Please do all those iPad owners a favor and disable OnSwipe on your blog. It does nothing to enhance or beautify your blog. In fact, it does the opposite and removes your individualization thus making all WordPress blogs look (and bounce) the same (boring).

Symantec C++ 7 is a complete development environment for Windows 16-bit & 32-bit and runs under MS-DOS, Windows 3.1, Windows NT, & Windows 95. While looking through the contents of the disc, I spied an OpenGL samples folder with one specifically named Book which I believe to be a reference to The Book.

I’ve always been fascinated by computer graphics so I decided to see how this compiler, released in 1995, held up today and try out the samples. The software includes an installer but more importantly, a folder is included on the disc from which the compiler and IDE can be run directly making this task easy to accomplish.

I copied the SC folder (BIN, HELP, INCLUDE, LIB, SAMPLES, etc.) to the local hard drive and then wrote a command script to set the environment for it:

@echo off
title Symantec C++ 7
set SYMANTEC7=C:\Tools\Symantec7
set include=%SYMANTEC7%\Include
set lib=%SYMANTEC7%\Lib
path %SYMANTEC7%\bin;%SYMANTEC7%\redist32;%PATH%
echo ----------------------------------------------------------
echo SCW32 : Windows 32-bit front-end
echo ----------------------------------------------------------

I also placed a shortcut in the Start Menu to execute the command script with the following settings:

Shortcut Name: Symantec C++ 7

Target: %COMSPEC% /k C:\Users\Public\bin\Symantec7.cmd

Start In: C:\Tools\Symantec7\Samples\win32

Comment: Set environment for Symantec C++ 7 for Windows

Icon: %SystemDrive%\Tools\Symantec7\bin\SCW32.EXE,0

I started SCW32 (the 32-bit version of the IDE) and voila! I opened up one of the OpenGL projects, compiled, and executed it:

OpenGL sample of an array of teapots with different material colors.

Very cool. In looking at the project definition, I noticed it was a single C file. Knowing there were 69 68 individual projects, I wondered how I could simplify this so it would be easier to compile all the examples. Fortunately, in addition to the project files, which are proprietary to Symantec C++, there are makefile equivalents for each project. Unfortunately, the make utility included with Symantec can’t seem to build them (I’ll figure out why at some other point in time).

The easier solution for the time being was to figure out what information the compiler needed to compile each source file into an executable. Reading through the makefiles for the options and linkage and then experimenting lead me to this:

sc -mn -C -WA -S -3 -a8 -g TEAPOTS.C glaux.lib glu32.lib opengl32.lib gdi32.lib

Here’s an explanation of the command line options used for Symantec C++ 7:

-mn

Memory model = Win32s, Windows 95, Windows NT

-C

No inline function expansion

-WA

Windows Executable

-S

Always generate stack frame

-3

80386 code (4 : 80486; 5 : Pentium)

-a8

Alignment of struct members

-g

Generate debug info

glaux.lib glu32.lib opengl32.lib gdi32.lib

The libraries necessary for linking

Armed with this knowledge, there are a couple of ways to compile all the examples. The simplest method is to use a shell “for” loop:

for %c in (*.c) do sc -mn -C -WA -S -3 -a8 -g %c glaux.lib glu32.lib opengl32.lib gdi32.lib

Interestingly, this works fine in Windows XP and all the examples compile. But in Windows 7 (64-bit), as it loops through each source file, some examples will compile, others generate an “OPTLINK” exception, and then the compiler will finally hang. The exceptions and hanging seem to be arbitrary as they occur at different points in the loop. Yet, no problems are encountered if each command is executed manually.

An example of the OPTLINK exception.

The “for” loop could be speeded up by pre-compiling the headers beforehand with the -HX compiler option.

Another method would be to create a makefile to incorporate all the projects with dependencies to build all & clean all. I’ll leave this as an exercise to perform at a later time.

In the end, this was a fun exercise getting to know an old friend. I’m surprised at how well the compiler (SC) has held up through the years despite all the changes made Windows but even more so that the IDE (SCW32) functions so well. Even though the size of the buttons and dialogs point to a time where 800×600 was king, the interface was ahead of its time and maybe even better than Visual Studio in some ways.

My interest in OpenGL has also been rekindled, especially in regards to Android, although I consider my desires to be more experimental in nature. I’m not a graphics artist so I don’t believe I’ll be publishing anything serious. But it’s still fun to play with.

The next step is to compile these examples with Visual Studio but before doing so, I’m going to slight detour into some history which involves Teapot…

Today, we deal with operating systems and shells that try to protect us from ourselves: Windows 7, Snow Leopard, KDE, Gnome.

Today, we deal with frameworks that sit on top of the operating system and further abstract us from the underlying hardware: Microsoft’s .NET Framework to Apple’s Cocoa.

Today, we deal with frameworks that sit on top of the web browser, from jQuery to Dojo to Flash to Silverlight just to name a few, to insulate us from the network underpinnings.

Today, we no longer have to create custom file formats to store records because we have databases to perform that work for us: Oracle 11g, Microsoft SQL Server 2008, MySQL. Or we can save our data as XML.

Don’t get me wrong. Most of these things make development so much easier.

I’m glad I no longer have to create the framework to implement the functionality of a user-interface. Does the computer have CGA, EGA, or VGA? What interrupt trips when the mouse is moved? How do I respond to it? Doing it once or twice was enough to give me the experience and understanding I needed.

I no longer have to develop code to write out and read custom file formats, translate data from big-endian to little-endian, or ensure my binary file is the right size. Better still, now I can more easily share my data with others and vice -versa.

Instead, I get to concentrate on the logic and relationships to actually solve the problem at hand. I don’t even have to know what operating system my application is running on; the application is “happy” as long it has connectivity to the database.

But I still miss those opportunities when I had to drill down and really learn what was going on behind those plastic keys I press. I may have crashed and burned occasionally, spectacularly even, but I always came away educated further and having fun with it all. And the experiences are something I’ll never forget.

[While writing this, I'm reminded of an illustration on the growth of GIS from niche to enterprise within an organization contained within Focus on GIS Component Software Featuring ESRI's MapObjects written by Robert Hartman. Perhaps another related article?]

* A tip of the hat to those Real Programmers out there.

1. Type in a location (city or zip code)
2. Select a predefined demographic layer
3. Resize the map window as needed
4. Post the “iframe” code into your page or link to the provided URL of your customized map

So, here’s my customized map

I wrote this preamble as an introduction to the song “Belleau Wood” by Garth Brooks (Sevens – 1997) as many people have asked me about the background story:

“I’ve always been an avid book reader. And so it was that I was ten years old when I came across a true and surreal story.

“The year was 1914 and the major European powers were fighting the ‘Great War’ or the ‘War to End All Wars’ – what we know now as the ‘First World War’. What began in the early summer of that year was only expected to last for a few weeks or months at the most. Instead, it would drag on for four years with some of the bitterest and bloodiest fighting the world had ever seen.

“On that cold, Christmas Day of 1914, an informal truce was declared – there would be no fighting on this day. And something magical happened.

“Eighty-three years later, Garth Brooks released a song that resurrected the memory of that moment in history for me. And so I dedicate this to the memory of those in harm’s way – and to those who believe we can do better.”

I had a more descriptive narrative for the third paragraph written but removed it so as not to ruin any surprise the listener may experience when hearing the tune for the first time:

“On that cold, Christmas Day of 1914, an informal truce was declared – there would be no fighting on this day. And something magical happened. With a reprieve from the fighting, soldiers from both sides of the barbed wire laid down their arms and turned their backs on the war, gathering together in ‘No Man’s Land’ to sing Christmas Carols, toast each other, exchange photographs, and even play a few games of soccer.”

To this day I am still awestruck by the historic event  – and I am given hope.

If you’re interested in learning more about the “Christmas Truce” there’s a great article available at Wikipedia as well as a children’s book and several movies: Joyeux Noël (Fiction); The Christmas Truce (History Channel) .

Quite a few things from ArcGIS 9.3.1 were reviewed although the refresher was nice. Besides the significant improvements to the ArcGIS Server rendering I think layer packages and ArcGIS Online (which Jack Dangermond described as “GeoFlickr”) are going to go over big. We’re going to have to start enhancing our FTP site by providing layer packages which include the symbology that so many users have asked for in the past. Also mentioned was an ESRI Business Solution named MapIt. This was developed by ESRI to take advantage of Microsoft platform & technology such as SQL Server 2008 spatial datatypes, SharePoint, Bing maps, Excel & Silverlight to implement GIS-enabled enterprise solutions. Very interesting.

Next up was ArcGIS 9.4 rumored to be available around the time of the 2010 User Conference. Many changes to the user interface will be introduced – most for the better as long as it doesn’t go “ribbon” on us. I especially liked the dockable windows (which don’t cause a screen refresh) and the addition of edit templates. The map book capability has been greatly improved. Other changes or additions include an open API to the file geodatabase, replication of SDE data (non-versioned and multiple schemas), a new mosaic imagery catalog, the inclusion of some features from Image Analyst (the ENVI rooftop demo was awesome), and the ability for non-licensed clients to view Maplex labels. An interesting Python script was also shown that allowed reconnecting the data sources for multiple map documents – very cool.

After that, there were introductions to and demos of the Map Templates followed by a short overview of the “Creating Effective Web Maps” seminar.

All in all, a fully worthwhile use of the day!

I came across the article “Fifteen Classic Game Console Design Mistakes” and was blown away. The RCA Studio II was the first video game console we had as a family. I believe my dad brought it home for Christmas – either 1977 or 1978. To indicate how surprising that charitable action was we didn’t get an Atari 2600 until 1983, cable until 1984, or a VCR until 1989. So the fact my dad, not being either an electronics or games guy, bought this console with three game cartridges (Baseball, Blackjack, & Tennis) was surreal.

To be honest this unit wasn’t anything really special. The unit only displayed in black & white, the graphics were blocky & unattractive, most of the games required two players, and the games had some quirks:

• “Bowling“, one of the five built-in games, had a propensity for producing splits unless you hit the pocket just right.
• “Patterns” & “Freeway“, two of the other built-in games, were interesting for the first minute and quite boring after that.
• “Blackjack” was irritatingly unwinnable. If memory serves me right the House popped up natural 21′s much more frequently than the players. And don’t even try holding on 16 or 17!
• “Baseball” had one of the most unobvious features I’ve ever seen. You had to catch the ball in the thick parts of the the glove when fielding a hit – if you caught it in the center of the glove, the thinnest part of the glyph, the ball would pass right through.

If you’re really interested in learning more about this ancient piece of the hardware, there are pages for the emulator, technical information, screenshots (where these images were linked from), and an FAQ.

• 40+ Essential Front End Web Developer Cheat Sheets
• WPF Wonders – An Alphabetical Compendium of WPF Controls
• 13 Reasons for Java Programmers to Learn Flex and BlazeDS
• Learning Python, Linux, Java, Ruby and more with Videos, Tutorials and Screencasts
• 15 Must Read Articles for CSS Beginners
• 24 JavaScript Best Practices for Beginners – Nettuts+

Note: all links will open in a new window.

• Layer Packages : this helps solve one of the classic problems of sharing data and layer cartography by exporting both into a single file (LPK) that can be shared. These files can then be automatically loaded into ArcGIS Desktop or ArcGIS Explorer Release 900 from a download link.
• ArcGIS Online Sharing Web : This is a new portal still in beta form that will allow users to upload and share maps, data, and services in addition to the aforementioned layer packages.
• Map Templates : These are professional-grade quality templates for cartography and data models developed by ESRI’s own mapping center as well as the user community to serve as standardized symbology and storage if wanted.
• Map Service Publishing Toolbar : Available with ArcGIS Desktop 9.3.1, this new toolbar includes tools to analyze and help optimize map documents destined for map services and for the creation and publishing of Map Service Definition (MSD) files.
• ArcGIS Server : At 9.3.1, enhancements have been made to the ArcGIS Server map service engines for faster creation of cached services and high-performance rendering of dynamic map services (with an emphasis on cartography & symbology). Four Analyst Extensions (3D, Spatial, Networks, & Geostatistical) are now included with the Advanced Server Edition while Editing is now included with Standard. There’s also a new licensing option named “Web Map API” which I’ll need to learn more about.
• Virtual Earth : ArcGIS Desktop users now have direct access to Virtual Earth basemaps while ArcGIS Server licensees can purchase blocks – 100,000 transactions for $250.
• ArcGIS Web Mapping APIs: Learned more about the JavaScript, Flex, and Silverlight API’s for building web applications. There was talk on the existing sample viewers available for the JavaScript and Flex, the latter being demonstrated more fully including the addition of downloadable Flex widgets, with mention of one coming soon for Silverlight when that API is out of beta.
• Live User Sites : Lot of promotion for several live (and impressive) user sites such as the City of Greeley, Colorado’s “ORIGIN Property Information Map“, the State of Maryland’s “StateStat” showing the dispersion of stimulus money, Virginia Emergency Operations Center’s “VIPER” (which is not a public-facing site), and “Solar Boston Map“.
• Building Web Maps Using the ArcGIS API for JavaScript : A new instructor-led class from ESRI specifically aimed at creating modern-looking, high-performance web maps using the JavaScript API. As of the date of this post it’s only being offered in CA, MO, GA, & AZ.

All in all, a very worthwhile half-day seminar especially considering it was free. Many people, including myself, would have gladly paid for the content. Thank you ESRI!

• Reinventing the wheel by implementing or writing routines for sorting algorithms (bubble vs. binary tree vs. Quicksort), linked lists, hash tables, file access methods, and string handling to name a few.
• There was no abstract level for graphics so we had to deal with it at the hardware level whether rolling out our own GUI, avoiding the CGA “snow” effect, or trying to go beyond 80×25 text mode.
• Garbage collection was a luxury that few languages and operating systems had. Instead we had to manage our own heaps and stacks of memory and perform pointer arithmetic. And let’s not even get started on the Tiny, Small, Medium, Compact, Large, and Huge memory models!
• The development environments available back then were primitive to say the least. The introduction of Turbo Pascal 3.0 changed all that leaving the line editing tools in AppleSoft BASIC, Apple Pascal, or MS-BASIC in the dust. Today’s tools such as Visual Studio or Eclipse with built-in formatting, intellisense, instant help, and project configuration make Turbo Pascal look simply archaic.
• The majority of us didn’t have internet access so any knowledge we acquired was through a precious few trade magazines, fewer books, and colleagues.

In many ways, things have improved and gotten easier. But I also think that without the benefits and the trial & error of yesteryear I wouldn’t have the insightful knowledge that I have today which in the end makes me a better software developer – and more appreciative. What was unthinkable yesterday is possible today.