• Programming,  Python,  Windows Server

    Scripts To Show Browser Extensions In Windows

    Posted scripts to return browser extensions installed in Firefox, Google Chrome, and Windows Edge at https://github.com/krypted/extensionsmanager/tree/main/Windows%20Extensions. There’s a python and a VBscript version of each. The VBScript uses a Set objShell = CreateObject(“WScript.Shell”) statement to create a new instance of the WScript.Shell object and the strExtensionsPath = objShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings(“%APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\%USERNAME%\extensions”) statement gets the path to the extensions directory, so if it’s different for a given environment, make sure to change that per-script. The Set colExtensions = objShell.EnumFiles(strExtensionsPath, “*.xpi”) statement gets a collection of all the extensions in the extensions directory. The Chrome version looks for crx, etc. Might be a way to do these with custom extension types that I’m not aware…

  • Uncategorized

    Some Basic Chromeos Troubleshooting (Under the hood)

    Chromeos is one of the easier operating systems to use. It’s matured a lot over the years and there are now some great troubleshooting options under the hood. One thing I hate doing is mashing buttons without at least some semblance of proof of a hypothesis about what a problem is. In other words, I like to start troubleshooting with logs. For this let’s use Ctrl+Alt+F2 to bring up a virtual terminal. From there: A standard place for logs since Unix System V has been /var/log. In there are files such as libcros_log, which is where chromium dumps logs from services. /var/log/messages and subdirectories of /var/log/window_manager/chromeos-wm.LATEST and /home/chronos/user/log/chromoeos-wm.LATEST /home/chronos/user/log/chrome_log which…

  • UX Research

    Creating A Repository For Your UX Research and Research Ops Findings

    User research is a field that studies user behaviors, needs, and motivations through observation, analyzing tasks, and getting feedback. The goal is to improve usability using experimental and observational research to guide how a product is built and the design that is used in the product and the development priorities. This might be through observation, running experiments, interviews, etc. The research work should be infused into all aspects of the product lifecycle. This allows for rapid prototyping, which then allows organizations to focus on building things customers want and doing so in the way customers need them done to be pertinent. When done right, this reduces the timeline to go to…

  • Articles and Books,  Programming

    20 Constants In Software Development

    My latest Huffington Post article, called 20 Constants In Software Development is up. It starts out like this: There are so many things I wish people had told me when I was in school, or earlier in my career. Things that aren’t variable between organizations you work with, or even teams you work in. So I thought I’d jot a few down of these for software development teams (if only to prove that no, despite what product managers say, you aren’t crazy). So here goes: A project will never have enough people to build all the features you want. Period. Less features means fewer defects. As a software project nears…

  • Mac OS X,  Mac OS X Server,  Mac Security

    Setting Up Alerts in Mountain Lion Server

    Mountain Lion Server comes with a few new alerting options previously unavailable in versions of OS X. The alerts are sent to administrators via servermgrd and configured in the Server app. To configure alerts in Mountain Lion Server, open the Server app and then click on Alerts in the Server app sidebar. Next, click on the Delivery tab. At the Delivery screen, click on the Edit button for Email Addresses and enter every email address that should receive alerts sent from the server. Then click on the Edit button for Push Notifications. Here, check the box for each administrator of the server. The email address on file for the user…

  • certifications,  iPhone

    iOS Development Test Now Available

    I’ve been involved with Brainbench for some time. There is now a new iOS development test available at http://www.brainbench.com/xml/bb/common/testcenter/taketest.xml?testId=2973. Also, we’re currently working on a Mountain Lion test and could use some reviewers if anyone is interested.  Let me know if you’d like to be involved with that.

  • Ubuntu,  Unix

    Looking at Google Android's Internals

    Google’s Android is a very small Linux distribution. Recently I needed to test some applications that were developed by a couple of friends of mine. Rather than run out to T-Mobile I figured I’d just install the new LiveAndroid disk and thought I would write up how to get setup using VMware Fusion and then go about doing some tasks with Android. To get started make sure you’re running the latest Fusion (or Parallels or Q or VirtualBox). Then download two ISO files from http://code.google.com/p/live-android/ liveandroidv0.2.iso.001 and liveandroidv0.2.iso.002. Once you have downloaded the two ISO files we’re going to need to join them.  To do so cat liveandroidv0.2.iso.001 liveandroidv0.2.iso.002 >…

  • certifications,  Final Cut Server

    Final Cut Server Exam

    I finally got around to taking that Final Cut Server exam this week.  It was pretty straight forward.  I think there is definitely a methodology to writing exams.  I wrote a few for Brainbench and because their structure was extremely laid out really got to learn a lot about the methodology to writing questions. I liked the fact that Apple is adding more and more questions where you click on the appropriate item on a screenshot, I look forward to scenario simulations. Microsoft exams mostly require you to get at least one simulator correct in order to pass the exam, some vendors have gone to simulation-only, but the closest Apple…