I use NHibernate and SQL Server on a daily basis from C#, so I naturally want to use NHibernate from F#. After some quick googl…research, I found this great article on how to setup F# to use NHibernate:
http://strangelights.com/blog/archive/2009/12/20/1650.aspx

I also came across an article on how to access MongoDB from F#:
http://codebetter.com/blogs/matthew.podwysocki/archive/2010/02/09/exploring-mongodb-with-f.aspx

After going through both and doing a couple quick spikes, MongoDB seems like a natural fit for F# and the functional way of life. Keep in mind, I’m new to functional programming and F#, so take this with a grain of salt and do your own research.

With F#’s parallel features, NoSQL database engines (MongoDB, CouchDB, etc) seem like a perfect fit. Large distributed data stores, asynchronous parallel processing, data stored as key/value pairs/objects, you get the picture.

It would be great to hear from anyone who’s used either with F# and your experiences. For now, I’m going to do some prototyping down both paths to see where what comes out the other side.

The (=) operator, basically in any other language assigns something to another thing, but in F# it’s actually a comparison operator. In C# (==) is used for comparison and (=) is used for assignment. If you forget the second (=), you can create a fun bug, for example:

bool canDoSomething = false;
if (canDoSomething = true)
{
DoSomething();
}


In this example the if statement is assigning true to the canDoSomething variable, which evaluates to true if the assignment is successful.

The if statement should really be:

if (canDoSomething == true)


In F# you “assign” using the let statement:

let canDoSomething = true


Moral of the story is, if you program in F#, it’s easier to avoid this bug. However, watch your step when going from F# to another language.

For a little bit more information, check out this list of F# arithmetic operators:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd469493%28VS.100%29.aspx

I wanted to see how this would be calculated in F#, so here you go, enjoy:


let capm (beta:float) (y:float) (z:float) = y + (beta * (z - y));;


The goal criteria is, it needs to be measurable and attainable within 2010.

1. List and read every book I’ve purchased that I still own

   This is a challenging goal because I have a ton of books I still need to finish or read. I love books and when I find a good one, I buy it. The problem is I pushed off reading a bunch of them, telling myself I would read them later. This goal will insure I finally get to them.

2. Build a hobby robot with my son

   I’m into hobby robotics and my son loves robots as well. He seems to be into building things and this would be a perfect project for both of us. Maybe it will help pick up toys

3. Teach my kids the abacus

   The abacus is amazing and it’s proven to improve mental capabilities, plus it’s easy and fun. If you want to know more, just do a search for abacus on YouTube.

4. Give at least 5 presentations for any .NET based event or user group

   I enjoy speaking about technology I’m passionate about. The challenge is I don’t speak enough and I should. So even though I set this goal at 5 presentations, I hope to do more based on time, availability, etc.

5. Take an active role in the .NET community

   I need to become more active in the community, so this goal translates to, obtain a position within a .NET user group. I will contribute to the community in many other ways, however this will insure I consistently provide support to the community through out the year.

6. Read at least 2 books on mortgages or home loans

   I recently became employed by Quicken Loans and this goal is to help me understand that domain and industry.

7. Become a MCPD (Microsoft Certified Professional Developer)

   I find they are a great way to define and drive the direction of my career. The technology landscape is continually changing and I need to insure I do as well.

8. Take at least 2 general education courses for college

   I need to get this party started. I’m looking forward to taking a ton of math, finance and business classes, however I need to start with my gen eds.

9. Get more F# in my life

   Almost forgot this one, but this year I’m going to get more F# in my life. I’ve had a small taste of functional programming and I want more. Also, F# seems to be the coming up language of choice for developing finance solutions.

Here is the link:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb386947.aspx


$myarray = array();
$myarray[] = 1;
$myarray[] = '';
$myarray[] = 'a';

Array
(
[0] => 1
[1] =>
[2] => a
)


When you use array_filter() this is what you get:

$myarray = array_filter($myarray);
print_r($myarray);

Array
(
[0] => 1
[1] => a
)


Of course you can use array_filter with a callback function to intelligently remove elements, but if you just want to remove empty values, this is the best way.

The GR GiveCamp organizers setup Assembla for us to use during the event for task tracking, document management, etc. This will be cool, since everyone will be using the same system to track everything.

Well, I’m off.

I’m a Qt kind of guy when it comes to OSS GUI frameworks and really Qt is more than that. However lately I’m spending some of my time in PHP. I really enjoy developing in PHP and I’m always trying to find new and fun ways to use a language I spend time in. Since PHP is primarily a web development language, I wanted to see what libraries/frameworks were out there to support desktop application development with PHP.

I looked at PHP-Qt, however I feel that project still has a ways to go before I can start using it. Keep in mind, I work on a Windows box all day and I didn’t want to have to jump through the cygwin hoop. I think they will have good support for Windows soon, but I want something that I can use now.

I did some more research and came across the PHP-GTK project. The first thing I look for in a framework project is the documentation. I was surprised to see the amount of documentation and with some code samples. The docs are not perfect, but they provide me with what I need.

Demos are the second thing I look for. I want to see how it will work, how the code is compiled/ran and if I can run it on my system. Within a couple minutes of unzipping a folder, I was up and running.

So, if you are a PHP developer looking to develop a desktop application, I would consider taking a look at PHP-GTK.

1. Enable the Content – Load Module plugin
   Go to the Extensions->Plugins Manager section and enable the ‘Content – Load Module’ plugin.
2. Enter a unique position name for your module
   Go to the Extensions->Module Manager, select your module and enter a unique position in the Position field in the Details section. For example mod_mymodule.
3. Enter the loadposition tag into the article
   Edit the article you want to put the module in and enter the {loadposition positionname} tag
   For example {loadposition mod_mymodule}

That’s it!