October 2009 - main

VB
by Mathew Moore 15 Oct '09

15 Oct '09

My names Mathew, I've been watching the VB .net story and would like to say that i also use VB2005 day by day and am happy with it, this is because it gets the job i need it to do without to much time wasted thinking about how it's done. All my users are MS users, as the company have forced that on us!?. Yes i've learn C++, done some Delphi (7 i think), but Basic has been with me since the ZX Spectrum 48K. Would love to come to the Alug meetings but will find it difficult due to hearing problems. As I understand it MS do allow code from the MSIL to run as native code but you have to create an image from the code (never actually do it), the documentation say that MSIL allows code to be JIT'ed for the target at runtime with optimzation thrown in. All that said I would like to learn C# just to look good on my CV. But learning how to code for a linux box would be a very good plus for me. Mat By the way, the C# book thing, any library can loan you a book for about 6 to 9 weeks in total this should give you time to see if that's the one for you to buy nor not, costing you nothing if it's not

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PHP rounding
by Mark Rogers 14 Oct '09

14 Oct '09

Can anyone explain this code's output? <?php $x = (15/100) * 10.7; $y = 1.605; var_dump($x, $y, round($x,2), round($y,2),round(1.605,2)); ?> Result: float(1.605) float(1.605) float(1.6) float(1.61) float(1.61) In other words there is a difference between the values of $x and $y where they should both be 1.605 (and var_dump shows them both to be 1.605). I assume this is because $x isn't really 1.605, but something very close to (and slightly below) 1.605 due to a rounding issue, so rounding to 2 decimal places causes it to round down not up. But I'm not sure how to change the code to give the correct results? (15/100 you may notice as VAT; this is a VAT calculation, therefore I'm kinda duty bound to get the right result!) -- Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0844 251 1450C Registered in England (0456 0902) @ 13 Clarke Rd, Milton Keynes, MK1 1LG

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Hi
by steve-ALUG＠hst.me.uk 13 Oct '09

13 Oct '09

Hi, I'm Steve, I've been aware of ALUG for a while but never got round to signing up to the mailing lists. I've finally got round to it (obviously!) I've been using Linux for several years, I started with Fedora (FC3 I think), then swapped to Ubuntu. I used to be a programmer, but that was using Windows. I've not done any programming for Linux yet - I expect to try it one day, when I get some time! Regards Steve

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Re: [ALUG] PHP rounding
by Mark Rogers 12 Oct '09

12 Oct '09

I initially replied to James direct, as his email came to me not the list. This was my reply to him. His email to me wasn't exactly the same as his mail to the list so the quotes below won't match his list mails, but they're close enough. James Taylor wrote: > The problem here I believe is the .7 part of the 10.7. Try looking > into http://us2.php.net/manual/en/ref.bc.php if you require better > precision. (http://us2.php.net/manual/en/language.types.float.php has > a big warning box on it). > I thought the BC libraries would be my saviour, but: bcdiv("160.5",100,2) gives "1.60", which surprised me, given that 160.5 is now a string. (160.5 is 15 * 10.7). Unless the scale isn't supposed to round (making it equivalent to floor) in which case I can't see how I can then perform the rounding later without resorting to floating point maths at some stage. > Just out of interest, why do you round, and not floor or ceil (where > required?). I thought for tax you always rounded up (this is just my > own jumbled memories and might not be relevant or apply). > My understanding (and I'm neither lawyer nor accountant, and just write the code to meet the spec I'm given) is that there are lots of ways you can do VAT, but one way is to round each line on the invoice to the nearest pence (which is what we do), and another is to calculate the VAT against the ex-VAT subtotal (in which case you round up). However, the direction of rounding is presumably not significant in itself; I am sure there are calculations that could leave me rounding something like 1.70 up to 1.71 because 1.70 was actually a floating point value ever-so-slightly over 1.70. > Another quick solution is to try and move away from floats as your > currency - instead of representing things in pounds, we represent our > values in pennies, meaning we avoid using the decimal part - the > decimal part is ignored for the raw values: > We always do this for code we write from scratch; not least because its more reliable to store the pence value in a database and uses less storage space. But this code is something I'm maintaining and it supports currencies where there are more than 2 decimal places that are relevant, and it stores things as floats throughout. My idea to do a 2-stage rounding is easily proved to be a bad idea, btw: 1.6449 should round to 1.64, but if I round to 3dp then to 2dp I get 1.645 then 1.65 -- Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0844 251 1450 Registered in England (0456 0902) @ 13 Clarke Rd, Milton Keynes, MK1 1LG

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Norwich Pub Meet Thursday 8th October.
by Montmorency 07 Oct '09

07 Oct '09

> Just a heads-up about the pub-meet tomorrow in the Coach and Horses, Thorpe Road. A table for ALUB has been booked. It is a large table, on the left- hand side of the glassed-in section at the rear of the pub. 7pm ish onwards. Montmorency montmorency(a)ukfsn.org bellphegore(a)nerdshack.com

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HP Photosmart R507 can't be mounted
by Jenny Hopkins 07 Oct '09

07 Oct '09

And even worse - now I've sent it to alug social list! Oh someone shoot me now, please! .... Sorry Mark - I just realised that I sent this mail to you a few days ago rather than the alug list. 2009/9/29 MJ Ray <mjr(a)phonecoop.coop>: > Jenny Hopkins wrote: >> I've got a problem with an HP Photosmart R507 camera on an ubuntu >> jaunty system. The camera is set to behave as a disk drive. When >> plugged into a debian system it is assigned to be /dev/hdc1 and can be >> mounted. However, with the ubuntu, it won't assign a device. here is >> the tail of dmesg: >> >> [14522.580027] usb 4-4: new full speed USB device using ohci_hcd and address 4 >> [14522.805646] usb 4-4: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice >> [14522.815803] scsi8 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass Storage devices >> [14522.840286] usb-storage: device found at 4 >> [14522.840295] usb-storage: waiting for device to settle before scanning >> >> lsusb shows the camera listed. > > Doesn't matter. It's not recognising it as a SCSI disk. It would show > something like: > > scsi 0:0:0:0: Direct-Access CBM Flash Disk 5.00 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2 > usb-storage: device scan complete > > Does it complete the scan? The only time i have anything like that was after reboot, when i got: [ 22.880604] scsi scan: INQUIRY result too short (5), using 36 [ 22.880618] scsi 6:0:0:0: Direct-Access HP PhotoSmart R507 A001 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 [ 22.896587] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] 498176 512-byte hardware sectors: (255 MB/243 MiB) [ 22.901837] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off [ 22.901846] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 0f 00 00 00 [ 22.901853] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through [ 22.921851] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] 498176 512-byte hardware sectors: (255 MB/243 MiB) [ 22.928857] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off [ 22.928865] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 0f 00 00 00 [ 22.928870] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through [ 22.928883] sdb: sdb1 [ 22.948024] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk [ 22.948163] sd 6:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg1 type 0 However trying to mount either sdb1 or sg0 denied they existed. Otherwise the plugging and unplugging of the camera just shows: [14522.580027] usb 4-4: new full speed USB device using ohci_hcd and address 4 [14522.805646] usb 4-4: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice [14522.815803] scsi8 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass Storage devices [14522.840286] usb-storage: device found at 4 [14522.840295] usb-storage: waiting for device to settle before scanning and it never does. >Have you any suspicious-looking stalled > processes? Can you remove the USB devices and rmmod usb-storage or > does it complain that the module is in use? If so, something has > failed badly in the USB drivers and only a reboot will clear it, in my > experience. > The above reboot info suggests this could be a pointer. I'll check for stalled processes and do the rmmod things you suggest when i'm next in the same room as the camera and ubuntu over the next few days. > I've one camera (the Nisis DV4) which refuses to work on one > workstation in a similar way at the moment. I'm sure it used to work. > I think some USB devices are less than perfect and different kernel > versions trigger the problems. > >> I'm puzzled that lsmod doesn't show any e/ohci_usb type modules and >> won't probe for them, but maybe this is an ubuntu thing. > > "Won't probe for them"? Do you have the .ko files in /lib/modules? > Anyway, I don't think that's related. > Ok, I'll ignore it then. Thanks for the pointers - it would be great to go there and fix it instead of flapping around again. Someone muttered something about firmware - would there be any way i can check that out? Many thanks, Jenny

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[ALUG Announce] Alug Norwich 2nd Thursday Pub Meet 8th October @ The Coach & Horses
by Adam Bower 07 Oct '09

07 Oct '09

ALUG Announce Please send announcements to Announce(a)lists.alug.org.uk Unsub, change settings via http://lists.alug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/announce ----- Dear ALUG, This months second Thursday social meeting of ALUG will take place on 8th October 2009 at The Coach and Horses (82 Thorpe Road, Norwich, NR1 1BA http://www.thecoachthorperoad.co.uk/ ). This is our second meeting in the Coach and Horses and it offers food, a good selection of real beer (including takeouts!) and reasonably good connections for travel and parking. There should be people there from 8pm, hopefully someone will bring a Tux to aid people in recognising us. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Thanks Adam -- jabberid = quinophex(a)jabber.earth.li ----- Send discussion replies to main(a)lists.alug.org.uk (Reply-To set) Unsub, change settings via http://lists.alug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/announce

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Delays at earth.li?
by Ted.Harding＠manchester.ac.uk 02 Oct '09

02 Oct '09

Hi, I have just (08:40 BST, 30 Sept) received Sam Tuke's posting dated Sat, 26 Sep 2009 16:02:04 +0000. The successive headers encapsulating the delay are: Received: from col0-omc1-s16.col0.hotmail.com ([65.55.34.26]) by the.earth.li with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from <samtuke(a)hotmail.com>) id 1MrZio-0005vC-VR for main(a)lists.alug.org.uk; Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:02:07 +0100 Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=the.earth.li) by the.earth.li with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from <main-bounces(a)lists.alug.org.uk>) id 1Mstm5-0003BE-Tq; Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:38:57 +0100 This isn't the first time recently that I've noticed substantial delays, though not on the 4-day scale until today. Is there a problem? Ted. -------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding(a)manchester.ac.uk> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 Date: 30-Sep-09 Time: 08:58:01 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------

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