splee.blog

I’ve been on the search for a decent virtual desktop manager for windows for a while now, but nothing has ever quite made the grade. The virtual desktop is something that I’ve grown to rely on whilst using Ubuntu as my main machine at work but I’ve had to switch back to windows at work as using Linux is just no longer practical.

Deskloops seems to fill the role of virtual desktop better than most actual virtual desktop programs.

Deskloops is not a virtual desktop per se, but rather a very smart way of organising your open windows. Instead of creating seperate desktop areas with their own collection of windows, Deskloops simply eliminates the clutter by placing your windows in a virtual “loop”. As you open new windows they are given a spot in this loop and no two windows overlap (unless you really want them to).

You can scroll through your windows using the built in manager, right-clicking on the left or right hand sides of your screen or by using alt and your scroll wheel or alt and your keyboard arrow keys.

The easiest way to find out the full extent of what deskloops can do is to install it and play around while watching the tutorial videos on the homepage. All in all it’s pretty cool.

I don’t have a problem with learning a new language, but JavaScript has always bugged me*. There’s just no decent way to catch those complicated bugs, as using alert() and document.write() just doesn’t cut it for really big stuff.

Enter Venkman, stage right.

Venkman is just awesome. It includes features that allow you to set breakpoints and watches, view variables and their values, and (most importantly IMHO) has an interactive console. Being a Python programmer I’ve found that interactive consoles are the key to getting something working. No more making a change, reloading the page and figuring out what went on. You can load the page and simply execute the JavaScript in real time. For a JS newbie the ability to do that is an absolute lifesaver.

If you want to learn how to use Venkman, there is an excellent guide that’s “slightly more useful than a towel“. I highly recommend you check it out, even if you’re only going to use Venkman once or twice a month.

* Apologies. It seems like I’m getting some bad influences from somewhere. I never used to make puns like this!

I seem to go through these bouts of sleeplessness about once every 2 months, and I’m starting to get tired (yuk yuk) of it. I cannot seem to pinpoint the reason for it either which just exacerbates the problem. Being able to pin a reason on something is 90% of the battle in getting it fixed, at least for me.

Unfortunately, when these little episodes of insomnia come around again, it means that I’m late for work, irritable, and have difficulty concentrating. Oh, and a combination of tiredness and looking at a screen makes my eyes hurt.

All in all, not being able to sleep is rubbish so I decided today that I wasn’t going to take this lying down (dearie me, they’re flowing thick and fast today!) and that I’d be proactive and… stuff.

Whilst being all proactive and preppy in my dream-like state this morning I found 30 simple tips to help you get to sleep. Most of these tips are common sense, such as avoid naps and keep regular bedtime hours.

Some however are a little odd like the suggestgion to Sleep with your head facing North, or just plain strange like “Quiet Ears“.

I will, however, be trying each and every one of these techniques over the next few days in varing combinations. Who knows, all this plotting and scheming to try and sleep may make me tired enough to go out like a light once I actually get in bed!

The new Planet TurboGears is up and running!

There’s still a lot to do with regards to styling and adding feeds, but you’ve got to start somewhere. :)

If you want to have your feed added to the planet subscription list, please email me with your blog’s URL and the name you wish to see in the “subscriptions” list.

Just a quickie…

I recieved an invite for wordpress.com a couple of days ago and I’ve decided that I don’t want to use it. If you’re interested, leave a comment. First come, first served. :)

Update: Too slow amigos. The invite went to someone in #wordpress earlier today.

This week has been an interesting one. I had the monumental task of building a web app which depended heavily on AJAX to work. If I was being picky I’d say that it actually depended on AJAJ as it used JSON as the data transfer medium rather than XML, but AJAJ doesn’t roll off the tongue as nicely.

The reasons for diving headlong into JavaScript, a language which I have never really used properly, and creating a lot of work for myself in terms of research and referencing are two-fold:

1. To better learn MochiKit, a component of TurboGears, so that my future use of TG is more rapid rather than stymied by a lack of knowledge.
2. To learn JavaScript and methods of using AJAX as a whole as it seems to be the tool to leverage in your web-apps at the moment.

Needless to say, I have accomplished what I set out to do - at least to a certain degree… who can know all there is to know on a subject after all - even if I haven’t finished the web app yet. I’m now happier battling it out with JavaScript rather than foundering in a sea of “WTF?!”.

The app I’m working on is an online booking management system. The client side is nice and simple, with virtually no JavaScript to be seen to allow anyone and their dog to view it in whatever browser they choose. The Admin side of things, however, is a big collection of AJAX using MochiKit, script.aculo.us effects and other tricks to achieve inline editing, one “page” for the entire app, a calendar and action list that refreshes every 30 seconds, instant form validation, and other such delights.

Due to the immense amount of brain frying I’ve done over the week it’s unsurprising that I’m now shattered. The old saying “so much to do, and so little time” is at the very front of my mind at the moment.