Managing data with ArrayList and ArrayCollection in Flash Builder 4 and Flex 4 Essential Training

In this tutorial, learn how to manage data with ArrayList and ArrayCollection in Flash Builder.

Adobe's open source programming framework, Flex SDK, combined with Flash Builder (formerly named Flex Builder) simplifies and streamlines the process for building rich internet applications, or RIAs. Author David Gassner explores the newest release of this powerful toolset in Flash Builder 4 and Flex 4 Essential Training, explaining critical information for developers who are upgrading from Flex 3, but also for those who are new to RIA development. The course culminates in the development of a complete application, integrated with a PHP application server and a MySQL database.


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Using the List and DropDownList controls in Flash Builder 4 and Flex 4 Essential Training

In this tutorial, learn how to use the List and DropDownList controls in Flash Builder.

Adobe's open source programming framework, Flex SDK, combined with Flash Builder (formerly named Flex Builder) simplifies and streamlines the process for building rich internet applications, or RIAs. Author David Gassner explores the newest release of this powerful toolset in Flash Builder 4 and Flex 4 Essential Training, explaining critical information for developers who are upgrading from Flex 3, but also for those who are new to RIA development. The course culminates in the development of a complete application, integrated with a PHP application server and a MySQL database.


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Building a custom data entry form component in Flash Builder 4 and Flex 4 Essential Training

In this tutorial, learn how to build a custom data entry form component in Flash Builder.

Adobe's open source programming framework, Flex SDK, combined with Flash Builder (formerly named Flex Builder) simplifies and streamlines the process for building rich internet applications, or RIAs. Author David Gassner explores the newest release of this powerful toolset in Flash Builder 4 and Flex 4 Essential Training, explaining critical information for developers who are upgrading from Flex 3, but also for those who are new to RIA development. The course culminates in the development of a complete application, integrated with a PHP application server and a MySQL database.


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Migrating from Access 2003 to Access 2007

In Migrating from Access 2003 to Access 2007, author David Rivers explains the key differences between Access 2007 and Access 2003 and the benefits of upgrading to the 2007 version of Microsofts database design software. The course covers key differences Access 2003 users need to understand, including the new Ribbon interface, database templates, the improved Layout View and the new Open XML file format.


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Dreamweaver CS4 with CSS Essential Training

The latest developments in Dreamweaver require designers to understand CSS in order to use the application to its full potential and create standards-compliant web sites. In Dreamweaver CS4 with CSS Essential Training, web developer and Adobe Master Instructor James Williamson teaches the fundamentals of CSS while focusing on how to use Dreamweaver to efficiently create and manage styles. He shows how to use Dreamweaver to resolve style conflicts; how to use new CSS-related features such as Live View; and the best way to create lightweight, site-wide style sheets.


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ColdFusion 9 New Features

In ColdFusion 9 New Features, author and developer Dan Short has gathered together the important updates and improvements in this dynamic web application. Dan showcases the new ColdFusion Builder application throughout the course, using it to work through the new language and CFScript enhancements in this release. He shows how to use the new Server Manager to compare servers and create server groups, as well as monitor server health through notifications. He also explains the new integration with Office applications, building Excel, Word, and even PowerPoint files on the fly from ColdFusion. Finally, he covers the important new Object Relational Mapping feature and how to use the built-in Flash Player.


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iPhone SDK Essential Training

iPhone SDK Essential Training presents the tools and skills needed to create applications for this mobile platform. Developer Simon Allardice breaks down the process of becoming an iPhone developer, from getting started with the tools and the language to building user interfaces and working with the unique features of the iPhone. With multiple hands-on exercises and demonstration projects, Simon explores the core development tools for iPhone (Xcode, Interface Builder, and Instruments), the language (Objective-C), and the framework (Cocoa Touch).


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ColdFusion 9 Essential Training

ColdFusion 9 Essential Training is a detailed overview of this newest version of ColdFusion, demonstrating each of the components and tools necessary to create dynamic web sites and web applications. Author and web developer David Gassner starts this course at the very beginning: how to set up a ColdFusion application server in both the Windows and Mac OS X operating systems. Using the new ColdFusion Builder, David explains the data types and code necessary to build and deploy dynamic web pages. Throughout the course, he shows how to build web pages and forms and populate these containers with dynamic data using ColdFusion ORM (Object Relational Mapping), a new feature of ColdFusion 9.


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iPhone Application Development Four Pillars

In this video developer Simon Allardice breaks down the "four pillars" of iPhone application development.

This is a movie from iPhone SDK Essential training on lynda.com, which covers the process of becoming an iPhone developer, from getting started with the tools and the language to building user interfaces and working with the unique features of the iPhone. With multiple hands-on exercises and demonstration projects, Simon explores the core development tools for iPhone (Xcode, Interface Builder, and Instruments), the language (Objective-C), and the framework (Cocoa Touch).


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Make a Menu Dynamic Using JavaScript

In this lynda.com video training podcast, learn to make a dynamic menu using JavaScript, with a video from Creating Dynamic Menus with Bill Weinman.

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LearnVisualStudio St. Patrick's Day Sale - 40% Off

Here is your chance to save 40% off any new LIFETIME membership. You can get a LIFETIME membership for only $119.95.

Over 750 easy to understand, concise video tutorials. Learn Visual Basic, C#, ASP.NET, and more. Subscribe to LearnVisualStudio.NET and begin downloading instantly.

Hurry, this offer expires March 21, 2010. Read More >>

Appcelerator Titanium Releases for General Availability

Appcelerator, the leading platform for rapidly developing native mobile, desktop, and iPad applications using web technologies, announced today the release of its flagship product, Appcelerator Titanium 1.0, for General Availability ("GA"). Titanium 1.0 has been redesigned to achieve performance on par with Apple's iPhone and Google's Android SDKs, and is the first cross-platform solution to achieve this milestone. Appcelerator also introduced a new commercial offering for premium support, training, and analytics, available for purchase beginning today.

Develop at Web Speed, Run at Native Speed
Many developers, in particular web development firms, systems integrators and interactive agencies, are turning to Appcelerator to deliver a cross-platform application development solution that gives them a native advantage. These developers require performance on par with Apple and Google's SDK, native user experience capabilities, and native access to the underlying device capabilities (eg: camera, video streaming, maps) on each platform.

"The proliferation of 'smart' devices with multiple operating systems is causing serious platform fragmentation and, as a result, every company needs to reassess their development strategy today," advises Scott Ellison, Vice-President Mobile, IDC. "Appcelerator improves upon the 'write once, deploy anywhere' approach by enabling cross-platform development of applications that leverage the native performance and capabilities of each unique device from a cost effective, web technology-driven code base."

Appcelerator spent three months - and more than tripled its code base - to upgrade Titanium's mobile processing engine. The resulting performance improvements put significant distance between Titanium and competing solutions. Load times are now under 3 seconds, down from 10-20 seconds, transitions between pages are instantaneous, and processing speed has improved five-fold. Moreover, user experience capabilities have dramatically increased to now include over 100 native UI controls, native 2D/3D animation capabilities, and sophisticated data and media presentation capabilities. Branded applications, casual games, and even augmented reality applications are now possible. For more on Appcelerator's native advantage, see: http://www.appcelerator.com/products/native/.

Notably, the code - and time - required to develop a typical application is a fraction of what it takes to build a native app. Streaming an audio clip, for example, can take between 50-500 lines of Objective-C (iPhone) or Java (Android) code. In Titanium, the developer simply writes one line in Javascript that points to a URL location to have the clip start streaming. Most Titanium developers today save more than 80% of the time and cost it would take to build an application in Objective-C or Java.

"After being in market 6 months, we realized that the user experience needs to be at parity with native development platforms. Anything less is a non-starter. We are pleased to be the first and only cross-platform solution to run on par with native applications, but with the development speed that comes from using web technologies," noted Jeff Haynie, CEO of Appcelerator.

Appcelerator Announces Commercial Offering
To support its growing ecosystem of more than 27,000 professional developers, Appcelerator also introduced two offerings to serve individual and large developer organizations. The following products, now available from www.appcelerator.com, feature in-application analytics, premium support from Appcelerator's experts, and professional training to get developers up to speed quickly:

- Titanium Community: available for free, Titanium Community will enable new developers to learn how to build native applications.

- Titanium Professional: available for $199 per developer per month, Titanium Professional offers developers premium SLA-driven support, analytics for the past 6 months, and membership in Appcelerator's Beta Preview program for future releases such as iPad and Blackberry.

Appcelerator Analytics
Appcelerator analytics gives developers deep insights into how their apps are performing, what features are being used the most, and where there are opportunities for improvement. Analytics are integrated into the Titanium platform, so tracking users and sessions, for example, is enabled out-of-the-box. This avoids the time and cost of manually integrating analytics after the fact, as is the case in any other analytics offering. Analytics also offers custom event tracking, which is specific to each application. A location-based application, for instance, can record GPS lookups to know where their user base is, while a social networking application can track the number of posts to a Facebook wall or number of videos watched.

Premium Support
As part of Titanium Professional, subscribers benefit from SLA-driven support, rapid updates, bug fixes and hot patches to resolve issues quickly. Appcelerator's support team is tightly integrated with engineering to ensure that common issues are fed back into product development efficiently.

Developer Center Launches
Appcelerator also launched Developer Center (developer.appcelerator.com) today, which features new documentation, getting started guides, and code examples. Developer Center features a new training course curriculum for Titanium developers as part of its previously announced "Appcelerator University" program.

"Over the past year, we've listened to feedback from over 27,000 developers who are building a business on Titanium. Today's GA announcement is a comprehensive rollout of services, training, and support products that are packaged into three offerings designed to meet the needs of all our developers," commented, Nolan Wright, CTO of Appcelerator.

About Appcelerator
Appcelerator enables web development firms, systems integrators and interactive agencies to take advantage of the explosive growth in mobile, desktop, and tablet applications. The company's flagship offering, Titanium, is the only open source platform to enable cross-platform development, from a single codebase, at web development speed for these three platforms. Appcelerator's customers can decrease time-to-market and development costs to create native mobile applications using their existing web development skills. For more information, please visit www.appcelerator.com or http://pitch.pe/50718.
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Army Launches Software Application Development Challenge “Apps for the Army”

Today the Army announced its first internal applications development challenge, dubbed Apps for the Army or A4A. Open to all Soldiers and Department of the Army civilians, A4A offers Army personnel the opportunity to demonstrate their software development skills and creativity. In return, the Army hopes to improve its current capabilities or to add new ones – all through the ingenuity of its people.

"We're building a culture of collaboration among our Army community to encourage smarter, better and faster technical solutions to meet operational needs," said Army Chief Information Officer/G-6 Lt. Gen. Jeff Sorenson.

“Soldiers and Army civilians will be creating new mobile and web applications of value for their peers—tools that enhance warfighting effectiveness and business productivity today," Sorenson said. "And, we're rewarding their innovation with recognition and cash.”



Participation in A4A is limited to the first 100 Army personnel (active duty, Army Reserve and Army National Guard on active duty, and civilians) who enroll. Teamwork is encouraged but not required. The Army will recognize the top submissions at the LandWarNet Conference in August 2010. Winners will receive monetary awards; the total cash pool is $30,000.

A4A applications may tackle any aspect of Army IT – distributed training, battle command, career management, continuing education, or news and information distribution, for example. A4A will further deviate from traditional development practices by utilizing the latest in collaborative development media.

“Apps for the Army features an innovative cloud computing service for participants to use during software creation,” Sorenson noted. “This is key because it eliminates the constraints of hardware provisioning prior to prototype evaluation.”

The service, provided by the Defense Information Systems Agency and known as the Rapid Access Computing Environment (RACE), offers access to on-demand virtual Windows and Linux development environments. Participants will be able to pursue Web application development using all available programming languages supported by Windows Server and the Linux, Apache, MYSQL and PHP (LAMP) frameworks. They also will be able to build emulated Blackberry, iPhone and Android applications.

Forge.mil will serve as the collaborative software repository for competing teams. The tools inherent in milBook and AKO will facilitate the cross-pollination of ideas, problems and solutions relevant to the Apps for the Army initiative.

The registration form, rules and instructions are located at the Apps for the Army Web site on the AKO portal: http://www.army.mil/ciog6/armyapps. Rolling registration begins March 1, 2010. Apps must be submitted by May 15, 2010. Questions can be addressed to CIO/G6ArmyApps(at)conus.mil.
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Zend Announces General Availability of Zend Server 5.0

Zend Technologies, the PHP Company, today announced the general availability of Zend Server 5.0, a major new version of the company’s PHP Web application server. New Code Tracing technology in Zend Server 5.0 enables PHP developers and administrators to slash problem resolution time by up to 50%. For the first time, users have visibility into the behavior of their code in production environments, with the ability to pinpoint the root cause of application issues quickly and eliminate the time-consuming and sometimes near impossible task of recreating problems in order to resolve them.

Zend Server 5.0 is a huge step forward for businesses running business-critical PHP Web applications,” said Andi Gutmans, CEO and co-founder at Zend. “With this new version we are delivering application monitoring and diagnostics as part of the base application server at no additional cost. The new Code Tracing technology revolutionizes how businesses can reduce time spent on problem resolution. This and other enhancements will help businesses deliver reliable high-performance applications and maximize end-user satisfaction while reducing development and management time and costs."

ZEND SERVER 5.0 – ENTERPRISE-GRADE PHP WEB APPLICATION SERVER
Zend Server 5.0 optimizes application performance through multiple PHP caching and acceleration technologies, helps detect and diagnose issues through application monitoring, and provides a complete, tested PHP application stack for Windows and Linux. The product is backed by expert technical support, online updates, hot fixes and security patches. Zend Server is fully integrated with the Zend Studio PHP IDE, and Zend Framework, the most popular open source PHP framework, creating the fastest and easiest solution for developing and deploying reliable and secure Web applications. Also available is a free, community edition of Zend Server.

INNOVATIVE CODE TRACING TECHNOLOGY
Zend Server 5.0 Code Tracing eliminates the need to recreate problems by automatically capturing in real-time the full execution history of an application in a production environment. Now developers can quickly find the root cause of a problem rather than following a lengthy, error-prone process to reproduce it. Code Tracing can be activated manually or automatically when performance degrades or errors are detected through Zend Server application monitoring.

A new Zend Server view, based on Adobe Flex, provides visibility into recorded data, showing a tree of function calls, arguments, errors and duration, as well as statistical information that helps in identifying performance bottlenecks in production.

With Zend Server 5.0, PHP developers can cut troubleshooting time by up to 50% and ensure greater application reliability while recouping valuable time for programming tasks.

“I have saved up to four hours a day of debugging time using Code Tracing in Zend Server 5.0,” said Drew Ewing, a PHP programmer at CyberMark International. “For 99.9% of the debug processes that I’m concerned with, Zend Server automatically gathers all of the necessary debug information that I used to gather manually. The countless hours I used to spend debugging transparent actions like jQuery updates, are now freed up to tackle more important programming issues.” CyberMark is an Internet marketing firm that specializes in SEO and PPC programs, social media marketing and website development.

INTEGRATED JOB QUEUE
Zend Server 5.0 Job Queue increases application performance and responsiveness by allowing jobs (PHP scripts) to be performed asynchronously or at recurring intervals, offloading tasks from client initiated Web requests to secondary processing. End users experience snappy responses in their Web browsers while long-running jobs like credit card processing, shipping and other activities proceed in the background. In addition, maintenance tasks such as database cleanup and RSS feed pulls can be run at specific times or at recurring intervals. The Job Queue feature is fully integrated into the Zend Server monitoring system and Web console, giving developers and other IT staff one place to monitor the overall execution of their applications, including status of jobs.

"Zend Server 5.0 plays a strategic role in helping us ensure a quality online shopping experience for our customers, even during peak traffic times,” said Josh Butts, director of Web development for Offers.com. “Zend Server monitors our application and performs code tracing to tell us when things go wrong and why, so we can quickly address issues as soon as they occur."

SUPPORT FOR PHP 5.3
Zend Server includes support for both PHP 5.2 and PHP 5.3, enabling programmers to take advantage of new language features such as namespaces and closures.

OPERATING SYSTEMS
Zend Server 5.0 supports Linux and Windows; an IBM i version is currently in beta.

ZEND WEBINAR, PRODUCT INFORMATION
Zend Server 5.0 Webinar – February 25, 2010 – 9:00 am PST
This free technical webinar will illustrate use of Zend Server 5.0 to troubleshoot production issues using the new code tracing feature, improve performance with job queue, and other capabilities. Register to attend.
For a complete list of new features and functionality in Zend Server 5.0, please go to the Zend Web site at http://www.zend.com/products/server.

About Zend Technologies
Zend Technologies, Inc., the PHP Company, is the leading provider of products and services for developing, deploying, and managing business-critical PHP applications. PHP runs 35 percent of the world’s Web sites and has quickly become the most popular language for building dynamic Web applications. Deployed at more than 30,000 companies worldwide, the Zend family of products is a comprehensive solution for supporting the entire lifecycle of PHP applications. Zend is headquartered in Cupertino, California.

For more information, please visit http://www.zend.com or call +1 408-253-8800.
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StarBurn Software Announces Release of New Windows CD/DVD and Blu-Ray/HD-DVD Burning Software Development Kit

StarBurn Software today announced the official release of StarBurn Burning SDK V12 for Microsoft Windows. The new toolkit features advanced architecture for managing optical mastering, ripping and burning operations in third-party software applications. The release includes several new features including native 64-bit core, Windows 7 and Windows Vista support and an enhanced StarBurnX ActiveX and .NET interfaces.

"The StarBurn SDK code base for optical recording is already licensed to many world-class software companies," said Artem Berman, StarBurn Software's CFO, VP of Sales and Strategic Development. "And because StarBurn Software offers developers SDK solutions for all the major developmet platforms including Java, C# and numerous Borland environments, we are attracting many software development companies that offer multi-platform software solutions. Our new Windows release is of particular interest to our Windows customers that are developing their software for the booming Windows 7 and Windows Vista 64-bit market."

The new Windows version of StarBurn SDK is based on the same solid and reliable code base as StarBurn Software's award-winning StarBurn CD-DVD and Blu-Ray burning application. It is either static or dynamic linked library (ActiveX control for StarBurnX) that has been reduced to an extremely small footprint, less than 600 kilobytes. Along with the many features already in StarBurn SDK, the introduction of StarBurn SDK V12 for Windows enables developers to initialize and manage multiple recording devices and to simultaneously perform several tasks for grabbing, burning, copying, formatting and erasing optical media. Another new development in StarBurn Burning API is its UDF 2.50 and 2.60 burning and mastering of the BD video to any Blu-Ray disc. For help implementing these and any of StarBurn SDK many features, developers that license StarBurn SDK are eligible for StarBurn Software’s extensive support resources, both online and with email and telephone. Customers also receive free access to StarBurn Software’s exclusive developer website that features answers to frequently asked questions, sample code and practical instructions from StarBurn Software developers about using StarBurn SDK.

"StarBurn Software provides optical burning SDKs for numerous development platforms and they use basically the same toolkit architecture, regardless of the development environment," said Artem Berman. "Developers see StarBurn SDK as very coherent and easier to integrate into multiple software products. This latest release of StarBurn SDK for Windows is another jewel in the crown of StarBurn Software’s optical burning SDK support."

Availability

StarBurn optical recording SDK for Windows is available for direct download here.

About StarBurn Software

StarBurn Software, Ltd (http://www.starburnsoftware.com) is a global provider and technology leader in optical media storage software. StarBurn SDK is a software development kit provided with the abilities to add optical media recording and mastering capabilities to any Windows application.

StarBurn Software and the StarBurn logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of StarBurn Software Inc. or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
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Hobo, the Rapid Web App Builder for Ruby on Rails, Moves from Beta to Version 1.0

Hobo, the open source rapid web app builder for Ruby on Rails, has officially reached Version 1.0 after three years of focused development effort by the Hobo community and sponsorship support from Barquin International in Washington, DC. As part of the celebration we're releasing a bunch of new stuff for newcomers and the community to enjoy.

As well as a shiny new logo, we are pleased to announce the release of two free ebooks designed to help Hobo developers quickly and easily make the most of the popular toolset:

Rapid Rails with Hobo
A step by step introduction to rapid development of data-rich web applications using the Hobo extensions for Ruby on Rails (313 pages)

Hobo at Work
The definitive guide to the Hobo extensions for Ruby on Rails (219 pages)
The current version of Hobo has changed a lot since the early days of the beta, and has been grabbing the attention of a growing number of coders across the globe. "I've been involved in systems development for 30 years and Hobo is one of the most impressive tools I have run into", says developer George Treisner, "My partner thinks I'm a genius because of how fast I built the system, how easy it is to modify and how good it looks and works."

Some of the key changes:
a) Super polished model-based UI now requires very little customization for general use. Developers of small apps can now be up and running with their working application in minutes.

b) Built-in sophisticated migration generator. No more writing migrations, Hobo does it all for you with one simple command, including automatic index generation. And it's all DB agnostic. You get the fast development cycle of the new 'schema-less' databases, without abandoning the database you already know.

c) Hobo's 'lifecyles' make it super easy to implement multi-step processes such as friending in social apps. This is Hobo's answer to the popular state-machine plugins. Rather than just a model extension, we provide the full stack including an automatic, customisable UI. Very common lifecycles like 'forgot password' and 'activate account by email' are either baked-in or available as easy to follow recipes.

A quick overview of the improved Hobo functionality can be viewed in the new Hobo screencast at www.hobocentral.net.

"We're over the moon with the launch of Hobo 1.0", says Tom Locke, creator of Hobo, "The community has been fantastic, and we are particularly pleased to see just how many developers are now using Hobo for their Rails projects around the world. We're especially delighted that our sponsor, Barquin International, has found it so valuable for their USDA/NIFA government projects. Open source is really taking off in US government circles at the moment, and we see this as further validation of the maturity of this type of open source tool."

Since its launch in November 2006, the Hobo plugin has been deployed in many professional web development projects across the world, ranging from general purpose web applications to more sophisticated enterprise level projects.

More information can be found at our Hobo Gallery page at www.hobocentral.net/gallery.
"We strongly believe the future of software development will depend on the use of top quality open source tools, and Hobo is proving to be a hugely valuable asset in our development projects", says Ramon Barquin, CEO of Barquin International, "The stability and robustness of the code and the expert enthusiasm of the Hobo community continue to help us deliver significant benefits to our clients at every stage of the development process."

About Hobo:
Hobo is an open source fully customizable rapid development toolkit for Ruby on Rails, which helps developers build anything from throwaway prototypes to meticulously crafted full-blown web apps in a fraction of the time it takes with conventional tools. More at www.hobocentral.net or contact Tom Locke on +1 (805) 222 4966.

About Barquin International:
Barquin International is a full-service business intelligence firm, based in Washington DC, dedicated to assisting organizations in planning, designing, implementing and operating knowledge management e-government information architecture and data warehousing solutions and strategies. More at www.barquin.com or contact Kelley Willitts on +1 (202) 296 7147.
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Big Nerd Ranch Offers Opportunity to go from Ruby on Rails Beginner to Expert with Ruby On Rails Bootcamp II

Ruby on Rails has become one of the most widely sought-after technologies for creating elegant, easily deployed sites and applications for the web, but for many, the ability to leverage the full power of the framework remain out of reach without a deeper understanding of the Ruby language. Big Nerd Ranch, Inc., premier provider of intensive classes for web developers, programmers and system administrators, solves that problem with its advanced Ruby class: Ruby and Ruby on Rails Bootcamp II March 22 - March 26.

"Now more than ever, it's important for programmers to demonstrate a diverse knowledge base," said Big Nerd Ranch CEO, Aaron Hillegass. "Ruby and Ruby on Rails Bootcamp II offers an opportunity to quickly master object-oriented programming through Ruby and immediately apply that knowledge into one of the most dynamic and popular web development frameworks available."

The Ruby on Rails training class is taught by veteran instructor and Ruby on Rails developer Charles Brian Quinn. Charles has been a consultant to Fortune 500 companies and government agencies around the world, with real-world knowledge and experience in building web applications and software architectures. He has worked with companies such as The New York Times, Accenture, Deloitte & Touche, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and many government agencies around the world.

The Big Nerd Ranch teaching style will transfer the knowledge gained in the beginning of the week to developing sophisticated web applications with rich and dynamic interfaces by week's end. Upon completion of the course, Big Nerd Ranch students will:

• Understand how core components of Ruby on Rails work


• Understand basic and advanced features of ActionPack’s Action View to create DRY interfaces and reusable, clean views and layouts


• Understand the fundamental concepts of object-oriented programming


• Run code using the interactive Ruby shell and the Ruby interpreter


• Understand objects, methods, and classes, and define classes and equip them with attributes and actions


• Test code and download and install Ruby libraries


• Comprehend Test-Driven Development (TDD) using Unit Testing and RSpec


• Set up several different Production/Deployment scenarios


• Avoid security pitfalls and deployment problems


• Debug applications using breakpoints, logging and prototyping in an interactive console


• Create and utilize Ruby on Rails generators, plugins, and Ruby libraries to quickly add extended functionality and features

The Big Nerd Ranch incorporates intensive training classes for Unix and Mac OS X programmers in a retreat setting outside Atlanta, GA. Class price of $3,500 includes lodging, all meals, original instruction materials, 24-hour lab access, and transportation to and from the Atlanta airport. Students are encouraged to bring independent projects to class, allowing for input from classmates and individual instructor attention. For more information, call (404) 478-9005 or visit www.bignerdranch.com.
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FairCom Announces New Release of c-treeACE

FairCom introduced significant enhancements to the SQL query optimizer with this release. Francesco Cortinovis, Managing Director of FairCom Europe, says, “Customers performing complicated SQL queries are likely to see an immediate impact with this release. By profiling the optimizer and looking at specific queries that weren‘t performing well, we were able to make changes that resulted in benefits to query performance across the board.”

Because cross-platform support is a hallmark of c-treeACE, this latest release also includes support for several new platforms and environments. This includes support for Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), AIX 6, Windows 7, RAD Studio 2009, Sun Studio 12, and SQL support for QNX. For developers working in Visual Studio, this release also includes complete Entity Framework integration.

Part of this release includes enhancements to FairCom's suite of GUI tools. Users now have the ability to view their data using Dr. Ctree, the ISAM Explorer and SQL Explorer. Exporting file definitions has been expanded and is available in all of these tools. SQL schemas, file definitions, and complete header files for applications are now easily generated with a click of the mouse. Cortinovis notes, “For customers migrating from our ISAM technology to our SQL technology, this really simplifies the steps involved.”

Contact FairCom for pricing details for new purchases and upgrades.

About FairCom
FairCom Corporation has provided fast, portable and reliable database development tools for commercial environments since 1979. This technology provides the developer with the power and flexibility to quickly and reliably deal with all aspects of storing, retrieving, and updating mission critical data. FairCom technology is embedded in the software from such noted companies as Adobe, Computer Associates, NASA, and Visa. For further information regarding FairCom or the c-treeACE embedded database engine, contact FairCom U.S. at 800-234-8180, FairCom Europe at 39-035-721-321, FairCom Japan at 81-059-229-7504 or FairCom Brazil at 55-11-3872-9802, or visit www.faircom.com. Read More >>