Open Source In Personal Finance management

Got payed, finally!!!!!
Now to manage it. Which means, I need a software to manage it. And it turn out on linux, there is at least 2. One is Kmymoney, the other is gnu cash.

I still figure out how to use it fully. But overall, I prefer gnucash, it more easier to use in a glance. But kmymoney, seems to be able to do online transaction.

More article on this later

Realize that how I appreciate firefox 3.0

Was doing training for the job. The computer lab there, is a windows box, as most of the computer in malaysia(Which is kinda sucks.........), Which uses ie7.

But for some reason, my habits from using firefox 3.0 creeps in
1) I begin to type keyword in address bar, which don't work, on ie7
2) I pissed because ie7 do not have a save tab option when we close.
3) And more pissed because they do not have restore option when it crash.........

Gotta say, firefox 3.0 change the way I surf the web

Been Smuggling Program into Lab

Was doing training, in this computer lab, it is as usual we don't have admin right. And it have limited program, option.

Me being naughty as always, happens to have a few program stashed at the pendrive, it also happens that i rarely use it.

Turnout it is a interesting experiment. Now try to stuff as many program to the pendrive.

training today!!!

Was doing the pseudocode.
Was having nightmare because it is very strict. And very restrictive.
Try image we don't have local variable, and cannot pass parameter to function.
I am going nuts!!!!

Back to Programming 101: Pseudocode

Was training, and is learning software design all over again. Except, it is not ERD, nor it is UML.
Well it is pseudocode.

Which I have to remind myself, pseudocode is meant to be read not to be run. But I can't help to think, god, it is a very different notation. It is as if we are coding on cobol on mainframe, OHH Wait, it is design for cobol on mainframe...........

Also can't help to think, if they only have global variable................ The design treat there is a global variable, THE HORROR....................

Right, pseudocode, it is meant to be read, not run.

The training + 1 week

One realization after one week of mainframe training is,

1. Mainframe is a very different animal, it is not what one would call general purpose, not as flexible than say a server, or PC.
2. The OS require one to think in a very different way, like there is no file as we know it...
   
3. one could say, it have many behind the scene, enough to not to trust the system, one would wonder how security works.
4. And the software have backward compatibility in mind,
   
5. Which resulting in, certain process which is very arcane, like JCL
   
6. Certain software certainly look very ancient. Like the z/os interface. Again JCL.
   
7. But some very flexible in a way, like the VSAM........
8. And some have interesting features that other place don't have, such as the data set editor. Or in stream data in JCL(By then who do things like JCL anymore)
   
9. But it is really a hassle, to do certain thing, like one have to create a data set, before one can use it, I mean most programming language today actually able to create a file automatically not needing to give the low level details.
   
10. One would certainly appreciate UNIX design, or it just me get used to it. Or it just as I say, it is a different animal, for a different task, with a different design.......
    

Connecting to z/os from linux

One of the thing for my training is, using mainframe, except it is not located around the center, in fact, it is in china.

On one hand, this is where, remotely connect to the mainframe comes in, on windows there is ibm personal communicator for it. On linux there is a set of client software for it.

I tried x3270, which is not responsive, but the c3270, which is the curses based, is more responsive.

My training revisited

Begin to access the mainframe, learning to manipulate files. Erm data sets.
What really interesting is, the menu is suprisingly primitive.
Key board navigation? But it is simple enough. And some more advance features, like multiple panel, at one login.

Manipulating data sets have new rules. More rules than just simply creating file. But the editor is surprisingly quite advance. But is is productive, that need experience.

Honestly, other than windows, this must be a system, that break all the UNIX design methodology that I swore my self on.....

Was doing job training

Got a job, 2 weeks ago, but really after some mess, got it last wednesday, been through training, again, yes i have been through a few training for the last 4 years. So training again..........
And It is in a bank, or something like that

Then begin introduction of the mainframe system, today, on a saturday. Yes weekends. Learning, which one cool thing is, finally got a glimpse of a mainframe.

Did I just said mainframe, yup, it is. It is a cobol job on a mainframe. One just realize, running a mainframe is not easy, there is limitation. It is a totally different concept than, PC. Architecturally, system design. For one there is not file, or rather it have file, it just look somewhat diffent. One might consider it a dinosaur. It is different than what I know. What really strange is, I played with lisp, I don't think lisp is strange, but cobol and z/os, make me feel strange.

Maybe the I got used to studying hacker text, like the tao of programming. Maybe I just curious.

Now I have to figure out how to balance the old me, with the current me. Maybe I have to have a personal project using, mainstream language?

p.s Will be too busy, so it is have for me to blog

Hardy Heron+ 5days

Last week was doing a dist-upgrade from ubuntu 7.10 gutsy to ubuntu 8.04 hardy.
Here is what I found.
1) Not many new features, i mean visible one. The few are,
- policy kit
- pulseaudio
- firefox 3
- desktop effect on kubuntu
2) A few things don't work well, for example,
- ndiswrapper: It take some work around to make it work. it revolve around unloading the ssb and ndiswrapper module, then reload ndiswrapper first then ssb.
- Firefox 3: don't support all the plugins.
- kde4: the one in the repos don't work well, it works, with pulseaudio applet too, but, for some reason, gnome-panel seems to run at the same time.
3) Generally, most work better, more stable, But ubuntu don't have shutdown button any more, hmmmm

The verdict is, it is a worthy upgrade