Setting up a BBPress dev environment with XAMPP

I’m just lazy so when it comes to my personal Web sites I tend not to do the right thing and set up a dev environment first. Instead I just deploy stuff and work on the templates directly in my live Web site. I do keep copies of the templates locally before I go messing around so I figure the worst that can happen is the pages on my site will go down briefly if I accidentally put in a syntax error. I can back it out pretty quickly and restore the site, so why bother with a dev or test environment first?

Recently though I wanted to upgrade the software on my OraclePortalSucks.com site to the most recent release. And when the upgrade process failed utterly I realized I would need to go ahead and revert the entire site to the original templates, then set up a dev environment somewhere so I could test out the upgrade and figure out what I did wrong.

Now this was a site I slapped together one January afternoon last year, when I was banging my head against yet another weird set of bugs in the Oracle Portal. I got so frustrated I had to find some avenue to vent so I registered the domain, and since I already had a hosting plan I was able to get the site online within a few hours of registering it. I uploaded BBPress, which is a powerful yet easy to manage bulletin board system from some of the same folks who created WordPress. But then I haven’t really touched the site since. It was the attempt to upgrade BBPress to the latest version that blew up for me.

So first step was to set up a local development environment to support BBPress. That means Apache, MySQL, and PHP. I really like the way XAMPP rolls all those into a single ZIP file, and wraps a simple GUI around the whole package to let you start and stop the various components. Plus it’s great because it doesn’t have to be installed — you can run it immediately after un-zipping the whole mess as long as you unzip into the root directory of your hard drive with the \xampp folder. So I downloaded the latest version and unzipped it onto the C drive, thus it’s in C:\xampp.

Inside that xampp directory you should see a file called xampp-control.exe. Double click that to launch the administration utility:

I don’t use the options to install and set up the components as services, because I don’t use this all the time. I just click Start next to the components I need. In this particular case you’ll need both Apache and MySql, so start both of those.

Now launch a browser and go to the http://localhost address. You should see the XAMPP Web site.

In the left-hand menu bar, scroll down until you see the Tools section. Click on phpMyAdmin.

From the phpMyAdmin page, click the Privileges link and then click on the Add a New User link. Here I created a database and user to match the configuration used in my existing OraclePortalSucks BBPress setup. Of course you can create whatever name and database you like, just jot it down because you’ll need the info to edit the config.php later. Then scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Go button.

So now I had to get the PHP templates and the database contents from my site. The PHP templates were easy, just FTP them into a local folder. I called the folder “portalsucks” and put it in the C:\xampp\htdocs directory. Then I edited the config.php file in that portalsucks directory. Since I had created a database and useraccount with the same name as in the actual site, I only had to change the host string:

define(’BBDB_HOST’, ‘localhost’);

I also changed the domain and path from the original settings:

$bb->domain = ‘http://www.oracleportalsucks.com’;

$bb->path = ‘/’;

To something appropriate for my local configuration:

$bb->domain = ‘http://localhost’;

$bb->path = ‘/portalsucks/’;

Last step was to download the database. Luckily my hosting company uses phpMyAdmin as well. So I selected the database and clicked the Export option. I just left all the default values and licked Go. That generated a textarea
that I cut-and-pasted into a local file. Which I could then import into my local phpMyAdmin.

Now since I had already created the database, I did have to edit the SQL to comment out the CREATE DATABASE command. Otherwise phpMyAdmin complains because you’re trying to create a database that already exists.

That’s it. I now have a fully functional development copy of my site. Now I just have to roll up the sleeves and figure out why my attempt to upgrade BBPress failed.

Is stress impacting your team?

It is generally understood that stress can be both good and bad. Positive or good stress can help make life interesting and helps us do a good job. Stress can be a source of positive motivation to succeed or it can be a dark cloud that hinders morale, relationships and performance. The latter is what I call bad stress. Bad stress can ultimately be destructive to a person’s body. This type of stress will impact the productivity-and in the end, the success-of your team. Here are some techniques that I have learned for identifying the stress signals and managing the impact to your team. First, let’s get a better understanding of stress.

What is Stress?

Stress is a natural response to the challenges, changes and pressures of life. Bad stress is the negative and unpleasant condition which may be experienced when a person perceives that they are unable to meet the demands and pressures placed upon them. This type of stress may be associated with a wide range of ill health effects, both psychological and physical. It can have a significant impact on your team’s ability to be successful if not managed properly. Its affect can seriously impact a person’s concentration, energy level, health, mood and productivity.

What are some of the causes of negative stress?

Virtually every company today is trying to do more with less. Unfortunately, the “less” usually means less people. In the past, work that was done by two or three people is performed by one today. This situation can be coupled with corporate downsizing; an increase in merger activity; increased business travel; negative impacts on company financials; a significant increase in regulatory requirements; in increase in company security requirements; and, of course, hundreds of emails a day. These are just some of the work stressors. This list does not take into account the stressors that individuals experience outside of the work environment.

How is stress impacting your ability to succeed?

The first thing to keep in mind is that stress is inevitable. Times are changing and the power of negative stress is not going away. The second thing to remember is that significant increases in stress will cost both you and your company. Finally, the impacts of negative stress are not restricted to a profession, type of company, industry or geographical location. There are studies that have indicated that approximately sixty percent of absenteeism is related to stress. Many of these absences progress into short and long term disability leaves. It is difficult to get things done when the people are not available to do the work. The opposite situation is what some health officials call presenteeism. These are the people who are experiencing increased stress levels yet come to work. These individuals will generally demonstrate reduced productivity and energy levels.

What are some of the common signs?

It is easy for a manager to overlook the signs of stress that can ultimately impact their ability to get the job done. There are a number of signs that can indicate that stress levels are going to impact your team. Some are physical, some are not. One sign that is generally easy to recognize is when people who are your top performers seem to produce less even though nothing in the environment appeared to have changed. A number of health organizations have outlined a few of the more common signs. They are frequent complaints of headaches (migraines), backaches, shoulder and neck aches; cracked voice and dry mouth; complaints of indigestion problems and excessive episodes of acid reflux; rapid or excessive weight loss (for no apparent reason); feeling helpless and depressed; and defensive. In addition, the person can easily get upset or angered; they will tend to withdraw from others; and they may experience frequent emotional outbursts. This is just a sample. Many health organizations indicate that these signs may appear where they were not demonstrated by these individuals in the past. You should contact a reputable health services organization and get a more exhaustive list of things to observe. For example, HELPGUIDE.org has a fairly complete list on their website.

What can you do?

First, you must recognize that some people thrive on stressful environments. These people operate at their peak performance when faced with a stressful situation. Therefore, you should be aware of the normal behavior patterns of your team members so that a change in that pattern is obvious. When you observe a change that could affect the health of your team member, you should consider transferring the employee to less stressful work assignment; give the individual assistance to do the work; or give the individual a ‘buddy’ to encourage confidence. In addition, consider the following:

• Ensure team members take time off to avoid too many long days on the job.
• Make certain individuals are aware of your company’s employee assistance program (EAP). This organization can work with them on stress-related or personal problems.
• Ensure opportunities for them to pursue skill-development and professional-development programs.
• Encourage them to participate in stress-reduction workshops that may be available.
• Work with team members on their workload management skills and assist them in assessing their priorities.

Most of all ensure that you provide leadership support to those individuals.

Stress does not have to impact your team’s ability to succeed. However, it is important to be aware of the signs and manage the stress levels that can hinder you and your team’s success.

May I Ask You one question :

Have the stress levels changed in your company?

1. Stress has increased
2. Stress has decreased
3. No, stress level remains the same

What is your answer let me know???

Is stress impacting your team?

It is generally understood that stress can be both good and bad. Positive or good stress can help make life interesting and helps us do a good job. Stress can be a source of positive motivation to succeed or it can be a dark cloud that hinders morale, relationships and performance. The latter is what I call bad stress. Bad stress can ultimately be destructive to a person’s body. This type of stress will impact the productivity-and in the end, the success-of your team. Here are some techniques that I have learned for identifying the stress signals and managing the impact to your team. First, let’s get a better understanding of stress.

What is Stress?

Stress is a natural response to the challenges, changes and pressures of life. Bad stress is the negative and unpleasant condition which may be experienced when a person perceives that they are unable to meet the demands and pressures placed upon them. This type of stress may be associated with a wide range of ill health effects, both psychological and physical. It can have a significant impact on your team’s ability to be successful if not managed properly. Its affect can seriously impact a person’s concentration, energy level, health, mood and productivity.

What are some of the causes of negative stress?

Virtually every company today is trying to do more with less. Unfortunately, the “less” usually means less people. In the past, work that was done by two or three people is performed by one today. This situation can be coupled with corporate downsizing; an increase in merger activity; increased business travel; negative impacts on company financials; a significant increase in regulatory requirements; in increase in company security requirements; and, of course, hundreds of emails a day. These are just some of the work stressors. This list does not take into account the stressors that individuals experience outside of the work environment.

How is stress impacting your ability to succeed?

The first thing to keep in mind is that stress is inevitable. Times are changing and the power of negative stress is not going away. The second thing to remember is that significant increases in stress will cost both you and your company. Finally, the impacts of negative stress are not restricted to a profession, type of company, industry or geographical location. There are studies that have indicated that approximately sixty percent of absenteeism is related to stress. Many of these absences progress into short and long term disability leaves. It is difficult to get things done when the people are not available to do the work. The opposite situation is what some health officials call presenteeism. These are the people who are experiencing increased stress levels yet come to work. These individuals will generally demonstrate reduced productivity and energy levels.

What are some of the common signs?

It is easy for a manager to overlook the signs of stress that can ultimately impact their ability to get the job done. There are a number of signs that can indicate that stress levels are going to impact your team. Some are physical, some are not. One sign that is generally easy to recognize is when people who are your top performers seem to produce less even though nothing in the environment appeared to have changed. A number of health organizations have outlined a few of the more common signs. They are frequent complaints of headaches (migraines), backaches, shoulder and neck aches; cracked voice and dry mouth; complaints of indigestion problems and excessive episodes of acid reflux; rapid or excessive weight loss (for no apparent reason); feeling helpless and depressed; and defensive. In addition, the person can easily get upset or angered; they will tend to withdraw from others; and they may experience frequent emotional outbursts. This is just a sample. Many health organizations indicate that these signs may appear where they were not demonstrated by these individuals in the past. You should contact a reputable health services organization and get a more exhaustive list of things to observe. For example, HELPGUIDE.org has a fairly complete list on their website.

What can you do?

First, you must recognize that some people thrive on stressful environments. These people operate at their peak performance when faced with a stressful situation. Therefore, you should be aware of the normal behavior patterns of your team members so that a change in that pattern is obvious. When you observe a change that could affect the health of your team member, you should consider transferring the employee to less stressful work assignment; give the individual assistance to do the work; or give the individual a ‘buddy’ to encourage confidence. In addition, consider the following:

• Ensure team members take time off to avoid too many long days on the job.
• Make certain individuals are aware of your company’s employee assistance program (EAP). This organization can work with them on stress-related or personal problems.
• Ensure opportunities for them to pursue skill-development and professional-development programs.
• Encourage them to participate in stress-reduction workshops that may be available.
• Work with team members on their workload management skills and assist them in assessing their priorities.

Most of all ensure that you provide leadership support to those individuals.

Stress does not have to impact your team’s ability to succeed. However, it is important to be aware of the signs and manage the stress levels that can hinder you and your team’s success.

Have the stress levels changed in your company?

• Stress has increased
  
• Stress has decreased
  
• No, stress level remains the same

5 laws for CRM success

Purchasing a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System? Here’s some bad news: you’ll probably fail. It may very well be a disappointment. You could be wasting your money. At best, you may only have a glorified rolodex. My company services over 500 small- and medium-sized clients that use the CRM applications we support (GoldMine and Microsoft CRM). We’ve had lot of successes but also a good share of disasters too. I got sick of the bad projects and one day sat down to try and figure out why our great projects were so great. Here’s what I found.

1. One individual stepped up to the plate.

Every project needs an internal champion. The projects that succeeded had one. I’m talking about a really good administrative person. Someone who has a brain and isn’t afraid to use it. Or a baseball bat too if necessary. The champion is not afraid to make mistakes. Or yell and scream if necessary. The champion is authorized by management to get the job done…and evaluated on its success. The champion should know everything about the system. He/she should get all the advanced training they need. The champion is responsible for the accuracy of the CRM database. The outside consultants are used to back up the champion. If you don’t have someone like this in place then you will fail, fail, fail!

2. There were black and white deliverables.

Don’t try to “get more sales” or “service our customers better.” That’s a joke. You buy a piece of equipment to cut metal. You purchase a truck to deliver your product. What’s the specific thing that your CRM system should be doing? How about two to three needed reports that you’re not getting? How about replacing two databases with one combined system? Come up with an exact deliverable and have your CRM consultant tell you just how much it will cost to deliver it. Justify this investment by how much more sales or fewer expenses will result. Pay them when you see it and it’s working. My best clients go into their implementations with a clear, measurable goal in mind.

3. We’re not “girly-men.”

Schwarzenegger doesn’t like them, and neither do I. This is not a win-win situation. You’re not trying to make people happy. You’re putting in a system to help you generate more sales from existing and new customers. Your competitors are doing it. Don’t listen to those whining salespeople who don’t want to use this system - CRM applications are standard stuff nowadays. The strongest managers I know look at CRM as just a tool to use to get them the information they need so they can manage their sales and service groups effectively. People don’t like change. Everyone’s got their own system. Well, it’s not about them, is it? It’s about the company. If you’re a girly-man with your direct reports, then avoid putting in a CRM system. Take your people to the opera instead.

4. We took small steps at a reasonable pace.

No one turned the place upside down. Our successful clients took the attitude that their CRM implementation would take place over a long period of time and broke the project down into chunks. Many figured out early that a test group of users (especially users with the right attitude) was the right place to start. This way they could get their feet wet and work out the kinks. And assuming success, the test group of users could help spread the gospel - train other employees and help with issues. Each phase would be about 30 days or so. And of course these phases were part of an overall plan. By doing it this way, management could make sure things were going according to plan and give themselves the opportunity to cut their losses if things weren’t really happening they way they hoped.

5. We weren’t afraid to fail.

Look, some really great and successful companies just don’t embrace CRM. Their culture isn’t right for it. They’ve succeeded without it. Some of our clients’ CRM failures really weren’t failures at all. Management knew that CRM was a new concept for their company and were willing to take a chance (remember about taking those small steps) on it. CRM systems fail all the time and for many reasons beyond management’s control. Don’t be afraid to walk away from something that’s just not a good fit. If it was an affordable learning exercise, then it really wasn’t a failure at all.

Taking a look at IBM Lotus Symphony Presentations

Continuing with my first-look series covering the IBM Lotus Symphony office suite, I’ve created a gallery covering the slideshow application, Symphony Presentations. (I covered Symphony Documents in the first gallery and Symphony Spreadsheets in the second gallery.)

As you’ll discover, while Symphony Presentations contains everything you will need to create effective slideshows, it lacks many of the bells and whistles you’ll find in Microsoft PowerPoint and, surprisingly, even its cousin, OpenOffice Impress.

You can download the Lotus Symphony suite and try Presentations yourself.

Keep in mind that Lotus Symphony is listed as Beta 1. However, since the suite has essentially been extracted from the final version of Lotus Notes 8, it’s actually pretty solid. That’s not to say that I didn’t encounter any snags — but they were fairly minor.

You can download it from here also