Zizasoft News and Views

Vista Testing

2006-09-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

For those early adopters getting ready for Windows Vista, I wanted to let you know that we have begun our compatability testing with Vista and so far everything works well. The only issue that we have noticed is that dragging and dropping files from Windows Explorer does not work well. However this should be fixed either in a future version of Java or a future version of Vista. The core functionality of zsCompare and zsDuplicateHunter do work well though. More updates as we expand our testing.

Program Updates

2006-09-25T23:27:00.000-07:00

Hello All,
I just wanted to update everyone on what is happening right now at Zizasoft. We are currently working on reducing the memory usage for zsCompare and zsDuplicateHunter so that those of you who want to compare very large directories and search hundreds of Gigabytes of files can do so easily. This new functionality should lead to products in several related areas. Stay tuned for details!

Current Status of projects

2006-08-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

I just realized that it has been awhile since I posted and I wanted to keep everyone up to date on what's going on at Zizasoft.

We are currently working on the next release of zsCompare and zsDuplicateHunter.

The main new functionality for zsCompare is the comparison of executable files so that smaller patch files can be created. Patching executables is a great way for developers to update remote users who do not have fast internet connections.

For zsDuplicateHunter we are working on ways to allow arbitrarily large duplicate hunts. We will also be issuing version 2.31 of zsDuplicateHunter in the near future which fixes some of the obscure errors which people have reported. None of these errors occur frequently, but we constantly strive to make our programs completely error free.

zsDuplicateHunter 2.30 release

2006-07-15T11:25:00.000-07:00

Just in case anyone missed the press release, I wanted to make sure that everyone is aware that the new version of zsDuplicateHunter version 2.30 is available now having been released July 11th. You can download the latest version from http://www.zizasoft.com/products/zsDuplicateHunter/download.shtml.

I would like to thank our beta testers one more time for all of their great work on the program.

ZsDuplicateHunter beta 3

2006-07-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

The third beta of zsDuplicateHunter was released yesterday (7/7/2006). This beta is complete, and we plan to release the full version on Tuesday July 11th unless any complications arise.

I would like to thank all of our beta testers for their help testing zsDuplicateHunter. Your feedback has been invaluable!

zsCompare 3.03 released

2006-07-06T12:15:00.000-07:00

I would like to let everyone know that zsCompare version 3.03 was released today. It has two new key features:

You can control how much memory is allocated to zsCompare from within zsCompare. To do this, simply use the Adjust Available Memory menu item within the Help menu.
You can now filter the files to be compared during directory comparison based on when the files were last modified. This is available in the Standard and Professional versions only.

There are also several minor bug fixes in this version.

For a complete list of changes, see: http://www.zizasoft.com/products/zsCompare/history.shtml. You can download the latest version from: http://www.zizasoft.com/products/zsCompare/download.shtml.

zsDuplicateHunter beta 2

2006-06-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

We just released zsDuplicateHunter beta 2 to our beta test team. We have gotten some excellent feedback from our beta test team and we have added several new features based on that feedback.

Here is a sampling of some the changes between beta 1 and beta 2.

Added a progress dialog when saving HTML and XML reports. Also, fixed to avoid out of memory errors when saving reports.
Added the ability to control how the remaining time to complete the duplicate hunt is calculated.
Added the ability to control the priority of the duplicate hunt.
Added the ability to hide the descriptions of each deletion method.
Added the ability to modify the maximum amount of memory which will be used by zsDuplicateHunter.
Added the ability to filter files to be searched based on the date that they were last modified. This functionality is only available in the Professional and Enterprise Editions of zsDuplicateHunter.

Based on beta feedback we are also looking into a mechanism to allow arbitrarily large duplicate hunts.

zsCompare version 3.02 released

2006-06-16T11:26:00.000-07:00

ZsCompare version 3.02 was released today. Version 3.02 adds the ability to compare and synchronize nested zip files and other files based on the zip file format like jar files.

This feature has been requested several times by our users and we are happy to be able to offer this new capability.

You can download the latest version from http://www.zizasoft.com/products/zsCompare/download.shtml.

If you have any questions about this new functionality, or if you have functionality you would like to see within zsCompare, please e-mail us at support@zizasoft.com. We are always looking for new ideas for our programs.

zsDuplicateHunter beta 1

2006-06-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

We have released the first beta of zsDuplicateHunter version 2.30. All existing beta team members should have received their invitation and instructions for download. If you would like to participate in the beta program but have not been invited, please e-mail support@zizasoft.com.

Version 2.30 will have the following key new features:

Improved Installations (especially on Mac and Linux operating systems)
Scripting of zsDuplicateHunter in the Enterprise edition only.
Added the ability to replace a file with a link when it is deleted in the Enterprise edition only.
Binary comparison of files (Professional and Enterprise editions).
Added the ability to create and use predefined options for duplicate hunts.
Fixed compatibility issues with Intel based Macintoshes.

zsCompare version 3.01 released

2006-06-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

ZsCompare version 3.01 was just released. Version 3.01 fixes a few errors that were reported after the release of version 3.0. In most cases, the errors did not occur frequently.

For a complete list of fixes, please see http://www.zizasoft.com/products/zsCompare/history.shtml.

ZsDuplicateHunter Progress Report

2006-05-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to update everyone on the progress of zsDuplicateHunter 2.30. Coding and documentation is currently in progress. The new version will add a new edition called the Enterprise Edition which will add new features designed with business users in mind.

Also new will be the ability to run a binary check on files to ensure that they are exact duplicates.

Of course, the new version will also feature compatibility with Intel based Macs.

The new version should be available for beta in early June and ready for general release in mid-June. If those dates change, I will let you know here.

Getting Things Done: My first moment of enlightenment

2006-05-06T21:50:00.000-07:00

Well, If you can't tell yet, I love to read. I'm also a member of the AISIP. One of the nice things with the AISIP is we have a bookclub where people can read and discuss books.

This month, we are reading Getting Things Done by David Allen. It's a nice coincidence that it is on the list of Personal MBA books (which I talked about in an earlier post).

I started reading the book last night and I'm about 10 pages in. I'm
amazed because in the first 10 pages, I had a moment of enlightenment.

He is talking about task lists and describes them as just list of stuff. He
goes on to say that to have a meaningful task list, you need to make sure
that for each task you know what the desired outcome is and what the next
thing to do is.

That simple insight hit me like a ton of bricks. I suddenly realized why
all of the project plans I've put together at other companies didn't work
and even why the task lists for myself never seem to work as well as I want
them to. I think this simple change to how I write things down will save me
a great deal of time and make me more efficient.

That one nugget is worth the price of the book! Now back to the rest of the
book.

zsCompare 3.0

2006-05-01T05:54:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been more than a year since the last release of zsCompare (hard to believe that it's really been that long, time sure files). However, we think that you will agree that the wait is well worth it!

I'm very excited about some of the new features within zsCompare 3.0.

Some highlights of the new version include:

ZsCompare is now available in three editions Lite, Standard, and Professional.
A Linux version is now available.
Comparison of Word Documents and PDF Files directly from the files.
Comparison of Binary Files.
Additional control over how text files are compared.
Direct editing of the text files being compared.
Create and compare Snapshots of the file system.
Create and Apply Patch Files.
Create and save sets of options to easily change between different types of comparisons.
Scripting of zsCompare to automat the full functionality of zsCompare (beyond what is available from the command line).
Greatly improved installation and documentation.

Please note that the features listed above are not available in all of the editions. However, we're confident that one of the editions will be ideal for your situation.

Have fun with the new version, we have certainly enjoyed getting it ready for you. If you have stories about how you use zsCompare, please let us know. The easiest way to get in touch with us is by e-mailing support@zizasoft.com.

zsCompare 3.0 Update

2006-04-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

Just to let everyone know the current status of zsCompare 3.0. Coding has been completed, and we are preparing for the launch of zsCompare. The program will be launched the first week in May. Please check back then to see the latest version of zsCompare 3.0. We think you will be thrilled with the new version!

Personal MBA

2006-04-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

While reading Seth Godin's blog, I came across an article about the Personal MBA program developed by Josh Kaufman.

The idea behind the Personal MBA program is that you can get much of the same benefits as a traditional MBA program without the expense of a traditional MBA program by reading books and periodicals which cover the same subjects. The other key part of the Personal MBA program is day-to-day work experience which helps you to understand and apply the concepts discussed in the books.

The Personal MBA program consists of a list of 42 books which cover 21 different topics including personal development, the fundamentals of business, accounting, project management, and ethics. Many of the books are very well known although (somewhat surprisingly) I haven't actually read any of them.

The Personal MBA program also includes a discussion forum at http://www.personalmba.com.

Although I don't see it as a replacement for a traditional MBA (and I'm sure that a company interviewing for jobs won't see it as a replacement), the Personal MBA program seems like a no lose situation for anyone interested in learning more about business.

I will post more about the individual books as I read them.

A new coffee supplier

2006-04-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

Well, it's a little off topic from my normal postings, however we just found a new coffee supplier that has high quality coffee beans for an unbelievable price so I thought I would let everyone know about them. You can find them at www.coffeebeandirect.com. Coffee Bean Direct is a roaster and sell direct to the public for wholesale prices. You do have to order 5 lbs at a time but the coffee ranges from $3.50 to $5.50 per pound for most beans. Our order actually came to about $5.50 per pound with shipping included! That is about half price from Peaberry's or Starbuck's. The coffee is really outstanding too.

If you are looking for a coffee supplier, I highly recommend Coffee Bean Direct.

Java DB for Desktop Applications

2006-04-01T11:51:00.000-08:00

I recently came across an interesting web page talking about a database created entirely within Java which is available free of charge and works with client server as well as desktop applications. The database is based on the Apache Derby project.

About a month or two ago I was looking for a database exactly like this to help improve the performance of zsCompare especially as it relates to memory usage, and I was unable to find an acceptable solution. I have not had a chance to try this database yet, however when I do I will post additional information here. Assuming that the performance of the database is acceptable, the Java DB will probably be integrated into future products from Zizasoft.

Book Review - Java Platform Performance - Part I

2006-04-01T11:24:00.000-08:00

I have been reading Java Platform Performance Strategies and Tactics lately in order to get some additional ideas for tuning the performance of zsCompare. Although I have done a great deal of performance tuning for previous companies, and previous projects, there is always something new to learn about performance tuning.

The first thing I will say about this book is that it is very easy to read. This is really saying something because many books on performance are very esoteric and difficult to read. The book also acknowledges that performance optimizations are not a one size fits all solution. In fact an optimization which may improve the speed of one part of a program may not work well in another part of the program. It also explains some of the trade-offs to performance optimization. For example, you may improve the speed of a section of code at the expense of higher memory usage or improving the memory usage of a section of code may decrease the speed of the code. Finally, optimizations for one situation may make other situations slower. The book explains that you need to optimize for common usage scenarios of your program.

With zsCompare, we are optimizing the program based on automated tests which are derived from real-world scenarios found both internally as well as by our customers.

Part I of the book gives a high level overview of performance testing and optimization. If you have been doing performance optimization before reading this book, you can probably skip this section as it is mostly common sense. However, there are a lot of ideas which even experienced programmers can use. Chapter 3 also includes some code for creating a timer to measure code performance within your application. Chapter 3 also discusses tracking benchmarks as a function of time. Based on this information, we added the ability to track the history of script results (both time and the actual results) to zsCompare. The history files have been very useful in identifying tests which fail occasionally due to timing issues and also to easily identify any tests which get progressively slower.

Testing Update for zsCompare 3.0

2006-03-28T07:54:00.000-08:00

Another quick updating on the zsCompare 3.0 progress. We now have tests for approximately 70% of the program testing by lines. Last week we also uncovered some subtle memory leaks which were resolved. Fixing the memory leaks makes the program quite a bit faster and much more reliable especially when it is used for long periods of time.

We also finalized new media for the zsCompare version 3.0 release including a brochure, case studies, data sheet, and a product overview which will be available for download or by mail. You can see the brochure online now at http://www.zizasoft.com/products/zsCompare/zsCompare_brochure.

Testing Progress for zsCompare 3.0

2006-03-16T13:55:00.000-08:00

Just to update everyone on the status of zsCompare 3.0, we are currently doing detailed testing using automated tests based on the new Scripting functionality which will be available in zsCompare 3.0 with coverage testing.

We currently have tests for approximately 60% of the program as measured by the number of lines tested. It's a time consuming process, however the detailed testing has been extremely productive and I can guarantee that zsCompare 3.0 will be the most stable version of zsCompare ever (and previous versions have had very few problems with them).

Profiling with JProfiler

2006-03-10T13:53:00.000-08:00

We decided to invest in a Java profiling tool help us find performance bottlenecks within our code as well as memory leaks, and problems with threads.

As zsCompare and zsDuplicateHunter become more sophisticated we need more powerful tools to make them as fast as possible and to identify some of the hidden trouble spots which may occur in more complex programs.

We have found that a combination of automated testing (using the Scripting functionality which will be built into the next version of zsCompare) combined with profiling tools is a very powerful way of identifying problem spots.

When we decided that we needed a profiling tool, we spent about a month identifying candidate programs. The two we decided to try were AppPerfect Test Studio and JProfiler. AppPerfect was especially interesting because it includes a static code analyzer (to find common with code) as well as the profiling application. It also has a unit tester to create some automated tests and some utilities specifically for web based testing. All of this functionality was approximately the same cost as the JProfiler tool.

However, after evaluating the two programs, we decided to go with JProfiler. The main reason was that JProfiler was significantly faster. AppPerfect, could be very slow when updating the interface and running test. The other thing that sold us on JProfiler was it's ability to detect Thread deadlocks. In a multi-threaded environment, researching thread problems can be extremely difficult. JProfiler makes it very easy to identify the problems and trace them so they can be fixed easily especially when there are automated tests to reproduce the issue. In fact, an issue that could take days to identify now takes a matter of minutes.

Micro-ISV Book Review (Part I)

2006-03-07T22:31:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading Micro-ISV From Bob Walsh and I found it to be a very interesting book with several action-able ideas. It was very nice to read a book and have to keep putting it down to run to my to-do list to add things to make the company better. It seems like many business books contain thought provoking ideas, but a lot of the time it is hard to know what to do with the ideas (other than think about them). This was a book that most people running a Micro-ISV or thinking about running a Micro-ISV will find very useful.

The book is all about starting and running a small software company. The Micro-ISV term was originally coined by Eric Sink in an article for Microsoft. The ISV abbreviation stands for Independent Software Vendor which is the term originally used by Microsoft to describe companies which were not Microsoft.

The book is divided into 7 chapters. The first 6 chapters contain the meat of the book and the last chapter includes interviews that Bob Walsh conducted with 25 Micro-ISV companies some of which are just starting out (or emerging), some successful established companies, and some very successful companies. The other chapters talk about the following subjects:

Chapter 1
This chapter gives a short background of the software industry and gives suggestions about how to determine what products or services you should create in your Micro-ISV. This chapter is mostly relevant for companies which are still in the startup stage. However, existing companies can use the chapter to see if they are in the right market, find new markets, refine their markets, and create new products.

Chapter 2
This chapter focuses on actually creating the software and it includes tips about tools to use during development as well as some of the unique aspects of developing software in a single person environment rather than in a team environment. It also discusses testing your software in preparation for release.

Chapter 3
Chapter 3 discusses presenting your product on your website. Topics covered include registering domain names, designing the website, blogging, and integrating with an e-commerce partner. I wish that I had read the section on integrating with an e-commerce partner when Zizasoft started. Of course, the book wasn't written then.

Chapter 4
This chapter focuses on the legal issues that you will deal with in creating your company and selling your product. It discusses formation of the company and the different business structures you can use as well as creating end user licenses and government resources. There is also a section on time management which is very interesting, but somewhat awkwardly placed in this section.

Chapter 5
This chapter talks about marketing and supporting your program. Some topics covered include
using discussion boards and defect tracking systems. Submitting your program to download sites, PR campaigns, and e-mail marketing is also covered.

Chapter 6
This chapter talks about resources available to help your company. About half of the chapter talks about resources which Microsoft offers. The other half talks about industry organizations like the AISIP (Association of Independent Software Industry Professionals) and the ASP (Association of Shareware Professionals). There is also a small section about doing competitive analysis for your program.

I will discuss some of the chapters in more detail in future posts as well as talking about some of the changes that we will be making at Zizasoft as a result of reading this book.

Intel based Macintosh update

2006-03-03T08:32:00.000-08:00

We found a solution to the problem running zsCompare and zsDuplicateHunter on Intel based machines yesterday, and we now have zsCompare running on our new iMac. We will update zsDuplicateHunter shortly. If you have an immediate need to run zsCompare or zsDuplicateHunter on an Intel based Macintosh, please contact us at support@zizasoft.com and ask to be put on our beta list.

zsCompare and zsDuplicateHunter on MacIntel Machines

2006-03-02T14:43:00.000-08:00

We have confirmed that zsCompare and zsDuplicateHunter do not work correctly on Intel based Macintoshes. We will be working on a fix for this problem immediately.

If you have any questions about using zsCompare or zsDuplicateHunter on an Intel based Macintosh, please contact our support team at support@zizasoft.com.

Computer Woes

2006-03-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, my main development machine started making unusual load noises. Quick research indicated that it was the fan in the power supply unit going out. Unfortunately, the warranty on the machine expired last October. I tried calling the support line for the manufacturer however it would cost $50 to talk to tech support (since the warranty expired) and a new power supply is only $60. That meant a quick run to Best Buy to pick up a new power supply. I lucked out and picked up the last 350W power supply they had in stock.

When I brought the power supply back to the office I discovered that the supply has a power switch on it which the case wouldn't accommodate. So I either needed to pick up a new power supply or modify the case to make the switch fit. I decided to go with the case modification option (the computer isn't under warranty anyway so no need to worry about voiding the warranty. After protecting the guts of the computer with plastic, some quick work (well kinda quick) with the Dremel and there was space to accommodate the switch.

After the case was setup, the new power supply was installed very quickly (10 minutes or so), and everything seems to be working well now.

On a side note, while I was at Best Buy I noticed some e-machines computers which were selling for under $400 with half a Gig of Ram and a 160MB hard drive. They also had a relatively fast processor in them. It just amazes me how much computer prices have come down. I also saw an article in PC Magazine talking about a PC for only $159 which is just incredible. It's really hard to believe that you can get an entire computer system for about 2.5 times what I paid for a new power supply and 3 times the cost of a single tech support call.

It looks like pretty soon computers will be disposable and when a part breaks you throw it away and get a new one.

The new iMac - Intel has Arrived

2006-03-01T12:09:00.000-08:00

Well, UPS just pulled up with the new iMac which we purchased from MacMall. Total delivery time was about 3 business days by UPS ground. MacMall includes a free upgrade to a full GB of memory (after rebate with an additional $39.99 charge for installation) which was a very good deal. The additional memory also helps greatly with our testing. We also decided to try out the free (after rebate WaCom graphics tablet, but skipped the other free (after rebate offers) like the free printer.

Setup so far has been extremely easy (as always with Macs) about 10 minutes and the computer is completely setup and ready to turn on.

After the computer gets plugged in and connected, the registration process is pretty painless taking about 15 minutes or so although you could go through it faster than I did. I also skipped importing any information from an old computer because the old computer is still in service.

After registration was complete, there were several new updates to be installed. Installation took about 10-15 minutes over a fast broadband connection.

The WaCom tablet also installed easily. However, it looks like it will take some getting used to in order to be used effectively.

I will report more later as we setup zsCompare and zsDuplicateHunter on the new iMac.

A side effect to code coverage testing

2006-02-28T11:30:00.000-08:00

As I have posted before, Code Coverage is a very effective method of ensuring that your tests are effective and that they are covering the full range of functionality within your application. However, we are finding some unintended side effects which have been very beneficial.

The first benefit is that we are cleaning up our code to remove unused methods and code which was put in for testing purposes but never removed. When we clean up the unused code, the result is a cleaner smaller program which is easier to maintain.

The second benefit is that we are finding some areas where objects are not being released as quickly as we had intended. For users of the program, this causes a larger amount of memory to be used by the program than is really needing which can lead to poor overall performance.

Why use code coverage?

2006-02-26T07:48:00.000-08:00

In my last post, I explained that we had found a code coverage tool to use as we test our software. However, I'm sure that many people don't know what a coverage tool is or what they are good for.

A coverage tool is used to tell you what sections of the program have been tested (or covered) while you are testing. Even more importantly, they tell you what has not been covered so that you can refine your tests to cover the entire application or at least the critical portions of your application.

A coverage tool is most effective when it is combined with some form of automated testing. This is because the automated testing allows you to reproduce the results of the coverage test and it ensures that the results that you expect are correct. After all, there is no sense testing 100% of your application if the program gives the wrong results 50% of the time. Now, the type of automated testing you use isn't really important, you can use a GUI testing application, you can use unit tests, you can use built-in script (which is what we do), or you can have a tester run tests manually from a pre-defined script (however, for most applications you will want to avoid this due to costs). The important thing is that the tests are run the same way each time.

Code Coverage Using Emma

2006-02-24T09:24:00.000-08:00

We have been searching for a Code Coverage utility for the past 2 years without finding a tool that met our needs. However, we finally found a solution with the excellent Emma coverage tool.

One of the primary needs we had was the ability to run our compiled application without having to make a large number of changes to our build process. The speed of the instrumented application was also a large factor in the decision.

Emma passes both of these tests with flying colors.

To run using coverage testing, you simply compile your application with debug information included and then run the application using the Emma's command line tool. Emma then runs the application and instruments the code dynamically as it is encountered. (If you want, you can also pre-instrument the application). The only issue we had when running this way is we use reflection in one location to load classes that are used for loading and storing sets of options. We had to change this from using the system class loader to simply use the Class.forName method of loading the class.

For execution speed, Emma is simply amazing. Typically, when analyzing using Coverage your application will run close to twice as slow in places. However, with Emma the code is running maybe 20% slower if that and the responsiveness of the application is very good.

Another nice feature with Emma is the ability to tell it what classes you would like to have instrumented. This lets you remove classes which are well tested and do not need coverage analysis done on them. You could also use it to focus on a specific portion of the application which would allow the Application to run even faster because there would be less coverage information.

Support for MacIntel Machines

2006-02-23T13:39:00.000-08:00

Currently zsCompare and zsDuplicateHunter are not supported on the new Intel based Macintoshes which Apple has started selling.

We have just ordered a new iMac and we will begin testing zsCompare and zsDuplicateHunter hunter on the new machine after it arrives.

The current plan is to support Intel based Macintoshes for the initial zsCompare 3.0 release if there are minimal changes. If we need to do extensive changes, we will release an update after the initial release.

Support for zsDuplicateHunter will follow the zsCompare release.

zsCompare 3.0 - In Progress

2006-02-23T12:17:00.000-08:00

We are preparing to release zsCompare version 3.0 to the general public. All of the planned enhancements have been coded, the documentation is done, and we are just finalizing the last details to ensure that you receive the high quality program you have come to expect from Zizasoft.

Starting with version 3.0, zsCompare will be available in 3 editions Lite, Standard, and Professional. With the Lite version being the least powerful and the Professional version being the most powerful.

Although, we can't release a full list of the new features quite yet, here are some of the highlights:

Compare text directly from Word Documents and PDF Files.
Many enhancements to text comparison include several new options to control the detail level of the comparisons and to improve the quality of the comparisons.
Direct editing of text files from the results.
Create snapshots of the file system for later comparison. This will also speed up repetitive comparisons like comparing CD's to source files.
Create patches of files and directories. Patches store only the differences between two files and allow you to recreate a file from the original file and the patch file.
Improved handling of attributes on Macintosh Systems.
Saved Options to quickly change comparison options.
Scripting of zsCompare to automate zsCompare. This covers the full functionality of zsCompare and is much more powerful than command line options.
There are also lots and lots of little changes that will make everyday usage of zsCompare easier and faster.