Linux Web Developer http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/ Offering tips and tutorials on using Linux as a web development platform. Covers Apache, MySQL, PERL, PHP Java, Lotus Domino, IBM WebSphere and Python. en Copyright 2007 Sat, 03 Feb 2007 16:03:59 -0700 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss SW745: Using IBM Fault Analyzer V5.1 to Isolate z/OS Application Failures SW745: Using IBM Fault Analyzer V5.1 to Isolate z/OS Application Failures
Fault Analyzer (FA) is a utility tool used to immediately determine why an application abends. This Web-based training course explores how Fault Analyzer works, how to compile programs for FA, how to navigate the user interface, how to analyze program abends, how to customize FA, and finally, how to use some of the most useful FA functions.

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]]> http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/db2_tutorials/_sw745_using_ibm_fault_analyze_1.html http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/db2_tutorials/_sw745_using_ibm_fault_analyze_1.html DB2 Tutorials Sat, 03 Feb 2007 16:03:59 -0700 Provide key features in a Web-based application Provide key features in a Web-based application
Any enterprise-level application must have certain key abilities. For a Web-based application that might have worldwide users, it is crucial to provide impeccable scalability, availability, maintainability, and reliability. In this article, learn to address these key features, plus some techniques for devising metrics. You'll also find tips to consider during development to ensure your application will have the best of the abilities.

]]> http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/_provide_key_features_in_a_web.html http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/_provide_key_features_in_a_web.html Tue, 26 Sep 2006 15:47:10 -0700 Programming the Perl DBI Programming the Perl DBI One of the greatest strengths of the Perl programming language is its ability to manipulate large amounts of data. Database programming is therefore a natural fit for Perl, not only for business applications but also for CGI-based web and intranet applications. The primary interface for database programming in Perl is DBI. DBI is a database-independent package that provides a consistent set of routines regardless of what database product you use--Oracle, Sybase, Ingres, Informix, you name it. The design of DBI is to separate the actual database drivers (DBDs) from the programmer's API, so any DBI program can work with any database, or even with multiple databases by different vendors simultaneously. Programming the Perl DBI is coauthored by Alligator Descartes, one of the most active members of the DBI community, and by Tim Bunce, the inventor of DBI. For the uninitiated, the book explains the architecture of DBI and shows you how to write DBI-based programs. For the experienced DBI dabbler, this book reveals DBI's nuances and the peculiarities of each individual DBD. The book includes:
  • An introduction to DBI and its design
  • How to construct queries and bind parameters
  • Working with database, driver, and statement handles
  • Debugging techniques
  • Coverage of each existing DBD
  • A complete reference to DBI
This is the definitive book for database programming in Perl.
Customer Review: pretty good book, but so is the CPAN documentation
This is a (the definitive) book on Perl DBI. I swapped book-for-book with a former co-worker for this. I keep it in the office for the newbies.

If you're already a pro at PERL, you should be able to get by with just the CPAN documentation. However, if your employer is footing the bill, get it. :-)

However if you're new to PERL and need to use DBI, get it.

Very nice tips and tricks you can pick up, even a few for the pros.


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]]> http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/_programming_the_perl_dbi.html http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/_programming_the_perl_dbi.html Tue, 26 Sep 2006 15:45:57 -0700 Mastering Ajax, Part 6: Build DOM-based Web applications Mastering Ajax, Part 6: Build DOM-based Web applications
Continue to explore how DOM programming fits into interactive Ajax applications as Brett McLaughlin completes his trilogy of articles on DOM programming with a DOM application in practice.

]]> http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/web_architecture/_mastering_ajax_part_6_build_d.html http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/web_architecture/_mastering_ajax_part_6_build_d.html Web Architecture Tue, 26 Sep 2006 15:45:42 -0700 Introduction to IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Part 1: SOA Parlay X Web services Introduction to IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Part 1: SOA Parlay X Web services
IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is the "next big thing" in the Telecom industry. This 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standardized Next Generation Network (NGN) architecture integrates the services provided by the long-existing IP network with the mobility of portable digital devices such as your 3G cellular phone. In this article you'll see how to create a useful telecom service using IMS SOA ParlayX Web services.

]]> http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/soa_and_web_services/_introduction_to_ip_multimedia.html http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/soa_and_web_services/_introduction_to_ip_multimedia.html SOA and Web Services Tue, 26 Sep 2006 15:45:30 -0700 Open BIOSes for Linux Open BIOSes for Linux
On many systems, a large portion of boot time goes into providing legacy support for MS-DOS. Various projects, including LinuxBIOS and Open Firmware, are trying to replace the proprietary BIOS systems with streamlined pieces of code able to do only what is necessary to get a Linux kernel loaded and running. This article gives a brief overview of the field.

]]> http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/linux/_open_bioses_for_linux.html http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/linux/_open_bioses_for_linux.html Linux Tue, 26 Sep 2006 15:45:01 -0700 SQL and XQuery tutorial for IBM DB2, Part 6: Data Definition Language and Data Control Language SQL and XQuery tutorial for IBM DB2, Part 6: Data Definition Language and Data Control Language
This tutorial, Part 6 of the SQL & XQuery tutorial for IBM DB2 series, expands on Data Manipulation Language (DML) and introduces Data Definition Language (DDL) and Data Control Language (DCL). It also discusses SQL statements other than SELECT.

]]> http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/xml/_sql_and_xquery_tutorial_for_i.html http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/xml/_sql_and_xquery_tutorial_for_i.html XML Tue, 26 Sep 2006 15:44:48 -0700 Easy database queries with JSTL SQL actions Easy database queries with JSTL SQL actions
Author Meenakshi G. Khanna shows you how to use the JSTL 1.1 SQL tag library to incorporate database operations into your JSPs.

]]> http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/java_technology/_easy_database_queries_with_js.html http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/java_technology/_easy_database_queries_with_js.html Java Technology Tue, 26 Sep 2006 15:44:32 -0700 Tenmiles Corporation Offers Helpdesk Pilot 1.5.0 Tenmiles Corporation Offers Helpdesk Pilot 1.5.0
CXOToday.com, India - Aug 11, 2006... The cross platform application, based on PHP & MySQL technologies can be deployed on any server running Windows, Linux, Macintosh, BSD and other OS. ...

]]> http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/_tenmiles_corporation_offers_h.html http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/_tenmiles_corporation_offers_h.html Mon, 21 Aug 2006 15:26:52 -0700 Perl Best Practices Perl Best Practices Many programmers code by instinct, relying on convenient habits or a "style" they picked up early on. They aren't conscious of all the choices they make, like how they format their source, the names they use for variables, or the kinds of loops they use. They're focused entirely on problems they're solving, solutions they're creating, and algorithms they're implementing. So they write code in the way that seems natural, that happens intuitively, and that feels good.

But if you're serious about your profession, intuition isn't enough. Perl Best Practices author Damian Conway explains that rules, conventions, standards, and practices not only help programmers communicate and coordinate with one another, they also provide a reliable framework for thinking about problems, and a common language for expressing solutions. This is especially critical in Perl, because the language is designed to offer many ways to accomplish the same task, and consequently it supports many incompatible dialects.

With a good dose of Aussie humor, Dr. Conway (familiar to many in the Perl community) offers 256 guidelines on the art of coding to help you write better Perl code--in fact, the best Perl code you possibly can. The guidelines cover code layout, naming conventions, choice of data and control structures, program decomposition, interface design and implementation, modularity, object orientation, error handling, testing, and debugging.

They're designed to work together to produce code that is clear, robust, efficient, maintainable, and concise, but Dr. Conway doesn't pretend that this is the one true universal and unequivocal set of best practices. Instead, Perl Best Practices offers coherent and widely applicable suggestions based on real-world experience of how code is actually written, rather than on someone's ivory-tower theories on how software ought to be created.

Most of all, Perl Best Practices offers guidelines that actually work, and that many developers around the world are already using. Much like Perl itself, these guidelines are about helping you to get your job done, without getting in the way.

Praise for Perl Best Practices from Perl community members:

"As a manager of a large Perl project, I'd ensure that every member of my team has a copy of Perl Best Practices on their desk, and use it as the basis for an in-house style guide." -- Randal Schwartz

"There are no more excuses for writing bad Perl programs. All levels of Perl programmer will be more productive after reading this book." -- Peter Scott

"Perl Best Practices will be the next big important book in the evolution of Perl. The ideas and practices Damian lays down will help bring Perl out from under the embarrassing heading of "scripting languages". Many of us have known Perl is a real programming language, worthy of all the tasks normally delegated to Java and C++. With Perl Best Practices, Damian shows specifically how and why, so everyone else can see, too." -- Andy Lester

"Damian's done what many thought impossible: show how to build large, maintainable Perl applications, while still letting Perl be the powerful, expressive language that programmers have loved for years." -- Bill Odom

"Finally, a means to bring lasting order to the process and product of real Perl development teams." -- Andrew Sundstrom

"Perl Best Practices provides a valuable education in how to write robust, maintainable Perl, and is a definitive citation source when coaching other programmers." -- Bennett Todd "I've been teaching Perl for years, and find the same question keeps being asked: Where can I find a reference for writing reusable, maintainable Perl code? Finally I have a decent answer." -- Paul Fenwick "At last a well researched, well thought-out, comprehensive guide to Perl style. Instead of each of us developing our own, we can learn good practices from one of Perl's most prolific and experienced authors. I recommend this book to anyone who prefers getting on with the job rather than going back and fixing errors caused by syntax and poor style issues." -- Jacinta Richardson "If you care about programming in any language read this book. Even if you don't intend to follow all of the practices, thinking through your style will improve it." -- Steven Lembark "The Perl community's best author is back with another outstanding book. There has never been a comprehensive reference on high quality Perl coding and style until Perl Best Practices. This book fills a large gap in every Perl bookshelf." -- Uri Guttman
Customer Review: Good Coding Methods to Improve Your Perl
I have to admit that I can bristle at books that try to preach, so Perl Best Practices was on a hiding to nothing when I came to review it. I also have to admit to being torn about the author -- after all, he is one of those poor fools who insist on living in cold, unenlightened Melbourne, while I live in vastly superior Sydney. On the other hand, how can I dislike a man who manages to place a quote that involves my favourite character, Lady Bracknell. from my favourite comic play, 'The Importance of Being Earnest,' in the first few pages of his book?

Many years ago I read a marvelous article that explained why so may early editors and word processors supported the keyboard commands of WordStar. When it's first born, a baby duck can be easily convinced that almost anything is its mother. The small bird imprints, and it takes a lot to shift its focus. "Baby Duck Syndrome" affects programmers in a number of ways, not just their choice of editor, and Conway is walking right into the middle and arguing with your imprinting on almost every page. A brave man; fortunately he has the street cred to make you at least listen.

So I carefully placed my bias and bigotry in the bottom drawer and prepared myself. I discovered a well-written, informed and engaging book that covers a number of methods (hey, 256 rules, come on Derrick, 2 ^ 8 rules can't be a coincidence!) for improving your Perl software when working in a team. That means all of us when you remember an adage a guru once told me: "Every piece of computer software, no matter how small, involves at least a team of two -- me, and me six months from now when I have to fix it." Conway puts it differently "Always code as if the guy who ends up maintaining your code will be a violent psychopath who knows where you live."

The first chapter outlines the why and where of the book. The why is to improve your code with three goals; robustness, efficiency and maintainability. The chapter finishes with a short exhortation to us to "rehabit." Don't like the word much but I applaud the aim.

Conway is far from timid. He jumps right in to the deep end of the wars, with formatting the appearance of your code. I thought the chapter was brilliantly written until he told me I shouldn't "cuddle else statements," at which point I realized what an ill-informed idiot he was. Oh, hang on. Hey, that almost makes sense. OK, that's a cogent argument for your point of view, Conway. I also have to admit that earlier you did say that your rules for this bit weren't gospel, that if you wanted a variation that was OK, just have a standard and make sure you can support it with a code prettier. Perhaps not a total idiot after all.

After successfully negotiating those shark infested waters, Conway -- obviously a man who knows no fear -- wades into naming conventions. Once again he gives coherent arguments, pointed examples and counterexamples. It all makes sense.

The book's page at O'Reilly has an example chapter and a good description, but no table of contents so here's a quick list of the headings:

1. Best Practices
2. Code Layout
3. Naming Conventions
4. Values and Expressions
5. Variables
6. Control Structures
7. Documentation
8. Built-in Functions
9. Subroutines
10. I/O
11. References
12. Regular Expressions
13. Error Handling
14. Command-Line Processing
15. Objects
16. Class Hierarchies
17. Modules
18. Testing and Debugging
19. Miscellanea

Suffice to say that Conway leaves no corner of Perl uncovered, offering well-reasoned and well-explained advice on improving your Perl code.

The book is also well-written and well-edited. The order of topics covered is a sensible one, and the book is appropriately structured. It reads and feels as if you are being given the wisdom from many a hard-won battle coding and maintaining Perl code.

My one complaint is that I found it dry: you are reading through pages of argument and examples without much relief. Perhaps this book might be best digested in a number of chunks, making the effort to use the ideas from each chunk for a while before moving on to the next.

Every so often I read a book from O'Reilly that makes me fear that they are slipping, then along comes a book like Perl Best Practices, and I'm reminded that when it comes to Perl, O'Reilly authors wrote the book. Once you've rushed through Larry's book and learnt the finer points with Schwartz and Phoenix's 'Learning' titles, you may well find that this is the perfect volume to complete your Perl education. If you believe your Perl education is complete, then buy this volume and I'm sure you'll find a lesson or two for yourself.

This book is not really aimed at the occasional Perl programmer (though many of us would probably benefit from its wisdom), but at the person who is professionally programming in Perl and wants to produce better quality, more easily maintained code. For this person Perl Best Practices is a 5. For the rest of us, the 'rehabiting' process might be a little too arduous; personally, I'm going to pick a few of the chapters and work on those for a while, maybe naming conventions and variables. For me I'll give it 4 stars.


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]]> http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/_perl_best_practices.html http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/_perl_best_practices.html Mon, 21 Aug 2006 15:25:42 -0700 <![CDATA[ Discover Python, Part 8: Reading and writing data using Python's input and output functionality]]> Discover Python, Part 8: Reading and writing data using Python's input and output functionality
In this article, you learn how to work with files. First, we review a simple way to output data in Python, using the print statement, then learn about the file object, which is used by Python programs to read and write data to a file. The different modes with which a file can be opened are demonstrated, and the article concludes by showing how to read and write a binary file.

]]> http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/python/_discover_python_part_8_readin_2.html http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/python/_discover_python_part_8_readin_2.html Python Mon, 21 Aug 2006 15:24:32 -0700 Check your PHP code at every level with unit tests Check your PHP code at every level with unit tests
Test-driven development and unit tests are the latest way to make sure your code is behaving as you expect through changes and refactoring. Find out how to unit test your PHP code at the module, database, and user interface (UI) level.

]]> http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/php/_check_your_php_code_at_every.html http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/php/_check_your_php_code_at_every.html PHP Mon, 21 Aug 2006 15:24:05 -0700 XML Matters: Lighter than microformats: Picoformats XML Matters: Lighter than microformats: Picoformats
In a past installment of XML Matters, David Mertz explored reStructured Text, a lightweight markup language for formatting mostly text documents, and prior to that he looked at YAML, a lightweight markup language for mostly data documents. With the rise of AJAX and microformats, are these still useful, or are microformats "light" enough? See how to leverage JSON (lighter than YAML) using MochiKit for AJAX without the X, and apply reStructured Text to the task of generating microformats.

]]> http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/web_architecture/_xml_matters_lighter_than_micr.html http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/web_architecture/_xml_matters_lighter_than_micr.html Web Architecture Mon, 21 Aug 2006 15:23:05 -0700 Leveraging MySQL skills to learn DB2 Express: DB2 versus MySQL administration and basic tasks Leveraging MySQL skills to learn DB2 Express: DB2 versus MySQL administration and basic tasks
Does your database environment require you to have cross-database skills? If you already know MySQL, you can use many of the skills you already have to learn DB2 Express. This article, the first in a series on leveraging your MySQL skills to learn DB2, starts you out with a comparison of administrative tasks, data types, SQL, locking, and more.

]]> http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/_leveraging_mysql_skills_to_le_2.html http://linuxwebdeveloper.com/_leveraging_mysql_skills_to_le_2.html Mon, 21 Aug 2006 15:22:38 -0700 Learning Perl, Fourth Edition Learning Perl, Fourth Edition Learning Perl, better known as "the Llama book", starts the programmer on the way to mastery. Written by three prominent members of the Perl community who each have several years of experience teaching Perl around the world, this edition has been updated to account for all the recent changes to the language up to Perl 5.8. Perl is the language for people who want to get work done. It started as a tool for Unix system administrators who needed something powerful for small tasks. Since then, Perl has blossomed into a full-featured programming language used for web programming, database manipulation, XML processing, and system administration--on practically all platforms--while remaining the favorite tool for the small daily tasks it was designed for. You might start using Perl because you need it, but you'll continue to use it because you love it. Informed by their years of success at teaching Perl as consultants, the authors have re-engineered the Llama to better match the pace and scope appropriate for readers getting started with Perl, while retaining the detailed discussion, thorough examples, and eclectic wit for which the Llama is famous. The book includes new exercises and solutions so you can practice what you've learned while it's still fresh in your mind. Here are just some of the topics covered:
  • Perl variable types
  • subroutines
  • file operations
  • regular expressions
  • text processing
  • strings and sorting
  • process management
  • using third party modules
If you ask Perl programmers today what book they relied on most when they were learning Perl, you'll find that an overwhelming majority will point to the Llama. With good reason. Other books may teach you to program in Perl, but this book will turn you into a Perl programmer.
Customer Review: craptacular
Most of the answers to the exercises in Appendix A don't even compile, much less work. I admit I'm not a great code writer, but at some point you need the answer, otherwise you can sit in front of your screen all day writing code that doesn't work or compile. I can do that without the help of this book.


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