If you log on this blog every Friday, then you've missed quite a lot, there's me feeling sorry for myself on Saturday, there's me posting about the Murdoch Encounter's site, if the sign is now switched off because of me... That's pretty sad. Just cause someone added "Bacon" + "Anything" = "Awesome" doesn't mean you can take down this... interesting site. Then there's my current pride + joy, a six thousand word epic on three movies that make me feel lonely. In three parts! But I did promise this post, then I'll stop for a while. After all I'm not used to posting this much in such a short space of time. And I doubt my reader is either. Even I run out of breathe occasionally and run out of things to say, hey, I can't help it I have an x chromosome.
SEXIST COMMENT TALLY: 1
So this is about the new changes that are going over Murdoch website. Although I'll start by the fact that I was apparently the last year which have a student card with a magnetic strip on them, so I can choose to "Swipe" or "Wand" doesn't that make feel old. Also makes me feel old is when I started this blog I made a comment about the three flavours of Murdoch webpages, and got an email shortly afterwards saying that soon they would all be the latest one. Well, I'm pleased to announce that, that time, is now "Sooner." As a few weeks ago a new link appeared at the top of the Murdoch website "Current Students - Beta." Now I'm a beta guy, not only so I can say "I was there from the start" but more importantly "It used to be worse than this" or "stop complaining about the latest interface change, I've been through six of them." I mean, of course, eventually I'd like to be on the other side, releasing a beta and talking to users about changes and features we hadn't thought I've. Hence, I've gone through a few beta's such as "Lego Universe", "ABC iView" (even way back when it was called 'CatchUp' and had play-listing functions and less metadata.) and even "Zombie Shooter." I've gone through my share of OS preview releases, both Windows and different Fedora cores. Okay, well, the last two beta Fedora cores, I've booted into gone 'ohhhh' for a few hours then deleted the partition. I've also played with preview releases of Spybot GUI's and even Xbox Live beta programs.
Actually, Xbox live betas, WORTH IT. Lot of fun talking about interface changes, however not fun filling out a bug report cause you think of a better way to do something and they return "As designed." Let me tell you, AS DESIGNED is NOT A FIX for ANY BUG. When I release my betas, it'll be there as an option, but it'll only be used as the close code if a suggestion makes things WORSE on the user end. Hence, most of the bugs will be closed with "Suggestion acknowledged for future release."
Okay, there's going to be some criticism coming up, so if you do work for the group you might want to scroll down a bit, but I'm trying not to be harsh, it's just I've been here for 3 years, and in the time MyMurdoch has always been a bit of a joke.
Before I go on to the new stuff, I'll talk about what it actually is. When I came here, current students had access to three links, "MyUnits" which carried links to the external blackboard sites, "MyInfo" which was the personal database info about your personal details and "MyServices" which had links to different contacts for different services that the uni provides to students.
And I'm mixing my tenses. Why? Because currently we have three links. "MyUnits" which carries links to the external blackboard sites, "MyInfo" which is the personal database info about your personal details and "MyServices" which has links to different contacts for different services that the uni provides to students.
Later in my first year, a skin was added called "MyMurdoch" a site built to act as a front to grab details from the three sub places and put them all into one interface. In the beginning it looked vary promising, I had arranged on my personal page, the "MyUnits" links to each of my unit pages. The books I had out from the library and when they were due, a timetable, which the description promised would shortly add assessment due dates into the grid as well. And even a list of the book required for each of MyUnits as well as my remaining internet quota. I lay in wait wondering what amazing new additions they would roll out. Perhaps they would fix the fact that units always show that there's new discussion items even when there isn't.
Nothing new did appear. At least, nothing which really did anything impressive. I guess the daily Dilbert and weather can be handy.
I know the system much be a bitch to maintain, you see all the unit stuff is in a system called "Blackboard" an application chosen not cause it was the best, not cause it was the cheapest, but because it's the only one that performs everything the systems analyst wanted it to do. I mean, it's a little clunky. I blame the choice of Java, and the fact that the Java related objects don't work with the latest version of Java. (The version checker in Java assumes that newer version may have removed features that run the applet, so it says "You don't have Java." The fact that it works with the latest version needs to be manually updated by the makers of the applet. YET PEOPLE CONTINUE TO USE JAVA AND NOT MAINTAIN THEIR APPLETS.) But for stuff like submitting assignments, (except when you submit the wrong one.) it's a great system. However, this needs to talk with xHTML produced by Murdoch. Hence where the "New Discussion" bug comes from.
MyInfo is then handled by another service called "Callista" which they have made to talk to "Blackboard" and he/she is more arrogant than Mr Squiggle's Black Board.
On top of all that the staff have a different system which my talk and administer the other systems.
So I can only imagine the code supporting all the students, staff and support at Murdoch is a mess of 'duct tape' which they AMAZINGLY have got to work at a level that makes it usable. My hats off to them.
Now, back to the thing I was beta testing. Ahem, This is a preview, not a beta, this is the dummy screen shots shown months before implement. Why am I allowed to say that? Cause I've done 231 so :P
The reason I say this, is because in my head I've got various expectations for what a beta should be. In this case, firstly because it is unclear of the implementation style, MyMurdoch has been down for several weeks, but this new page does not offer any replacement services that MyMurdoch provided. Seriously, if you're not visit these pages and as of 22/4, you'll simply get links to the old system, and the page DESIGN of how the new system will look, but not operate.
Just check out the URLs as well, the system is going from "my.murdoch.edu.au" to "our.murdoch.edu.au" Damn university encouraging socialism. I MEAN SOCIALISING. Socialising, uni is definatly encouraging socialising through this, I mean, no one went those lectures on Marxism, right? RIGHT?
There is an interesting mix of pages, trying to convince students to get out of their box and do something else at the uni apart from the average routine of lecture, ref, lab, ref, tavern, library roof, bush court, health clinic, tavern.
I mean it's where I found this weird other site, which is like Murdoch Encounters, but just for Murdoch staff and students to submit their own ideas to better the campus. Little bit of advertising might help that. I dunno, just seeing an idea implemented rather than someone getting a guitar for it is just a little bit more inspiring for me. Just a hint though.
But I can actually see this working, it's got links for who you need to talk to if you wanna do a thesis, like, right there under "Research Opportunities" It's also got a link at the bottom of each page, to a page, which has a link to a page, to my blog.
And an ad in "Our Community" that has my Dr. Jeckell Mr Hyde look.
OKAY EGO IDEA. New webpage gadget to add RSS feeds, with quick links to the current Murdoch bloggers.. Hint Hint. I will fully retract all previous scandalous statements if you can get me some more traffic. But that doesn't mean I won't make more in the future.
MURDOCH SO MANY IDEAS. SO MANY WEBSERVERS. SO MUCH MESS.
Yeah, I know I'm an IT person so I should shut up. "The marketing and PR people are talking now, why don't you go files so TPS reports?"
Ah well, it was built poorly to begin with, blame it on those guys, you've done a great job. And I really, REALLY can't wait to see how everything turns out later this year, best of luck for the launch and I hope we don't overload the server too much.
Which brings me to the server you got rid off.
Yes, for the purposes of cost, downtime and (let's face it.) a bit nicer interface which doesn't look like it was done in the early Nineties. I actually miss grey action buttons though. They were so.. Button-y not like this clickable images that becomes images locked and goes grey and says "Processing."
Technology + 5 years = retro
Technology + 10 years = nostalga
For those of you wondering if universities participating in live@edu get to mod the Microsoft look and feel, the answer is "Maybe." Murdoch hasn't. Luckily they chose the Outlook web app, which is pretty well built, looks and acts just like the latestest version of outlook, and I believe you can access the IMAP server address if you wanna use your own client. (If not, you should.) it's still a @student.murdoch.edu.au address, which is good, but that address has become a live passport, meaning you can use it as an msn messenger account, a spaces account EVEN AN XBOX LIVE GAMER TAG. Problem is I have my gmail account linked to all that, so I gotta sign out of that on live to access this, so that's my I get all my murdoch email forwarded to my gmail account and that set up so I can send emails from my student email from it. But damn the offer to use Outlook web app again is appealing. I used it in my last few months at fremantle, but they had theirs hooked up to their exchange server, so you didn't get the MSN messenger login and live gamer tag. But having two live addresses has meant I've scored two SkyDrives (Microsoft, please will you concatenate SkyDrive with Live Mesh and Live Sync, pretty much that could mean I could have a file at uni and very easily dump it at home OR on a 25GB cloud without the need to log into two services.
There is not however, a handy address book, I thought this could be built semester by semester to have a list of all the students, lecturers and tutors of the classes you're taking. Just an idea. A possible huge invasion of privacy cause you could find out their student number, guess their password and sign them up for Bio-statistical Methods MAS230. Doesn't that sound fun Biology + Maths + Statistics, no wonder there's 'Meth' in the title.*
The collaboration is done through Office Live Collaboration. Which... Is going to be taken down by the end of the year if my sources are correct.
Anyway, Murdoch will cross that bridge when it comes to it, hopefully I'll be long gone... Maybe even working on the similar service for another company. I'd like that. Although I have to admit, the implementation of the mail, from what I heard, went smoothly. And we're talking, silk here. So VERY WELL DONE TO THEM on that front. Very few lost emails, if any. And a promised contract of no loss and no downtown, so now all their problems are someone else's responsibility, which will be nice for them. Until an emergency does happen, in which they'll be pissed at the number of people they have to say "There's nothing we can do." to.
So graffiti of the week, you are owed some:
"Wish for something better"
"Like 4 PLY"
"oh god yes"
And just before I leave, exams. I will have some soon. I HAVE THE SATURDAY ONE. THE EXAMINATION BOARD HAS A VENDETTA.
Until I get banned from the network (Hey, I just pissed off the guys who could....) Good bye.
*I'm sure the people doing Bio statistical Methods are very nice people and don't need any drungs or alcahol to further their studies. And to the ones that do I say seek help, or at least conserve cause 3rd year units get worse.
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