JamesBranam's Blog

May Holidays

Hi all,

Once great thing about working in the Czech Republic is the number of public holidays we get. The month of May is great because we get both the 1st and 8th off. This year they fall on o Friday, so this means two extended weekends in a row.

Next year, however, the 1st and 8th fall on a Saturday I believe. Oh well.

Cheers!

--James

Posted at 09:00AM Apr 30, 2009 by branajam in Personal  | 

NetBeans 6.7 Beta Live

Hi all,

It's here! NetBeans 6.7 Beta is live for your testing.

Get it HERE.

Cheers!

--James

Posted at 09:00AM Apr 29, 2009 by branajam in NetBeans  |  Comments[1]

Project Kenai

Hi all,

One new featured in NetBeans 6.7 is the ability to "share on kenai." Please keep your "Palinisms" to yourself. This has nothing to do with the Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin, Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, River, or Mountains. Kenai means something very different here. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Kenai: "Similar to a social network, Kenai encourages members to create a profile page that shows personal tags and lists all projects they follow and participate in. This makes it easy to get in contact and work with other developers who have similar interests. Members use their profile also to browse their forum and mailing history."

Some call it "Connected Developer." It think that this term sums it up quite well.

What does it mean for NetBeans users?

Wikipedia again: "Developers can use the NetBeans IDE to check out source code and commit changes, to navigate between Kenai projects and local sources, and to submit bug reports and patches directly to the integrated issue tracker. The IDE also displays which project members are currently online."

Find out more at http://kenai.com/.

Cheers!

--James

Posted at 09:00AM Apr 28, 2009 by branajam in NetBeans  |  Comments[1]

New Database Connect Look in NetBeans 6.7

Hi all,

If you expand a database connection node in the Services window of the IDE, you'll notice a new look. What are all of these nodes under the connection nodes? They're schemas. For the most part, if you're using Java DB, the only schema you'll need to worry about is the app schema. I'd be interested in knowing what developers have used the other schemas for.

When you expand the MySQL conect node, what you get is a list of databases you've created in MySQL. These database are actually schemas you've created in your MySQL database.

There you have it.

Cheers!

--James

Posted at 09:00AM Apr 27, 2009 by branajam in NetBeans  |  Comments[1]

Blogging on a Sunday

Hi all,

Just sitting in front of my computer today. Blogging seemed like a good idea, except I haven't got any ideas. Who would've thought that, eh?

I suppose I have a lot to think about and be grateful for. I'm glad that IBM didn't buy Sun Microsystem. I don't yet know what to think about Oracle buying Sun. Things will become more clear as time progresses.

I can't help but think about my Sun colleagues who were let go these past few months as part of RIFs (reductions in force). I really miss working with them, and I hope that they are doing well.

Cheers!

-James

Posted at 09:00AM Apr 26, 2009 by branajam in Personal  |  Comments[2]

What Lies Ahead

Hi all,

It's Saturday, and it's been a huge week for Sun Microsystems. You've certainly read the news, so I don't have to repeat anything here. A lot of questions are yet to be answered. Let's hope that everything turns out for the best for everyone and everything involved.

Cheers!

--James

Posted at 09:00AM Apr 25, 2009 by branajam in Personal  | 

NetBeans 6.7 Beta: Not Yet

Hi all,

Yesterday, NetBeans 6.7 Beta was supposed to be released for the world to see and use. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until next week to see Beta.

Cheers!

--James

Posted at 09:00AM Apr 24, 2009 by branajam in NetBeans  |  Comments[1]

Three Python Tutorials

Hi all,

Python is fairly new to NetBeans IDE. We've already got three tutorials and we're still in the Early Access (EA) stage of development. As more Python stuff is added (e.g. Django and Tkinter), we'll work on getting more tutorials out there for all to use and enjoy. This is what we have so far:

• Introduction to Python EA in NetBeans IDE. This document provides an introduction to programming with the Python programming language in NetBeans IDE. Python is a very popular general-purpose high-level programming language with a design philosophy that emphasizes programmer productivity and code readability. This tutorial demonstrates how features of the NetBeans IDE can best benefit the Python programmer. Each section of the tutorial demonstrates usages of Python and identifies in the IDE features that can be used with Python programming. This tutorial is not intended to teach the Python programming language, but rather demonstrate how the NetBeans IDE can be used with Python-based applications.
• Developing a Jython Application Using NetBeans IDE. Submitted bu Josh Juneau, this document provides instructions for developing a Jython application using the Python plugin available in the NetBeans IDE. The tutorial shows you how to configure your Python installation by setting up both Python and Jython paths and manipulating module locations. This tutorial is not intended to teach the Python/Jython programming language, but rather demonstrate how the NetBeans IDE can be used with Python/Jython-based applications.
• Developing a Python Application Using NetBeans IDE. Submitted by Josh Juneau, this tutorial is designed to show you the basics of using NetBeans IDE with the Python programming language. and so that they can begin to explore it's possibilities. With it's added support for various JVM and non-JVM languages, Netbeans 6.5 opens new doors to programmers, giving them an easy-to-use environment for developing in many different languages including Python. Throughout this tutorial, you will be developing a small application (hockeyRoster.py) from the ground up. You will develop an application to contain and manage a sports team.

Cheers!

--James

Posted at 09:00AM Apr 23, 2009 by branajam in NetBeans  |  Comments[2]

New Look for NetBeans Community Docs

Hi all,

As you all know, the NetBeans Community Docs program has had a new Contribution Coordinator since April 1: Kristian Rink. I've noticed that Kristian has already started some big changes in the program. One of these changes is a new look to the Community Docs wiki pages at http://wiki.netbeans.org/CommunityDocs. The main wiki page has been split up into several, each with its own purpose. It ot only looks great, it improves significantly the overall usefulness of the pages, making them very clear.

Great work, Kristian.

Cheers!

--James

Posted at 12:58PM Apr 22, 2009 by branajam in NetBeans  | 

Like Father Like Son

Just a little fun with Paint Shop Pro.

Cheers!

--James

Posted at 06:01PM Apr 19, 2009 by branajam in Personal  |  Comments[1]

UML, Visual Web, and SOA Will Be Moved to Update Center

Hi all,

you've probably heard about three technologies that will soon be moved to the Update Center. Here is part of the official announcement that went out last week:

NB community members,

With each NetBeans IDE release, modules are moved to/from the standard distribution and to/from the Stable or Beta Update Centers. For the NetBeans IDE 6.7 release, we want to call out three modules that have been moved out of the standard distribution to the Beta Update Center: SOA, UML, and Visual Web. We want you to understand the ramifications of these changes. First, you will not see these modules in your IDE by default, if you want the them, you will have to go to the Beta Update Center and install them. Also, modules on the Beta Update Center have the following quality criteria: no P1 bugs, all tests from Tests Distribution have to pass, and a check on target platforms. For details, visit http://wiki.netbeans.org/StableModuleCriteria.

Here is the state of each specific module:

The SOA module has been removed from the standard distribution for NetBeans 6.7, BUT it is under active development for the next NetBeans release, scheduled for Fall 2009.

The UML module has been removed from the standard distribution. For NetBeans 6.7, there are no new features. For enterprise-class UML support, we recommend SDE for NetBeans by Visual Paradigm.

The Visual Web JSF module has been removed from the standard distribution, along with the Woodstock components. These modules have been released to the community for support and future development. The NetBeans IDE still supports web development with JSF and JSPs. To go beyond the standard JSF Components, we recommend you use the ICEfaces plugin.

Thank you for your support. Please join us on the NetBeans mailing lists and forums.

This is a lot easier than it sounds. I've been busy separating the Web helpset from the Visual Web JSF helpset. What a task. I just checked in a few changes today, and I wonder if I've broken the build. We'll see.

Wish me luck.

Cheers!

--James

Posted at 06:05PM Apr 14, 2009 by branajam in NetBeans  |  Comments[1]

It Doesn't Get More Personal Than This

Hi all,

I've mentioned in previous blog entries that I've had some big events in my personal life. If you look at the photograph, you can see one of these events. My son was born in March. There were some problems after his birth, but things are looking up now. I'd to thank my friends, family, and colleagues for all the support they gave me during this time. It helped us through.

I think I'll start my son out with Python or PHP applications, then move on to other languages. What do you think?

Cheers!

--James

Posted at 09:00AM Apr 11, 2009 by branajam in Personal  |  Comments[3]

NetBeans 6.5: Developing a Python Application

Hi all,

As with yesterday, today I'd like to highlight a new tutorial on netbeans.org. This tutorial is a quickstart for developing Python applications in the IDE. As with yesterday's tutorial, this doc was contributed by Josh Juneau, an important member of the NetBeans Community Docs program. As I mentioned yesterday, Josh has contributed a number of high-quality docs to the program. He also publishes the Community Docs newsletter.

The scenario for this tutorial is a Hockey Roster Managing application with user input.

Check it out at http://www.netbeans.org/kb/docs/python/python-quickstart.html. I think you'll agree that it's another way the IDE kicks butt.

See you tomorrow.

Cheers!

--James

Posted at 10:00AM Apr 10, 2009 by branajam in NetBeans  | 

NetBeans 6.5: Developing a Jython Application

Hi all,

We writers have been busy preparing documentation for NetBeans 6.7 Beta, which is coming up fast. I've been working on documentation for Python using the IDE, not for 6.7 per se, but in general. The documentation will officially be for Netbeans 6.5 and 6.7.

This first tutorial I'd like to talk about is a quickstart for developing Jython applications in the IDE. The original tutorial was contributed by Josh Juneau, an important member of the NetBeans Community Docs program. Josh has contributed a number of high-quality docs, the quality being so good that they are immediately converted into NetBeans tutorials on netbeans.org.

The scenario for the tutorial is a simple RSS feed reader.

Check it out at http://www.netbeans.org/kb/docs/python/jython-quickstart.html. I think you'll agree that it's a great way to learn how the IDE can be used with Jython.

See you tomorrow.

Cheers!

--James

Posted at 05:15PM Apr 09, 2009 by branajam in NetBeans  | 

New Community Docs Contribution Coordinator: Kristian Rink

Hi all,

Today I have a very important announcement to make. The NetBeans Community Docs program has a new Contribution Coordinator: Kristian Rink.

Kristian has been a very active participant in the program, and has also served as Evangelist. A native of Germany, Kristian has some excellent ideas for moving the program forward.

Please join me in congratulating Kristian and welcoming him to his new position.

I would also like to thank Varun Nischal, the program's former Contribution Coordinator, for a job well done. Under Varun's leadership, the program was able to reach new milestones, including the latest milestone of 300 contributions.

We all owe our thanks and congratulations to Varun

Cheers!

--James

Posted at 01:30PM Apr 02, 2009 by branajam in NetBeans  |  Comments[1]