Excerpts from Dave Thomas’ presentation during the Phoenix NFJS. The name of the presentation was "Pragmatic Version Control" and you can even buy the book associated with the topic. I am planning on implementing what I learned during the presentation, if I hit a wall in the process, I will be getting a copy of the book.
I don’t write much about work here mostly because I try to "leave" that stuff at the office, but lately there is a project that has made this separation quite hard to accomplish. We have built the application for the project, we have trained the users on the application and even suggested some efficient process for them to follow.
Now, it appears none of this worked for them as some of the data has to be renamed (to fix a naming scheme they came up with on their own) or has to be entered, since they "must have forgotten about it". The kicker comes when they tell us "they are too busy" to make the changes and I should think about it as job security. Now, I think the development cycle for this project might be delayed a bit, after all, with today’s economy I really need job security .
I have spent 3 hours trying to find a way to change the default gnome panel icon (a red hat, of course) on my FC1 installation. I am also looking for a way to change the icon for the “Show Desktop Button”. Any ideas?
This should not be so hard to do if "linux on the desktop" wants to compete with Microsoft, specially with your average home user. Maybe it is a lack of knowledge on my part, but come on, even Google is coming up empty and I am running out of search criteria to try.
update: as soon as I post this message, I find a couple of solutions to the problem. Just in case the site disappears, here is how I changed the red hat icon for the panel.
- Click on the Red Hat menu and go to
System Tools > More System Tools > Configuration Editor. Or you can rungconf-editorfrom a command line.- Find the
"apps/panel/profiles/default/objects/key and set the value to true by putting a check in the box.
main_menu/use_custom_icon"- Find the
"apps/panel/profiles/default/objects/key and for the value, type in the full path to the icon you saved.
main_menu/custom_icon"- If you don’t see the icon already, at a command line type
killall HUP gnome-panel to restart the gnome panel.
Today starts the "No Fluff Just Stuff" conference here in Phoenix. Thanks to my current employer I will be able to attend this highly regarded Java conference. This is my first technical conference and going without anyone that I personally know does make it a bit intimidating. Add to the mix, that Java is not my strongest cup of tea and you can see why I might be the shy kid in the back. To be honest, I am not really that intimidated by the whole thing and I expect to learn a lot. I am wrapping up a project right now and I hope that soon thereafter I can start working on a small JSP application I have in mind.
We received the final agenda a couple of days ago and have pretty much decided on what session I will attend. There are some that will prove to be of great value here at the office as we are starting to create a development structure and the environment to support it. We are a small development team and we are starting to see some "growing" pains, even though we are not growing as far as head count goes. We do have a very receptive team here so I expect to be able to take some of this new knowledge and put to practice right away.
Some of the sessions that I plan to attend include:
Sarah and I are going to Sarah Mclachlan tonight at the Glendale Arena. We bought the tickets a few months back, when the concert was first announced here in Phoenix.
I don’t think either one of us is a die-hard fan of SM but we have always enjoyed her music. I am not quite familiar with her last couple CD’s but I expect the show to be quite good. How can you go wrong with a three time Grammy Award winner? exactly.
McLachlan recently released, Afterglow, a record of many layers. The warmth of production, the purity of her voice and the beautiful harmonies all serve as a reminder of the reasons that McLachlan has gained worldwide acclaim for her talents.
“When you look up Afterglow in the dictionary, it is defined as ‘the glow or light that remains once the sun is gone’. You’re used to this bright, shiny beautiful glow but the moment the sun disappears, all of a sudden you have to readjust everything. It’s a very transitional moment. A lot of these songs are about transition…the turning over of the rock, what’s underneath, the murky, shadowy uncertainty where everything looks very different.”
- Sarah McLachlan
update: I know it has been a few days (a week to be precise) since the concert took place and I am sorry it has taken me this long to come back to revisit this entry. Thank you for waiting patiently and let me tell you that SM will not disappoint you with this show. Sarah and I decided that the magic of the show is the interaction that SM has with her audience. Unlike other artist who use their concerts just to "play" their latest singles, SM uses this opportunity to create and nurture a bond with her fans. It had the feel of an "unplugged" – although in a much greater scale – type show and that was worth the ticket price for me.