Andover Controls Continuum Web Client

So, I have a new job (as of one month ago) at RLSM (Robert Loyd Sheet Metal). We've been doing HVAC installations for over 25 years. Recently, a lot of our money comes from doing controls. That's what I go hired as - an Assistant Control Engineer. Basically I do graphics for workstations, and technical drawings of the control design.

Andover Controls is our favorite <3 brand of controller. It is easy to work with, easy to make graphics for, and has the least bugs and difficulties. Probably because it is made by the supplier of most of our parts, Schnider Electric. Continuum is the name of the database/workstation software.

Today, I was learning about the Continuum web client (cleverly named WebClient). It was an interesting thing. WebClient is a program that runs on the server with Continuum, and provides web access to the Continuum Graphics pages.

Unfortunately, all that was necessary background for the one short little statement I have. That is, "WebClient provides ASPX pages that open up Java applets running Continuum graphics!" A beautiful marriage of Microsoft and Sun. Oh, I'm such a newb. I just got excited because that's basically exactly what I learned in school: C#/ASPX, and Java. Probably someone else did too.

Anyways, there is hope. I may still program professionally yet. My little detour into assistant engineering is quite educational. Although it is not necessarily my prefered or first choice of curriculum, I am grateful to learn what I can. And, it is all quite interesting and valuable information I am learning, none the less. Like what points a typical MAU has, and why.

(A Make-up Air Unit is installed to provide air to make up for the air lost due to an exhaust fan. Typically it will have a current sensor to detect if the exhaust fan is on or off, but the exhaust fan does not need a command output from the controller. It is just manually controlled. Why we don't just wire the MAU fan straight to the exhaust fan switch? I didn't ask, so I don't know. We could do that to be cheap, and it would save us on an output command, and we could leave the current sensor to both fans just to monitor them, but . . . that's just not how we do it.)

Internet Security 2010

So, my Windows XP machine has been infected by a nasty virus. It all began when I was on Facebook, Chess.com (which I decided was a lame web page), and YouTube. I was playing a Facebook game, Castle Age (I think, at exactly the moment), and I saw:

• My browser close
• My background was changed to say something like, "you've been infected" (I only saw this for 1 second or less, so I couldn't read it. Basically, it looked like some cheap MSPaint job.)
• Blue screen of death

Then I couldn't even boot my computer, unless in safe mode, and even then, I had to hit escape to not run STDP.SYS. I still don't know what that file is, but I know when I went into REGEDIT and made it not run at startup, I could finally boot my computer normally.

That was really no help though. Even after removing this virus that seemed to be Internet Security 2010 at the heart, (which took much effort with existing antivirus, S&D, & other malware remover tools), I got some other, similar annoying spam virus remover software popping up asking me to buy it, telling me I'm infected.

This second part wasn't so bad. I could use my web browsers at this point. But when I tried to update AVG, I couldn't. I don't know what the deal was. I ended up uninstalling it, trying to reinstall it, but couldn't. The only thing wrong at this point was the annoying spamming thing, I forget what the name was, but the symbol was the blue striped shield that matches Search & Destroy's immunize symbol. The IS2010 symbol looked like the Windows defender shield.

So I got Avast! antivirus (which I have never heard of - so maybe that was a mistake), and now when I boot, I can't do jack f'ing $#!7. No, not really. I just can't get online in a web browser, IE, Chrome, or Safari (haven't tried Firefox). I'm only online now because I noticed I could ping any site and get immediate responses from the command line. So I tried remote desktop, and boom. I can get online that way. The virus is doing some very specific things to keep me offline.

At first my internet was simply disabled in the network settings. Well, simply being that it actually said it was. I changed that and no effect. No surprise, but, I don't know what to do.

I'm going to try safe mode, but I think at this point, because I've been messing in the registry haphazardly and such, and my system is all kinds of f'ed up, that I just need to backup and reinstall. I'm lucky to have access to my computer I guess. It's not fried or anything. I can even get online in this round about way. I can access my files.

Well, this is my problem. I think it could be a scam set up by some investors or people with interest in products with the words, "Internet Security 2010," in their product name. (*cough* Norton & Trend Micro. *cough*) While searching I saw on Yahoo! I think, "Internet Security 2010 Trending."

Whoever it was who was behind this, I think they can pat themselves on the back and call it a success. And I'm sure the antivirus vendors are happy about it. A few websites claimed the only way to get rid of it is to purchace certain antivirus removers at a cost of around $30. Heck, that's all the virus wanted to purchase the Internet Security 2010 package that it came with. Maybe that would have solved the problem too.

Anyways, that's all for now. I'll attempt a few more fixes, but likely, it will be goodbye to this 4 year old installation of Windows XP.

Work? Maybe later.

No, I'd love to have a job right now. But it's not like I don't have the opportunity to do some work without a job. Just yesterday (two days ago now, technically), I helped Christina with some code, in the office, even though I don't work there anymore. *dust shoulders*

I turned in my application for Advancement Systems Manager at Western Oregon University, and stopped by University Computing Services to see if Jing and Christina needed a break, and we could go get coffee. Turns out Jing was taking the day off to celebrate China's National Day (60 years of the new nation), and Christina was busy doing a bubble sort of a PL/SQL array of names. I helped with the PL/SQL code (managed to avoid entering another infinite loop), and we went and got coffee.

Basically, all I did was suggest she copy her test case that she got to work more closely. This is something I actually learned from David Olson. When testing code, copy it exactly, and try to get that to work, then make small changes, test them, etc.

As much as everyone hates him, he knows how to get a program to run, even if he doesn't know how to write the code himself, or how it works, and he taught me that much. (He taught me how to effectively copy code, and I imparted Christina with a taste of that knowledge.) He's the most disliked professor I've met at our school, and while I used to stand up for him, I've caved and go ahead and rag on him like everyone else.

Just for the record though, I learned a lot. Mostly though, I learned how to learn on my own from him. And that's more valuable than any theory or piece of code, because I can use it to lead me to new theories and new types of code. ;) So thanks, Dave. (y)

Anyways, pray I get the job. I'm ready to go back to work.

[Edit (Feb 26, 2010) : I learned another valuable thing from David Olson, and I usually mention it. I learned the value of a well documented API. He would regularly walk us through the Java Docs in class. This is essential to programming for two reasons. One, you can do more when you stand on the shoulders of other (paraphrase from Newton). This means you should always use someone elses code if it will get done what you want faster and better. No need to reinvent the wheel. Right? Maybe if you're just trying to learn, but how about learning to get the job done? Two, because new technology and programming languages are always sprouting up. And to know how to learn a new language is invaluable. I need to get a few more languages under my belt if I want to impress anyone. :( ]

1:1 Relationships

So, I'm writing this Student Programmer Orientation and Training (SPOT) program for work. I'm at a part where I am writing some basics about database design. Specifically I'm writing about relationships. More specifically I'm writing about 1:1 relationships.

The issue is this: 1:1 relationships are really the most complicated IMO. They can be done either like 1:N, or like N:N. Of course when you use a third table to describe the relationship (like N:N) this is more normalized. But using a foreign key, like in a typical denormalized 1:N, is much more common.

At first I didn't realize this. I though, "oh, I'll start with 1:1, go to 1:N, and then do N:N." But I ended up just moving 1:1 to the end, since it could be done like either of the other two. I realize now I left out the part where a 1:N relationship can be described with a third table, but maybe I'll put that in a quiz to see if they can figure it out on their own. (smirk)

Also, its kind of hard to come up with examples, in my opinion. I used Oregon Drivers License record and Social Security record as my two records that have a one to one relationship. Since ODL will only be associated with one SSN, and they won't issue an ODL to someone who has a SSN with an ODL already associated with it, this is perfect.

And I've only written one program that actually uses a table with a 1:1 relationship. I guess its common to use when you have a special group of users. I might have to go back and do that. User ID foreign key . . . reason for being serperate from the rest of the table . . . sounds good to me.

Anyways,
:p

Rant # 1

I really love consistency in my program variables. I'm writing in PL/SQL at work now, and our convention is to use pvariablename for all of our procedure parameters. Then we use vvariablename for all of our in procedure variables. It really pisses me off when I'm working on a project with a coworker and she uses a liberal mix of variables starting with p and parameters starting with v.

Also, I really like to handle all my error checking, parsing and stuff on the database side. And she likes to do everything in JavaScript. And our forms are inconsistent. I use three input boxes for a phone number, but she uses 1, with lots of JavaScript control. Again, I control error checking on the server side here, not in JavaScript on the client side.

I think that either way is fine really. I just think that when building a program/website, we should pick a method to do something and use it everywhere instead of just having two or three different types of phone number input fields depending on which part of the app you are looking at.

I bet there are a lot of blogs like this. I seem to get this feeling of frustration quite often while programming, and I'm at a computer with web access, and blogger makes it pretty easy to start a new blog if you want. Lately its almost like, instead of just posting a new blog entry, I'll just make a whole new blog... Should have some option to auto-link all of your blogs if you chose... Maybe I'll build that feature for mine...

Enjoy!