Breaking Up The Monolith: Coming at last ...

Yesterday, after four years of vacillation and procrastination and occasional modification, I finally got the Monolith preface into a form with which I'm happy.

Over the next few days I'll be talking to the editor and contacting all those kind, smart folks who've previously agreed to be a reviewer. As soon as things are sorted, I'll start posting what bits I can, probably starting with the book's Manifesto and Preface.

Watch this space ...

Generic method name clash: recls 1.9.1 alpha 6 released

I've just released a new alpha of recls 1.9, which incorporates some defect-fixes to ensure it works correctly when compiled/linked in widestring mode, and some new features. Most particularly, I've added a get_file_size() method, which replaces the now deprecated size() method. The reason for this is that I got caught out by my own library when mistakenly using size() (which gives the number of bytes in the file entry) for the length of the entry's path. (I was doing so in combination with c_str(), which gives a pointer to the entry's path's character array.) Oops!

I figure if I can do it, so can any other user, hence the new method and the deprecation.

Jan 2010: recls 1.9; commercial work; writing (QM, Monolith)

First off, Happy New Year to all. Let's hope that this one is better than 2009, in lots of ways.

I'm already busier than I expected (or wanted) to be so early in the year, but you can't complain when the sun is shining.

In terms of research, at long last I've written the new C++ mapping for the recls library, which means version 1.9 can finally be released. Apart from the release of recls.net - a 100% .NET implementation of the recls library - I haven't released any open-source stuff in over three months.

The drought's about to break, however. As well as recls 1.9 (and a final, defect-fix, version of 1.8), I will be releasing new versions of STLSoft 1.9 (1.9.88), STLSoft 1.10 (1.10.1 alpha 14), FastFormat (0.5), Pantheios (1.0.1 beta 194; hopefully the last beta), b64 (1.4), and probably some more (incl. VOLE)

In commercial work, I'm busy on three fronts simultaneously:

• A multi-screen control system for a local (Sydney) client, written in C#/.NET
• A review/remediation piece for an international financial client (C++, COM)
• A review piece for an Australian client (C++)

In writing, I'm currently busy with:

• The next instalment of Quality Matters (and fleshing out its website), my bi-monthly column for ACCU's Overload magazine
• Sorting through ideas for entries for my guru blog with DDJ's CodeTalk
• Preparing the proposal for Breaking Up The Monolith (only 3 years late!)
  

So, wishing a prosperous new year - in spirit, as well as in wallet - to all, and don't hesitate to get in contact if you need my help in commercial guise.

Matt