Photo: Mirko Caserta

I'm in the middle of my first big project that relies heavily on Prototype and Scriptaculous. I've used it for little add-ons like the bottoms of each post on this site and for some decoration-type stuff. However, I'm now building a price-quote system for a manufacturer in AJAX and DHTML that uses Javascript to hit several different databases to retrieve and store data, etc. while building a quote.

To do that, for things like editing line items, I'm doing hide/reveal effects to hide the display summary for the line item and then show the form to edit the item (the forms are more complicated than simple edit-in-place setups would allow) and then swap them back when they "save" the line item.

So, with that background, you can laugh at my lack of foresight to think to use the Scriptaculous queues to ensure that, for instance, the item being hidden is totally gone before starting to reveal the new one. This is a problem because Javascript kicks off the one item and moves on to the next without any delay. That means that if you have several effects that need to happen in sequence, you get a nasty set of race conditions. I saw this first hand the first time I tried to string effects together in any sort of sequence.

At any rate, with a bit of help from the documentation, I am now heavily using Scriptaculous Queues to manage the order of effects. And, from now on, as soon as the concept of an effect needing to happen "before" or "after" another, the queues are getting used.

Photo: Keith

This is another in the series of stuff I wrote a few years ago, but I wanted to share again. Given how many people are launching products and services that require an explanation in order to understand, pronounce or properly spell the name, I think it's as relevant as when I first wrote it.

How To (and How Not To) Name Your Project

1. If the name you're thinking of is directly pulled from a scifi or fantasy source, don't bother. These sources are WAY overrepresented as naming sources in software. Not only are your chances of coming up with something original pretty small, most of the names of characters and places in scifi are trademarked and you run the risk of being sued.
2. If the name you're thinking of comes straight from Greek, Roman or Norse mythology, try again. We've got more than enough mail related software called variations of "Mercury".
3. Run your proposed name through Google. The fewer results you get the better. If you get down to no results, you're there.
4. Don't try to get a unique name by just slightly misspelling something. Calling your new Windows filesystem program Phat32 is just going to end up with users getting frustrated looking at the results of "fat32" in a search engine.
5. If your name couldn't be said on TV in the 50s or 60s, you're probably on the wrong track. This is particularly true if you would like anyone to use your product in a work environment. No one is going to recommend a product to their co-workers if they can get sued for sexual harassment just for uttering its name.
6. If your product name can't be pronounced at all, you'll get no word of mouth benefit at all. Similarly, if no one knows how to pronounce it, they will not be very likely to try to say it out loud to ask questions about it, etc. How do YOU say MySQL? PostgreSQL? GNU? Almost all spoken languages on Earth are based on consonant/vowel syllables of some sort. Alternating between consonants and vowels is a pretty good way to ensure that someone can pronounce it.
7. The shorter the better.
8. See if the .com domain is available. If it's not, it's a pretty good indicator that someone has already thought of it and is using it or closer to using it than you are. Do this even if you don't intend to use the domain.
9. Don't build inherent limitations on your product into the name. Calling your product LinProduct or WinProduct precludes you from ever releasing any sort of cross-platform edition.
10. Don't use your own name for open source products. If the project lives on beyond your involvement, the project will either have to be renames or your name may be used in ways you didn't intend.

Photo: Chris Darling

This is something I wrote a few years ago, but ran across it in a backup and thought I'd re-post it here. There's some other stuff I found in there, and I'll be posting that stuff too over the next few days.

The fallacy of equipment-based expertise permeates virtually every hobby and profession. It's based on the assumption that if one just uses the appropriate tools, excellent results will be a simple matter of fact. While the true masters of a given domain may indeed use a given toolset, it is most emphatically not the tools that guarantee the results, but the skills of the master.

The tools-obsessed photographer worries and frets about spot meters, chemistry selection and razor sharp lenses while the master quietly makes images that impact the soul with little more than a box and some film.

The tools-obsessed cook buys copper-bottomed cookware with non-stick surfaces and an endless stream of gadgets and tools while the master chef makes mouths water with little more than fire and meat.

The tools-obsessed musician spends all their money on optimized amplifiers and acoustically engineered instruments while the master musician wrings emotion from the cheapest pawnshop instruments.

The tools-obsessed artist concentrates all their energy on choosing the right paints and canvas while the master creates great works of art on fast-food napkins.

The tools-obsessed carpenter buys specialized tools for every type of joinery and finish while the master carpenter builds furniture and homes that last for generations with little more than a handsaw and a plane.

The tools-obsessed programmer spends his time arguing about language choice, editors and platforms while the master programmer produces elegant code in any language and any platform that suits the job.

Yesterday, the Minnesota Independence Party had a couple of candidates who were to be interviewed on public radio. I heard about it as I was listening to the morning news and thought, "Gee, the IP should have sent out a quick note to let people know that it was going on". 11:00 rolled around and the interviews started and were over by 12:00.

Then, around 12:15, I got an email from the MN IP alerting me to the interviews that I could catch on the radio at 11:00. Right message, terrible timing.

Photo: Dave Morris

I created a personal policy for this site a while back that was to listen to my mother and if I couldn't think of something nice to say, shut the heck up. General frustration with a couple of projects, lack of sleeping well and needing to sort through some stuff that's just not important has led to a multi-day silence.

That's been amplified by having my father-in-law staying with us from Saturday until tomorrow. Let me stress that I am *not* complaining about that. He had back surgery on Friday and is staying with us to recover and I'm *glad* to be doing it. He's getting better and no longer has the shooting pain in his hips and legs. It's funny how a bone shard pinching a nerve can lead to problems.

However, it does change the routine enough to throw a few things out of whack for a few days. If it was for months, we'd probably just evolve a new routine and settle in. Anyway.

That's why this morning was a refreshing tipping back into balance. I finally got back into my normal (or what had been becoming my normal) morning routine this morning.

I got up at 5:00, started my MP3 podcast sync, threw on my Chuck Taylors and my Saints baseball cap, grabbed the willing dog (for some reason Rowdy has been running and hiding when the idea of a walk comes up) and headed out for my morning walk. I re-listened to parts of The History of Doubt from Speaking of Faith and made a note to grab a copy of the book mentioned.

All of my spiritual/philosophical/religious experiences and interactions have, I've realized recently, been framed entirely by active doubt. As a kid in Sunday school, I always sided with Thomas as my favorite apostle. The podcast kind of drew my personal experience together and framed it nicely.

45 minutes later, I retured to make a stack of pancakes (Hungry Jack Light and Fluffy for the curious) for myself and am now writing this with the scent of sugar free, fake maple syrup still hanging in the air. Last night, I crossed a couple of items off of my list which make going in to the office today a much more reasonable prospect. Given the good start to the day, I'm approaching the rest with a bit of measured optimism.