7 – 11 November was a Windows week, with tips on accessing databases via OSDB and managing hotkeys and script macros, topped off with a celebration of Rockbox.
Carsten started off by showing us how to use OSDB to access databases with Powershell. When an ODBC driver is only available for Windows and no extra script languages should be installed, he suggested Microsoft’s object oriented Powershell that comes with current Windows versions such as Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7. Carsten shared an example script to demonstrate how to build a connection to a MSSQL database, run a query and show its results. For him it is ideal for use when developing Icinga plugins for Windows, which use an ODBC driver and are queried via NSClient++.
Following suit, Ronny recommended AutoHotKey for the management of hot keys and script macros in Windows. With the open source script language AutoHotKey, not only can frequently used entries such as “btw” be auto-expanded” to “by the way” but a whole range of queries, functions and applications can be set to respond to particular sequences of keystrokes and mouse clicks. Take a look at the tool’s documentation and wiki to understand the entire range of possibilities.
Last but not least, Ansgar wrote an ode to Rockbox, an alterative open source operating system for MP3 players. To overcome the deficiencies he saw in using the firmware that came with his iPod, he installed Rockbox. Now his player is capable of supporting more file formats, altering tone per equalizers and compressors, as well as being individualized with themes and games. With diverse applications, his iPod can display pictures or read text aloud and be transformed into a calculator or torch – pretty impressive for an open source makeover.
