Design Patterns

Sorry I've been away for a while, but it's been hectic here in Stafford.

I have beeen experimenting with the use of design patterns for a few weeks now, and they definitely have their worth. My final year project's technical documentation will use lots of UML, so its more than relevant to my studies. Hopefully I should have something to upload and share with the world, so those who don't use design patterns can get a nice feel for them and perhaps use them in their application (be it web or not) design.

I also downloaded Firefox 2.0 the other day and I have to say its a major upgrade, with lots of benefits. In-line spell checking and faster load times are very welcome!

On a side note: I have about 19 computing books for sale (in an effort to clear my shelves somewhat). If you need an addition to your bookshelf, then they all start at £3-£5. Eventually they will find themselves on eBay, but readers of this blog should get first refusal.

Your development feels how you feel

For the past week I have had a cold. I hate being ill, as it slows down my development. It also doesn't help that I have 3 projects on at the moment. Oh well, I'll feel better soon, so then I can get back into some serious coding!

My Final Year Project is also now in full swing, but I shall not be sharing a title with anyone until christmas when I have passed the middle point of the project. By that time I will have started coding and will have an on going demo to share with a select few.

The third week of University has passed, and I'm yet to get an assignment (apart form the Final Year Project).

I will have something to add to my portfolio soon when these 3 projects get completed in the next 2 months.

Vista RC1

I have just finished having a little play with Windows Vista RC1. What a fantastic improvement on XP! To be honest XP has been kicking for a while now (its nearly 6 years), so its about time Microsoft got on with things. I have had a play with Internet Explorer 7 Beta also, and was impressed at the 'improvement' in standards support. I say 'improvement' because as Roger Johansson pointed out, its not all there yet.

The Flip-3D feature of Vista is fantastic also. Very smart and it doesn't hit the processor as hard as you may think.

Vista also has a points system for how powerful your computer is. My system has an overall score of 4.9, meaning the lowest score I got for a single category was 4.9. My ATI Radeon 9800XT graphics card scored a 5.9 in the 'graphics power' category, meaning I don't have to upgrade as soon as I thought I would.

On a side note, the Playstation 2 is set up now, meaning I can complete some of my games before I go out and buy any more!