Checks Unlimited - Business

Pranav Bhat asked:


PHP Frameworks:

PHP is finally getting the attention that i deserves, yes I have always believed that PHP is one of those neglected languages, neglected because they are used in abundance but there isn’t enough programs or as we call them frameworks to work on PHP. But that was until the release of PHP 5. After the release of PHP, there is a range of Frameworks available.

Today we review and understand closely the various frameworks available for PHP. Some of the most popular frameworks for PHP are:



The Zend Framework.

The Prado Framework.

CakePHP Framework.

Symphony Framework.



These frameworks are ofcourse the most popular ones and there are more than 40 frameworks for PHP and it is very difficult to know which framework suits you the best and will be the most productive for your web development and enterprise goals.

Ofcourse all these frameworks are free and provide a host of services to satisfy almost all of the web development needs of a web designer or a website owner. Some of the most common features of all these PHP Framework are as follows:



PHP 5: Thats obvious! All the frameworks support both PHP 5 version of the PHP.Only “The Prado Framework” support the PHP 4.x version of the PHP as well as the PHP 5 version of the PHP.

Multiple DBs: All the above mentioned frameworks support multiple databases to be used without making any setup and configuration changes.

Validation: All the four frameworks have an inbult validation and a filtering component which can be used.

MVC: All the four frameworks have the MVC that is the Model View Controller setup.



So, these are the few components and controllers that are common in most of the PHP based frameworks and therefore one should look out for these components when downloading or using a PHP framework.

Now let us see a brief introduction about each of these PHP based frameworks and their salient features:



Zend Framework:Zend Framework is a component based framework with components for almost all of the programming needs of a PHP programmer or PHP developer.



Some of the components in the Zend Framework are:



zend_acl

zend_auth

zend_cache

zend_config

zend_consolegetop and many more.





Prado Framework: The Prado framework provides the following benefits for web application developers.





reusablility

Ease of use

Robustness

Performance

Team Integration





CakePHP:



Some of the important features of CakePHP are as follows:



Model, View, Controller Architecture

View Helpers for AJAX, Javascript, HTML Forms and more

Built-in Validation

Application Scaffolding

Application and CRUD code generation via Bake

Access Control Lists

Data Sanitization

Security, Session, and Request Handling Components

Flexible View Caching



Like all other frameworks cakePHP is also component based framework.



The Symphony Framework:



Some of the features of the symphony framework are as follows:



simple templating and helpers

cache management

smart URLs

scaffolding

multilingualism and I18N support

object model and MVC separation

Ajax support

enterprise ready



Thus these are the best options available for frameworks relating to PHP and one should review all these features of all these frameworks against his needs and choose the appropriate framework to work on!

Any suggestions and comments as always are welcome.

eSports Game Servers asked:


Many clans or gaming enthusiasts working to get a game server popular run into a problem: they don’t have enough admins. Though admins may not be necessary all the time, any game server of decent size will need one around. The admins you have on your game server will be crucial to its continuing success.

Though your friends who play on your game server may not cause trouble, other players who come along might. Trouble makers need to be dealt with smoothly and quickly if you plan on keeping your server’s popularity. It can take months to build up a game server’s status in the gaming world, but a trouble maker or cheater can clear out a server by simply annoying everyone else. No one likes playing with cheaters or annoying whiners, and players won’t hesitate to find another server to frag on for the evening if someone else is ruining their game.

You should have enough admins in your gaming clan so that at least one is at all times, or at least during the server’s busiest hours. If you can’t get enough admins, you can give players a way of contacting you if a player is causing havoc. Posting your email or AIM in a scrolling message in a scrolling message on the server is one good way. Another is getting a few trusted gamers on your server to keep watch for and inform you if any problems crop up.

Though you may have plenty of admins in your gaming clan, are they good? Most admins out there do a great job, but there are always a few bad apples who abuse their power. Worse than an abusive player is an abusive admin. Admins who kick players better than them, insult new players, or ban for minor offenses will make your game server’s players leave in a flash. Do your fellow players a favor and keep a watch on your admins. Have an email or website set up where people can ask questions about your server’s rules or report admin abuse. Occasionally pop in your server using an anonymous name and see how your admins act. The point is, don’t trust your game server admins blindly. Power can bring out the worst in people sometimes.

Without a strong admin base, your gaming server will not last. Every server on decent size needs a group of trustworthy admins who are always on call to deal with cheaters or otherwise irksome players. What is also important, however, is that these server admins be trustworthy and fair. No game server can last long without proper adminning.

Football asked:


Tyrone Braxton

Youth Football Plays

Our youth football plays are designed for teams looking to improve their offensive and defensive performance. If you are coach football, at any level, this downloadable playbook is worth a look! Designed by 13 year starting PRO Tyrone Braxton, the book includes full color plays, hot route reads, tips, diagrams, drills and strategies to prepare your athletes. It’s also connected to Wristband Interactive, “Football’s Greatest Invention”

Our youth football offensive plays are basic enough that the developing players can grasp and execute the play scheme, but they are also complex enough to challenge the defense and defeat the formation that the defense has chosen.  The combination of basic and yet complex is what the playbook chapters in the book are all about. 

An entire section is devoted to tips for young players as well.  The earlier a young player begins to develop the techniques for effective play, the sooner these effective techniques become a habit and are ingrained for the remainder of a player’s football career.

TB’s Playbook includes:

 Plays to beat man coverage

 Plays to beat zone coverage

Defensive plays and strategies

 Tips for defensive backs

 Tips for receivers

 Tips for quarterbacks

 Stories about his Journey

 

Braxton played college football at North Dakota State University where he earned all-conference honors as a senior and won 3 National Championships in 4 years. He was a Defensive back and punt return specialist who earned all-conference honors as a senior after posting 128 tackles, one INT and two FR. He led the conference with five INTs and a punt return average of 15.0 as a junior. He was a member of the North Central Conference champion outdoor 400-meter relay squad and competed in the national championship. Braxton was drafted by the Broncos in the 12th round of the 1987 NFL Draft.

Mallory Kramer asked:


tions across the power tool industry have improved the durability, strength and maneuverability of both corded and cordless power tools. Cordless tools, it seems, are becoming vastly more popular as battery and motor technologies continue to improve. New developments like Lithium-Ion battery technology has upped the ante for cordless tools, but other innovations have certainly not left corded power tools in the dust. New advancements in corded power tool designs have made corded tools, once cumbersome and lumbering, lighter weight and far easier to handle. Corded power tools still offer unrivaled power and performance, and generally have a longer life-span; when picking a tool, however, it is still not an easy choice as cordless tools offer compact ergonomics and superior mobility.

It’s important to consider a few things before deciding which tool best suits you and your needs. The type of job and intensity of applications, the materials you intend to manipulate, and how often you will use your power tools are all factors in choosing between corded and cordless tools.

“So, what are the benefits of cordless tools?” you ask. Well, I’ll tell you. Cordless power tools allow craftsmen to take the tools to the job rather than bringing work back to your tools; bringing work back to the shop or a stable power source can be a frustrating chore if not wholly impossible. Cordless tools offer superior convenience and portability, and with greater advancements in battery technology and tool design, cordless tools now have more power, less weight, and a longer run-time than ever before. Another striking benefit of using cordless tools is, well, they’re cordless! Lugging and dragging around heavy cords can not only be a hassle but a hazard as well. For this reason, cordless tools also tend to be easier to store and transport. Cordless tools are ideal for home use and for use in high-traffic areas where cords can present a bigger safety hazard. Additionally, cordless tools are absolutely essential when working in unfinished constructions where, perhaps, there is no electrical power source available. However, it’s not all sunshine with cordless tools, although their convenience is unmatched, they can’t offer the constant high power that corded tools can. Cordless tools are less powerful to begin with and most (excluding those using Lithium-Ion batteries) lose power continuously as you work. Unlike corded, cordless power tools have a limited power source and rely on a fully charged battery to efficiently run. Cordless tools also tend to be a bit heavier and batteries can be expensive to replace.

Intrigued, you now ask, “Ah, so what then are the advantages of using corded tools?” Let me tell you. Corded power tools offer significantly more power and a constant, non-dwindling power source for continuous run-time. Corded tools offer a wider variety for more diverse applications and deliver the highest-performance for the most heavy-duty jobs. Corded tools allow users to perform without stops ensuring projects are completed without the hassle of changing and charging batteries. Because of their superior power and nonstop performance, corded tools are ideal for heavier construction jobs. They also tend to be less expensive – and you’ll never have to replace a pricey battery either. Cordless tools are a stronger, more durable tool and are essential where jobs require constant and superior power. Corded tools provide unmatched power and deliver the most professional results to even the heaviest, heartiest, beefiest applications. On the other hand, while corded tools don’t require battery replacements, they do have that lumbering cord; that heavy, fraying cord requires replacement as often as a battery does. While cords are generally less expensive to replace, they are much more frustrating and time consuming. Power cords present more problems than simply fraying or failing altogether – cords are dangerous; they present a serious electrical hazard, and are fairly easy to trip over. Corded tools also have limited mobility, and as its generally recommended to avoid using extension cords (which present an additional safety hazard) corded tools shouldn’t go too far from the power source they’re drawing from.

When choosing a tool, it is crucial to consider the capacities of of both corded and cordless types. Each offers different advantages to suit different demands and applications. Know the type of jobs you expect to perform, the type of materials you’ll be working with, and consider how often you’ll be firing up your tools – knowing these three things should help you choose precisely which tool, corded or cordless, will be your best companion on the job.

Andrew Karasev asked:


Historically Great Plains Software introduced Great Plains Select, which was available on Pervasive SQL 2000 and Ctree database platforms, not on Microsoft SQL Server.  Later on, when Microsoft acquired Great Plains Software, it decided to switch from Pervasive and Ctree to newly introduced Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Edition or MSDE.  MSDE, which is scaled down Microsoft SQL Server 2000 placed the limit on its database size to be 2GB.  Then in 2004, Microsoft Business Solutions came out with incentive to allow Great Plains Standard 7.5 users to obtain registration key for running GP on SQL Server 2000 platform free of charge.  If you are crossing 2GB DB limit on MSDN, you should consider the following actions:

1.       Purge Transaction History and then rebuild database.  Good idea to work on file rebuilding level.  Purging transaction history, however might not be a feasible option, especially if your Great Plains users have to look up into historical data for your customers, vendors, employees, salespeople, etc.  Good idea is also check the size of company DB transaction log.

2.       Migrate to Microsoft SQL Server 2000 or 2005.  If you are on GP version 7.5 – likely that this option is not available – you will have to obtain new reg key from Microsoft Business Solutions.  If you are on Great Plains Standard 8.0, you will need to migrate to Microsoft SQL Server 2000.  If you are on Dynamics GP 9.0 or 10.0 you can either migrate to SQL Server Select edition or SQL 2000 or 2005 Standard or Enterprise.  Microsoft Business Solutions recommend you simply to reattach existing Dynamics and company databases files to newly installed SQL Server

3.       If you do not have support contract with Microsoft and not sure who is your existing Great Plains VAR.  All written above is definitely cool for those who are current in Dynamics GP annual enhancement program, which allows you to have access to your Customer Source, where you can get your new Great Plains version reg key.  If you lapsed in annual enhancement, you will have to select Great Plains Reseller or consultant, sign Change VAR form to your new GP Partner, and then your new VAR will have access to your historical Great Plains Registration Keys

4.       From MSDE 2000 to SQL Express 2005.  In SQL Express you have 4GB DB limit, which is good postponing option, however please know that you will need to upgrade to at least Great Plains Dynamics GP 9.0.  Last warning.  If you are subscriber to MSDN or Microsoft TechNet – you may have access to all Dynamics GP versions CD images, however these subscriptions are for evaluation only – do not use these CDs for upgrade purpose, if you do not have reg key for targeted version of Dynamics GP