An easy launcher for redcar on Windows

I just (re)discovered Redcar, and have been playing with it. I love it so far (especially the seamless git integration, and the tree-document-view concepts) but I find unnecessary windows irritating, so I obviously didn't like that Redcar needed a command window open in addition to its own SWT one. Here's how I made launching Redcar a 1-click affair.

1. Install redcar and make sure it works on its own. ie, typing redcar on any command window should start it up.
2. Convert the redcar icon from png to ico using imagemagick. You obviously need a unix box for this, or have imagemagick installed on windows. Online tools are also available, but this seems the most programmable and quick - especially if you have a unix box around :)
   

    [user@box]$ convert -resize x16 -gravity center -crop 16x16+0+0 redcar-icon-beta.png -transparent white -colors 256 redcar-icon-beta.ico

3. Create a windows shell script (redcar.vbs) that loads up redcar without a command window
   

       Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
       WshShell.Run chr(34) & "redcar" & Chr(34), 0
       Set WshShell = Nothing

4. Open up a launch folder of your choice. Mine is the Quick Launch bar.
5. Rt click on the folder, New -> shortcut, and in the wizard that shows up, enter the following:
1. Location: drive:\path\to\redcar.vbs
2. Name: redcar
6. Rt click on the shortcut -> Properties. Then change the following:
1. Change Icon -> Look for icons in file: drive:\path\to\redcar.ico
7. In the folder (or in my case, on the Quick Launch bar), Click on the Redcar icon. Redcar should now load up straight to the splash screen.

Notes:

• The one drawback with this is that you no longer see the debug information that the command window provides. I could not have know that Redcar looks for git during its launch without that output. So there's still reason to launch redcar from the command line. This method doesn't prevent such launches.
• I noticed that there's a github project creating a windows launcher for redcar, but it seems to me like the steps above could be easily automated and the artifacts added to the redcar core distribution for a simpler launcher.Maybe I'll fork redcar and add them :)
• If you're using Portable Git on Windows like me, the key to having redcar find git outside MinGW is to add the following to your path:

drive:\path\to\PortableGit-xxx\cmd

Jack: Javascript should be the base language

It just struck me today morning as I was getting ready that the base language for Jack - my idea of the next gen programming language - should be Javascript. The good parts, of course, but definitely javascript.

This ensures that it has the widest spread of runtime environments, has the functional bits built in, and - as long as we keep the base concepts to the good parts -  none of the ugliness

Idea: A textmate rewrite in Fantom

Textmate seems ripe for a rewrite to a platform outside of Macs, and what better language than Fantom?

Sigh. Another project idea that'll have to wait.

Idea: More Effective Workspaces

Workspaces are invaluable in keeping focus on the job at hand. I've been used to Workspaces on Linux Desktops for a long time, and recently discovered a Windows powertoy - MSDVM - that does the same on windows. This idea is a couple that I've had that can make them more effective:

• A per-workspace todo list: So that when you form a plan of what to do in that WS, the plan is visible always
• A "Send todos to workspace X" feature: I frequently find myself remembering to do something official while I'm on my personal workspace. It would be nice to be able to send a todo to that todolist without losing context.
• An "I'm stepping out" button with tickler for when you return : Click on the I'm stepping away shoudl allow you to enter quick text on what you're currently doing, so you have a high visibility "This is what I was doing before I stepped away" note on the workspace when you return. I constantly find myself doing this using a new notepad instance even though i have other todo lists - just so its front and center when I return. It would be nice if the workspace did it for me.

Of course, all of this can be done with current software and some manual setup, but it would be nice if the todo lists were workspace-aware, so this works out of the box.

A goal for Fluent

Fluent, pka Webster is the Web-based DSL metalanguage+editor I'm working on currently. It seems like the language workbench challenge would be a good fit for a goal to work towards.

True BDD for Webapps

Current BDD implementations have a "core" language they support. How about a bdd framework for ANY webapp?

"Outside in", the core BDD concept implies that you start with the outer layer of the app and implement inwards. Well, why not apply that starting with the html, going inwards to js, refactor js to make it mvc etc.

So the true BDD implementation for Web Apps should load in a browser, and allow any browser action to be validated naturally.

Implementation Ideas:

• a html based runner of the spec a al jscoverage (which should be rewritten in js, btw) is required, so your spec can be loaded in html, and runs the target app in html as well
• spec will be in a cucumber/robot syntax - very english-y, which will be converted into functions in javascript. Nothing new here, this is what all existing BDD implementations do anyway. We'll just leverage the best Javascript one.
• building html must use zen coding for example so its easy to do so.
• Adding behavior will involve writing a spec for it, and adding the basic js code for it, then refactoring it to use an appropriate framework (mvc, etc) and so forth.
• As that progresses, the main spec becomes more detailed, and contains nested specs for specific layers. Eg, the javascript layer could be tested directly using rhino, etc

Simple Admin Tool

Most applications have configuration defined in files. This idea is to automatically wrap a simple admin tool around the configuration file instead of building one from scratch.

So, for eg, a java properties file when input to this tool would automatically generate a website that allows  values in the properties file to be created, display, updated and deleted.

Not in scope: updating in-memory variables with the new values. Although a simple reloadProperties() call can be supported.

Wireless Projection

You go to a meeting room, and typically connect up your laptop to the projector or plasma screen in it.
But do you really need to? Why cant you connect wirelessly to the display?
That then, is the core of this idea.

If the projector/plasma is connected to one machine, others can connect to it wirelessly and display the content of their screens on it.

Alternately, the one connected attendee can then easily enable other attendees to use his machine to remotely display their screen contents! This has the added advantage of allowing anybody to use the display, not just the one person connected to it - without the hassle of disconnect/connect/key combo to show etc; not to mention the chance of allowing group participation through easy passing of the display baton.

Implementations possible:

1. Xserver on a box that's physically connected to a projector/plasma.Wrapper server & client programs that allow Webex/vnc-style connect-ability to project local display onto that display.
2. VNC client/server setup with client in listen mode
3. Custom wrap of xserver or vnc that automates all this.

Metalysis

Metalysis: The analysis paralysis that results from thinking about meta and meta-meta programming. A prime sample
language = domain model + syntax (template + css)
the model till now describes:
    - the elements of the language
    - how to display/edit it
but the editor's interaction model is fixed based on the meta model   

so true language editor is
language editor = domain model + display model ie syntax (template + css) + interaction model (javascript behavior)

now this behavior could be modeled as a domain language itself, but for it to be useful, it would need something that can execute the domain, not just understand and allow its editing

so true language = domain model + editing model (display model + interaction model) + executor (interpreter/compiler)
:
So I should just create the meta model and its interpreter, and running it will spit out my language editor, ready to run!

This is when I came back to the ground and started writing an event loop and handler. Nothing like normal GUI programming to make you realize you're nothing special!