We have this code. Currently this is small (110k) dll. This dll can download and update files from internet. Update information stored on server in XML format. Currently this dll have interface only for C++. Now we don't distribute or support this dll. But if you want you can test this technology. WinMp3Locator (www.winmp3locator.com) already use this tehnology. Sprry for my bad english. Vladimir Romanov (vromanov@reget.com) =======================update.h===================== #pragma once #ifndef NO_UPDATE_LOG #include "RgLog.h" #endif static const UINT wm_UpdatePresent=RegisterWindowMessage("AutoUpdatePresent"); static const UINT wm_UpdateFinished=RegisterWindowMessage("AutoUpdateFinished"); static const UINT wm_UnlockFile=RegisterWindowMessage("AutoUpdateUnlockFile"); // lParam - it is the handle for further passing to GetMessageInfo BOOL InitUpdateSystem ( LPCSTR szUpdateID, LPCSTR szUpdateURL, LPCSTR szRegKey = NULL); // szUpdateID -Id of update // szUpdateURL - URL of update // szRegKey - main registry key // it should be subkey of HKCU // by default using Software\\ReGet Software\\AutoUpdate // return FALSE if case of error void SetCookie(LPCSTR szCookie = NULL); // szCookie - it would be sent as referer BOOL UpdateFromFile ( LPCSTR szFileName ); // szFileName - File with information about update // return FALSE if case of error BOOL IsAnyUpdateAvailable ( BOOL bForce = TRUE ); // bForce - FALSE check only new update // TRUE check all updates BOOL DownloadUpdate(BOOL bCheckUpdate, BOOL bAskForPackages, HWND hWnd); // downloads update in separate process // if CheckUpdate is TRUE new information will be retreived from server // if AskForPackages is TRUE the message about packages would be shown BOOL GetMessageInfo(LPARAM lParam, LPSTR szBuffer, int nBufferLength); // it is used for getting information about UnlockFile Message void RunAfterExit(LPCSTR szName); // it is uset for post an application to queue for further run (after update) void SetupUpdateSystem(); // it cleans the registry only #ifndef NO_UPDATE_LOG extern CRgLog g_UpdateLog; #endif #ifndef AUTOUPDATE_EXPORTS # ifdef _DEBUG # pragma comment(lib,"T:\\AutoUpdate\\debug\\Update.lib") # else # pragma comment(lib,"T:\\AutoUpdate\\Release\\Update.lib") # endif #endif //AUTOUPDATE_EXPORTS ============ Update.xml file sample ===============

Well, It's not quite that big a deal... I mean, they use the word "ball" a lot in the Olympics, and that means pretty much the same thing in the US.

Advertising is a funny thing. I'm sure most people get a ton of junk mail in their letter boxes, and many would wish their (snail) mail boxes weren't full of this crap day in, day out. However, what about the times when you get a catalogue from someone you are actually REALLY interested in (eg Gadgets R Us or something) - then it's great. Or what if there is a huge sale on stuff you actually want, and you don't get a catalogue and so miss out? Or again, what if there is a free offer on something you hadn't ever thought of using/buying? Then the ad is kinda useful. I think online ads are exactly the same - but with the added bonus that they never clog up your mail box. Maybe I'm strange but I actually like well targeted banner ads. From what I've been reading on some of the news feeds it actually looks like online advertising is increasing, not decreasing. It's certainly cheaper, and a lot easier to have it be seen by those who you feel would be interested. cheers, Chris Maunde

I think it is time for Chicken George to go. He seems to be the least entertaining of them all now. Only problem is that with him gone, Cassandra will stand out too much and will probably be the next one

This is true but you're missing the point. Most text containing hyperlinks contains a description of what the link is for. In this case, the link's description didn't say much about it except that it was for those with "LD relationships". It said nothing about it containing sexual material, which to most (if not all) companies is highly objectionable. So what Jamie is asking for is just a warning message for any links that may be considered objectionable by corporate "big brothers". I don't think he personally had anything against the link itself but his superiors may have thought differently and he just didn't want to deal with such an issue. Personally, I agree with him. Regards, Alvaro

I drink cheap wine. I find it allows me to focus more clearly on my task and provide insight. Also, being drunk allows me the luxury of not really caring to much about whether or not my task gets finished. BTW Anybody know where I can find a job

Just tested out my cable connection at home. I got 1027 Kbps and 125.3 Kbytes/sec. I was also streaming audio at the same time ( sorry, I just can't turn off that radio :). I guess I'll have to wait to see how many of my neighbours sign up for cable before I start running around with my hedge clippers! Snip, Snip

Paul wrote: With more and more life coming into the Linux community, it will become very difficult to justify any time on Windows. Interesting comment in hindsight - over 6 years on and Windows is still very strong. Vista is becoming available and a lot of people will be making the switch. I tried Linux a few months back and as far as I can see it still isn't suitable as a home or desktop system yet. I don't have the time to learn how to fiddle about with the settings in order to get something to work that just plugs and plays on Windows. I spent a fair few days trying to figure out how to get a network card to work before I gave up and reinstalled windows. Linux will improve, but it still has a long way to go before it becomes generally acceptable as a desktop operating system. Upcoming Scottish Developers events: * Glasgow: Tell us what you want to see in 2007 My: Website | Blog | Photos

Testing testing

Hi Jonathan, Although I don't believe that any intellectual property issues exist with zLib, who legally warrants that there aren't any? Can you sue the authors or the legal counsel that reviewed the library if they were wrong? FWIW, I think Intellectual property issues are of paramount concern. Ask any corporate counsel in any corporation with a worth of more than $20M, people lose a lot of sleep over this (and corporations spend a lot of time in court over this). Particulary in the areas of compression, encryption, delta comparisons, etc. Although our library doesn't use zLib, I don't see any problem in Stingray utilizing a standard library in their toolkit, unless they aren't being up-front about it. Simply cleaning up the interface and making it easier to use with MFC would be of value, and certainly worth the $495/70 classes = $7 that a developer would pay for it, considering that they *are* warranting it, and are legally liable if there in-fact is an intellectual property issue. In the end of course it is personal choice. Far too often however our fellow developers put code into their applications without thought of its origin, of warranties, and of these legal issues and put themselves and their employers at risk. I have no doubt that companies that are serious about using libraries like zLib (such as Microsoft or AOL) solicit an outside legal opinion on intellectual property issues before including it in anything important. That's how they get their intellectual property protection, from their legal counsel (if they are wrong they can sue their lawyers.) Anyway, legal stuff gives me a headache :) In short, I heartfully say that it is not a non-issue!

COOL was (C) based (O)bject (O)riented (L)anguag

>> If you know where it is suppoosed to be.. << Trust me, you don't want to go there.... PL/I has the annoying behavior of whenever it finds an error, it would print an error message, and then GUESS at what it though you meant. It almost always guessed wrong. Anyway, what would you WANT it to do? Just silently ignore the error? But what if it's guess is not what you actually wanted. (Using an undecalred datat type will erroneously give you that message). Should it get an error, but continue? But then, your correctly working program would still produce dozens of errors. You'll have to fix them eventually. Should it edit your source code? But again, what if it's view of the problem isn't the real trouble?

I looked all over for something like this for one of my applications. The only thing I found was the TxText control. I believe it is made in Germany, but is availalbe from Programmers Paradise. It is both a Rich Text and HTML editor and viewer. I believe it works as an OCX/DLL or such, and they have a nice trial version so you can play with it and see if it does what you want. It hasa lot of nice features, but of course it is complicated to use. However, an HTML editor is by it's nature complicated. It is also cheap and with no runtime royalties if I remember correctly. Just so you know, I wound up never using it. I left the functionality out of the app. Email me if you can't find it

G'day Daniel, >> I love your analogy of "cracking a peanut with a sledge hammer" I wish I could take credit for that one, but must confess to hearing it from someone else recently, and rather liking it. The report designer (tentatively called 'Report Studio') is a great example of just how handy web sites like Code Project are. After thinking about writing something like this for a few weeks, I decided to make a start one wet, miserable weekend. I started out downloading copious quantities of code from Code Project and Code Guru. Two hours later I started work on the program. About ten hours later I had the shell of the program running and it could to the basics:- - Draw a blank page on screen, - Zoom/scale/scroll the page, - Nifty ruler bars, - Flip between millimetres and inches on the page/rulers, - Drag-n-drop guide lines from the ruler bars, - Drag/reposition page margins from the ruler bars, - Dockable control bar (like the project window in VC++), - VC++ like push-pin properties box for drawing entities, - Serialization of report layouts via .INI like files (I'll add a binary file format later, but text files are handy for debugging). - Fully customizable tool and control bars, - A bunch of other neat stuff. The biggest job, by far, has been adding all the credits to the About Box! Granted, I wrote some fairly ratty code piecing all these things together, but my 'instant gratification' gene kicked in and I really wanted to see something on screen, yesterday. :-) Still, not bad for a days work. If I get the chance, I might throw a couple of pages of screen shots up on our web site to keep interested parties abreast of progress. Stev

Thanks for the tip. I've just tried it, and it's infinitely easier than InstallShield. I finished setting up the installallation in 10 minutes and no help info required. It's a beauty!

I would imagine that there will eventually be some kind of decomplier. But since all the new MS languages (with the exception of unmanaged C++) compile down to the same IL(theoretically), who knows what it will decompile to? My guess is that it will be more of a dissasembler that breaks the IL down into something human more readable, but probably not source code. -Mik

I think the point behind web services is to really allow software to interoperate, and to finally release the legions of human beings that keyboard enter accounting documents to find a higher calling. Internet sites that now attempt to cover their costs through advertising may not be a good fit for webservices, and maybe sites like google, or goto that rank paid links higher will lead in the web services arena. It's hard to tell right now. Microsoft's Biztalk initiative is pretty key in the whole webservices plan. It hopes to specify the "interfaces" that link disparate business processes, and to join together all the different mechanisms by which organizations now exchange standard information. Imagine standard interfaces that would allow you, using Quickbooks, to send an invoice electronically to your client, who uses Peachtree. Imagine a standard format that all accounting packages accepted. EDI has promised this for years and years, but only the largest companies have put it in place. No question that a whole series of web services will emerge, like Microsoft's Passport architecture, that will become fundamental pieces of application development. There will be standard services for currency exchange, payroll deduction calculations, translation, calculating shipping costs (no question FedEx and others have this in the works), etc. and it will be adventageous for we as applications developers to make use of these services. Will we all run out tomorrow and buy subscriptions to a whole list of webservices... I doubt it. But I do believe that vendors will certainly open up their systems to make it easier to integrate with their systems. That's a more reasonable economic driver IMO. I don't think

Actually, this information is incorrect. One program manager did say this, but was immediate reversed by a higher up program manager. WTL will stay unsupported, but it will get improvements. I hear the next version of the Platform SDK may well have a number of improvements to it. But, Microsofts primary direction is .NET.

Wow This shows the depth of knowledge here in the Lounge ! Thanx again Regardz Coli

I have to agree. Having used WAP devices, and spent some time learning the coding environment, I have to say it's pretty hard to understand how this is going to change the world of computing. I see WAP being used for notification and confirmation stuff mostly ("Your MSFT stock is at $90, do you wish to sell?" with a Yes/No selection available.) I get a headache when I think about typing in a search term into google using the number keys.. Arg. I see cell phones really being 2 way pagers until voice recognition really comes in, and despite all the advances there, it will still be years and years. Tablets, AutoPCs, etc., I can see that going, but WAP is too simple to make that really valuable. The cellphone as payment device idea is cool. You walk up to a Coke Machine, hold up your cell phone, it says "Would you like to transfer $.95 into this pop machine" Yes/No. That would be valuable, but lord knows how long that kind of infrastructure is from being available. Hmmm