I find this whole concept perplexing!?!?!?  Unfortunately it seems the growing norm that technology professionals are pushed to the limit so often that when they start to bend under pressure, the first thing to go is their "ability to document."

It would seem perfectly respectable if you were doing an integration job with a new firm that doesn't know your technology, you should give them documentation on how to use it right ?  Why is it such a big deal to get documentation like this ???  It seems that the industry is growing to a point where "well, here is something to get you started, you figure out the rest and call me when you get stuck" is the growing norm.

Shame on us for letting it get this bad.  I've done it to, so I don't excuse myself.  But i've also learned from my mistakes too...  Now I document most of what I do, for the sole reason that I work on so many projects that when I need to pick up an old project, I better have some notes on how it works or else I won't remember.

So there is the rant for July.  I am up for suggestion on how technology professionals can make it easier to document our work in languages other intelligent life forms can understand.

Hopefully a lot of you ColdFusion developers are using Eclipse now with the CFEclipse plugin.  Many developers dont know about the Aptana plugin however (http://www.aptana.com/).  This free plugin gives you all the stuff that you miss from DreamWeaver or Homesite+ -- html and css editing, etc.  In addition you get an XML editor, and a fantastic ftp interface, which is sorely needed in Eclipse.  Aptana has a very nice ftp synchronization tool set which allows you to effectively develop locally and synchronize to an ftp site.

For those who are curious about how we have our Eclipse configured, here it is:

Eclipse 3.2.x
CF Eclipse 1.3.x
RDS Plugin (from Flex Builder 2)
Aptana plugins
Violet UML plugin

For those that requested it, here ar emy updated presentation files, including the code that I updated and write during the session.

cfun07_coding_with_xml_updated.zip

Once a long time ago, in a galaxy far far errr... yeah.  I once had my bluetooth key setup and working great on Windows 2003.  I have since switched to a new laptop and now BT doesn't work again, so I tried to find my documentation on how I did what I did, and was unsuccessful.

To get to the point, I did it again, and I have it documented now.  Now my struggle becomes your asset.

Here we go:

These are my notes to get Bluetooth support working in Windows 2003, using the WidComm family of Bluetooth software (the kind that comes with USB keys, and such, not the built-in windows stuff).  Most people have problems with their built-in stuff because the software bombs with a "license.dat" error. 

First:

Make sure you find and install drivers for your USB bluetooth device.  For me, the drivers were on the CD that came with the dongle.  If you don't have the CD, then you have bigger problems, and I wish you luck.

Next:

Software Installation:

You can refer to these sites for relevant information: http://www.jonsguides.com/bluetooth/ and http://www.neowin.net/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t309692.html

• Download IBM's WidComm package.  At the time of writing, the current link was ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/bthwxp1o.exe
• Download the license patcher here: http://www.dev-hack.com/pafiledb/index.php?act=view&id=3 (this is a different util than many ppl refer too, although I found this very easy to use)
• Run bthwxp1o.exe (you may need to reboot -- I did not however)
  
  • When finished, you should have a bluetooth icon in your system tray -- probably RED because of license.dat errors.
• Use task manager and kill bttray.exe
• Run WidcommLicensePatcher.exe
  • Pick the appropriate bluetooth device from the drop-down list
  • Click the save button
• Restart bttray.exe (or reboot).  The bluetooth icon should show up, and be white, showing proper license.
• Drink beer and celebrate as you have done what many have not been able to do.

Hope this is helpful!

For those who may be interested, CFDJ was kind enough to publish an article I wrote about XML.  Here is the link:

ColdFusion Feature — Coding with XML — As a ColdFusion developer, hopefully by now you have heard at least a little about XML (eXtensible Markup Language). Wikipedia defines XML as a 'general-purpose markup language' designed to 'facilitate the sharing of data' and also designed to be 'relatively human-legible.'