factors to consider, i.e. my fiancé is graduating from law school next year and we don't know where he will end up getting a job; we are getting married in the fall of 2010 and I wouldn't have enough leave time to get married and have a honeymoon if I start the new job; I would have to pay a lot of money to break my current lease, etc. so I'm hoping someone out there can help me understand what development work is like in a university setting. Thanks!

How to game my Google search results?

citron — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:59:42 -0800

What are some good IT-related, or editorial-related, blogs and sites on which to comment, so that if my name is Googled by potential employers, these comments will show in the search rankings? I'm not trying to get my name out there, what I'm trying to do is: kick some old and irrelevant Google search results down, so that relevant and current interests show up first. I'm doing copy editing work at the moment and have some background in web development, though my skills are not as sharp as they should be, and I'm trying to learn more. Ideally, early next year, I'd be searching for a job that requires more web editing and/or development.

But in today's job search process I'm well aware that potential employers will Google me, and while my social media profiles are professional and fine, I don't have much else that shows aside from a few arts section reviews I wrote for a college journal, years ago. They're not the worst thing in the world, but way too snarky, so I don't like them now and they probably don't present me in the best light. I'm embarrassed of the attitude I've had in the past, basically.

What are some sites I should be reading and commenting on now, just for talking shop? I need sites that would 1) be useful places to comment and ask questions about web development and design processes, user experience, social media, web editing and where I could comment under my own name, where comments are Google indexed & thus show up if someone Googles me? For instance, I used to read A List Apart religiously, but I am out of touch, the web moves so fast! There must be more sites to recommend like this. Thanks!

The Elusive Quick and Dirty iPhone App

The Winsome Parker Lewis — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:05:05 -0800

What is the most painless route to developing and selling an iPhone app? I'm interested in building a game similar to the ones made by Storm8. As far as I can tell, those games are just web apps -- HTML, JavaScript, and some server-side scripting. The apps used to access them are just simple skinned browsers with some hooks for device ID authentication. Since almost all of the game is managed server-side, Storm8 can push updates to all players instantly without requiring them to download a software update.

I know HTML, JavaScript, and PHP. I have a killer game idea that seems to fit into that model and I don't see why I couldn't make it happen with my current skill set. So, where do I go from here? How do I painlessly build a client app to connect to my web interface, and get it in the App Store? I don't want to touch Xcode or Objective-C if I can avoid them. I'm willing to outsource development of that part if the price is right (meaning: extremely, ridiculously low).

How can I avoid the nightmare of complicated legal gymnastics I've heard some devs go through? Where can I find the official list of guidelines Apple supposedly follows when deciding to accept or reject apps? I should probably make sure my idea complies before I start coding. What else do I need to know before I enter the strange, intimidating land of iPhone development?

Public, please help me determine a gradual, economical policy for my life.

ropeladder — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:37:56 -0800

Considering grad school for public policy, economics, international development. Help me sort out my life. Note: my situation is pretty similar to this post. (I did a double take when I read it to make sure I hadn't posted this question already myself)

I just got back from teaching English for two years in the Peace Corps and suddenly everyone I know seems to be in grad school and loving it. I like learning and am pretty passionate about social science. I've been looking around at masters degrees in public policy and economics (possibly with an international slant, mostly because I'd be more qualified for it having done Peace Corps) and am considering masters programs in the following:

-Public Policy (or International PP) with econ focus
-Public Policy + Economics (dual degree)
-(plain old) Economics
-International Public Policy with econ focus
-International Studies with a development focus
-Public Administration + Economics (dual degree)
-(The other option is just to move back to DC and look for another nonprofit job.)

I don't have any formal background in economics (like the referenced post, I'm mostly a dilettante at this stage), so it's likely that I will be taking undergrad classes (econ and maybe stats) next spring in preparation for any of the programs. My BA was in German with a minor in Politics. Political orientation is leftward and making lots of money is not very important.

I have two major concerns. The first is that I want a solid grasp of both neoclassical economics and some of the major heterodox critiques. Ideally I would like a solid econ program that is grounded within a broader social science context. Public policy seems like it would be a good place for this, but I'm not really sure.

The second concern is that I don't really know what I want the degree for, career-wise. At this point I have no desire to continue on with a PhD and/or go into academia (I want to do some more things first...), and sitting in a think tank doesn't appeal to me very strongly either. Besides working for the gov'mint, what other kinds of jobs are there that this kind of degree would be conducive to getting? I'm concerned that my passion for a topic will not sustain a dull desk job.

Those of you that have done similar programs, where have you ended up and what are your jobs like? What kinds of programs seem like they would best fit what I'm looking for? Economists (and others), are you going to take me seriously if I don't have a specifically econ degree? Is more advanced economics helpful in the real world anyway?

Huge thanks in advance.

Which HTML/CSS/JS IDE do I want?

drjimmy11 — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:31:52 -0800

Which HTML/CSS/JS IDE do I want? So I've been doing AS3 development for the last few years, using Flex Builder, but am now moving back into HTML/CSS/JS. I've gotten used to having a fairly intelligent IDE and I'd like to not go back to the bad old days of having to type every single param and property from scratch every time. (I'm looking for code help, not just highlighting.)

I have tried a few but none seems to have everything I want:

1. Dreamweaver:
Pluses: When you link to a stylesheet, you can CTRL+space and get a list of styles to choose from.
Minuses: Weak support for JS. (no auto-complete at all)

2. Aptana:
Pluses: Seems to have excellent JS support, including major AJAX libraries.
Minuses: Unless I am missing something, I can't choose Css styles off a list, and that is a major major timesaver for the work I'll be doing.

3. HTMLPad 2010:
Plusses and minuses seem about the same as Aptana, plus it costs money. (DW CS3 is already installed on my work machine so no cost there.)

So, am i doing something wrong with Aptana? Is there another piece of software I'm not aware of? Or should I settle for DW for html/css and Aptana for JS? (The work will probably be 80% or more on the html/css side.)

thanks!

How much more black could it get? None.

Gortuk — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:51:03 -0800

Tried developing my first bw film last night and it didn't turn out at all - what did I do wrong? I decided to take the plunge into home developing my own black & white film. Bought the chemicals, a tank, and a plastic graduated cylinder. After an hour of practice I managed to load some 35mm film onto the reel, and followed the instructions here as well as I could.

After the fixer step, I took the film out and didn't see anything at all. Hoping it was just the end of the roll, I finished the wash and wetting agent steps. Looking at the finished film, it was completely clear (with some light streaks coming from the sprocket holes). Nothing even approaching an actual image.

I did some film developing in university a long time ago, and the most common explanation would be that the film didn't actually get exposed - but I'm pretty sure that's not the case. I rewound the film myself and would have noticed if it had been suspiciously easy. I was using a SLR (Canon FTb) so it's not like the lens cap was on the whole time either.

In terms of development process, what might have caused this? A few factors:

1) My 'darkroom' is an interior closet at night, and to human eyes seemed completely dark. And even if there had been light to fog the film, it would have turned out overexposed not completely underexposed, no?

2) I realized afterwards that I got the fixer proportions wrong - I did 1+3 instead of 1+4. That wouldn't have 'stripped' the film would it?

3) After the post-fixer rinse, the water was noticibly blue/purple as it was coming out. Is that normal? I was also agitating during the rinse, but looking at other instructions it's not clear if you're supposed to or not.

Film was Kodak T-Max 100, developed in Ilfosol S for 8.5 minutes according to the chart here for 8.5 min at 20 C, agitated for 10 seconds every minute (agitated by turning the tank over slowly).

Any suggestions? I'm going to shoot another test roll and try again, but I'd like some idea of what I was doing wrong in the first place (other than the fixer proportions).

Also, if anyone can personally recommend a foolproof tutorial online (I know there are hundreds) that would be great.

Thanks!

Real Estate development in a nutshell

drea — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:38:47 -0800

I think I really, really want to get into developing real estate. Can anyone give me an overview description of what the work / process is is like? The thing is, I have no educational/professional background in real estate per se.

I want to start small and I know it will be a long while before I see my big hairy audacious goal realized. So what I want to know exactly is:

What books, articles do I read on basic strategies for real estate business development? Where do I get ideas for a business plan? What knowledge is within my reach for me to study? Where do I start looking?

Social housing (which is a big reason for my wanting to go into this), from the little that I know, is usually done by nonprofits and the government. Is providing that a commercially viable option? Can private companies survive while providing low-cost and public housing / has it been done?

What am I expected to reasonably accomplish every five years up to the twenty - year mark?

I know I have to start small, but where exactly does developing real estate start, and how does it grow, exactly? Where does my funding come from apart from loans?

So far, what I can see about the idea is to buy lots, develop houses, and then sell or rent them, use the profit to develop more houses, and so on until I gain momentum and a large portfolio. But it seems to me that it's like living hand-to-mouth, and given the recent financial crisis it doesn't seem like a good idea to just borrow a ton of money from the banks from the get-go.

I hope my questions makes sense. The idea fires me up and I want to start but I hope my lack of experience and knowledge doesn't cause me to stagnate/give up. I'm also really really young, but I'm looking at this as a way to give me a headstart in the business. Eventually, I hope the answers will give me what I need to start pursuing this goal. The answers might not be as in-depth as I'd like but I figure the hive mind can give me various points of view to assess.

Thank you very much.

What version are we on now?

Drasher — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:04:25 -0800

How do software authors determine the version numbers of the releases? I am writing software for a specific electronic device. I am not using version control on it yet. (Yeah, shame! Truth is, I am intimidated.) I am working on this project alone. (Details: Front-end GUI in VB.NET back-end work done in a DLL in C++. The other part is embedded in the controller card using a PIC P24FJ256GB110.)
I expect that the software will go through some gyrations when the user figures out what he really wants. I will need to get versions for the GUI and the DLL and check for compatibility between them.
If you have suggestions about version control (for one) I'll take those too. I installed Subversion and TortoiseSVN, but I don't know how to use it effectively. I am confused as to when to do a commit. And don't even ask me about branches... I just don't get it.

Small scale projects in developing countries

Nothing — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:08:42 -0800

I want to go to school and learn about building small-scale (family or neighborhood level) projects in developing countries. Concentrating solar, passive cooling, irrigation, windmills, wave power, and that type of thing. There was a group at MIT making charcoal out of corncobs. I want to do that! But where do I start? What are some good programs? I have a computer software background, but I have always been interested in mechanics, and am pretty handy with a collection of random materials and a problem. I have a lot of ideas. Most of them probably terribly naive, but I am willing to learn. I lived in developing countries for a few years, and I want to make more of a difference when I go back.

So, schools that have programs focused on this? Or other groups working in these areas? Any suggestions are appreciated.

Dealing with a possible growth hormone deficiency

Anonymous — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:44:45 -0800

Our son may have growth hormone deficiency. The endocrinologist has recommended some additional testing, and the process sounds terrible. Has your child been through this? Can you tell us how it went? Are there alternatives? Our three year old son is very short for his age (off the bottom of the standard growth charts). After a recent visit to the endocrinologist, it looks like he's going to need additional testing. The testing methodology sounds gruelling -- no food after midnight through the duration of the test, which will start early in the morning and last around six hours. That's six hours with an IV and his arm immobilized. But wait, there's more! If he is diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency, he's apparently in for a regimen of daily injections. Every time I think about this I get upset. He's only three!

Have you had to shepherd a child through this diagnosis? Can you offer any tips for making the processing as bearable as possible? Are there any alternatives that the doctor hasn't mentioned?

Obviously the diagnosis is important. If he does have an actual deficiency it could have a significant impact on his health. I'm just afraid of traumatizing the little guy. Thanks for your help!

Need money now thankyou.

drjimmy11 — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:50:15 -0800

What are some good tech-centric temp agencies in L.A.? Hi! Yet another in my long series of job-trauma questions.

I'm currently between jobs- I'm a web/software developer, specializing in flex/AS3 but with years and years of doing html/js/ajax/php type stuff too. I have a pretty strong resume, I like to think, going back about 10 years.

I'm currently getting contacted by a lot of recruiters and going on a lot of interviews, but it's a very drawn-out process. Basically I need a gig to bring in some money now- cutting up PSDs or whatever is fine, I'm not proud at this point. I'm curious if anyone knows any decently reputable agencies who could get me something like this soon. Specific names of agencies are appreciated, referrals to specific people are even more appreciated. (meMail me if you like).

(I'd also be interested in where I can advertise myself as a flex freelancer, but I'm more inclined towards W2 right now for a few reasons.)

Thanks!

Web Dev - How to inform browsers to update their cache?

LoopyG — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:25:20 -0800

I am developing a website that has a moderately-sized user base. I am going to be rolling out a new version of the page soon. In my testing, I have noticed that my browsers don't notice that there are new versions of some of the CSS files available on the servers, and renders the page with the old CSS files. This causes display glitches. How do I let browsers know that new CSS/Javascript files are available and to update it's cache?

Pros & Cons of bringing web development in-house?

MeatLightning — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:33:22 -0800

Pros & Cons of bringing web development in-house? Hi all -
I manage a mid-size e-commerce website. We currently work with an agency to build and maintain our site. We are considering hiring a dev (C# / .NET, SQL) and taking over development... or at least much of it (still may go out of house for UX, front-end dev).

Anyone have any advice, experiences, warnings, etc they can share?

Have you gone down this road? How did it go? What should we watch out for?

thanks in advance!

Show Me the Money

micklaw — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:29:18 -0800

SellingSoftwareFilter: How do we make money from software that a colleague has developed from scratch (in Australia)? A friend has developed a great piece of software that would be very useful to most mid-large businesses to assist in document management. There is only one other player in this specific field (a big player).

But, he is stumped as what to do next.

My question is how do we go about taking this great piece of software and making money out of it? Any suggestions would be appreciated and we are based in Australia so ideas specific to our market would be great.

Thanks in advance!

Why do baby teeth come in in the order they do?

Bugbread — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:58:05 -0800

Why do baby teeth come in in the order they do? Since babies don't start out eating carrots or other particularly hard foods, but do need to mash softer foods, it seems like it would be more advantageous for the molars to come in first. Also, it would cause less discomfort to the mother during breast feeding. So why does it start with the incisors and end with the molars?

I want to build a web site where gamers can converse via video. Where do I begin?

raddevon — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 07:16:08 -0800

I want to build a web site where gamers can converse via video. I'm thinking of something a bit like a Seesmic targeted toward gamers. Where do I start? I'm not a developer, but I can poke around in code a bit on my own. I wouldn't be opposed to using a roll-your-own-social-network solution and doing it all myself as a hobby. I also wouldn't be opposed to hiring a developer off elance and positioning this as a business. I don't really know where to start in either direction. Does anyone have any suggestions? I have experience with Wordpress and Drupal.

Freelance web design/development for a newbie - is this feasible?

shaun uh — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:16:50 -0800

I am planning to leave my current job in about a year, and hope to be able to make some money (I don't need a lot) by doing freelance web development/programming. While I have a bit of experience with programming and very basic web design ((X)HTML/CSS), this would pretty much be a new field for me. I guess I'm wondering - is this a realistic goal? And if so, what steps should I take to help me get there? I have a couple of advantages:

I have access to a number of different tools through my current job, including the Adobe suite (photoshop, illustrator, flash), and I've been working on teaching myself how to use them in my spare time. If there are other programs that might be useful for me to learn to use, I can probably get access to them.

I also get to take very cheap but very respectable comp sci classes. I am currently taking a class on Java and a class on how to build dynamic websites using AJAX/PHP/MySQL.

Right now, my plan is to take these classes (plus two more in the spring) to learn as much as possible, keep teaching myself how to use flash and illustrator (I feel really comfortable w/ photoshop, but I've heard it's inferior to illustrator for design purposes), and trying to get some "real experience" by making websites for friends and entering contests at places like 99designs.com and kongregate.

(It's worth mentioning that I'm not looking to be at the top of the field - I was thinking of marketing myself more towards small businesses and small nonprofits who don't need anything too fancy.)

Again, two questions - Is this doable, or is no one going to trust me to do the job right with so little actual experience? (If this is the case, do you think it might at least help me find temp work?) And if you think it is worth pursuing, what else would you suggest doing?

iPhone App Creation Companies

nam3d — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:30:15 -0800

I have a Flash game that I'd like to port over to the iPhone but I don't have the time nor the patience to do it myself. Are their any companies out there that will develop the application for you, for a price?