Software

Rules for working with dates and times

Dates and times are incredibly complex. They can be different in different countries, languages. They are often inconsistent and have weird edge-cases. These are some basic rules I apply when working with dates and times.

OneNote Missing Features

Microsoft have announced the deprecation of the desktop version of OneNote. They claim that the Windows Store version is as good or better. But it really isn’t! Here I try to list the missing features. I will update this post as things change.

Office 365 Autosave

I am sure that whoever in Microsoft came up with the idea of an autosave flag, they thought it was a great idea. And indeed it is. However, when they made it default to on, they made a logistical nightmare for the majority of users. This post discusses why and what you could do about it.

DSC vs. GPO vs. SCCM vs. MDM (Intune)

Microsoft Windows administrators now have a number of ways for managing their estates. Group Policy (GPO) Allows very fine-grained control over every aspect of Windows. Primarily aimed at Windows desktops. Requires Active Directory (AD) and very careful configuration. Requires well trained specialist staff to get it right. System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) Allows central control over software delivery. Also requires AD. Configuration of delivery packages can be complex and very careful change control is required.

Macro to open a web URL from Outlook

Many of us spend most of our work time in a few applications such as Outlook (email) and a web browser. This example macro for Microsoft Outlook will let you add a button to the Outlook Ribbon that will open a specific website URL.

Outlook 2013 URL Protocol Handler

Outlook has a custom URL protocol that allows interaction with different elements such as folders, mail and calendar items and contacts, Since Outlook 2007, this has been restricted for use only within Outlook itself but there are some tremendous opportunities for use from simple web systems. This post explains how to turn it on, even for Outlook 2013 (Office 365 version). It also gives pointers to other articles on how to use the protocol.

Windows 7 supports IPTC in JPEG Picture Files! (Not quite – Adobe XMP actually)

Update 2018-04-22: Reformatted after move from WordPress to Hugo. Wow! I’ve just discovered by accident that Windows 7 beta supports a few IPTC XMP attributes in picture files. At last, Microsoft supporting standards! Above is a screen shot from the properties of a test picture. The Description and Origin sections seem to be standard IPTC fields and I checked them out using iTag. In iTag the Title attribute comes out as both the Title and the Description.

Mosquitto MQTT Server on a Raspberry Pi

To access an MQTT broker direct from the browser, you need websockets support. On a Raspberry Pi, this used to require a custom build from source. That is no longer required. You can now install direct from the mosquitto.org repository and add a simple config change. This article explains the details.

A simple mail filer for Microsoft Outlook (VBA)

Like many people I receive an unmanageable amount of email each day. Many days I get through only around 1/3 of the email I receive. However, the role I am in professionally requires me to retain a large proportion of correspondence. Some because it relates to ongoing projects, other because of security, audit or compliance reasons. In addition, I work across many projects. It isn’t unusual for me to be involved in two dozen projects at any one time on top of my day-to-day management work.

Home Automation Hub using Node-Red

The Internet of Things (IoT) comes alive with the help of Node-Red, a Flow-Based Programming (FBP) tool designed to help link together sensors, switches, logic and displays. With hardware magic from Arduino’s, Raspberry Pi’s, low cost sensors and wireless switches. We can easily build a bespoke home automation and monitoring hub.

Microsoft 64-bit Application Support (lack-of)

Microsoft’s 64-bit support is still sorely fragmented as we find out with a brand new laptop trying to access Microsoft SharePoint.

Low-cost Information Management, Communications and Collaberation Tools

Enterprise System Design and Accessibility

It isn’t just web pages that are required to meet accessibility standards and laws. All applications have to. This short article is a reminder to application designers and builders regarding the standards and legal obligations they have to meet.

Apple iOS 5 and iCloud, The verdict

Apple iOS 5, What does it change for me?