Technology Nirvana

A friend of mine recently decided to quit her job to focus full time on her online e-store selling women’s clothing. photo credit: KnittedShiky

Since she frequently deals with various suppliers from different countries such as China and Thailand, she has a tough time trying to track all communications made via email.

Her email threads can usually be quite long and contain key information such as:

• Number of orders
• Shipping details
• Payment details
• Pictures of new clothes designs
• Discussion on amendments required to a design

Sometimes when dispute arises, she needs to search through each email thread to look through what was ordered and when it was paid, etc.

To add to the confusion, she has two other working partners who from time to time, would ask her to retrieve some information which are residing in her email account, which she finds quite annoying but unavoidable since all the communication threads belong to her.

She came to me asking for a better way for her to collaborate with her suppliers, co-workers, and customers so that there is a central place for discussions and information to be stored.

She indicated that she wanted something quite similar to Sharepoint where she could easily upload pictures, add information, assign tasks, all in central location, but minus the costs and complexity of setting the system up.

Obviously she came from a corporate environment and got used to the benefits of using enterprise software.

Now that she’s on her own, she has to consider all the various aspects of using and implementing an IT tool, such as costs, technical maintenance and ease of use since it involves her customers and suppliers who may not have prior training using the particular tool.

Without researching any further, Huddle a web based free online collaboration workspace came to my mind and immediately I recommended for her to check it out.

Huddle is a secure online space for people to share, connect and work together effectively.

This web based application is hosted by Huddle so users need not download and install anything. All that’s needed is a browser to begin collaborating online.

There are various packages to choose from depending on your user requirements. What I really like is the Freemium package (with some limitations) offered by Huddle to allow individuals from small businesses to utilize and try out their tools and features before having to pay for any upfront payment.

I myself signed up for a free account just to try out its features and ease of use.

Upon logging in, I see that a workspace has been created for me.

You’ll be greeted with some simple introduction to each feature so that you can get started and begin using the app right away.

These are some key functions within a workspace:

• Schedule meetings (web conferencing is available for paid plans)
• Assign tasks to people (a centralized task management capability)
• Create whiteboards (it’s just like a Wiki for people to update information)
• Upload and share documents (word documents, pictures, bills can be uploaded)
• Invite people to join your workspace (could be customers, suppliers, co-workers)
• Discussion (it’s good to use discussions rather than email for easier message tracking

Although there are similar types of SaaS web based apps out there such as Google Apps and Zoho, one thing that caught my attention about Huddle has to be its vast number of users from various industries. Check out Huddle’s case studies on various business solutions.

If your business is still depending heavily on emails as the main form of business collaboration and data storage, do check out Huddle for a better way to collaborate online.

With the Internet being the latest business platform in today’s world, most real-time business owners are looking ahead to create their very own online presence, aiming to boost their businesses not just in the local market, but also internationally.  photo credit: rafaeldesigner

Managing online stores and the never ending list of newly launched products and services can sometimes complicate your e-business experience.

With Magento – an open source PHP eCommerce platform, managing your e-business just got much simpler.

Launched in 2008, Magento is the ideal ecommerce open source platform that has altogether changed the definition of e-business.

The platform was designed by Varien Team, a long term ecommerce service provider.

It is today available with a wide array of tools to help e-retailers create and manage a well organized online store.

Some of the well known sites which are powered by Magento includes (Magento Showcase):

• TVONICS
• HoMedics
• MyDeco

As of today, there are 3 editions of Magento namely (compare editions):

• Magento Community (Free download)
• Magento Professional ($2995 USD / year)
• Magento Enterprise ($12,990 USD / year)

The platform includes a wide array of features which is hence considered as one of the major benefits of the platform against other similar apps such as OsCommerce.

OsCommerce is also an open source php ecommerce based system, but provides fewer features as compared to Magento. OsCommerce is partially a raw system with a few advantages which are shadowed by its restrictions.

OsCommerce is not a template driven system, has no password protection structure for the administration and managing large scale product details can sometimes be difficult (Source: Disadvantages of OsCommerce).

Magento, on the contrary is a solution designed for the same purpose. It has integrated the best features of the OsCommerce system.

Magento includes a strong programming structure that allows easy upgradation. Once installed, your ecommerce website can be easily customized based on your business needs. Apart from these, it also includes a list of features which are not offered by the OsCommerce system.

For instance, integration with Google Analytics, order editing, coupons, meta tags, SEO URLs, product comparisons, shipping estimator, editable order mails, meta tags, etc. are just a few of the features that prove its upper hand over its competitors.

The Magento system has a range of advantages which makes it a favorite amongst all ecommerce based site developers and eStore managers.

One of the key strength of Magento has to be its administration panel which has a dashboard displaying key information such as the number of orders, average order amount, bestsellers and more.

I also like the simple to use product catalog administration which allows categories, products and its attributes to be easily added and managed.

Some of the Magento’s pros include:

• Modern and neat layout.
• Upsell option during the checkout.
• Inbuilt product image zoom feature.
• Offers its users 50 and more payment gateways.
• One-step integration of add-ons, layouts and themes.
• Allows the management of multiple online stores through a single administration panel.

Magento has proved its worth as an ecommerce platform and hence is the ultimate choice for your ecommerce website.

For more details about this open source php eCommerce solution, check out Magento today!

Recently I lost a direct advertiser which led me to find new ways to monetize available ad spaces on my site. photo credit: Gamma-Ray Productions

The last few days, I’ve been busy trying out 2 hosted ad servers, OpenX and DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP) for the purpose of displaying ads on this site.

If you’re wondering what ad servers are for, it’s basically used to help webmasters manage ads that are displayed on a website / blog.

Some ad server features include:

• Manage ad delivery based on time period (For e.g. only show certain ads on weekdays only).
• Tracking the number of impressions and clicks for a particular ad, so you know which ad performs best.
• Displaying ads based on user’s location (For e.g., If a site visitor is from Japan, a Japan based ad is displayed).
• Generate ad serving reports which can be shared with advertisers / clients.

Initially I gave DFP a try since it’s a product by Google but I had trouble understanding how to get it work.

Basically I didn’t have a good understanding of ad serving terminologies such as inventory, CPM, orders, placements, creatives, etc and so I gave OpenX a try instead.

OpenX has 3 versions:

• OpenX Enterprise
• OpenX Community Hosted and
• OpenX Community Download (an open source  ad server)

I signed up for the OpenX Community Hosted as I was really interested to participate in the OpenX Market where it helps publishers like me to maximize revenue for our ad spaces.

Once I got approved to OpenX Community, I logged in and began trying out the features and eventually managed to host my very first ad via OpenX. I can say that the process of initially setting up everything from beginning till the end for a beginner like me was smoother than using DFP, which I gave up half way.

But having hosted my ad using OpenX for 2 days, I decided to give DFP another try since I encountered some nagging problems with OpenX namely:

• Occasionally unable to login because of a redirect loop (source)
• 500 internal server error when trying to view statistics (source)
• No ads from OpenX Marketplace was shown. Maybe my floor price was too high!
• Someone reported this in the forum – Malware served with ads (source) This is the turning point for me!

Although the initial user experience with OpenX was great, I guess there are still some basic technical related issues which must be addressed by OpenX.

Imagine if an advertiser wants to know from me the number of impressions that the ad has served and I don’t have access to the stats, it can be really tough to explain to my client. I definitely need something more stable and ready for production.

And so I tried out DFP further and soon got the hang of setting up ads on my site.

At the moment 3 ad spots have been set up to serve in house ads (affiliates). When there are direct advertisers later who are ready and willing to place advertisements on my site, these ad spots are ready to be filled:

• Top Right Full Banner (468 x 60)
• Left Sidebar Button Banner (125 x 125)
• Bottom Banner After Comments Section (335 x 280)

I’ve basically used DFP to serve ads on my site for several days already and so far I like:

• The speed it takes to display ads (no delay)
• The help section which provide valuable tips on setting up ads
• The statistics / reports (I can easily see which ad spot is doing well)
• Integration with Adwords so potential advertisers can bid to appear on my site / or contact me directly to place direct ads.
• Most important, stability and ready for production ad serving!

I hope today’s post provide some insights for those who are planning to serve ads on a website. Any questions or comments, do let me know in the comment box below. I will try my best to provide answers and help.

As for OpenX vs DFP… which is better? Doubleclick for Publishers by Google is the clear winner for me! Full steam ahead!

Recently I read about Google’s new open source programming language called Go.

For more details check out Golang.org

With so many programming languages to choose from such as C / C++, Python, Java; Google developed Go with an intention for the language to be FAST, about a a few seconds to build a large executable on a single computer!

During my programming days, I can still remember that it took so long to compile our program that I could go make myself a cup of coffee, come back and it’s still processing.

Of course these days, most languages support incremental compilers which have improved compiling times tremendously especially with the help of faster and more efficient computer processors.

Here is a video made by Google Go’s team on the Go programming language:

From the responses that I’ve read, some think that we have way too many languages to deal with already while some hard core developers really enjoy the new programming styles, syntaxes and benefits a new language brings.

If you’re a hard core developer, have you ever thought of creating your very own programming language for your own usage as well as for others to benefit from?

Think about it! Once you’re done creating your own programming language, you could give it a really cool name like:

• WarepriseScript
• MySuperCoolScript
• CoffeeScript (this is real!)
• Phlower (this is also real!)

There are several reason why people would want create their own programming languages:

• Fewer codes to read and write.
• Improve and extend the capability of existing languages.
• Impress your employer and peers with a resume that says: I created my own programming language!

Besides impressing others, the first point is particularly useful for developers who are in the business of developing their own applications.

With your own language, you can define how certain functions work to your liking. For example, which is better to look at?

This?

Or this simple 2 liner of your very own code which translates to the above?

The scripts above are the outcome of CoffeeScript as developed by Jeremy Ashkenas.

If you too would like to be able to create your very own programming language, then I would highly recommend that you read this ebook – How to create your own freaking awesome ebook by Marc-André Cournoyer.

The eBook will walk you through the steps on language building.

Some of the key subjects which are covered includes:

• Lexer, with Python style indentation
• Parser, using Racc
• Runtime, bootstrapping and self hosting
• Compilation using LLVM
• and much more.

Once you’re on the CreateYourProgLang.com, you can also download the full table of contents and a sample chapter.

Hey, if you do read the book and end up creating your very own programming language, feel free to share with the rest of us here.

Till then, happy programming!

Have you ever had problems with your computer and wished that there was a way that you could restore it back to a point when it was still working before it got messed up? photo credit: glasseyes view

There are many ways how our PC can break down which includes:

• Windows update
• Corrupted windows registry
• Compromised / hacked into
• Accidentally deleted system files
• Got infected with viruses and malwares

I mentioned “windows update” because it has happened to me and my colleagues several times whereby after performing an update to the Windows OS, we got a BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) and just can’t seem to boot into Windows.

An easy way to fix the problem is to reinstall the OS but may risk losing some files.

Anyway, it’s always best to backup files regularly either to an external hard disk or to the cloud (Mozy or Dropbox). Another way is to create an image of your entire PC using software such as Norton Ghost or its free alternatives.

Today I would like to highlight a free software called Comodo Time Machine which is capable of helping us restore a computer to an earlier time / snapshot.
Comodo Time Machine (CTM) is a windows only desktop application which allows you to create snapshots of your PC and provides the ability to restore the machine back to the snapshot version whenever necessary.

I find this tool useful whenever I’m about to make any drastic changes to my machine which includes:

• Removing unwanted drivers.
• Tinkering with windows registry via regedit.
• Trying out new applications which may not be secure / buggy.

If at any point my machine fails to work after making any of the above changes, I can simply rollback to the snapshot and restore my machine to the state before the changes were made.

But before I proceed walking you through the steps on how I used the app, I think it’s appropriate for me to highlight that there are users who have encountered problems using the software.

These are some of the complaints:

• Nightmares of Comodo Time Machine
• Comodo Time Machine: roll back your PC to a previous state, including every file on every partition

So before you proceed to install this app, just be aware that the software could potentially break your Windows OS! Ensure to have a backup image of your hard drive before installing.

As for myself, I thought I should give this free app a try before jumping into any conclusions about the reliability of the software. For now, I’ll keep the app installed and provide any updates in case it does corrupt my machine.

Basically this is how the test went.

I installed CTM and upon rebooting, it created a baseline for my machine (Dell Inspiron 1420, Windows Vista).

Before I created a snapshot, this is how my desktop looks like.

I went ahead to create a snapshot of my machine so that in the future in case anything terrible happens to it, I can rollback my machine to this initial state.

For the sake of testing the app, I altered the contents of my desktop and this is how it looks like.

Now to try restoring my machine to an earlier time (before the desktop was altered).

From Comodo Time Machine’s restore system tab, I clicked on the Reboot button and after rebooting, indeed my machine was restored back to its initial snapshot (the screenshot with Google Analytics wallpaper).

For now, CTM does work on my machine and I’ll keep it on for as long as it works.

Since CTM is a free software, I wouldn’t recommend for you to install on a production server with critical files and information in it as there’s no guarantee that support will be provided in case anything nasty occurs (e.g. can’t boot into windows).

I guess this app is more suitable for software testers like myself where I occasionally take risks meddling around with the PC settings and configurations and would like to have an ability to quickly revert back to an initial working state.

I hope today’s sharing provides you with an alternative method on how to easily restore a PC to an earlier date / time.

Have you checked out ITLever.com before?

It’s an IT related blog which provides useful and practical resources for people who are working in the IT industry particularly the IT managers.

When I was a technical consultant a few years back, I struggled when it comes to the other aspects of managing IT besides just focusing on improving my core technical skills, for example:

• I didn’t understand why there’s a need for IT policies and procedures.
• Had difficulty dealing with user requirements and their non stop constant request for changes.
• I had a feeling that creating documentations whether it’s user manuals or feasibility studies were a waste of time.
• Lack of clear IT strategy and plan during project implementation. (I thought that shoot and aim is the best strategy!)

I guess most IT people who are very technical such as the programmers and software testers just weren’t exposed to the business side of IT thus occasionally having some misunderstandings during an IT project implementation.

If you’re working in the IT industry, sooner or later you’ll climb up the ranks where you’ll have to transition from a passive programmer to an assertive IT manager, and the resource from the IT Lever blog can provide some help and tips along the way.

IT Lever blog is created by Mike Sisco, a former IT manager and CIO for more than 20 years.

We can all learn a lot from him through his frequent postings about his IT experiences, success stories and practical tips for all IT folks.

If you like what you’re reading over at IT Lever, do consider subscribing to the blog to receive email notifications whenever there is a new post.

And simply by subscribing, you stand a chance to win an IT Manager Toolkit (worth $175). For the details, do check out the post Subscribe to ITLever and Win.

On a side note, I recently launched a Wareprise.com Facebook page which allows us all to connect,communicate and get together easier.

Till then, have a good day!

A friend whose profession is a Quantity Surveyor / Construction Cost Consultant recently asked me if I know of any free bill of quantities (BQ) software that he could use to manage costs and item quantities for his civil and building engineering projects. photo credit: C. G. P. Grey

Since he is an independent consultant and doesn’t officially belong to any organizations, he needed a free software to start off with before going for proprietary ones.

As a QS Enginner, his key responsibility includes:

• Prepare the bill of quantities for building projects.
• Perform cost control to the best possible.
• Provide advise during the procurement process.
• Prepare and analyze the cost of tender.

The most important task is basically to minimize costs to the fullest while still achieving the required quality and standard for a perfectly built building.

It looks like it’s vital for the cost of all materials to be calculated accurately without any errors if possible.

A user friendly and reliable software will definitely come in handy especially if it helps to manage the list of building materials together with its associated costs and measurements. The ability for the BQ software to tally up all totals will definitely be useful as well.

So I did a quick search and found this software called PriMus-DCF – a windows desktop application for building professionals to easily create, modify and share price lists, estimates and bill of quantities for FREE.

Primus-DCF can be downloaded immediately without any questions asked whatsoever.

The creator of the software, ACCA (Italian based leader in building industry software) has created the software as a gift for all to use and benefit from.

To begin using the BoQ software, you start off by creating a price list.

A BoQ price list is basically a list of unit prices which can be used effectively when developing a bill of quantities.

See an example price list generated using PriMus-DCF below:

Once your Price List is there, creating a BoQ is as simple as dragging and dropping the necessary items into the BoQ.

Below is a sample Bill of Quantities created using PriMus-DCF for a campus extension project.

You may notice that that the default currency is in Euro and that can be easily changed to your working currency from General Data > Configuration.

Just like any other desktop applications, once you’re done developing your BQ, it can be easily printed out as well as shared electronically with co-workers and clients.

I believe PriMus-DCF will not only benefit my QS friend but also many other building professionals out there thanks to ACCA.

For more details about this free bill of quantities software for building industry, check out PriMus-DCF today.

Previously I’ve written about a free CMMS software called CWorks for your organization to manage work orders and equipment maintenance. photo credit: foto4lizzie

The free software is meant for smaller sized organizations where there are fewer equipments to maintain and manage.

Also, whenever there is a new request for service, only the person who has access to the software can and must enter the details into the system.

Today I would like to take the opportunity to highlight an enterprise grade web based SaaS CMMS called Maintenance Connection which is capable of supporting not just the service providers but the clients as well.

The system actually allows service requesters to submit requests such as requesting for the air-cond to be serviced, requesting a PC for a new employee, etc.

Since the system is fully web based, the service desk agent gets an immediate notification of a new service request via email and can immediately escalate or assign the request appropriately.

Technicians who have been assigned a work order can receive notifications via the PDA / Mobile phones.

I believe that Maintenance Connection’s key strength lies on its vast implementation across multiple industries which includes:

• Building & facility
• School & university
• Process manufacturing
• Hospital & clinic
• Water / Wastewater
• City / Municipal
• and more

For each of these industries, there is a write up which provides some explanations on how the web based SaaS CMMS is able to cater for the needs of the industry.

For example, a city which utilizes the software can use the system to set up maintenance procedures and preventive maintenance schedules for equipments and facilities such as:

• Sewers
• Drains
• Pipelines
• Parking Lots
• Fire Hydrants
• Traffic Control Devices
• and more

Whether your organization operates a Data Center or a Sports Club, Maintenance Connection has the experience needed to provide you with a solution which caters specifically for the needs of your business.

At the moment, Maintenace Connection (MC) can be deployed as:

• Software as a Service (Hosted by MC)
• Buy and Host by MC
• Buy and installed on site

For more details and information about this SaaS CMMS with work order & service request modules, check out Maintenance Connection today.

Maintenance Technology, the magazine of plant equipment reliability, maintenance, and asset management, serves the technical and business information needs of engineers, managers, and technicians responsible for plant equipment availability. Primary editorial sectors include equipment reliability (RCM), management of maintenance and reliability operations (TPM, CBM), preventive maintenance (PM), condition monitoring and predictive maintenance (PdM), and maintenance information systems (EAM/CMMS).

Qualify for Your Free Subscription today!

Need a Statement of Work Template? Check out Klariti’s Statement of Work Template!

Today’s post is for application developers / SaaS providers out there.

Have you registered your business application with GetApp.com?

GetApp.com is the place for potential application buyers to easily view, research and compare business applications all within its well organized ‘App Store’ portal.

Organizations from small business to large enterprises can find a wide range of business applications based on their business needs and by industry as well.

The types of apps that you find in GetApp.com includes those related to:

• Sales & Marketing
• IT & Communications
• Finance & Accounting
• Customer Management
• Operations Management
• HR & Employee Management
• and more

The best part is it even categorizes apps based on various platforms such as:

• Client Server
• Virtualization
• Cloud Computing
• SaaS / ASP / Web Apps

I know of a few small businesses / organizations who have committed themselves to only using SaaS web apps as it provides easy access, minimal startup cost and does not require much technical skills to maintain.

So IT buyers who are interested in viewing a good list of SaaS based apps can definitely benefit from GetApp.com’s SaaS Software & Services Directory.

GetApp.com was publicly launched early 2010 and at launched there are already over 2,200 applications across more than 300 categories.

I did a quick search on GetApps.com for some of the apps that I have previously mentioned on Wareprise.com.

However some are not listed yet. So if you’re an app owner, do consider submitting your solution to GetApp.com.

As for IT buyers, this list of top 20 business apps (August 2010) should interest you:

1. WORKetc – CRM/Projects/Billing
2. Clarizen – Collaboration Tools
3. NetSuite – ERP/CRM
4. Outsystems Agile Platform – Web development platform
5. TeamLab – Collaboration platform
6. ResuWe Employer – HR/Recruitment/Applicant Tracking
7. ASAP – Online Registration
8. WorkBooks CRM – CRM
9. LiveBall – Landing page optimization
10. 3scale – API Management
11. Fleet Tracking Software SaaS – Vehicle Tracking
12. KashFlow Software – Accounting
13. Timetonote – CRM
14. Flowet – Proposal and Contract Management
15. Nomadesk – Online Backup & Storage
16. POControl – Purchase Order Management
17. Paymo – Time Tracking and Invoicing
18. Labor Time Tracker – Time Management
19. Net Atlantic – Email Automation
20. Clear Books Accounting Software – Accounting

Since GetApp.com is going to rank apps on a monthly basis, you should definitely check out their Top 20 Apps every month just to see which app is rising in ranks and gaining reputation.

As for myself, I’m a happy GetApp.com user because it helps me discover new apps which I may have never heard of or used before.

It looks like I’ve got a lot more apps to review and mention on my blog.

If any of you have any good experiences with new apps and would like to review and write about your experiences, feel free to send me an article about the app and I’ll be more than happy to publish it for you.

And yes, even application providers / software developers can send in an article or two which highlights your product’s key features.

Till then happy app browsing at GetApp.com.

Did you know that there is a simple way for you to reveal your asterix password which is saved by your browser? photo credit: jonas maaloe

All these while, whenever I create a new web based account, I would let my browser remember my username and password so that it saves me a step from having to enter the password every time.

I believe most Internet users would also do that same since we thought that it’s ok and safe to save the password as it isn’t displayed (hidden behind asterix).

Today I would like to highlight a method on how you can easily see what’s the password behind the asterix without having to install any third party application. All you need is to have Javascript enabled on your browser.

Before revealing this method, it’s good to think about some of the advantages / vulnerabilities about this technique:

• If you’re the only one using your machine, then this method helps you to recover a password which you may have forgotten but was saved by the browser.
• On a shared machine, this method can be exploited to view other user’s saved password without him / her knowing about it.

So the next time the browser offers to save your password, think about whether or not someone else will be using your machine. If yes, then it’s better to not allow the browser to save your password.

If in the past you have visited some cybercafes and saved your password into the browser, we’re talking about a total stranger potentially using this method to access your accounts such as:

• Facebook
• Gmail
• Yahoo Mail
• Blog Administration
• Company intranet
• Twitter
• and more web based apps

By now you must be anxious to find out how you can easily reveal the password behind asterix saved in your browser.

This is how….

On the page where you see the username and asterix password (screenshot above), simply copy the scripts below and paste it into the URL box of your browser and hit Enter.

Walla, you should now see your password revealed!

So that’s the trick to reveal the password.

I hope you can use this method to help yourself or someone else to remember a password and please ensure it’s for that sole purpose only.

Hat tip: Easily Show The Contents of Password Fields