Rick's b.log - entry 2008/10/29

WebScan

What WebScan does is it takes the file timestamp returned by the system and then removes the current timezone offset. This will, in all cases, 'revert' the file to a UTC time (something the API should be able to do by itself)!
There is a backdoor to 'disable' this, as it was working quite happily on Win98SE for several years, I suspect this is a quirk either peculiar to XP, or peculiar to the NT-kernel range (i.e. everything that isn't 95/98/98SE/ME).

As a little 'gift' to those who read my b.log, here's a registration key:

If you are interested in the code used to 'fix' the filestamps, here it is. Elegantly simple:

Public Function SafeFileDateTime(Path As String) As Date
  Dim TZ As TIME_ZONE_INFORMATION, lRetVal As Long
  Dim FileTimeStamp As Date

  lRetVal = GetTimeZoneInformation(TZ)
  
  FileTimeStamp = FileDateTime(Path)
  
  If (DontFixDates = False) Then
    If (lRetVal <> &HFFFFFFFF) Then
      If (lRetVal = 1) Then
        ' standard time
        FileTimeStamp = DateAdd("n", TZ.Bias + TZ.StandardBias, FileTimeStamp)
      Else
        ' daylight time
        FileTimeStamp = DateAdd("n", TZ.Bias + TZ.DaylightBias, FileTimeStamp)
      End If
    End If
  End If
  
  SafeFileDateTime = FileTimeStamp
End Function

Nokia emulator

With this in place, I could then install the Nokia phone emulator and SDK documentation. I'm not 100% sure this lot includes a Java bytecode compiler, but if nothing else it gets better screenshots than trying to take pictures from the phone itself!

First up, here is more or less how the phone display appears:

I was able, by running Savant (web server), to try out the built-in browser. It is rather limited, but quite ahead of basic WAP. It's a shame there isn't a mini-font to squeeze more onto the screen.

OperaMini version 4 was simply not going to work. It wanted to connect to the Internet and it just wasn't happening, either on the real phone or the emulation.
There was, however, a bit more flexibility with OperaMini version 3.something. After flunking the testing for ways to connect to the Internet, it offered me a place to type in the URL. So, duly, a entered "aiko" (which maps to be the local IP address of this computer):

This kept failing. Wanting to know exactly why, I called up the behind-the-scenes debug info, and was quite astonished by what I found:

Note the memory display in the info above. It was somewhat amusing in that every second or so, OperaMini would claim about 4Kb; while 'trying' to connect. So when it timed out, I set it going again. And once more. Three failing connection attempts was all it took to use up all the memory. Interestingly, upon the next claim, all the memory used was shown as discarded and it sort-of rolled around. Is this some sort of lazy garbage collection that waits until memory runs out before it bothers to do anything, or does the memory 'roll around' and thus possibly trample on earlier data?

Finally, here is the star program Sideralis:

Oh what a jolly day!

That's not all the fun we had today. Let's see... Firstly a sort-of newbie girl passed out on the production line, was out quite a while, looked like she'd wet herself. Perhaps the strip lighting didn't agree with her brain? Then the power went out. Only for a second, but enough to suggest that there is no backup source. Well, I should have known, most of the computers are on a UPS of some description. Later on, a girl was led out, she had a big bandage over one eye. I think somebody was taking her to the hospital. And me? I have November to work, but I'm now down to about twenty (working) days left. Whoo!
Not to mention that, Real Soon Now, fingers crossed, I'll have my own ADSL hook-up and no more of this bogosity with going to public systems once a week, or wondering if the SiteKiosk is working or not - did I mention it is 'down' again? <sigh!>

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