Abdul-Hakim Haliru

Developers and Designers Talks

2009-10-08T08:04:00.003+02:00

Hi there, like I said in a recent post I have been doing a lot lately, by implication I have been doing a lot of front end web development mainly focusing on simplistic aesthetics.

Basically, it is not about the use of too many tools or API, it is about a good usage of one or more tools for a job with an appeasing presentation of your final work. One great mistake we make as designers/developers is to use too many tools/plugins whilst working and you know that saying:

“too many cooks spoil the broth”.

However, my intentions is to tell you of some of the coolest plugins I have used lately from my jquery implementations to dojo. these two are turning to be recurring tools in my recent jobs bringing my Apps very close to Desktop Apps or RIA and most importantly web 2.0 compliant.

Jquery:(Mb_tabset,Flexselect,Carousel )

I am really not going to talk about each of these here but I would only advice that you check out

http://plugins.jquery.com

but sure there are whole lots of jquery built plugins, a couple of them with either poor documentation or buggy at runtime.

Dojo:

One really cool thing about dojo is that it is got a declarative way of using its widgets especially the very rich ‘dijit’s components.

Particularly, I like so many things about dojo implementation, it is very neatly implemented with require statements and its in-built firebug Lite utility is something you would find handy when it comes to testing on IE but I hate to hear when people say it is for Java(that over-rated and overly represented language in schools/training centers) developers.

Widgets:(TabContainer,ComboBox)

There are a whole lot of cool stuffs within dojo but hey watch it. Some programming approach or styles are only dojo –invented don’t go trying to use the styles in other libraries of your own hand-built scripts because you might just hit a block-wall.

One of the coolest things about my use of these Javascript libraries is that I bother less on cross browser compatibility isues and focus on my views. there are far too many plugins and widgets in these libraries that I have seen and may never implement or use in my works as they would only occur with need. For instance the YUI has got a very cool set of widgets for the job but I just may not get to use it though it is really cool to explore various libraries and use them for various works, this sure creates a variety of flovored themes for your works and when an employer/client also comes calling with specific needs like site make-overs it gives you an edge as most likely one of these libraries might have been used.

Please before you go hanging me about the stereotypes on the use of Javascript on your projects, I’d say how many people do you think still turn-off pop-ups on their browsers today?

Take the stats or google up some polling results across the web and see that you may be living in the stone age of development if you still shy away from the Ajax ways of doing things today.

In conclusion, I gotta say that I really do believe that the “Open source way ” is really a very great way of doing things and filled with great humanitarians (people who do not want you to have problems) who give out freely very rich components just for you but the world may not recognize this bunch of Humanitarians.

Of Import to you may be:

Mozilla Addons:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon

22 Beautiful jquery plugins:

http://www.tutorial9.net/resources/22-beautiful-jquery-plugins-for-web-designers/

Sixteen Cheat Sheets:

http://www.problogdesign.com/resources/16-cheat-sheets-on-16-essential-topics-for-web-designers/

free fonts:

http://csscreme.com/download-free-fonts/by-alpha/A

What I have been doing lately

2009-10-03T19:38:00.000+02:00

Wow, it is been a while i put something here but that really does not mean i have been far from the internet, it is just that i have been doing alot of research and doing some site makeovers, building and lately i have been flirting with a lot of Javascript Libraries API, twittering, facebook connect and lots more. I decided to take a slight break form C# and Asp.NET and focus on open source tools due to cross platform reasons but i still maintain that dotnet remains one of the best programming technology for anybody. I usually do not like talking about my projects as a freelancer but lately i have really done some jobs that i would have loved to talk about but i believe in modesty. However, I am trying to seek a way to work collaboratively on a large scoped project with some europe based companies. simply because i would love to work across borders, earn some money and get some experience with international programmers. I finally got a UK based lawyer to myself and I really look forward to some beneficial partnership in the nearest future. I am seriously resisting the temptation of working for some one as i strongly believe it will slow my pace down. I have also been flirting with Adobe Flex lately but i would not say there is something to show for it yet, it's basically a flare for RIA drive. enough about me, but i am sure you are with my drift right now and hey i have just changed one of my blog pix to reflect the recent me. I am very open to proposition but please do not bring illegal propositions cos i dont do fake things, i dont build fake bank sites neither do i do scam. BE WARNED!!! Abdulhakim K.H. +234-8032898122.

9ja talks.....

2009-05-07T11:19:00.000+02:00

Today, the credit crunch issue is really still on and i'm beginning to feel its effect too although like some will argue the money flows in nigeria but within political circle and government contractors. For small guys like us free-lancing and hoping a firm with out-sourcing core finds you and bring that job to you. Today, client seem to want fluid designs with rounds than the rectangular box from the old days of designing, Open Source seems to be making more sense to people now more than ever.... Wireless Infrastructural experts and 3D graphics guys seem to be in high demand but then again the big question is HOW MUCH ARE THEY PAYING ? most often than not they offer pea-nuts and always seem to be in a hurry to get the job done. Talk about taking 'advantage' and you know.... above all this how much are you thinking about that career switch ? how prepared are you to learn? holla back!

Millions of Dollars to Make in Nigeria...

2009-01-22T18:02:00.000+01:00

Hi there, last week my boss got back from india where he had been visiting his family. On his way back he brought back some IT journals which he asked me to review and give him my pro take on 'em so we could subscribe for monthly copies from the publishers for our Nigerian clients. I quickly jumped to work and was obviously instantly attracted to a page which had the same caption as this piece but then guess what i found. it was not what i thought but it was an ugly truth. In summary, their research and package route tracing engines discovered that most of those mouth-watering millions of dollar winnings from un-solicited and non-participated lottery e-mail jackpots notifiers originates from Nigeria. Now that is surely a thing to think about for me and all of us as Nigerians. Our technology inclination energy should not be channelled to such areas even though it is unfortunately channelled thus. I am not going to mince words in saying that that India is really doing well with provisioning of quality tech at very affordable rates but what beats one is that the brains behind this evolutionary major play of a country like india in tech are youths. A whole lots of stuffs i spent my weekend reading about but i must say it is important for you to know what else is your child seeing on the net. it is not enough to say because you have installed some parental control software to deny your child visiting porn sites that there ain't nothin to fear anymore. believe me, besides porn, there is a whole lotta good and bad things on the Net that should keep you concerned enough to wanna keep tabs on your children. Just incase, you get more security conscious and wanna know how to do things without much cost on acquiring more techno gadgets that require new education just send me a mail and i would give tips on securing your teenage childs internet life. hey, stay safe and blessed.

How to Copy a file and its extension Using VB.NET

2008-12-23T16:48:00.000+01:00

Hi, If you go beyond this line then I can assume you are somewhat a VB programmer. I have left this snippet for you to add to your sub proceedure so you can use your vb code to copy any file to a certain location on your PC. But then again your creativity must drive you to know that the file name could be made a dynamic parameter gotten from the user. I have tried the snippet out with my Visual Studio 2008 and it does what it is meant to do. Enjoy the snippet and get back if it does not work for you with your error prompt. .....................VB.NET CODE STARTS HERE....................................................................... ' On my form, i have an Open file dialog Object called "ofd" , a Button called "cmdcopy" ' and then voila i am set to go Private Sub cmdcopy_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles cmdcopy.Click ofd.ShowDialog() Dim filetocopy As String Dim stlen As Integer filetocopy = ofd.FileName Dim ext As String Trim(filetocopy) Dim position As Integer ' We first try to get the index of the "." symbol in the string position = InStr(filetocopy, ".") stlen = filetocopy.Length ext = filetocopy.Substring(position - 1, (stlen - position) + 1) Dim newfile As String = "c:\newfile78" & ext ' At this point i choose to declare my new file If File.Exists(newfile) = True Then Dim overwrite As Integer overwrite = MessageBox.Show("Do you want to overwrite the existing file", "Overwrite file?", MessageBoxButtons.YesNo, MessageBoxIcon.Question) If overwrite = vbYes Then File.Delete(newfile) File.Copy(filetocopy, newfile) MessageBox.Show("Successfully Copied" & vbNewLine & filetocopy & "to" & newfile) ElseIf overwrite = vbNo Then Exit Sub ' I am asking my my sub to exit because user clicks No End If End If ' If it does not exist it should be copied File.Copy(filetocopy, newfile & ext) MessageBox.Show("Successfully Copied" & vbNewLine & filetocopy & "to" & newfile) End Sub ........................................VB CODE ENDS HERE.................................................

Analysing 2008 and ICT Events....

2008-12-20T07:01:00.000+01:00

The year 2008 is coming to a climax and just like with every dynamic sector, the IT sector has had a share of the ups and downs this year. We most notably witnessed a near turn-around Microsoft. a new Microsoft Inc. sort-of, a company which is now public aware and sensitive. We saw the acceptance of apparent flaws like the most recent IE 8 bug saga culminating into the reveal of the buggy nature of the Official Commercial browser from Microsoft and the subsequent release of a patch/patches, an action seen as the most expedite action from that company in recent time. In this year also, Microsoft has technically accepted that though Vista is an innovative product, it does have drawbacks and hence has promised users a new OS from its stake come the first quota of 2009 (Windows 7). Windows-7 is hopefully going to be a faster OS with look and feel like Vista (my predictions). Microsoft has also technically owned up to the fact that Open Source is really gaining grounds in the IT market and therefore the company released its first Open Source framework(oxite) and this to us is an indication that what we believe as Open Source users that a GPL or GNU license does not mean an empty pocket necessarily for developers and companies is true. A whole lot has really happened to score Open source high especially with Giants closed source companies taken actions that indicates that the competition posed by Open source is telling on 'em. We have also seen symfony framework gaining more acceptance this year, more awareness and growing yearning for more health-care oriented solutions. We have seen Microsoft learning hard lessons like with the Yahoo bid game it lost, its desire to completely buy Facebook (though officially denies this) and its selfish desire to have a God-like presence in the IT world. I think the Solaris, Fedora, RH as unix flavors have really gained more users this year also due to the fact that Windows has continously proved to be an insecured and very vulnerable platform. In summary, I think if you are thinking of a career in IT, now is the time to jump start and explore the possibility of a career in Wireless Solutions because that is where IT is heading and with an Obama President, now is the time to do your home work. trust me soon as this financial crisis gets checked you will see an IT industry with a lotta vacancies therefore make that career -switch move NOW. do not forget that if you need anything in IT reach out to me and others....

What I have been upto lately...

2008-08-16T16:01:00.000+02:00

Lately, It occurred to me that i have not been feeding my posts on the blog.

I really don't want you to get bored out. I am doing a lot lately with little time on my hands.

I have been doing some messing around with linux and wishing for an Apple G4 laptop.

well with lots of my clients been bugged with the "Windows Genuine Authentication" tool bugging their lives and i have to get down to them to fix it which really does not take too much time, i decided heck no, this gotta stop and so i jump started into linux....

My programming is also improved upon now with a full glimpse of OS kernels and threads, better don't get bored.

Keep it logged on here and don't forget to let me in on your pc problems or codes snippet issues on languages where you find me, Ciao!

....Herkym

Power Rules

2007-09-21T13:54:00.000+02:00

"To have a good enemy choose a friend, he knows where to strike." ---Diane De Poitiers 1499 - 1566, Mistress of Henri II of France " Pick up a bee from kindness and learn the limitations of kindness" --- Sufi Proverb

" Men are more ready to pay an injury than a benefit, because gratitude is a burden and revenge a pleasure. "

---Tacitus, C.A.D 55-120

To my phun klub sweetHeart from hi5 rooms...

2007-08-26T06:34:00.000+02:00

Dearest beloved, I am writing you this mail cos I knew you were going to be here somehow, Today I woke up realising that you were the one who left this big vacuum in me cos you left I have chosen to run after you from the lively rooms of hi5,tagged to this lonely place,I call mine I was not going to say sorry for I know that is what you expect... I was only going to tell you that all I see is black, I see black because i am black and I have only committed black since you have known me. In the past, some how you have always found it in you to forgive me, now I guess my cup has overflowing... I beg of you beloveth, Let me have the sweet memories of our been together!! ---Herkym

She wanted my sympathy but she was wrong....

2007-06-24T14:46:00.000+02:00

Usually, my girl friend will visit me and leave later by 10:00 pm. a couple of days ago on one of such visit she stopped by to buy wheat-cake popularly called Masa in this part of the country. I had parted ways with her boarding a bike home, so she had stopped the bike to buy Masa when this guy parked his car and greeted her. After some awkward exchanges (normal girl-boy first meeting).

The guy quietly sent the Okada man away after making sure he paid him and then offered my poor-girl a ride home. [Perfect scene]

Of course they got each other’s number the night before, so he called her up the next day, got her consent to visit her and Visit he did.

He drove to her house, after a brief chat offered her a ride round town, only this time, he ended up driving her to his quiet, cosy abode where he led her into his highly, tastefully furnitured sitting room, went away, took a while and then returned with her wish (she only asked for water) behold she was exquisitely enjoying a movie when he returned, only this time he had mixed the water with the body weakening substance guys normally use “DRAGON –FLY” then he gave her few minutes to allow his Spell take its effect and went to work,(Only this time the potency of his spell was not efficate).

My adventure-seeking girl friend could not tease her curiosity anymore with the Gentle---man monster going wild before her.

What did she do?:

Good question to ask at this time, she simply stood up, asked to be returned home. He went mute and kept watching in his daze, this young woman whose hormones will not react in his favor. So he watched her stagger out and left the house, she boarded an Okada and returned to her stunned but loving folks.

How Did I know?

She narrated her bizarre experience and thought she was going t o get my sympathy, unfortunately my instincts did not hold the strange man she barely knew over night culpable for her experience but found her guilty of Searching for another man, lover, friend and possibly a husband.

My suicide note

2007-06-24T13:54:00.000+02:00

It is a world where;

I am the only one that cares for me

The only one that advises me

I cannot go through the thicks

The thorns are piercing and hurting

I went out to see my bride

She says no again.

My neighbor hates me.

I cannot make a living

I have not eaten.

The thirst is unbearable

The hunger unquenchable

My hands are yearning

My mind is a work shop

Lo, the devil is an owner

So read my suicide note yet I lived. I lived with the African austerity, a broken chord of corporate indiscipline where industrial actions are given political life.

This depicts and presents the creative side of a mind whose clock is rescinded by the “Academic Staff Union of Universities” (ASUU) in Nigeria whose leadership has refused to call off its protracted and on-going strike.

My voice speaks for all undergraduates in Nigerian universities whom are ravingly pained by the government’s countenance and the ASUU standing.

A going heart

2007-06-23T11:37:00.000+02:00

Poem Title: Reminiscing A crying heart,

Dying for love…

Died for love

A heart that can never make-up…

For the sufferings of another heart.

The price of love,

Paid dearly…

A true heart

A true love

Years after years: still fresh

A heart that goes on… For love....

Poem Title: Childhood

Charming innocence, beyond Ken

O childhood?

Why are thou weak?

Why do thou give succour to manhood?

O childhood!

Innocent childhood,

Do thou hear me?

How charming thou are.

O Fay!

Why do thou make a baby and say;

“Away with you”

How cruel, mother!

Ah mother… What a hood!

Poem Title: My Vision

This is the entry,

The entry to a market,

Every market…

The beginning to every market.

The sales,

The bargains,

The centre to every dealing.

The exit was before the entry.

A spiritual place…

The heart of the beginning was a serpent?

Wagging its tongue.

Its venom,

An antedote!

Its tail was red

Like the nib of a pen.

The betrayal of one trusted.

The racing of souls

I exhale;

To bow out

Reflections of the mind...

2007-06-21T16:58:00.000+02:00

INDIA

As for the bow is the arrow,

So is the woman for the man,

She bends him, yet she obeys him,

She pulls him yet she follows,

Useless each without the other!

GLORIOUS LADY

O glorious lady,

Never before have I seen,

A creature, a sculpture, a picture

With overwhelming virtues.

O queen of great omen,

Sweetened like the words of a poet,

Glittering like the blinding sparkle of diamond,

I pray; yours is not cruel beauty,

I bid for your priceless smiles,

I shall offer an ocean of goldTo drown in your heart,

if I were not a pauper.O glorious queen,

Would an ocean of stones pay your dues?

O queen of invaluable wealth,

Pray; bless me.O princess,

I crave victory in your beauty.

ENSLAVED

Ages ago,In chains and whips,

They urged us on,

With trepidation we yielded,

Our lips were sealed,

But history testifies for us,

Yet it was not us.

Now, under invisible chains and whims,

They beckon on us to reckon,For fear of our mirage,

We succumb and thread our doom.

They wear smiles for us,

With crystal lies,

We embrace slavery in a modern facet,

As we toil in bondage,

We think democracy but we stink of dictators.

Illiterates, are we?

For enlightened minds will die to break these chains,

Nigeria hunts,

Africa yearns,

We crave for elites!

MY CHILD

( Culled from the people’s poet Summer magazine 2005./www.thepeoplespoet.com)

O ye life long dream of mine,

You are the fruit of my marriage,

a life long dream of mine.

When womanhood came,

Thou became

The beauty of marriage.

You made me endure…

The pains of a stranger,

Lo thy father.

Thou brought me pains…

The pains of labour,

A contrast of ecstasy,

The ecstasy of ploughing.

O child of mine,

You made me sell my pride,

The pride of womanhood,

Ye gladdens my heart,

Never shall I cry.

All poems are written by Abdul Hakim K. Haliru and open to criticism, so please write in .