Dwayne Barsotta

I'm adding this here because the feature of a prospective laptop I will be purchasing in the future is directly related to android studio.

Please bare with me as I am new to android studio and android development in general.  When I initially installed studio on my original desktop (had an AMD processor).  Studio would not work the built in virtual machine(phone) that came with Studio, it suggested I download/purchase a third party.  As I am new to this aspect (a little better than new in Java and desktop application design).

From what I understand I need an Intel core i7 processor for the built in virtual machine to work correctly.  do you know of any other processors?

I asked the following question in the Java section but maybe I'll get different answers here.

I am looking to buy a new laptop for programming.  I would like to have a decent system but I have a few must haves that are making laptops harder to find.  My list is as follows in order of desire:

Processor MB to handle Studio built in phone virtualization.  Like the Intel i7 7th gen

64 gig ram prefered, 32 accepted

17" touch screen

back lit keyboard

125 gig SSD primary drive for OS ext, 1T HDD for everything else

Built in bluetooth enabled would be great

You would think companies like HP would be able to assist but they usually don't offer everything. So far the only things I found close are Alien ware but others have suggested I can find what I am looking for in a normal (less then $4k laptop)

I don't game but I do want high performance.

If anyone has more experience buying laptops and know where and how this Stuborn and OCD man can find what I am looing for.  Please comment.  Some company needs to design laptop parts and build systems from scratch like we do with desktops.  If I could find a place that sold the components so you build your own laptop, that would be great!

Again any suggestions would be appreciated!

Actually, I'm less web development then desktop and hopefully Android.  But you never know.

Sorry if I was not concise.  What I meant was I have $5k American dollars I can use for a laptop.  I understand no laptop is worth this.

I'm starting to work Android studio so is would like a Pentium processor so I can use it's internal virtual device instead of a third party.  I believe the top Pentium is i7?

Next is memory. I'd like to get a good amount.  1t ssd hard drive and maybe a 1t HDD.  17" screen. As I sometimes do work in bed while the wife sleeps a back lit keyboard would be great.  

The more I researched this I realized how far out an alien ware laptop is.  

Thanks for all the input. I want to see if Dell has a back lite capability.  I have been partial to HP's but don't know how they are with programming.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Thanks all

Ok guys I'm gonna have about 5k for a laptop.  I am learning have, Android. Will be learning web programming.  I will be completing a CS degree and the a forensic computer degree.

I was looking at the alien are 17, 32gig ram, 128 gig HDD and 1t ssd.  

Can anyone suggest better?  I plan to work primarily with Windows but plan to stay dabbling in Linux.

Any suggestion are good please.

I am looking a safe place for newbies.  I am looking for a place we can post access to our projects and members here can critique the project and the supplier does not need to worry about stolen ideas.  Is there any think like that around here.

Thanks
DWayne

I would have to disagree with you on that.  How you design your database can radically change the way your programs are structured.

Agreed but if the database is primarily used for persistent data then would it not be one of the last things?  I would say if you are designing an app that is constantly dealing with data that has access fro more than one location, or you are asked to design the app to conform to an already running database then....  As it is right now, I'm designing the app and as I go I have a notebook with a section for the database design where I'm adding notes.  I didn;t design the database then the app around it.  Maybe that is something other can ring in on!  You have more experience then I do. As does most people here!    

chandn Kumar wrote:There are main tools used in java to creating database. I suggestion for a tools,if you downloaded java DB on its own,then following.
1-Run the self extracting file.
2-A file name "javadb"created the same location.
3-Restart the system.
4-Creating new directory to be used as a home directory for the database server.

I have figured out how to include the database in the application.  At the time of this post I was looking for a DB management tool that would allow me to build a database to the specs I want my program to build.  Then the tool would output all the SQL needed to build the database.  I used to use a tool a long time ago when I worked with VB 6.0.  It allowed me to build a database.  using buttons ect, no SQL.  Then at the end you could click a menu option that gave you all the SQL that would build the same database.  It was a database visualization tool.  I can't remember the name of it now or if its even still available.

I haven't found an answer to this question yet, I just went on to work on a different side of the program.  I realized the database should be one of the last design features.

Ever since I started going back to school and learning computer science I have wanted to concentrate my programming on automotive.  One issue with Java and the automotive field everything is written in other languages.

One of my personal goals is to write a program that connects to a truck over the J1939 protocol and reads data.

To start with I need to load an api written in C I believe in Java.  I need to use jna or jni to do this.  I'm leaning towards jna.

Is there anyone here the can point me in the way of good articles tutorials on jna.  It's hard to find.

Second, anyone in the automotive or trucking industry already could lend some tips.  I've also spent some money getting the info from SAE but I still need to get documents j1939/72 through I think 78.  Basically the the sae documents for the programmatic connection as well as decyfering the returned data and pgn numbers.

So far SAE has charged me $80*4 for 4 documents plus around well a lot of money for a recorded seminar and a course were half the material didn't work.  

Any help would be great. Thank you

Carey Brown wrote:The body of your getRandQuestions() method can be replaced by two lines:
Collections.shuffle(list); return list;

I thought the for loop controlled the number of questions returned, the while loop only added numbers that weren't taken.

Carey Brown wrote:The body of your getRandQuestions() method can be replaced by two lines:
Collections.shuffle(list); return list;

I totally forgot about collections. Shuffle duh!! My bad, thank you.

I rewrote some of the exam program I was writing before to make it more acceptable to the XMLEncoding class (I'll implement earlier).  I have to stop working for now, but have been starring at this for a while.  The test.java seems to work great except sometimes it is only displaying 2 or 3 questions rather then the 4.  Most times it prints all 4 perfectly.  Sorry for not using comments yet!  I need to start using them again, I've started the bad habit of not using them!

I created an "Exam.java" class:

package resourses; import java.util.ArrayList; public class Exam { private ArrayList<Question> questions = new ArrayList<Question>(); private String series; public Exam(ArrayList<Question> questions, String series) { super(); this.questions = questions; this.series = series; } public Exam(String series) { super(); this.series = series; } public Exam() { super(); } public ArrayList<Question> getQuestions() { return questions; } public void setQuestions(ArrayList<Question> questions) { this.questions = questions; } public void addQuestion(Question q){ questions.add(q); } public String getSeries() { return series; } public void setSeries(String series) { this.series = series; } public Integer getNumberOfQuestions(){ return questions.size(); } public ArrayList<Question> getRandQuestions(Integer number){ if(number > questions.size()){ number = questions.size(); } ArrayList<Question> temp = new ArrayList<Question>(); ArrayList<Integer> added = new ArrayList<Integer>(); for(int i = 0; i<=number; i++){ Integer num = (int)(Math.random()*number); while(!added.contains(num)){ //add Question to temp temp.add(questions.get(num)); added.add(num); } } return temp; } }


Also a Question.java class holdign the questions and answers:

package resourses; import java.util.ArrayList; public class Question { private static Integer numberOfQuestions; private Integer ID; private String question; private ArrayList<String> wrongAnswers = new ArrayList<String>(); private String correctAnswer; private String imgLocation; private boolean hasImage = false; public Question(String question) { super(); this.question = question; if((numberOfQuestions == null) || (numberOfQuestions == 0)){ numberOfQuestions = 1; }else{ numberOfQuestions++; } this.ID = numberOfQuestions; } public static Integer getNumberOfQuestions() { return numberOfQuestions; } public static void setNumberOfQuestions(Integer numberOfQuestions) { Question.numberOfQuestions = numberOfQuestions; } public Integer getID() { return ID; } public String getQuestion() { return question; } public void setQuestion(String question) { this.question = question; } public ArrayList<String> getWrongAnswers() { return wrongAnswers; } public void setWrongAnswers(ArrayList<String> wrongAnswers) { this.wrongAnswers = wrongAnswers; } public void addWrongAnswer(String answer){ this.wrongAnswers.add(answer); } public String getCorrectAnswer() { return correctAnswer; } public void setCorrectAnswer(String correctAnswer) { this.correctAnswer = correctAnswer; } public Integer getNumberOfAnsers(){ int wrong = wrongAnswers.size(); int right; if(correctAnswer.isEmpty()){ right = 0; }else{ right = 1; } return wrong + right; } public void setImgLocation(String l){ this.hasImage = true; this.imgLocation = l; } public String getImgLocation(){ return this.imgLocation; } public Question() { super(); } public boolean hasImage(){ return hasImage; } }


Lastly my testing file runs the program.  Again it doesn't ask the user to choose an answer but randomly prints questions and randomly prints the possible answers.  But whhy is it not always printing 4 questions?

import java.util.ArrayList; import java.util.Collections; import resourses.Exam; import resourses.Question; public class test { public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception { Exam exam = new Exam(); Question first = new Question("What is your dogs name?"); Question second = new Question("What breed is your dog?"); Question third = new Question("What year was the US founded?"); Question fourth = new Question("What year was Canada founded?"); first.setCorrectAnswer("Bella"); first.addWrongAnswer("Spencer"); first.addWrongAnswer("Rover"); first.addWrongAnswer("Molly"); exam.addQuestion(first); second.setCorrectAnswer("Labrador"); second.addWrongAnswer("Golder Retriever"); second.addWrongAnswer("Boxer"); second.addWrongAnswer("Basset Hound"); exam.addQuestion(second); third.setCorrectAnswer("July 4, 1776"); third.addWrongAnswer("July 2, 1564"); third.addWrongAnswer("January 1, 2017"); third.addWrongAnswer("August 5, 1345"); exam.addQuestion(third); fourth.setCorrectAnswer("July 4, 1776"); fourth.addWrongAnswer("July 2, 1564"); fourth.addWrongAnswer("January 1, 2017"); fourth.addWrongAnswer("August 5, 1345"); exam.addQuestion(fourth); ArrayList<Question> randQuestions = exam.getRandQuestions(4); for(Question q : randQuestions){ System.out.println(q.getQuestion()); printRandomAnswers(q); System.out.println("The correct answer is: " + q.getCorrectAnswer()); System.out.println(); System.out.println(); System.out.println(); } } public static void printRandomAnswers(Question q){ ArrayList<String> answers = q.getWrongAnswers(); answers.add(q.getCorrectAnswer()); Collections.shuffle(answers); int i = 1; for(String a : answers){ System.out.println(i + ": " + a); i++; } } }


Could anyone point me to where I made this bug, or give me a hint, this would be appreciated.

Looking for suggestions;

I have started a simple program that will contain several objects "Questions".  Each "Questions" object contains methods variables including an ArrayList<String> of wrong answers and a String value of the correct answer.

I have developed the "Questions" class as well as a working "test" class creates a few questions then randomly prints the questions and possible answers to the console, including the correct answer.  I have not yet coded the function for the user to choose the correct answer yet.  I'll do this when I start designing the GUI side of this application.

I am looking for alternatives for writing all the Questions to a file, like an XML file.  Then when the program loads in the future it reads the file and creates the questions.  I am looking at saving all the questions into one XML file or maybe another idea if someone has a better idea.

Here is the code for the "Questions.java" class:

package resourses; import java.util.ArrayList; public class Questions { private static Integer numberOfQuestions; private Integer ID; private String question; private ArrayList<String> wrongAnswers = new ArrayList<String>(); private String correctAnswer; private String imgLocation; private boolean hasImage = false; public Questions(String question) { super(); this.question = question; if((numberOfQuestions == null) || (numberOfQuestions == 0)){ numberOfQuestions = 1; }else{ numberOfQuestions++; } this.ID = numberOfQuestions; } public static Integer getNumberOfQuestions() { return numberOfQuestions; } public static void setNumberOfQuestions(Integer numberOfQuestions) { Questions.numberOfQuestions = numberOfQuestions; } public Integer getID() { return ID; } public String getQuestion() { return question; } public void setQuestion(String question) { this.question = question; } public ArrayList<String> getWrongAnswers() { return wrongAnswers; } public void setWrongAnswers(ArrayList<String> wrongAnswers) { this.wrongAnswers = wrongAnswers; } public void addWrongAnswer(String answer){ this.wrongAnswers.add(answer); } public String getCorrectAnswer() { return correctAnswer; } public void setCorrectAnswer(String correctAnswer) { this.correctAnswer = correctAnswer; } public Integer getNumberOfAnsers(){ int wrong = wrongAnswers.size(); int right; if(correctAnswer.isEmpty()){ right = 0; }else{ right = 1; } return wrong + right; } public void setImgLocation(String l){ this.hasImage = true; this.imgLocation = l; } public String getImgLocation(){ return this.imgLocation; } public Questions() { super(); } public boolean hasImage(){ return hasImage; } }


The testing code is like this:

import java.util.ArrayList; import java.util.Collections; import resourses.Questions; public class test { public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception { ArrayList<Questions> qs = new ArrayList<Questions>(); Questions first = new Questions("What is your dogs name?"); Questions second = new Questions("What breed is your dog?"); Questions third = new Questions("What year was the US founded?"); Questions fourth = new Questions("What year was Canada founded?"); first.setCorrectAnswer("Bella"); first.addWrongAnswer("Spencer"); first.addWrongAnswer("Rover"); first.addWrongAnswer("Molly"); qs.add(first); second.setCorrectAnswer("Labrador"); second.addWrongAnswer("Golder Retriever"); second.addWrongAnswer("Boxer"); second.addWrongAnswer("Basset Hound"); qs.add(second); third.setCorrectAnswer("July 4, 1776"); third.addWrongAnswer("July 2, 1564"); third.addWrongAnswer("January 1, 2017"); third.addWrongAnswer("August 5, 1345"); qs.add(third); fourth.setCorrectAnswer("July 4, 1776"); fourth.addWrongAnswer("July 2, 1564"); fourth.addWrongAnswer("January 1, 2017"); fourth.addWrongAnswer("August 5, 1345"); qs.add(fourth); Questions toAsk = getRandomQuestion(qs); System.out.println(toAsk.getQuestion()); printRandomAnswers(toAsk); System.out.println("The correct answer is: " + toAsk.getCorrectAnswer()); } public static Questions getRandomQuestion(ArrayList<Questions> qal){ //Get number of questions Integer numQuestions = qal.size(); //get random number int num = (int)(Math.random()*numQuestions); return qal.get(num); } public static void printRandomAnswers(Questions q){ ArrayList<String> answers = q.getWrongAnswers(); answers.add(q.getCorrectAnswer()); Collections.shuffle(answers); int i = 1; for(String a : answers){ System.out.println(i + ": " + a); i++; } } }


The test code randomizes the question each time its run and also randomizes the answers so that are not in the same position each time the question is asked.  Now that I have a working "Questions" class and can effectively test it.  I want to write the ability to save all the "Questions" objects to a single file (I was thinking an XML file) and then be able to read said file, building new "Question" objects as I go.  My idea is that in the future I can build an application that allows me to write new questions and answers, save them to a file, use that file for a user to update the questions in the original testing app.

My question is in everyone's opinion what would be the best approach to save the "questions" objects?  If XML, what is the favorite API as I have found so many options out there.

I really don't care about the user reading the questions in plan text as this is a self-study test guide, so if you cheat then that's your problem.  I plan to add a menu option to "upgrade questions", when selected the user will be asked for an XML file.  The file given will then be saved to the application directory.  

My main issue right now is finding a way to save and read the questions from a file.  In the end, we could be talking of 500 or so questions or more.

Any suggestions are appreciated!    

   

I know this is old but I thought I'd throw my two cents in.

First it sounds like you are working in the role as technical support. Clients or employees call you when the video is freezing.  You want to get the "go to" information a client machine would contain that may cause the problem.

I am no expert in Java, but I'm learning.  

IMO you could build a Java server application that runs quietly in the background.  When started (or even periodically) it gets and stores the data.  Have the server listening on a predetermined port.  Have returns coded for each command.  For instance when sent "getRam". The server sends back the ram, remember the is more then just ram, there is total ram, available ram, ram being used.  

Then on your machine run a client program where it sends out requests to the ip address in question.  If you want to know the ram, send the getRam request and read the return.

If your on a company network then the program being installed can be a retired policy.  But if your dealing with clients on their own personal computers you would need to have them download and install your server.

This whole process opens up the client system running a server to the ability for an attacker to harvest information, especially if you have no encryption, password protection or user interjection procedures in place.

This could simply be the server application popping up a window saying "so and so wants to collect information from your machine, would you like to allow this?".

The server could be programmed in a way to send one encrypted, zipped, XML file containing all the data you want for a particular instance.  You could even have the server record specific data.

But this is a lot of work for something you could simply talk a client through looking!  

If your wanting this information as a means of collecting information on an IP address for future back attempts.  Well good luck getting help here, besides if hacking the other machine is your goal, then just this question tells us you lack the knowledge to do so at the moment.  Gaining remote access discreetly to another machine is very difficult!

I just read a Quora post about LinkedIn moving from Scala.  One poster mentioned they use a list of languages like Java, python, C++, C# and more. I understand using HTML,CDs, js and php all together.  Why would an organization also use such a large stay off back office languages to provide one site?  

Using all these languages, one language would need to be a "controller" of sorts. The middle man?  What language works better with all the others?

I have seen/read about losing c language libraries files in Java, but the complexity of so many languages seems, I don't want to say a waste but couldn't all the services be supplied with one of two languages easier?