Literate Programming is a concept introduced by Computer Scientist Donald Knuth who once wrote that “I believe that the time is ripe for significantly better documentation of programs, and that we can best achieve this by considering programs to be works of literature. Hence, my title: Literate Programming. Let us change our traditional attitude to [...]

Over the past two months or so, I have been messing around with the XAMPP client/server environment that I installed directly onto my Windows Vista Operating System. This is available at the Apache Friends website, and it is really cool because it lets you set up an environment where your machine is essentially both a [...]

There is a really cool application you can get from the CodePlex Open-Source website called “XML Notepad”. Just click on the following URL: http://xmlnotepad.codeplex.com/ XML is a language that has been developed to work exclusively with data and ensure the optimal transition of data between applications, platforms, and environments of all kinds. Wikipedia summarizes XML [...]

Today’s world is changing in an unprecedented way. Only thirty years ago, the personal computer emerged, and at that time Bill Gates boldly stated “my purpose is to put a personal computer into each home”. Thirty years later, many people have two computers (a work computer and a personal computer) and also some kind of [...]

The value of information, especially quality and accurate information, is literally “immeasurable”. Why do I say this? It is because quality information helps individuals and organizations immensely. If there is a project that involves, for example, four people: a computer systems architect, a computer programmer, a program tester and a technical writer, it is important [...]

Over the past twelve years, in some way, I have participated in the development of user manuals for computer software. It has been an enlightening experience and I feel like I have received an opportunity that perhaps was not necessarily available to others. I first worked as a computer trainer in Brazil and then when [...]

The Internet today is amazing, and just keeps getting better. Recently, I had the good fortune of crossing paths with Dennis Zhuravlev (a.k.a. Crane) of Samara, one of the largest cities of Russia, and that sits alongside the east bank of the well-known Volga River. Dennis is an accomplished applied mathematician and computer scientist from [...]

The concepts of “quality” and “quantity” are some we all learn in our junior high school years. Moreover, these concepts become very important as you start to write papers and essays in high school, college, and even graduate school. In fact, these concepts are so fundamental to thinking and writing that one might even say [...]

I remember when I graduated from college. Those were exciting times. Some good parties, that is for sure. I had lots of expectations about life and pretty much lived under a false illusion that my college gave me (e.g. solid job offers with bonuses and good salaries). But that is all long gone and forgiven [...]

For those of you who might be wondering “where I have been”, well, I am almost fully recovered from my recent surgery. That indeed is good news. Over the past week or so, I have been “tinkering” with something called JOOMLA. This is one of the more popular Content Management Systems (CMS). For example, this [...]