Our First Project – A Basic Thermometer

by Andrew K. Dennis | February 2013 | Open Source

In this article by Andrew K. Dennis, the author of Raspberry Pi Home Automation with Arduino we are going to build our first project with the Raspberry Pi and Arduino shield — a thermometer.

You will need the following hardware items for this article:

  • Raspberry Pi

  • The Raspberry Pi to Arduino shield

  • A thermistor

  • The breadboard and wires we used to test the LED

  • A 10k resistor

From a software standpoint, you will also be introduced to the Geany IDE and the Linux make command. Using these tools, we will write an application that converts the resistance returned from the circuit into three types of temperature, namely Celsius, Kelvin, and Fahrenheit.

Read Our First Project – A Basic Thermometer in full

Yii: Adding Users and User Management to Your Site

by James R. Hamilton III Lauren J. O'Meara | February 2013 | Open Source PHP Web Development

As web developers, we are always looking for new and better tools to help us develop quality websites. Yii caught our eye as a great framework. It is known for performance. In addition to its speed, Yii provides great tools and features to help you get your job done quickly.

In this article by Lauren J. O'Meara and James R. Hamilton III, authors of Yii Rapid Application Development Hotshot, we will add a user table to the application database, and then generate the Yii scaffolding and customize it. We will extend the user management interface to utilize our user table fields.

 

Read Yii: Adding Users and User Management to Your Site in full

Getting started with Kinect for Windows SDK Programming

by Abhijit Jana | February 2013 | Games Microsoft

In this article by Abhijit Jana, the author of Kinect for Windows SDK Programming Guide , introduces us to the Kinect for Windows SDK. It is a toolkit for developing applications for Kinect devices. Developing applications using Kinect SDK is fairly easy and straightforward. The SDK provides an interface to interact with Kinect via system drivers. The SDK includes drivers for the Kinect sensor, which interact with the device, and the OS and APIs interact with the device through program. Overall, the SDK provides an opportunity to the developers to build an application using either managed code (C# and VB.NET) or unmanaged code (C++) using Visual Studio 2010 or higher versions, running on Windows 7 or Windows 8. This article will explain the following aspects of Kinect SDK:

  • Understanding the system requirements

  • The evolutionary journey of Kinect for Windows SDK

  • Installing and verifying the installed components

  • Troubleshooting tips and tricks

  • Exploring the installed components of SDK

  • A quick lap around different features of Kinect for Windows SDK

  • The Coding4fun toolkit

Let's look at them one by one.

Read Getting started with Kinect for Windows SDK Programming in full

Configuring the ChildBrowser plugin

by Kerri Shotts | February 2013 | Open Source

In this article by Kerri Shotts, the author of Instant PhoneGap Social App Development, we will look into the installation and configuration of the ChildBrowser plugin.

Most PhoneGap plugins aren't terribly hard to install or configure, but they will undoubtedly play a vital role in your app, especially if you need to use a feature that PhoneGap doesn't provide on its own.

In our case, we will look at a plugin called ChildBrowser.

Read Configuring the ChildBrowser plugin in full

Getting started with Bacula

by Eugene Pankov | February 2013 | Open Source

The author of the book Network Backup with Bacula How-To, Eugene Pankov, explains how to set up the simplest Bacula Director and Bacula Storage installations and how the bconsole utility can be used to monitor and interact with daemons through this article.

Read Getting started with Bacula in full

So, what is Spring for Android?

by Anthony Dahanne | February 2013 | Open Source

This article, by Anthony Dahanne author of Instant Spring for Android Starter provides a brief overview of how Spring for Android has an extension of the Spring Framework that helps to simplify the development of native Android applications.

Its current Version 1.0.0.RELEASE features a REST client, RestTemplate and OAuth, an authorization protocol (Spring Social) to help you build your apps.

In this article, we will go through the main aspects of Spring for Android: RestTemplate, Auth, and what Spring for Android is not.

Read So, what is Spring for Android? in full

Types of services in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

by Kenny Saelen Klaas Deforche | February 2013 | Enterprise Articles Microsoft

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 already provides a number of services out-of-the-box. These services together with additional services that can be developed can be divided into three types. Each of the service types has its own characteristics and a different approach to create them.

This article by Klaas Deforche and Kenny Saelen authors of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Services discusses about these services in detail.

Read Types of services in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 in full

New iPad Features in iOS 6

by Renee J. Valdez | February 2013 | Open Source

This article created by Renee J. Valdez, author of Instant New iPad Features in iOS 6 How-to offers a break down of the apps that come natively installed on the new iPad.

Read New iPad Features in iOS 6 in full

Rich Internet Application (RIA) – Canvas

by Dushyant Kanungo | February 2013 | Web Development

This article created by Dushyant Kanungo, the author of Instant Migration to HTML5 and CSS3 How-to gives a brief introduction of the interactive Rich Internet Application platform with HTML5 and CSS3. We will discuss a few basic possible applications of Canvas in routine websites.

Read Rich Internet Application (RIA) – Canvas in full

Getting Started with InnoDB

by Matt Reid | February 2013 | Enterprise Articles Oracle

In the simplest terms, InnoDB is a transactional database information processing engine. It is the most commonly used engine currently available for the MySQL database application and was the first transactional engine offered with the application.

Different versions of MySQL ship with varying levels of InnoDB support and corresponding default settings for the InnoDB engine. Knowing which version of MySQL we're using will help us identify the baseline settings for the engine prior to going into development or production use of the database.

In this article by Matt Reid, author of Instant InnoDB, we'll cover the following topics:

Read Getting Started with InnoDB in full

Installing Arch Linux using the official ISO

by Ike Devolder | February 2013 | Linux Servers Open Source

Arch Linux is a very flexible distribution and this article by Ike Devolder, author of Arch Linux Environment Setup How-to will guide you to the point where you can get a basic system in place. From there on you can go in any direction you want. A simple server, a full-blown desktop system with all the bells and whistles. In the end, Arch Linux is always what you make of it.

These days the installation of Arch Linux might look like a work of insanity, as there is no installer available in the official media, just a guideline to follow. The installation without an installer is as easy as it can be. For experienced users, installing without an installer is even more convenient. The newest ISOs require that you have your machine connected to the Internet, as there are no longer packages available on the installation media.

Read Installing Arch Linux using the official ISO in full

Apache Solr Configuration

by Rafał Kuć | February 2013 | Cookbooks

Setting up an example Solr instance is not a hard task, at least when setting up the simplest configuration. The simplest way is to run the example provided with the Solr distribution, that shows how to use the embedded Jetty servlet container.

In this article by Rafal Kuc, author of Apache Solr 4 Cookbook , we will cover the following topics:

  • Running Solr on Jetty

  • Running Solr on Apache Tomcat

  • Installing a standalone ZooKeeper

  • Clustering your data

  • Choosing the right directory implementation

  • Configuring spellchecker to not use its own index

  • Solr cache configuration

  • How to fetch and index web pages

We have a simple configuration, simple index structure described by the schema.xml file, and we can run indexing.

In this article you'll see how to configure and use the more advanced Solr modules; you'll see how to run Solr in different containers and how to prepare your configuration to different requirements. You will also learn how to set up a new SolrCloud cluster and migrate your current configuration to the one supporting all the features of SolrCloud. Finally, you will learn how to configure Solr cache to meet your needs and how to pre-sort your Solr indexes to be able to use early query termination techniques efficiently.

Read Apache Solr Configuration in full

An Introduction to Risk Analysis

by Aaron Woody | February 2013 | Architecture & Analysis Enterprise Articles

Security is a process that requires the integration of security into business processes to ensure enterprise risk is minimized to an acceptable level. Security as a process is an approach that highlights the integration of security and business initiatives to reduce the security impact of implementations and changes to the enterprise environment. This article by Aaron Woody, author of Enterprise Security: A Data-Centric Approach to Securing the Enterprise, will introduce the concept of using risk analysis to drive security decisions.

Read An Introduction to Risk Analysis in full

Applications of Physics

by Brian Broyles Jayme Schroeder | February 2013 | Cookbooks Games Open Source

In this article by Jayme Schroeder and Brian Broyles the authors of AndEngine for Android Game Development Cookbook, we are going to see Physics-based games provide players with a unique type of experience not encountered in many other genres. This article covers the use of AndEngine's Box2D physics extension. Our recipes include:

  • Introduction to the Box2D physics extension

  • Understanding different body types

  • Creating category-filtered bodies

  • Creating multiple-fixture bodies

  • Creating unique bodies by specifying vertices

  • Using forces, velocities, and torque

Read Applications of Physics in full

Using PVR with Raspbmc

by Sam Nazarko | February 2013 | Open Source

Low-cost and high-performing, with a massively diverse range of uses and applications, the Raspberry Pi is set to revolutionize the way we think about computing and programming. Using it as a media center allows everyone to have a low-cost device that is always on and attached to their TV.

In this article by Sam Nazarko, the author of Raspberry Pi Media Center, we'll look at the following topics:

  • What PVR allows us to do

  • The different types of PVR setups that Raspbmc supports

  • How to set up Raspbmc to take advantage of PVR

Read Using PVR with Raspbmc in full

Meteor.js JavaScript Framework: Why Meteor Rocks!

by Isaac Strack | February 2013 | Open Source Web Development

Meteor is a disruptive (in a good way!) technology. It enables a new type of web application, using the Model View View-Model (MVVM) design pattern.

This article by Isaac Strack, author of Getting Started with Meteor.js JavaScript Framework, explains how web applications have changed, why it matters, and how Meteor speci?cally enables modern web apps through MVVM.

By the end of this article, you will have learned:

  • What a modern web application is

  • What MVVM means, and how it's different

  • How Meteor uses MVVM to create modern web applications

  • Templating inside of Meteor — starting to use MVVM

Read Meteor.js JavaScript Framework: Why Meteor Rocks! in full

KeyShot's Overview

by Jei Lee Jo | February 2013 | Web Graphics & Video

In this article by Jei Lee Jo, the author of the book KeyShot 3D Rendering, you will learn about the following topics:

  • KeyShot's basics and fundamentals

  • Importing projects

  • Getting familiar with the interface

Read KeyShot's Overview in full

Blocking versus Non blocking scripts

by Adam Watson | February 2013 | Open Source Web Development

In this article by Adam Watson, the author of Learning Modernizr, we will look into the basics of blocking versus non blocking scripts. We take help of several topics to cover this section.

In this article we will cover:

  • The async attribute

  • Blocking to allow shimming

  • Adding navigation

  • The section frames

Read Blocking versus Non blocking scripts in full

Cross-premise Connectivity

by Bala Natarajan Erez Ben-Ari | February 2013 | Enterprise Articles Microsoft

In this article by Erez Ben-Ari and Bala Natarajan, the authors of Windows Server 2012 Unified Remote Access Planning and Deployment, Cross-premise connectivity (also known as cloud connectivity) is the ability to establish secure connection between two sites. It could be between a head office and a branch office or from an office to a cloud data center. Before we go into the details of cross-premise connectivity let us take a moment and talk about the connectivity challenges that an enterprise faces. In this article, we are going to talk about what cross-premise connectivity is, why it is needed, and how to go about establishing it.

The topics we will discuss are as follows:

  • Evolving remote access challenges

  • Migration to dynamic cloud

  • The needs of modern data centers

  • Dynamic cloud access with URA

  • Adding a cloud location using Site-to-Site

  • Basic setup of cross-premise connectivity

  • Configuration steps

Read Cross-premise Connectivity in full

Getting Started with TeamCity

by Volodymyr Melymuka | February 2013 | Open Source

TeamCity is a very light instrument, easy to install, integrate, and maintain. It's a tool which helps you ensure that your software project not only compiles properly but can be assembled and (ideally) allowed to be delivered to operational destination production servers merely by glancing at the TeamCity welcome page. For distributed teams, it could give a priceless experience of having reliable codebase free from some forgotten to be committed source files and resources.

In this article by Volodymyr Melymuka, the author of TeamCity 7 Continuous Integration Essentials, we shall cover the following topics:

  • Features

  • Terms and concepts

  • Architecture

  • Build lifecycle

Read Getting Started with TeamCity in full

Using Processes in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011

by Mahender Pal | February 2013 | Enterprise Articles Microsoft

In this article by Mahender Pal, the author of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Application Design, we are going to use Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 as a platform to develop our Employee Recruitment Management System ( ERMS ). We will learn the basics of ERMS, about processes in Microsoft CRM 2011, and how we can use them to automate business processes at different levels.

In this article we are going to discuss the following topics:

  • Employee Recruitment Management System
  • Employee Recruitment Management System design
  • Setting a security model for Employee Recruitment Management System
  • Setting field-level security
  • Data model for Employee Recruitment Management System
  • Customizing entities for Employee Recruitment Management System
  • Setting a security model for ERMS
  • Setting field-level security in Microsoft CRM 2011
  • Processes in Microsoft CRM 2011
  • Importing data in Microsoft CRM 2011
  • Testing Employee Recruitment Management System
Read Using Processes in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 in full

Knowing the prebuilt marketing, sales, and service organizations

by Padmanabha Rao Venkatesan Sundaram | February 2013 | Enterprise Articles Oracle

In this article by Padmanabha Rao and Venkatesan Sundaram, authors of Oracle CRM On Demand Administration Essentials, our focus is to explore more on how, with minimum customization, we can put the CRM On Demand system into production to save a lot of time and effort.

Read Knowing the prebuilt marketing, sales, and service organizations in full

Polishing Gems

by Benjamin Hershleder | February 2013 | Cookbooks

This article by Benjamin Hershleder, author of Avid Media Composer 6.x Cookbook, explains that there are many useful features, gems if you will, that go underutilized. This article shines and polishes a few of them up by revealing some functions' hidden abilities, explaining their behavior, and/or giving you a few new ideas about how you might use them.

Read Polishing Gems in full

Basic Editing

by Joachim Ziebs | February 2013 | Web Graphics & Video

In this article by Joachim Ziebs, author of AfterShot Pro: Non-destructive photo editing and management , we will perform some basic editing:

  • Basic adjustments

  • Sharpening

  • Cropping

  • Tonal adjustments

  • Conversion to black and white

  • Straightening

Read Basic Editing in full

Installing Microsoft Forefront UAG

by Fabrizio Volpe | February 2013 | Enterprise Articles Microsoft

This article by Fabrizio Volpe, author of Microsoft Forefront UAG Mobile Configuration Starter [Instant] illustrates the installation of Microsoft Forefront UAG, which will be described as a process that can be divided into five steps as described in the following sections.

Read Installing Microsoft Forefront UAG in full

Applying LINQ to Entities to a WCF Service

by Mike Liu | February 2013 | Enterprise Articles Microsoft

In this article by Mike Liu, the author of WCF 4.5 Multi-Layer Services Development with Entity Framework, we will learn how to update a product with LINQ to Entities in the data access layer. We will see how to apply changes of a client object to LINQ to Entities and leave all of the update work to LINQ to Entities, and will also see how to control the concurrency of updates with LINQ to Entities.

Read Applying LINQ to Entities to a WCF Service in full

Top features of KnockoutJS

by Eric M. Barnard | February 2013 | Open Source

One of the best parts of Knockout is its extensibility. Knockout has numerous extension points and contains a plethora of utilities for building your app. Many developers have built great Knockout sites without any other JavaScript libraries (even jQuery) than the core Knockout library.

In this article by Eric M. Barnard, the author of KnockoutJS Starter, we'll cover the top features that Knockout offers.

Read Top features of KnockoutJS in full

Marker-based Augmented Reality on iPhone or iPad

by Daniel Lélis Baggio David Millán Escrivá Jason Saragih Khvedchenia Ievgen Naureen Mahmood Roy Shilkrot Shervin Emami | February 2013 | Open Source Web Graphics & Video

In this article by Eugene Khvedchenya, the author of Mastering OpenCV with Practical Computer Vision Projects, introduces us to Augmented reality (AR), which is a live view of a real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated graphics.

In this article we will create an AR application for iPhone/iPad devices. From this article you'll learn more about markers. The full detection routine is explained. After reading this article you will be able to write your own marker detection algorithm and estimate the marker pose in 3D world with regards to camera pose.

In this article, we will cover the following topics:

  • Creating an iOS project that uses OpenCV

  • Application architecture

  • Marker detection

  • Marker identification

  • Marker code recognition

  • Placing a marker in 3D

Read Marker-based Augmented Reality on iPhone or iPad in full
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