osCommerce, CRE Loaded or Zen Cart

If you're looking for a free shopping cart, you might be wondering which of these cart is the best suit your needs; osCommerce, CRE Loaded or Zen Cart? Below is a quote from a forum that relates this three applications.

You have the Open Source Community which made osCommerce as a shopping cart. Then more features and installs were provided by the community which made later versions of osCommerce. Then still more features are added at the .org site. Next, some groups realized that people kept wanting some core set of modules and features installed on their oscommerce sites. So you have CRE Loaded. (the Chain Reaction Edition of osCommerce "loaded" with many of the features and modules). Then the CRE project has a split and Zen Cart is born. From there, Zen Cart goes on its own path and CRE Loaded goes on its path (not totally different, but both are great and have their own style). You also have VirtueMart which is osCommerce cart combined with CMS like Joomla/Mambo.

I've installed osCommerce and CRE Loaded before but Zen Cart is still new to me. I like some of the Zen Cart's powered shopping cart and I just can't wait to play with it.

My First Windows Vista

When I had to buy a notebook for my wife last week, it's clear that this is my chance to test out the new OS from Microsoft, Windows Vista. Yeah it's a risky move but I believe eventually we all have to face it sooner or later. Remember the moment when you had to change to Windows XP? This is exatcly the same situation. Read on.

We decided to buy the Dell Inspiron 640m. I like XPS better but my missus reminded me about the budget so I had to stick with the budget range. Next step is the OS selection. This is where I had my first confusion, to choose which version of Vista is suitable for us. They have 5 version of Vista (official Microsoft page), but I believe Dell offered 6 type of Vista. Since this is my first Vista experience, so I simply pick Vista Home Premium. It said something to do with AERO experience (what the heck is that?) Later I found out that it's a redesigned user interface and visual style developed by the Microsoft.

The moment I get my hand on this OS, I start installing all my usual stuff; WampServer, Yahoo IM, Firefox, Opera, SQLyog, Photoshop CS, SPSS and Zend Develeopment Environment. The WampServer 5 had no big issue with Vista however I can't figure out how to install their services. Now SPSS is a different story. I just can't figure how to to install it. I tried to install SPSS from edition 10 to 14 but Vista just rejected it all.

As for the Photoshop CS2, when I first launch the program, it terminate itself right after launching the software activation program. Simply run the program as administrator by right clicking the program icon and select 'run as administrator' to overcome this problem.

Oh well, it's all as I expected. There is always a glitch every time when you want to migrate from one system to another. As for the Windows Vista, if your programs aren't working, I mean almost all of them, perhaps Vista is the last options on your list.

I read lots of negative comment about Vista, some are being cynical but for the rest of us, we just don't care.

Piping With Yahoo

I almost forgot about this, but recently Yahoo launched a new service called Pipes. It's a drag and drop interface which allows you to combine several feeds into one. Remember how much time you'd spent to read every single feed subcriptions. With pipes you can actually combine your favorite feed and categorized it as a theme (News, Tech, Gizmo, etc) you just name it.

If you look inside the pipes you must agree with me that to build a pipes it is not for a faint heart. But once mastered, you can build as many pipes that you want with different purposes. For example, did you ever wish to monitor eBay price that match your budget? Pipes allows you to build query from a base feed url and set rules or filter before streaming it out to the pipe output. Take a look on my simple pipes. It translates a feed into a different language.

I thought saw one or two blogs refering Yahoo pipes as a web 3.0. Looking at pipes capability it's definitely a next generation of web application. In this new era, manipulating a web 2.0 application is the next challenge and Yahoo! pipes succeded.

Replace Pop-up with Modal Dialogs

Early this year, Microsoft has change their website interface and I notice that they are now using modal dialogs. What the heck is that? Modal dialog is an alternative way to load any detail information without changing the main page, just like the pop-up does. But the problem with pop-up is that currently there so many pop-up blocker tools out there. So your pop-up might be trapped in one of the tools. My boss had at least 5 pop-up blocker and he just don't have a clue which one is in active.

Today, Arjoule is kind enough to show me how it can be done. To experience it first hand, point your browser to this page and click the "show modal window button". Another good example is Widgetbox. I never use it before but someday this snippet will definitely come handy.

How To Save YouTube Video

YouTube.com is great place to share your video online. However if you want to safe any video into your PC, YouTube don't have a direct access for this purpose. At least not for now. But there is always solution for every single problem and saving YouTube videos is not a problem anymore. Of course we need helps from others and that is why YouTubeX.com comes into the picture.

Now what you have to do:

- Browse for the videos at YouTube.com
- Copy and Paste the URL of the YouTube video into the form above.
- Click "DOWNLOAD" to save the YouTube file to your PC.
- Rename the YouTube file with a .flv extension if necessary

To playback the .FLV video, you'll need a FLV Player. You can get a FREE one here. Done.
You can now play the YouTube videos as many time you want without the need to connect to your ISP.

Update: The you TubeX.com is dead. I will show you a new way of saving the YouTube video.

I will follow you flick

Meet my youngest son, Muaz. He's just 17 months old but, man, he's so active. There is nothing wrong being young but whoever baby sit him, they will exhausted. The only time he stop doing his stuff is when the DIGI commercial (the one with yellowman - Teletubbies) on air. He just paused and watch the entire clip and laugh aloud. Voila, all I have to do now is to find this yellow guy and hire him as my baby sitter. Problem solved.

Here is the DIGI's TV commercial that slows down my hyper kid.



The song is based on a song from Sister Act movie (yeah the one with Woopie Goldberg) titled "I Will Follow Him" (it's a religious song)

The Basic of XSLT Transformation

From the early student year up until now I always learn anything new in programming with the help of some examples. XSLT Transformation is one of them. It's not a new technology but if you can master this, a lot of things can be done. As for me I use it to organize the XML generated data so that it can appear nicely on the web. So here are some basic guide for this.

XML Document
Let's start this with creating XML document so that we can transform into XHTML format.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="shopping.xsl"?>
<shopping>
<item>
<name>Paper Clip</name>
<price>00.90</price>
</item>
<item>
<name>AAA Paper</name>
<price>10.90</price>
</item>
<item>
<name>Glue</name>
<price>3.90</price>
</item>
<item>
<name>Cutter</name>
<price>2.50</price>
</item>
<item>
<name>Pen</name>
<price>6.99</price>
</item>
</shopping>

Save this as shopping.xml

Create an XSL Style Sheet
Next we create the XSL Style Sheet ("shopping.xsl") with a transformation template:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">
<xsl:template match="/">
<html>
<body>
<h2>My Shopping List</h2>
<table border="1">
<tr bgcolor="#9acd32">
<th align="left">Item Name</th>
<th align="left">Price ($)</th>
</tr>
<xsl:for-each select="shopping/item">
<tr>
<td><xsl:value-of select="name"/></td>
<td><xsl:value-of select="price"/></td>
</tr>
</xsl:for-each>
</table>
</body>
</html>
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>

Load the shopping.xml from your favorite browser and it's done.

P/S: Try play around with the shopping.xsl XSL transformation file.

DIY - Pop Art Portrait

When I first migrate to the New Blogger (formerly known as Blogger Beta), I thought that it would be nice to have a caricature photo as my photo profile. But I didn't know how to draw a caricature especially my own face. But when I browse Flickr, I saw several profile photo morphed into pop art portrait. So I get inspired and start to create one using Photoshop CS based on Itchy Squirrel works.

I'm truly amazed with the outcome and it's not so hard to do it by yourself. In fact I was having fun all the way. A new blog friend of mine Khuzaimi find it very appealing and ask me if I can produce one for him. OK mate, it's just like learning to ride a bicycle, once learned you'll never forget. All you have to do is to follow the steps shown by Itchy Squirrel here. One thing that I learn from all this is don't be be afraid to do mistakes.

Electronic Library - Where is the fun?

I can't remember when was the last time I visited a public library to get reference for my research. I missed the environment and the people. I used to hang around in the library all the time during my student years. Not because I'm a book worm or nerd but at that time lot of thing in library amused me. Of course that was before I discovered internet.

In 2004, Google start a mission which is very bold and ambitious, to digitally scan library books and make them searchable online. The program enables users to find matches within the full text of books, while publishers and authors monetize that information. Libraries like Harvard, Stanford, the University of Michigan, the University of Oxford, and The New York Public Library were among the pioneers. However, nnly books published before 1900 will be part of this project.

Well last night, when I watch "A Beautiful Mind" movie, story about a Nobel Prize-winning economist and mathematician John Forbes Nash, the Game Theory caught my attention. I never learn that in engineering school and I thought this theory must be an ancient mathematical theory so maybe I could try the Google Book Search to look for related books. It was really my fist time using the Google Book Search and I think the system really impressed me. Once again Google has proved that it can go through the billions of pages on its search engine to string together material on any subject that has been written about.

Personally I think the program can helps publishers from all over the world to market their books effectively. There is a link to the success story of some partners. So I guess I'm going to missed library for good.

Convince Me Not ?

I never had a good laugh for a while but today a debate in convinceme.net really tickle me. I'm wondering who is going to win the debate on Superman vs. Batman.

Convinceme.net is the debating website. You can create any number challenges, and compete in any number of debates that other users create as challenges. Compete for votes, a winning record, and points. It's your chance to convince the world that you are right!

I open up a debate called "Living in the Moon or Mars" to test some of the website functionality. If you have some point to debate about this is your platform.

(I wish they pay me for this)

What's Up Azo?

Maybe some of you might be wondering what's up with me and this blog. It's so quite for quite a while. Well to tell the truth I actually doing my work, integrating publication system with the news websites. I must say it requires lots of XSL transformation than I ever did before. To make it worse, I'm doing it alone. My boss said I could ask help from our principal but every question that I asked would never been answered. So I had to come out with my own solution to deal with most of the problems. That is just unproductive to me.

I also found out that cakePHP framework resemble Rake's architecture. So I decided to get my self busy learning the manual and all cakePHP's stuff. OOP programming in any framework sometime makes you completely lost or perhaps frustrating.

So should I give up with all that troublesome burden type of work? No way. The thing is if you love what you do, eventually all problems will blown away by your burning desire. Trust me on this.

Malaysian Public Figure Blogs

I'm not sure why I'm reading blogs from the Malaysian politicians, artists, news casters, reporters lately. Maybe I'm wondering how they feel about their latest campaign, movies, programme or perhaps I might find some unofficial information that I don't know yet.

Ok I'm going to list down as many blog that I can find and reveal it here. If you know more perhaps you want add in the list.

Politicians
Lim Kit Siang - Parliamentary Opposition Leader (DAP). Update almost daily.
Shahrir Abdul Samad
Teresa Kok
Tian Chua
K. S Nalla
Anwar Ibrahim
N. Gobalakrishnan
Azmin Ali
Fuziah Salleh

Journalist
Ahirudin bin Attan
Jeff Ooi
Irin Putri - MedikTV Broadcast Journalist

Entertainer
Afdlin Shauki - Comedian, Artist, Singer, Director
Patrick Teoh - Actor, former radio deejay...NIAMAH!

Others
Marina Mahathir

Ok maybe it is not much for now. I'm too tired to read more.

Searching for the top MVC Framework

The last few days has been a very busy days for us all. Our office is now relocated in Kuala Lumpur, so last week we had to pack everything and say good bye to Phileo Damansara. I going to miss the place even though my stay were just 4 months. Within couple of days, all the necessities in our new office are restored. Now I can continue my research on the web application framework.

I can't remember when was the first time I heard about MVC driven framework. But recently I had opportunity to actualy play around with Rails framework. Since then I fell in love with it. Then I look for PHP based MVC framework on the internet and I astonished by the number of ready made framework.
If you want to ask why PHP, not the Ruby itself? Perhaps for now I'm looking for more PHP projects since it is the most popular programing language out there.

I'm looking for a suitable framework for my future projects. I manage to try out quite a number of frameworks but still I can't recommend any of it for a simple reason. There is no single framework that suit all web application.

But I listed it anyway for my own reference or perhaps you might find it usefull too.

1. Ruby on Rails: Ruby language, scaffold method.
2. Symfony: Based on Mojavi and inspired by Rails
3. Mojavi: The first MVC framework I fell in love with
4. CakePHP: Inspired by Rails PHP4/5
5. PHPOnTrax: a Rails port - PHP5 Only
6. Prado: The winner of Zend coding contest
7. Studs: A Java-Struts port to PHP
8. Phrame: A Java-Struts port
9. Achievo: A good RAD framework
10. WACT: Web Application Component Toolkit
11. Ambivalence: A Java-Maverick Port
12. Zend: PHP 5 Only
13. Seagull: PHP 4/5
14. Zoop

Based on my experience on some of the frameworks, to keep your frustration level on the lowest level:

• you must try it first before deciding to build your project
  
• check the changelog or trac (if available), make sure the development are still on
  
• look for the documentation, is it suffiecient enough?
• look for the framework community
• look for tutorials

If you had any idea or experience on some of the framework mentioned above, perhaps you can share it here too.

ChaCha.com - A social search engine

Do you feel lonely while doing your research using your favorite search engine? Guess what. You don't have too anymore because ChaCha.com is here to guide you and it is not any regular search engine. Despite using a complex search result algorithm, ChaCha.com uses human touch to guide your search in a real time.

ChaCha provides two ways of searching method. A normal search that shows a list of results. And their cool service is the search guide driven. They said that every time a query submitted an alert is sent to all appropriate Guides who are currently signed in to the system. Now who are this people and can we trust them. They claim that their Guides is knowledgeable in the topic you're searching but since they are still new most of the time you will be connected less knowledgeable but still an expert in internet search and will most likely find you exactly what you need.

Sound interesting, doesn't it? So I decided to test it myself. I ask a topic about Chinese New Year Zodiac animal and the Guide who accepted the query respond in a few seconds and he/she reveals the results. One of the url of course pointing out to the Wikipedia. After that the guide asked if I like to find out more about the topic and when you satisfied with your result the guide session will end.

I also check the ChaCha underground, a directory of ChaCha's guides group in several categories. Once I browse through the Guides profile page, I'm sure that these Guides are really human. I wonder how much they get paid?

LinguaWeb - Tools to translate from English to Bahasa Melayu

While having my breakfast last new year holiday, I managed to watch the "Malaysia Hari Ini", a morning TV show program by TV3. One of the segment featuring a local IT company, Linguamatix Sdn. Bhd. with their product called LinguaWeb. Basically it's web based translation tool that translate from English to Bahasa Melayu. Wow we don't see any new innovation from our local company recently, do we? So I decided to take a look. When I entered my blog url and hit the "terjemah" button, I cracked.

My entry on YouSendIt and DropSend was like ....

Not long ago Gerg asked me "How on earth I'm going to send 50Mb attachment email without breaking it up into pieces?"

Translated into

Tidak lama dahulu Gerg menyuruh saya "Bagaimana di bumi saya akan menghantar perlekatan 50Mb emel tanpa memecahkan ia atas terbelah?"

Despite the speedy respond on the application side, the translation engine still doesn't really make any sense. The translation is done word per word and not according to its context. But if you look at the footer, the disclaimer warned that this translation tool is just to give a basic idea to the user. This is the same issue haunted me few years ago. There is no translation engine better than the human itself.

However if we look at the bright side, maybe Linguamatix has a plan to sell the library to Altavista's BabelFish. Or perhaps the Text Translation mode can be very useful for student or professional.