As a software developer I use file comparison tools almost on daily basis. My favorite file comparison tool , in fact the only one I use, is Araxis Merge. You can compare files and directories with ease, have three way visual comparison, ignore different patterns of your choice (predefined like: code comments, cvs comments, … or custom expressed by regular expressions of your choice) and much more.

Sometimes I need to connect to a remote location using SFTP, FTP or SCP protocols. The best tool for this job is of course WinSCP and I think many of you are already using it. Once I am connected sometimes I need to compare a local file with the remote file. WinSCP offers a default comparison application, but if you are used with Araxis Merge you just can’t accept anything less.

For that reason, I will show you how to configure WinSCP to use Araxis Merge instead of its internal tool. Open menu Options->Preferences. At the left side you will find Commands sections. Within this section, on the right side, there is an entry that should look like that:

File Compare cmd /c fc “!” “!^!” | more &&…

How great is this ? Usually, to change the diff tool used within the current application would require just a browse operation. As you can see, here is more complicated. I can explain what that line means, maybe some of you already knows, but for those of you who don’t know and want to change the default diff tool here is how you do it.

Double click on File Compare option and replace the Custom Command text with: “C:\Program Files\Araxis\Araxis Merge v6.5\Merge.exe” “!^!” “!”

Here is a short explanation of the above line:

- the first part is the path to Araxis Merge executable file

- the second part represents the command line parameters for Araxis : “!^!” is the local file given by WinSCP and “!” is the remote file. So this means Araxis will always open with local file in the left side and remote file on the right side. You can change the order depending on your style.
I hope this was useful for everybody as it is for me. Enjoy using Araxis with WinSCP.

A few days ago a friend started to have some problems with his laptop as it randomly does not detect the hard disk. The usual suspects would be a hard disk failure or IDE cable or IDE controller problem. On a desktop it is easy to check the IDE cable or the IDE controller just by testing with a different cable or just by connecting the hard disk on a different IDE but since it has problems with his laptop he can not do these checks so he’s only option was to run some tests to check if his hard disk is failing and hope it is not the IDE controller on the motherboard.

HP has published a list of 24 notebooks affected by the Nvidia faulty GPU issue that includes several Pavilion dv2000/dv6000/dv9000 and Compaq Presario V3000/V6000 models.  The issue has been under their attention since November 2007. HP recommends all owners of the listed models to update the BIOS system of their laptops. Also they might be eligible for a free repair if they experience one of the following symptoms:

The following symptoms apply to Pavilion dv2000 and Presario v3000 notebooks:

• The notebook does not detect wireless networks and the wireless adapter is not detected in the Device Manager.
• There is no video on the computer LCD panel or external monitor.

The following symptoms apply to the dv6000, dv9000 and v6000 series notebooks:

• The notebook does not detect wireless networks and the wireless adapter is not detected in the Device Manager.
• There is no video on the computer LCD panel or external monitor.
• The notebook has no power and no active LEDs.
• The notebook does not start.
• The battery charge indicator light does not turn on when the battery is installed and the AC adapter is connected.
• The notebook issues a single beep during boot indicating no power.
• The external monitor functions but there is no image on the notebook LCD panel.

Dell has released  during the last month BIOS updates to prevent NVIDIA GPU failure issue for 10 notebook models. The issue is a weak die/packaging material set, which may fail due to GPU temperature fluctuations.

The affected models are:

• Inspiron 1420
• Latitude D630
• Latitude D630c
• Dell Precision M2300
• Vostro Notebook 1310
• Vostro Notebook 1400
• Vostro Notebook 1510
• Vostro Notebook 1710
• XPS 1330
• XPS 1530

If the GPU is failing, an unlucky owner of one of these notebooks that features a Nvidia GPU may experience some of these symptoms during early stages of failure :

• Multiple images
• Random characters on the screen
• Lines on the screen
• No video

Dell recommends the owners to update their system BIOS.  It is good to see at last somebody acting on this issue, even if their solution is just to update the fan management to have it started at a lower temperature on a reduced speed.  This will reduce the probability of failure or just postpone it.  It does not solve the real problem as the issue is hardware.  You can imagine that owners are not really happy with this as they do not want to postpone a possible failure so their notebook could crash after the warranty expire term. They would rather prefer it to have it fixed within the warranty period.

In the mean time Nvidia, the one that is to blame in this case, is announcing the new era  of notebook PC gaming, featuring advanced rendering and physics effects that will transform gaming beyond what consumers know today.  This evolution is a new generation of notebook PCs equipped with NVIDIA’s newest GeForce® 9800M and 9700M GPUs and featuring NVIDIA’s PhysX™ physics engine.  I guess we really needed a new era as this one is kind of faulty.

Sony Ericsson plans to release a new technology that bridges the Abobe® Flash Lite™ and Java ME™ development platforms. Project Capuchin, as it has been named, make it possible to combine the richness of Flash Lite and Java ME technologies allowing developers to utilize the best attributes of both software stacks to create content-rich mobile applications.

Project Capuchin will provide developers with an intuitive tool to create applications with a cleaner user interface (UI) without sacrificing the strong, feature rich and widely deployed Java ME infrastructure, including secure, well-developed content distribution. Project Capuchin’s bridging software will empower two distinct developer communities to leverage their respective expertises to create the next generation of highly engaging and immersive mobile content.

Pure Flash Lite content will be encapsulated in Java ME applications with the help of Sony Ericsson Developer tools, making content created by Adobe Flash technology appear as Java ME applications. More advanced capabilities will allow Flash Lite technology to handle an entire presentation layer and make it possible to create Java ME applications where some or all UI components are defined in Flash.