Advice on Large Programming Project.

[Brett Wiggins]

Hi Everyone,

I have a problem and am after the advice from the programmers in the hackerspace. My router has been put on the backburner for the moment as this project has priority. Basically the situation is this... I do volunteer work at an Op-Shop in Boronia that is run by the Veteran's Association I'm a member of (I'm ex military, I served with the U.N in East Timor). I've been given the go ahead by other members of the Association to get some hardware sorted out and put all of the stock the store has into a database so we can track it, write reports ect. I'm an undergraduate at Monash at the moment and eventually want to work as a Java developer. I've got allot of time off atm so I want to write the system myself in Java as a learning exercise. I've briefly spoken to Tim when he dropped in to pick up some hardware but need allot more advice on how to get started. I'm NOT looking for free labor or someone to write it all for me, I learn nothing that way.

Basically I need help with;

- Planning. I have no project planning experience. I've got no idea where or how to start this project.
- Project Management. I don't know how to keep track of a project so that it doesn't balloon out of control.
- Technology. What Java technologies should I start reading up on? What will I need to know to write the front and back end in Java?
- Deployment. How do I actually deploy a finished system?

I understand that people have jobs and their own projects. So let me say again, I only want advice and guidance. I do *not* expect anyone to write
code or hold my hand or anything. I need the experience and I'd like a quality project I can put on github when I finish. I'd like to have some projects I can show employers I approach when I graduate..

I'll also be seeking help at the MelbJVM Java programmers meetup I go to, so I apologise if you go to that because you'll be hearing me ask for advice there as well.

As I said to someone that I was talking to about this project.. I'm scared and excited at the same time. :-)

thanks,

Brett.

--
"If you are new to UNIX, you may be used to clicking something and seeing either an "OK" message, an error, nothing, or (all too often) a pretty blue screen with nifty high-tech letters' explaining exactly where the system crashed" - Michael Lucas

[Paul Szymkowiak]

Hi Brett,

I'd be happy to have a chat with you about some of the considerations for planning and running/ completing such a project, and help you work through a suitable approach.

Cheers,

Paul
 
Paul Szymkowiak

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[AJ]

All inventory systems fail at the human/machine interface.
If its difficult to add/remove items, the database will VERY soon fall
out of sync with the actual inventory.
Spend a LOT more time with the people using the system on a daily basis,
and find out what makes their job easier, without turning humans into
mindless data entry zombies.

When an item comes in, first thing to do is photograph it.. new photo
goes into the database. this needs to be automated.. then, or later,
text description can be added.
You likely have a lot of downtime when you could be adding the text
descriptions to photos.
This process of human/machine interaction should be easy, and more like
playing a game. doing something like this turns the process of mindless
data entry into fun.

Back end java, fine. front end java is just silly.. front end
should be HTML5, served to any number of current browsers.
Your front end is then accessible from desktops,mobiles,iPads etc.

[Ken Ihara]

Hi Brett,

Sounds like a fun project.

I am not a professional programmer, but if you want to get something up
and running quickly I have 2 cents. I was playing around with a similar
project a few years ago. I made a website called
www.bookmonkey.com.au as an online exchange of used books. It never
went anywhere but it is still running and (believe it or not) people
occasionally use it.

My thoughts:
1. find a template / sample code that is close to what you want, and
then modify it. No need to recreate the wheel, and if you are lucky you
will be able to learn from well-written code
2. mySQL programming can be overwhelming at the very beginning because
there are so many commands and permutations. There are only about 5
commands that you really need
3. To make the user experience easier, I would suggest looking at a
barcode scanner. You can get a USB barcode scanner on ebay for $30.
Your computer thinks the barcode scanner is someone typing into a
keyboard -- so there is no special code to write
4. For mind-numbing categorization that will require human input, take
a look at Amazon Mechanical Turk. It is paid crowd-sourcing of
repetitive tasks.
5. Eye-Fi wireless SD card might be helpful for automating the
picture-taking process. Put the wifi SD card into your camera, and any
photos you take are wirelessly uploaded to your computer


Cheers,
Ken

[Roboticist Mark]

Hi Brett,

Have you tried looking for systems that people have already made, or that are freely available:

Like this : http://sourceforge.net/directory/language:java/freshness:recently-updated/?q=pos

You might be better off spending your time evaluating whats out there first before doing any development of your own,

Cheers,

Mark

On Tuesday, November 27, 2012 3:24:15 AM UTC+11, Brett Wiggins wrote:

Hi Everyone,

I have a problem and am after the advice from the programmers in the hackerspace. My router has been put on the backburner for the moment as this project has priority. Basically the situation is this... I do volunteer work at an Op-Shop in Boronia ...

[Brett Wiggins]

Thanks for the feedback! Will be getting in touch with people who offered help. My first stumbling block is how do I sort a large collection of books that are in chaotic order? I shouldn't have much trouble designing the database as I covered design as a subject at UNi. First things first though, talking to the end users and sorting the collection of books.

Brett.

Sent from my iPhone

[Brett Wiggins]

I suppose I should say why I chose Java.... I learned Java at UNi and it's the language I'm most comfortable with and know the best. I would say my knowledge is at an intermediate level. When I do graduate, Im hoping to find work as a Java developer. Someone I spoke to at the MelbJVM meetup I go to suggested having some finished projects on GitHub to show employers I approach, kind of like a programming portfolio....

Brett.

Sent from my iPhone

On 05/12/2012, at 14:50, Paul Szymkowiak <paul...@gmail.com> wrote:

[AJ]

whose already solved this problem?

On 6/12/2012 11:00 PM, Brett Wiggins wrote:
> Thanks for the feedback! Will be getting in touch with people who
> offered help. My first stumbling block is how do I sort a large
> collection of books that are in chaotic order? I shouldn't have much
> trouble designing the database as I covered design as a subject at
> UNi. First things first though, talking to the end users and sorting
> the collection of books.
>
> Brett.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On 05/12/2012, at 14:50, Paul Szymkowiak <paul...@gmail.com

> <mailto:paul...@gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>> Hi Brett,
>>
>> I'd be happy to have a chat with you about some of the considerations
>> for planning and running/ completing such a project, and help you
>> work through a suitable approach.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>>
>>
>> Paul
>>
>> Paul Szymkowiak
>>
>>
>> On 27 November 2012 03:24, Brett Wiggins <baw...@gmail.com

>> <mailto:connected-commu...@googlegroups.com>.

>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
>> connected-community-h...@googlegroups.com

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>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
>>
>>
>>
>> --
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