Code Crunching

I got an email this morning asking for the Windows 7 component update. I had published those last Thursday, but must have unchecked the publish button. It is available now, so go here and get them.

More information will come, soon.

Well, here comes the update promised. Originally, I planned to release it yesterday, but I had to give a talk today on short notice. So I pushed around priorities a little.

Anyway, this update has a few fixes as well as support for taskbar windows as well, interesting for MDI applications. It is all in the code.

A more detailed update will come in the next days, for now, just the download.

ZIP File (790 Kb). Uninstall prior version first! Unzip and install into IDE.

Well, I am quite overwhelmed by the amount of positive feedback I've received during the recent days. One of the most frequent questions was whether I would send out previews to select people. In short: no, this would take too much of my time keeping up with the people. So far only two have received the current dev-state. One is going to use them today for a talk about Windows 7 and one person has given me the most valuable input on the latest feature, the Windows Taskbar Previews.

To all others: it's only two more days, you must wait. Sorry for those.

One good comment regarded the logo used in the latest preview, stating Borland Delphi, so I have changed that. In due course I redesigned the Embarcadero Studio logo as EPS file, so if you're interested, I provide it as download. The download contains the EPS file (vector graphic) and a PNG file (bitmap @ 600dpi) for your use. Please, be aware that Embarcadero may be quite alert to how you use it. I can not give you permission to use it, but I guess (hope?) they will be fine with us using it to promote their products within ours. If not, it's your risk to take!

Download file (ZIP, 430kB)

Well, in my last blog post I've asked for your input for getting a preview of WinControls. I am getting pretty well along with the controls and I've wanted to show you a small preview of the Taskbar Windows component.

Download video (WMV, 4MB) here

Watch my blog for the upcoming release of the controls and see them live at the EKON 13 this week!

Currently, I am getting ready to ship an update for the Windows 7 taskbar components. As the preview, this one will be open source and free of charge for anyone to use in any project.

However, one problem still remains to be resolved. I try to get a "screen shot" from a tab sheet, whether it is currently visible or not. The normal Delphi method WinControl.PaintTo, and the Windows API methods PrintWindow and BitBlt do not give the desired results.

What do I need this for? Well consider the image below, showing the tabs of the Internet Explorer, currently opened. Something similar I want to create for Delphi as simple component. To create the preview, I must be able to get the "screen shot" of all Tabcontrols, whether they are visible or not.

I have uploaded a sample application, which demonstrates the problem. Feel free to download and test it. This application runs on Windows XP and Windows Vista as well, as it does not demonstrate the preview windows, but simply the "copy" feature, ehm problem.

Feel free to send me any ideas you have regarding this problem, as all other solutions would not be the best ;)

Download the problem sampler (Source, ZIP-file, 4 KB)

Email any solution to dwischnewski (at) gmail.com

Thank you for your support, I'll mention the solution provider in the finals.

UpdateI got the solution in my Inbox now, thanks to Craig Peterson from Scooter Software, who already has helped me a great bit for this whole problem. I'll finish the components now, await the release for October 1st. Be first to see them at the EKON.

The next EKON is coming very soon. This time developers from all over Germany and neighboring countries will come and meet in Darmstadt. This is a new location for the EKON.

I will give two sessions, both on the topic of migrating your existing Delphi applications from Windows XP to the new operating system Windows 7. One session will be about the User Account Control system, which has been updated since Windows Vista. The second session will shed light on other important topics of Windows 7 in general.

I hope to see you in Darmstadt. More information about the conference schedule and other speakers are available at http://entwickler-konferenz.de.

When I built my current computer, I wanted it to be quiet. Following quite many reviews, I went with the SilenX Ixtrema 120 Quiet Fans and got two for my case.

Compared to other fans, they are quite pricy, at about 16 Euro a piece in Germany, ordered online. So, with raving reviews and for that price, my expectations where quite high. I put them in the most crucial places of my computer, right behind the CPU cooler at the upper far edge of my chasis.

I was impressed with the fans, I could hear them with no problems, two rooms away, or in other words, through a closed door... They are loud, compared to those that came with the Antec chasis, I have. Anyway, since I needed two more fans than came with the chasis, I let them in place. They actually do cool down the inner chasis quite well, and running the CPU and memory a bout 30% above specs, cooling is priority number one, no more extra heating for my office required in the winter.

Well, living with a quite noisy computer for about 150 hours of actual working time, I had a big *bang* inside and one of the Silenx fans shattered quite loudly. The blades came apart in three pieces and went through the whole inside of the computer. Replaced it with a spare fan I had, the computer was quieter and according to the inside thermometer, temparature was up by about 2.5°C.

Another 200 hours later, yesterday evening, the second fan broke into three pieces with a loud bang. Luckily though, this time it did not send those pieces through the whole chasis... I replaced it with another spare one (last I had *g*) and now the computer is really quiet. Temparature does not seem to go up any further, though I did not test it yet. Will do that soon. After 30 minutes at about 75% CPU work time converting 350 DNG (RAW images) to JPEG, the CPU was at under 45°C, which is great for an Intel Quad-Core, currently overclocked at 25%. Will test it at 30% and full load soon.

I will let you know what fans I am using now, when I have let them work a little longer. But they are really quiet compared to those SilenX Ixtrema 120 fans. Extreme they are ;-)

• http://lumitouch.com/benstudiotutorial/index.html
• http://www.montezucker.com/

Most of you readers know, that photography is one of my hobbies. Being born in '77 and having real contact with cameras in the mid '90 for the first time, I am a kid of the zooms. I did not even really think about fixed focal lengths. In the last months I have read over and over, that using fixed focal lengths is the best that one can do to improve when taking photography a little more serious.

So searching I learned about the "nifty fifty" from Canon. Why am I writing that? Simply, if you own a Canon and want to learn more about it, think about getting this lens. It usually comes for less than 100 EUR/USD and is a very good glass for that money. Lot's of light and fairly good optics for less than any other SLR lens on the market.

Now, I have taken this step and started on a group on Flickr.com called "Project 50." They encourage you to take 50 photos using a 50mm prime lens. It is fun and it should teach you quiet a lot about photo composition. Below is the fourth photo I've published using the lens and I love it. What do you think?

Taking over... on Flickr.com

I am interested how I'll improve over the coming weeks toying around with that lens. I am already very interested in doing more prime lens photography. But new lenses will have to wait, since they usually are a lot more expensive than 99 Euro in a media market chain store ;-)   

Vor wenigen Tagen hat Olympus die neue Pen Kamera E-P1 offiziell vorgestellt. Jetzt bietet Olympus Deutschland 10 Fotografen die Möglichkeit die neue Kamera zu testen. Sie haben Interesse? Dann bewerben Sie sich doch einfach mal: http://www.olympus.de/digitalkamera/pen.htm#?home

Ich habe mich auch beworben und will die Kamera liebend gerne mit der Canon EOS 5D Mark II vergleichen. Mal schauen, ob es klappt. Schreiben Sie in die Bewerbung, warum gerade Sie der geeignete Kandidat sind und vielleicht haben Sie Glück und können die Kamera testen.   

Ein guter Freund von mir, André Hotzler, veranstaltet am 11. Juli 2009 einen Fotoworkshop, welcher sich speziell an Amateure richtet. In 4 Stunden erhalten die Teilnehmer Einblick in die Zusammenhänge von Blende, Verschlusszeit und ISO-Empfindlichkeit und den daraus resultierenden Ergebnissen. Wenn auch Sie schon immer mal weg wollten von den Standardprogrammen Ihrer Kamera und Ihre Kreativität zum Ausdruck bringen wollen, dann schauen Sie doch mal rein.

Alle Informationen zum Kurs und zur Anmeldung finden Sie auf XING: https://www.xing.com/events/359475/description

Well, in a word: fantastic! The "Delphi-Tage" (Delphi Days), this year in Hamburg, are over. Last Friday and Saturday were great. Lots of sessions, quiet a few things to learn (and give away), fantastic people and friends. It was great. Thanks to all speakers and visitors, as well as thanks to Sabine Rothe from Embacadero Germany and Daniel Wolf of the Delphi-PRAXiS for making the event such a success!!!

Here is a selection of my pictures:

Do you have pictures yourself? Publish them on Flickr.com and tag them with the following tags: Delphi-Tage 2009 Hamburg Delphi Tage myEvents:event=Delphi-Tage myEvents:DT=2009, allowing us to display them on www.delphi-tage.de.

First: thank you Johan and Dr. Bob for inviting me over, I had a great time.

It was interesting meeting so many developers from the Netherlands and from so many fields across the whole development sphere. The SDN group is not solely for Delphi developers, but for all and this makes their events quiet different from others.

Developers have the chance to look outside their box at other options or just get in-depth information on their field of interests. Dr. Bob and Johan already invited me to come back for the large SDN Event in October and I am looking forward being there again.

This event was in Driebergen, close to the city Zeist, where I took this photo the night before the event.

Well, I it has been quiet around this topic for some time. Finally, I have found the time to get back to it and while I have been busy in the last weeks, I took my camera with me almost anywhere I went. So, here are the two prime shots of those last two months.

February '09

Subway Station Marienplatz, taken during the workers strike.

March '09

Netherlands, tide lands. Taken during my visit for the SDN Event in March '09.

For more photos from this time, visit my Flickr Stream.

Well, I am back from the SDN Event in Driebergen. It was a fun event, I have met quiet a few people and, after a few years, finally met Dr. Bob again. One of my session was about the Windows 7 Taskbar (an update for the components is in the pipe line, btw). And when talking about Windows 7, one of the question coming up was the user account control (UAC) and how - IF - they have changed it.

While talking about that, I started out to remind them WHY it was implemented in Windows Vista and WHY I have not turned it off, ever. The reason is simple: it was implemented to block viruses from invading your computer and yes, it works. My story for them was as simple as it was obviously surprising for most of them sitting in the room.

About two years ago, I started a small experiment. I set up a computer with a new and clean Windows Vista install. Leaving the UAC on and running updates as Windows reminded me to do just that. The way a user should be working with the PC. However, I have not installed any third party Anti-Virus software, nor any third-party firewall, just the on-board tools Windows Defender and the UAC. I used this PC regularly for internet surfing, writing mails, doing some fun, testing software and so on. I let my girl friend use it for internet surfing - she knows how to use a computer, but by far, she is no geek, or even close to that. She does Excel, Word, mails online, games online, iTunes, etc. Even some peer-to-peer sharing. She had an administrative account and I explained to her what UAC meant and why it was implemented.

Well, end of last year I put on Norton AntiVirus, McAffee and a few other anti-virus tools and ran the big test: All tools reported the same final results: 0 viruses found!

Now my challenge to you: try that with Windows XP in todays Internet world ;-)

Conclusion: yes, the UAC is bothersome at times, and when it pops up to often, it will get the user aggravated, but it has its purpose. With Windows XP's on-board tools you simply where at a large risk when you went online. I am a believer of the UAC and, while it bothers me at times, I support it.

With Windows 7 it shows up less often. So some settings will be changed easier than under Windows Vista without the user confirming that. But as far as I have seen, none of the changes (except setting the computer time of course) will survive the next reboot of your computer. And if you don't mind, under Windows 7 you can move up the UAC messages to the Windows Vista level again. And yes, if you still mind, you can turn it off as well, but I know, I won't.