Working with Eclipse for nearly half a year has definitely messed with my shortcut-fu for DrJava. I keep pressing the wrong buttons now:
| Function | Eclipse | DrJava |
|---|---|---|
| Go to class under cursor | F3 | F6 |
| Go to class | Ctrl-Shift-T | Ctrl-Shift-G |
| Run unit tests | F11 / Ctrl-F11 | Ctrl-Shift-T |
| Find next | Ctrl-K | F3 |
Very confusing indeed.
I decided to pick up working on this file I/O bug in DrJava again, though, and I verified that the font dialog in Windows 7 is verifiable problematic.
Economy class seat + first class notebook = not enough space to put the paper down. We’ll see if this work pays off.
According to Nature, about 37,000 PhDs are awarded annually.
If there were that many degree recipients during the last 100 years (and there weren’t), and if all of them are still alive (they aren’t), then there’d be 3.7 million people with a PhD.
As an upper bound, that’s a quite small number. Or, inversely, we constitute less than about 0.05% of the world population.
My time in graduate school is over. A friend just turned my dissertation in for me. Dr. Mathias Ricken is done.
I had a great time. Thanks to everyone who helped.
I really like my MacBook Pro. I bought it to make finishing my thesis more enjoyable, and I’ve got to say, it worked. A couple of weeks ago, when I finished the last couple of chapters, I realized how nice it nonetheless is to hook the MacBook Pro up to a real monitor.
After that, I looked around for docking stations, and unfortunately, there aren’t many. The HengeDock seemed nice enough, though, so I ordered one.
The HengeDock arrived today. It was nicely packaged in a style that matches that of Apple, and it came with all the cables except for the Mini DisplayPort connector and the power adapter, which is understandable, those cost $30 and $80.
I began to feed the cables through the holes on the bottom, attached them to my notebook, and then attempted to insert it into the dock. Unfortunately, this is quite difficult. It took me a very long time to get them all lined up again with the holes on the bottom of the dock.
Once that was done, I struggled with lining up the cables so all of them make a connection at the same time, Most of the time, the power adapter couldn’t connect. Finally, I got that done, and I could actually work on a real monitor.
Unfortunately, when I pulled the MacBook Pro out of the dock, the Mini DisplayPort adapter came along. So I re-aligned everything and tightened the screws some more.
This is where the HengeDock has real problems. There are competing concerns of keeping the connectors in place and not breaking the thin pieces of plastic at the bottom. In the end, neither happened. The plastic broke and the connector still moved around.
Regrettably, I can’t recommend the HengeDock. It’s going back to the manufacturer.
A Framework for Testing Concurrent Programs
A Framework for Testing Concurrent Programs
by
Mathias Guenter Ricken
A thesis submitted
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree
Doctor of Philosophy
This study proposes a new framework that can effectively apply unit testing to concurrent programs, which are difficult to develop and debug. Test-driven development, a practice enabling developers to detect bugs early by incorporating unit testing into the development process, has become wide-spread, but it has only been effective for programs with a single thread of control. The order of operations in different threads is essentially non-deterministic, making it more complicated to reason about program properties in concurrent programs than in single-threaded programs. Because hardware, operating systems, and compiler optimizations influence the order in which operations in different threads are executed, debugging is problematic since a problem often cannot be reproduced on other machines. Multi-core processors, which have replaced older single-core designs, have exacerbated these problems because they demand the use of concurrency if programs are to benefit from new processors.
The existing tools for unit testing programs are either flawed or too costly. JUnit, for instance, assumes that programs are single-threaded and therefore does not work for concurrent programs; ConTest and rstest predate the revised Java memory model and make incorrect assumptions about the operations that affect synchronization. Approaches such as model checking or comprehensive schedule-based execution are too costly to be used frequently. All of these problems prevent software developers from adopting the current tools on a large scale. The proposed framework (i) improves JUnit to recognize errors in all threads, a necessary development without which all other improvements are futile, (ii) places some restrictions on the programs to facilitate automatic testing, (iii) provides tools that reduce programmer mistakes, and (iv) re-runs the unit tests with randomized schedules to simulate the execution under different conditions and on different machines, increasing the probability that errors are detected.
The improvements and restrictions, shown not to seriously impede programmers, reliably detect problems that the original JUnit missed. The execution with randomized schedules reveals problems that rarely occur under normal conditions.
With an effective testing tool for concurrent programs, developers can test programs more reliably and decrease the number of errors in spite of the proliferation
of concurrency demanded by modern processors.
This morning, I spent about two hours analyzing log files and entering the results into an Excel spreadsheet. Excel decided to make my file 105 MB in size and then crashed.
Tonight, I replaced myself with a very small shell script. Instead of looking at each file individually, I simply used grep, sort and uniq:
% grep -o "Iteration 10" RSTestOne_normal_*.txt | sort|uniq -c
3188 RSTestOne_normal_Dell9200Core2Duo_20110210-224947.txt:Iteration 10
94 RSTestOne_normal_MacBookPro_20110118-102839.txt:Iteration 10
219 RSTestOne_normal_MacBookPro_20110119-143932.txt:Iteration 10
232 RSTestOne_normal_MacBookPro_20110124-155633.txt:Iteration 10
227 RSTestOne_normal_MacBookPro_20110207-155452.txt:Iteration 10
233 RSTestOne_normal_MacBookPro_20110210-170206.txt:Iteration 10
98 RSTestOne_normal_MacBook_20110120-230432.txt:Iteration 10
98 RSTestOne_normal_MacBook_20110218-164521.txt:Iteration 10
316 RSTestOne_normal_MacBook_20110220-044628.txt:Iteration 10
314 RSTestOne_normal_MacBook_20110221-055041.txt:Iteration 10
Today, Ian Barland informed me that someone on the AP-CS mailing list believed he found a virus in DrJava. Let me reassure you, if you download from drjava.org or SourceForge, our software is virus-free. We build on Linux or Mac systems and only test on Windows, which makes a virus infection even less likely.
Our software has also been independently certified as clean by hosting
providers such as DowloadRoute, DoDownload,
GearDownload,
and DownloadAtlas. We even got this clunky award images:
I also just commissioned an online virus scan of the latest DrJava development release, drjava-20110205-r5425, using VirusTotal, a free service that uses over 30 different anti-malware products, and our software came out clean. Here are the reports for the exe file (exe file directly downloaded from SourceForge), the jar file (jar file directly downloaded from SourceForge), and the Mac application (Mac application directly downloaded from SourceForge).
Not that I ever had a doubt, but DrJava is virus-free.
I would be interested in seeing more information about this virus
infection report, like what virus scanner was used, what virus was
reported, and where the user downloaded the file.
I’m glad Ian brought this to our attention. We need to take even a false positive seriously.
When I use Android’s speech-to-text to enter my name, I get “Matt yes I can.” I like it!
Although I’m still looking for replacements of the incredibly shoddy SplashData applications SplashMoney and SplashID, which constantly crash on Android, I am very happy with my Android phone.
As part of our knowledge (back) transfer, I wrote up these instructions for creating a fresh build of all parts of DrJava and then making a new release on SourceForge.
Note: Our build process is currently broken for Windows machines (see
“instructions below for building just DrJava”, step 6, “Make the
release and put it into Subversion”.)
Note: Which compile-??? targets you can run depends on the platform
you are compiling on. You need to be on a Mac to run compile-mac and
on Windows to run compile-windows. Since the compiled classes are
stored in Subversion, you can always do
ant clean jar
to just get all the class files without recompiling.
find .. -name plt.jar -not -samefile plt.jar | xargs -n 1 cp -v plt.jar
Building the DrJava application (not the libraries) and making a new release:
ant clean release-local To create a beta release: ant clean release-local-beta To create a stable release: ant clean release-local-stable
ant release ant release-beta ant release-stable
You may want to add -Dtest-repeat=0 to the command line (e.g. ant
-Dtest-repeat=0 release). That tells Ant not to run the unit tests.
You can leave it out, but we just ran the unit tests, so it should not
be necessary to run them again.
Note that this step may ask you for your SourceForge password if you
have never committed code to Subversion from the computer you are
working on.
Available for download at http://drjava.org . DrJava is a lightweight programming environment for Java designed to foster test-driven software development. It includes an intelligent program editor, an interactions pane for evaluating program text, a source level debugger, and a unit testing tool. In addition to bug fixes, thisrelease includes a number of new features introduced after the last release: Note: Java 1.4 compatibility has been dropped. To use DrJava, you will need Java 5 or newer. New features since the last release: - list of new features since the last beta/development release Bug fixes since last release: - list of bug fixes since the last beta/development release New features since the last stable release: - list of new features since the last stable release Bug fixes since the last stable release: - list of bug fixes since the last stable release
Dear DrJava Users: We have made a new <stable/beta/development> version available: <tag> You can download it from the DrJava website at http://drjava.org/ or from SourceForge.net by following this link: <link> You receive this email because you have subscribed to a DrJava mailing list.
Replace the <link> part with the link to the SourceForge page that has
the files for this release, i.e. the website you navigated to in step
19. Example: https://sourceforge.net/projects/drjava/files/2.%20DrJava%20Development%20Releases/drjava-20110205-r5425/
<!--#include virtual="beta.shtml"-->
to
<!--include virtual="beta.shtml"-->
and
<!--#include virtual="devrelease.shtml"-->
to
<!--include virtual="devrelease.shtml"-->
If you made a beta release, you want the hash mark for the #include of
the beta.shtml file, but not for the devrelease.shtml file. If you
made a development release, you probably want the hash mark for the
devrelease.shtml file, but not for the beta.shtml file.
<!--include virtual="beta_long.shtml" -->
and
<!--include virtual="devrelease_long.shtml" -->
My apt building was struck by lightning Monday afternoon, and that fried half the building, apparently. Power was off for a day, the elevator is broken, and it killed my DSL modem and an ethernet card, even though both were behind surge protectors and UPSes. I just got a DGND3300v2 DSL modem/router to replace the dead 2Wire HomePortal 2700, and I’m setting up my firewall.
Do I have to enter the IP address of the computer in the LAN manually? I use DHCP and the IP can change. The HomePortal allowed me to assign firewall rules to a MAC. The same problem occurs with port forwarding.
Is that not possible with the DGND3300v2?
PS: The lack of gigabit ethernet on a product of this price is a sore disappointment, too.
Update
IP addresses can be reserved for MACs under router login > LAN setup> address reservation.
Update 2
Except in the latest firmware, V2.1.00.48_1.00.48NA, you can’t. Address reservation doesn’t work because of a Netgear bug *sigh*
I’ve noticed that SplashID crashes as well. I think I will try to find a replacement and than ask SplashData for a refund. $60 for this collection of fail is way too much.
Jorte is pretty nice as a calendar, but I still haven’t found one that allows me to enter time zones. Do Android users not travel?
On the other hand, Astrid is a pretty good task planner, and I think I’m getting the hang of Swype. I just wish the virtual keyboard were a little bigger. Using Swype is definitely faster than typing letter by letter, but the physical keyboard on the Palm Treo was better… at least before it broke. I should just get over it.
We have made a new development release available: drjava-20110205-r5425. You can download it from the DrJava website or from SourceForge.
Available for download at http://drjava.org .
DrJava is a lightweight programming environment for Java designed to foster test-driven software development. It includes an intelligent program editor, an interactions pane for evaluating program text, a source level debugger, and a unit testing tool.
In addition to bug fixes, this development release includes a number of new features introduced after the last stable release:
The language level facility has been changed to consist of two language levels, Functional Java (corresponding to the old Intermediate level) and Full Java. The old files can still be compiled, but DrJava will ask if it should rename .dj0 and .dj1 to .dj and .dj2 files to .java.
DrJava’s compiler support has been improved, and DrJava now supports compiling files with file extensions other than .java, .dj, .dj0, .dj1, and .dj2. This includes support for Habanero Java .hj files, provided the Habanero Java compiler is installed.
DrJava preferences like indent level can now be stored on a per- project basis (see “Project Properties”, “Advanced”).
Note: Java 1.4 compatibility has been dropped. To use DrJava, you will
need Java 5 or newer.
New features since the last stable release:
Bug fixes since last stable release:
I have found that SplashID is buggy too. It crashes every other time I start it. I guess it’s time to say goodbye to SplashData. They don’t have their act together anymore.
I found Jorte to be a pretty good calendar replacement, although I’m not happy with the way time zones are treated. What good is a calendar if I have to convert times in my head?
I do have my calendar items and contacts on my phone again now, so I feel less amputated now anymore.
The turn-by-turn navigation is pretty cool. It uses a lot of battery though, so I need to get a car charger.
I’m writing this using the Android WordPress app, by the way. It avoids having to scroll and zoom the website in the browser.
How embarrassing. Gmail’s auto-completion changed for me today because I merged contacts on my Google and phone accounts. I frequently forward emails to “me” to have them stored on my private email as well, but “me” wasn’t me anymore. Instead, all the emails that I sent went to someone else (mexxx@xxxx.xxx) today.
I desperately need to re-train my muscle memory. I didn’t notice this until just now, 10 hours after the auto-completion changed.
I had used SplashMoney for Palm for years, and it was a fantastic product. When I got my new HTC EVO Android phone, getting SplashMoney was the first thing I did. Oh, what a disappointment that was.
This program is a real shame. It’s unusable. I’m tempted to ask for my money back, but that doesn’t get rid of how disappointed I am. This is not SplashMoney, it’s TrashMoney. And there are so many problems with this piece of software, as is apparent from this forum, that it’s surprising that the latest version is two months old.
What’s going on, SplashData? What are your release plans? What bugs do you promise to fix, by when? What missing features do you promise to deliver?
Or do I really need to ask for my money back and look for a different product?
Yesterday I ended up buying a new phone. It was a pretty difficult decision, and I’m not nearly as sure that I made the right decision as when I bought my Palm Treo 755p over three years ago.
Initially I had planned to buy a BlackBerry because it is great with text, and text is what I do. However, I got the feeling that BlackBerry OS had started to fall behind, and I didn’t want to replace an old phone with one that was also already on the way out. It also seemed like I wouldn’t be able to customize the phone as much. BlackBerries look like they have exactly one way of doing things. And I figured I would miss the touch screen.
I didn’t really want to buy a Korean phone (“Buy North American or European!”), but there isn’t much else left. So it came down to the Samsung Epic and the HTC EVO. I liked the idea that the Epic had a physical keyboard, but it turned out to not be so good. I’m also always a bit skeptical of devices with hinges. The user interface of the HTC phones also look better. So the HTC EVO it was.
Getting the new phone involved upgrading from the SERO 500 plan for $30 a month to SERO Premium for $40/mo plus $10/mo 4G data surcharge. But $50 a month before taxes isn’t bad for an unlimited everything plan.
There are many things the EVO does very well. Watching YouTube videos use great. Browsing the web is amazing. Reading RSS feeds and listening to podcast is slick. And in landscape-mode, even writing this blog post with the on-screen keyboard is enjoyable.
I have experienced a few downsides too, though. The SplashMoney application for Android is terribly slow, almost unusable. And for both SplashMoney and SplashID, the desktop sync is a lot worse than for the Palm. But maybe that will improve.
I really don’t know what phone I should get to replace my trusted Palm Treo 755p. I really think there won’t be a phone that can match its utility. It’s not a flashy phone (my friends call it “the brick”), but it’s useful. It has a great keyboard, at least before it started to break down after 3 years of use. It is customizable. Palm OS lets me do pretty much anything. It can do tethering. It has physical buttons to access common functions, so much quicker to use than just a touch screen. I can use it in my sleep. But it also does have a touch screen…
But I do need a new phone. The keyboard has been giving me trouble (the 1, 4 and i keys are bad), and obviously it’s not being maintained by Sprint or Palm anymore. My battery is also giving up, and I don’t really want to buy a new battery for an old phone. So, what phone to get?
I’ve been considering the BlackBerry Curve 9330 and the BlackBerry Bold 9650. It seems like the main advantage of the Curve is the price: $49 for the Curve, $199 for the Bold. But the Bold supports GSM networks, so I could use it when I’m in Europe, too. (But would I want to? International roaming is really expensive, and I have a phone that works in Europe. I just need to carry two phones.) The camera is also supposed to be better on the Bold. I was told by a Sprint store employee that the Bold does not have BlackBerry OS 6, but that appears to be incorrect.
On the other hand, while I like the BlackBerry keyboards, I think I may miss the touch screen a bit (even though I’m very much a physical keyboard person), and it seems like BlackBerries aren’t as customizable. So maybe Android? But the only decent Android phones are all Korean. Bleh.
The Samsung Epic 4G has a supposedly good slide-out keyboard. The HTC EVO 4G has a huge screen. Most people say they stop using a physical keyboard and start using Swype. Both apparently have Android 2.2 now. When it comes to battery live, I hear mixed reports. Both Android phones are $199 for Sprint.
I think I like Android better than BlackBerry OS, but I haven’t played with Android enough yet. Another downside (at least financially) is that the Android devices are 4G phones that require an additional $10 monthly charge.
There is a bit of urgency, since there may be another $10 monthly charge for unlimited data usage beginning on January 30, 2011, although I have read reports that this does not apply to SERO Premium plans.
I think I’ll have to go back to the Sprint store and play with the Android phones.
Update
Here’s a feature matrix:
| Feature | BlackBerry Curve | BlackBerry Bold | HTC EVO | Samsung Epic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | + $49 | - $199 | - $199 | - $199 |
| GSM | + | |||
| Keyboard | + | + | + | |
| Touch screen | + | + | ||
| Android | + | + | ||
| BlackBerry OS 6 | + | + | ||
| Outlook Sync | + | + | + (?) | |
| Google Sync | ? | ? | + | + |
