Ethix Systems Blog Ethix Systems Blog gives insights into new tools and ideas that we see in the technology field, etc. http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog CICON 2011
There were a number of excellent talks given about such topics as:
- Web server optimization - how to get your web applications to run faster and to scale better.
- Unit testing - how to develop testable code and write unit tests effectively in Code Igniter.
- Redis - how it works and when to use it.
- Code libraries - how to build extendable code that can be easily tested and used by others
- Git - learning how to use the freshest and most powerful source control engine
- getsparks.org - a great place for CodeIgniter modules, so we don't have to customize everything. As this site grows, the CodeIgniter community will too.

Some other thoughts from the conference.
- There was not a PC in site. Everyone had a MacBook, and almost all of the software tools being used were for Macs. We might consider switching if we didn't do some .NET development, but it's very tempting.
- The CI community is relatively small, but is very active and growing internationally. There were over 90 people in attendance, and some came all the way from Germany and Sweden (despite there being a conference in London in October).
- We had been trying to decide between Git and Mercurial for our next source control implementation, and CodeIgniter moving from Mercurial to Git helped make our decision easier. A lot more people are using Git, and it's a huge upgrade from Subversion.
- Twitter is a great way to be an active member of a community by having regular contact and keeping up with what other people are working on, without having to watch forums all day. I plan to join Twitter soon and to start following many of the guys from the conference, because they have a lot of great things to say.
- Every one of the speakers at the conference were outgoing and easy to talk to - not your stereotypical programmers. Communication is becoming necessary for programmers, especially in an open source community....]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/CICON-2011Password Security
- One of the most common ways that hackers are finding passwords is simply by trying a lot of common passwords and seeing what works. Scripts can be written to try tens of thousand passwords a second, so they can guess a lot of things. One of the most effective ways to beat this technique is to avoid using dictionary words or names in your password. But this makes it difficult to actually remember your password. So one way to beat the brute-force method is to use a password that repeats a character a lot of times. So say for example you use pickles5 as your password. Try using pickles5^^^^^^^^^^ instead. Just remember the number of special characters to add at the end of your password, and it makes your password much longer. Similarly you could just duplicate each key that you press, and make your password ppiicckklleess55. The longer and stranger your password is, the less likely it will be broken by brute-force.

- A common way that hackers are getting passwords for secured systems is by assuming that people use the same user name, email address, and password for multiple sites (called password entropy). This is very true for most users, because it's difficult enough to remember one good password. One way to prevent having all of your services hacked is by coming up with a different specific ending to your password depending on the site you are visiting. So say you again use pickles5 for your password. Try using pickles5G for your gmail account, and pickles5Y for your Yahoo! account. This way, if someone gets your password for one site, it's unlikely they will be able to guess your passwords for the different sites that you use.

- People have developed online password managers to help you keep track of passwords for different websites. Just remember one user and password, and the managers handle all of the sites that you log into. I haven't used one myself, but you want to choose a site that you can trust.

These techniques help beat the commonly used methods for now - but the hackers are innovating just as quickly as the hacker prevention tools are. Understanding what hacking methods are out there and using passwords with techniques that are not commonly used is the best way to keep yourself safe....]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/Password-SecurityFacebook stuck with MySQL?http://gigaom.com/cloud/facebook-trapped-in-mysql-fate-worse-than-death/

Choosing MySQL is a very common practice for web-based software. It's inexpensive, easy to configure for initial use, and it works very effectively. But it was not built with the intent of housing mountains of data like Facebook does. But you don't want to start with an Oracle database on a project that might not take off due to its costs. So what database should you choose for your project?

The answer is - you don't choose! An application can actually maintain database independence more easily than it seems. At Ethix Systems, we build our applications using an ORM solution that supports MySQL, PgSQL, MSSQL, Oracle, and Sqlite among others. By doing so, we can ensure that choosing a database is not an issue at the start of the project and that it will not become an issue as the project grows and matures.

Had Facebook implemented a similar solution, they would not have the issues that plague their database administrators currently. Fortunately, we have learned from their mistakes and will be avoiding that particular problem for our clients....]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/Facebook-stuck-with-MySQL?Code Documentationhighly recommended programming companies in the area? One of the things that help us to stand out is that we build an application not just for today, but for 5 weeks from now, 5 months from now, and 5 years from now.

One of the many ways that we do this is by commenting our code effectively. Ask any programmer what their least favorite task is, and you'll likely hear this one a lot. But it's extremely important to do so. Most people might look at a block of code and wonder "what does that mean?" Well, usually a year after a programmer has created some code, even he or she looks at it and thinks "what does this do?" In addition, trying to review another programmer's code can be very challenging, since no one person thinks in the exact same way.

While we pride ourselves on training our staff to work on projects the right way, each programmer can have a different coding style. Thus, it becomes very important to document our code both thoroughly and accurately to make sure that someone else can pick up where they left off if necessary.

We use phpDoc notation to comment our client projects for three reasons. The first is because it is familiar. phpDoc is derived from JavaDoc, which is one of the most popular standards of code commenting available. Second, it is comprehensive. It contains information about when the file was created, when it was last updated, who all has made changes in the file, a description of its purpose, and basic information about its input and output. This ensures that reviewing the code is much simpler and less frustrating. Comments are much easier to understand than trying to derive the logic and what the coder was thinking at the time.

The final reason is because we can provide substantial code documentation very easily. phpDocumentor is a tool that converts JavaDoc-style comments into literal code documentation. While we don't have a publicly available example of phpDocumentor in action, it is used by a large number of open source projects, such as TCPDF. An example of their documentation is located here.

This is one way that our clients can sleep soundly knowing that the code of their application can be easily understood and worked on by anyone familiar with PHP programming and the CodeIgniter framework....]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/Code-DocumentationHaving a Successful Internship Program
So here are my tips to having a successful internship program.

- Seek out ambition. If you are comparing one student who has experience and a student who has done things on their own, see what your gut tells you. You may have to spend more time training someone with raw talent, but it will pay dividends down the road when you assign them a task and they can run with it.

- Spend time up front with them. One-on-one training is very time-consuming. But if you have an intern doing only busy-work, they will never truly feel like a part of your team. You will have a much more dedicated employee when you devote the time to train and teach them how to perform more critical functions.

- Give them responsibility. If they don't think that they have the power to do anything important, they won't feel that they are necessary to your organization. Even just giving them a key to your office and asking them to open or lock up makes a huge difference in feeling important.

- Pay them reasonably. Unpaid internships with prestige are rare. If you have an intern and you pay them well, they will treat the job with respect and will acknowledge that responsibility. If the student is unpaid and they have a big test coming up, they may decide to not show up. Make it worth their while to help you.

- Give them different tasks to do. They are still trying to find that dream job, and allowing them to try different things helps them to learn about what they like and what they don't like. Additionally, having them use different skills allows you to find their strengths and weaknesses. One of our programming interns happened to write excellent sales proposals. Just make sure that they are interested in branching out past their job description.

- Get and give feedback. Everyone wants to get better at what they do. Give them opportunities to grow as a person, and they will relish the chance. They will also have a different perspective about your organization and might give you some great insight....]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/Having-a-Successful-Internship-ProgramGoogle Apps free accounts reduced
Please note that educational and non-profit accounts will not be affected by this....]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/Google-Apps-free-accounts-reducedSoftware Power Consumption
Computers use power as their resources are needed to be used. If the CPU is being taxed, it will require more power. The same thing is true of the hard drive, CD drive, and any other peripheral device. So it's true that well designed software will have a lower power-consumption hit than poorly designed software, since well-designed software will use fewer resources. However, many factors go into designing a software program aside from performance. These include efficiency of development, maintenance, and time to develop. As a result, performance is considered, but not often made a primary point of emphasis unless you're working with an enormous set of users, an enormous set of data, or are developing for handheld devices (where power usage is a huge concern).

In most cases, web software should be more green than most other software implementation models since it uses a thin-client model, assuming there are more than a handful of users. Let's say you have 50 users running a program. On a traditional software model, each of those 50 machines will be running a localized version of the software. They will be connecting to a centralized database, performing calculations, and storing information locally, thus increasing power consumption for each of those users. In a web-based application, the server performs the bulk of the calculations - only the JavaScript requires calculations, and only cookie and session information is actually stored on the hard drive. So the server shoulders the bulk of the power-usage, while the clients require very little. Server operating systems are much more energy-efficient since a significant portion of a server-farm's budget is for electricity. So while I have no statistics to support my theories, I believe that by using web technologies, Ethix Systems develops software that is just as green, if not greener, than most others.

We as a company have not made conscious decisions to use power-efficient solutions for our clients, as we are primarily trying to find the ideal solution from a business logic and implementation perspective. However, by building programs that are well-designed and laid out ahead of time and by using web technologies, our programs inherently are about as green as they come. It's interesting to think about and to consider as we develop using newer technologies and paradigms....]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/Software-Power-ConsumptionRadiation Level Chart
You can find the link at www.xkcd.com/radiation. Hopefully you will learn something!...]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/Radiation-Level-ChartSoftware Seminar
Part of our Mission Statement at Ethix Systems is to help educate people in how software should be purchased, tested, used, and maintained. As a part of our this effort, in conjunction with the Small Business Development Center at Saint Vincent College, we will be hosting a seminar entitled "Making Good Software Decisions for your Company" on March 30 from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM.

During this seminar, we will review a number of topics, including data entry, software customization, software licensing, database concerns, and how to avoid getting scammed. We will also focus on web technologies and whether or not free software is worth using.

I would recommend this seminar to any small business who struggles delegating tasks to their employees and staying organized, as well as to mid-sized companies who struggle with efficiency and have no idea of how well their company is doing at any given time. These are some problems that having the right software would solve. Also anyone just interested in learning more about how software works and what different technology options exist would find value in this seminar.

The cost is $40/person - if you're interested in attending, please fill out the form at the bottom of the flier, located here....]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/Software-SeminarTake payments on the go
A product by Square, Inc. now lets you use your iPhone, iPad, or Android device to accept credit card payments. The credit card reader is free and it plugs right into your phone. Just download the free app on your phone, register an account with Square, and you're good to go. There is no contract, and the payments deposit directly into your bank account. You just enter the amount of the purchase in the app, the user swipes their card and uses their finger to sign directly on the screen, and voila - the payment is taken. The cost is reasonable too, - 2.75% of the purchase may seem high, but when you consider that there are no merchant services, startup fees, or monthly requirements, it's very reasonable. There is also an option to manually enter the card number at a slightly increased cost of 3.25% + 15 cents.

Some people this could definitely help:
- A company who accepts one or two credit card transactions each month
- A musician selling recorded CDs at shows
- A street or travelling performer
- A craft-maker selling wares at weekend festivals
- A beggar..wait, how's a beggar getting a smart phone? Never mind.

Check it out at www.squareup.com....]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/Take-payments-on-the-goMobile Development - Know the Facts
1. iPhones/iPads are not the only mobile platform that matter

While Apple has the pizazz and much of the attention right now, Android devices are growing faster and are approaching Apple's market share. Also, Blackberry still has the lion's share of business users, and Windows Phone 7 is new, so that may come into the picture soon.

2. Developing the same app for two different platforms is like building two different applications.

Well sort of...much of the logic and interface layouts for the apps would be the same. But the actual programming would be completely separate since each uses a different programming language and paradigm.

3. Mobile websites can adequately replace the need for an app in some cases.

An app has wonderful marketing potential - the user sees your app's icon just by looking around on their phone. Plus it can run without internet access and can utilize more of the phone's resources, giving it a better user experience. Plus it gives your organization more credibility by having a custom-developed app.

However, in some cases a mobile site is sufficient. For example, you don't need an app for your online store - you just need a mobile version of your store available so people can still easily browse and purchase from you on the go. Mobile sites do not require publishing to an app store, continual update pushes, or device-specific development, so they carry a cost and maintenance advantage in most cases.


In short, there is not one easy answer for where to start with your mobile app ideas - it will usually depend on the app's resource needs, your target market, your time-line, and your budget....]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/Mobile-Development---Know-the-FactsVerizon iPhone - a step toward more choice?
Let me explain what I mean. Right now when you need cell phone service, you go to a service provider and talk to them about purchasing a phone. They allow you to browse their available selection of phones, you purchase your phone, and then you leave with a 2 year service plan.

Is it just me, or does it seem a little crazy to purchase both at the same time? Do you walk into your favorite internet service provider's store to purchase a PC or laptop? Do you go to your favorite gas station to purchase a car? Cell phones and cell phone service may depend on each other, but they are essentially separate services in the same industry. Verizon, AT&T, etc. are simply representing the phone developers in their store with their small selection of available phones. Why can't we use whatever phone we want with whomever's service we want?

There's one really big reason: not all networks work the same way. The new Verizon iPhones are very different from the AT&T iPhones. The Verizon phones will not work on AT&T's network, and vice versa. No phone works equally as well on any given network. But imagine being able to choose your phone and your provider separately. It opens up a new world of choice for the consumer! But the way the cell-phone market is currently, this separation would be impossible. Networks are way too different.

So what does the iPhone have to do with this? It costs Apple money to make two different iPhones - one for Verizon and one for AT&T. Can Apple put enough pressure on Verizon and AT&T to force them to narrow the gap between their network differences? Will other phone developers follow suit? It would require Apple and others to take a stand and require the service providers to change. Will this happen overnight? Certainly not. Will this happen eventually? I hope so. But you'd better believe that service providers will be fighting tooth and nail to prevent it....]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/Verizon-iPhone---a-step-toward-more-choice?User agents
...]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/User-agentsPhones replacing wallets - a matter of when, not if
...]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/Phones-replacing-wallets---a-matter-of-when,-not-ifOnline shopping - do your research
...]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/Online-shopping---do-your-researchCI 2.0 - Helping to Stop Phishing
...]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/CI-2.0---Helping-to-Stop-PhishingNew Addition to the Team!

Feel free to check out Joe's employee profile in the Our Team section of our website....]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/New-Addition-to-the-Team!Firesheep - who's watching you?
...]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/Firesheep---who's-watching-you?Digital Warfare
...]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/Digital-WarfarejQuery ThemeRoller
ThemeRoller only requires css classes in your html tags. Example,
< td class="ui-widget-header" >
In this example, the td will be styled with whatever theme you choose from the theme roller for the header via jQuery.

After you roll a css theme onto your headers, content, buttons, etc. simply download the custom css and include it in your page.

This tool allows much flexibility in your styling, especially in the case of a color scheme change if you are programming a web app which you plan on selling to multiple clients.

Check out this link and play with your own styles!...]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/jQuery-ThemeRollerHappy Programmers' Day
...]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/Happy-Programmers'-DayFacebook, aka Intern's Playground facebook. Please be sure to check us out for short timely updates like this one!...]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/Facebook,-aka-Intern's-PlaygroundFree Software Installation
...]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/Free-Software-InstallationSSL Certificates - Part 1
...]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/SSL-Certificates---Part-1New Ethix Systems Intern
...]]>http://www.ethixsystems.com/blog/all/New-Ethix-Systems-Intern