Enso

Enso is a free application launcher, but it is also more than just that. Enso is similar to Ubiquity, however, Enso works at the Windows operating system level, not just inside your browser. It is available to you in any application you’re using. On the other hand, Ubiquity is open-source, Enso is not. Enso is also similar to Quicksilver on Mac.

Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal explains:

Enso is dead simple to use. You just hold down the Caps Lock key and type an Enso command, which is displayed in a translucent overlay. Once the command is typed, you simply release the Caps Lock key to activate it, and the overlay disappears. If you type fast, it all happens in a flash. For instance, to launch the Firefox Web browser, you just hold down the Caps Lock key and type "open firefox." To look up the meaning of the word "proclivity," you just hold down the Caps Lock key and type "define proclivity."

Other launchers: Launchy and Colibri. Google Desktop can also be used as an application launcher.

CLCL

CLCL is a freeware clipboard caching utility. It allows you to stack things (text, images…) on your clipboard in one batch then bounce once to the destination and paste them all in the appropriate places, one at a time.

Other clipboard enhancers: Jumpcut and iClip for Mac.

AutoHotkey

AutoHotkey is a free, open-source macro tool that allows you to automate almost anything by sending keystrokes and mouse clicks. You can write a mouse or keyboard macro by hand or use the macro recorder. Using AutoHotkey, virtually any key, button, or combination can become a hotkey.

Other macro utilities: TextExpander and Typinator for Mac.

Virtual Desktops

Microsoft PowerToys for Windows XP have many useful (and free) “toys”, but one of the most useful is the “Virtual Desktop Manager”. It allows you to manage up to four virtual desktops, each with a taskbar controller, unique wallpapers, and hotkey support. Virtual desktops provide an excellent way to kill distractions, stay focused and concentrate on the task at hand.

On Linux, both GNOME and KDE have virtual desktops built-in. The Leopard version of Mac OS X added this feature, called Spaces.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Almost all operating systems and applications that run on them have keyboard shortcuts. There is a reason why they are called shortcuts, it’s because once you master them it takes shorter time to perform a task using keyboard shortcuts than using the mouse. The following is a list of common and useful shortcuts:

• Keyboard shortcuts in leading Microsoft products
• Keyboard shortcuts in Mac OS X
• Keyboard shortcuts in Ubuntu
• Keyboard shortcuts in Mozilla Firefox
• Keyboard shortcuts in Gmail
• Keyboard shortcuts in Google Reader

I have been using the above tools for a while. I can now do things on my computer faster than I’ve ever been able to.

Other than the ones mentioned above, what tools or tips do you use that help you be more productive using your computer?

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There are two types of cursor FOR loops: SQL Cursor FOR loop and Explicit Cursor FOR Loop.

In SQL Cursor FOR loops, you include the text of a query directly in the FOR loop. For example:

Connected to:
Oracle Database 11g Enterprise Edition Release 11.1.0.6.0 - Production
With the Partitioning, OLAP, Data Mining and Real Application Testing options

SQL> set serverout on
SQL> BEGIN
  2    FOR item IN
  3    ( SELECT last_name, job_id
  4       FROM employees
  5       WHERE job_id LIKE '%CLERK%'
  6       AND manager_id > 120 )
  7    LOOP
  8      DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE
  9        ('Name = ' || item.last_name || ', Job = ' || item.job_id);
 10    END LOOP;
 11  END;
 12  /
Name = OConnell, Job = SH_CLERK
Name = Grant, Job = SH_CLERK
Name = Bissot, Job = ST_CLERK
...

PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.

In Explicit Cursor FOR Loops, you declare a cursor that specifies a query, and then reference the cursor in the FOR loop. For example:

SQL> DECLARE
  2   CURSOR c1 IS SELECT last_name, job_id FROM employees
  3                  WHERE job_id LIKE '%CLERK%' AND manager_id > 120;
  4  BEGIN
  5    FOR item IN c1
  6    LOOP
  7      DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE
  8        ('Name = ' || item.last_name || ', Job = ' || item.job_id);
  9    END LOOP;
 10  END;
 11  /
Name = OConnell, Job = SH_CLERK
Name = Grant, Job = SH_CLERK
Name = Bissot, Job = ST_CLERK
...

PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.

In both examples, you do not need to declare the record variable item, PL/SQL implicitly creates it for you with fields corresponding to the columns of the result set.

Steven Feuerstein gives us the following recommendations about cursor FOR loops which he learned from one of his mentors in the PL/SQL world, Bryn Llewellyn, Oracle’s PL/SQL product manager:

1. Never use a cursor FOR loop when you’re writing new code for normal production deployment in a multiuser application.

2. If you expect to retrieve just one row, use an implicit SELECT INTO query.

3. If you expect to retrieve multiple rows of data and you know the upper limit (as in, “I will never get more than 100 rows in this query”), use BULK COLLECT into a collection of type varray whose upper limit matches what you know about the query.

4. If you expect to retrieve multiple rows of data and you do not know the upper limit, use BULK COLLECT with a FETCH statement that relies on a LIMIT clause to ensure that you do not consume too much per-session memory.

5. If your existing code contains a cursor FOR loop, you should perform a cost-benefit analysis on converting that code, based on these recommendations.

Visit this page to read Steven’s full explanation and examples of each of the above recommendations.

In short, stop using cursor FOR loops and start using BULK COLLECT. It’s that simple.

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If you have a My Oracle Support (formerly known as Metalink) account, you will be able to access My Oracle Support Community. It is included in your premium support package.

This morning, I attended a webcast that demonstrated the features of My Oracle Support Community. This new web application includes features commonly found on social networks, such as member profile pages, discussion forums and private messaging. It also has a point-based user reputation model similar to OTN forums.

The following is a slideshow of snapshots I took during the presentation:

A community is as strong as the level of participation of its members. How strong will My Oracle Support Community be? that remains to be seen.

Update November 1st: It’s live now! Visit metalink.oracle.com, login then click on the Community tab.

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More from my bookmarks on del.icio.us

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More from my bookmarks on del.icio.us

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Here is a summary of features currently available to all OracleCommunity.net members:

• Member Profiles: Each member has a fully customizable profile with their photo, basic information and everything they’ve contributed to the community.

• Event Listings: Schedule events, invite community members, and keep track of who’s attending.

• Interest Groups: Create groups inside the community around hobbies, interests, affinities, geographical locations and more.

• Real-time Activity Stream: Keep up with the members of the community. Find out what members are saying, how they’re interacting and what they’re sharing.

• Discussion Forum: Start a discussion on any topic and watch other members respond with posts, photos and attachments.

• Blogs: Create your own blog hosted on OracleCommunity.net and potentially have all community members as your blog readers.

• Custom Video Players: Upload original footage or share videos from popular video services like YouTube, Google Video and Vimeo.

• Photos & Slideshows: Post photos and organize them into albums. You can show off your photos in galleries or slideshows.

• Message Center: Send/receive messages and review pending friend requests.

• Chat: Chat with other members of the community in real time.

• iPhone interface: Sleek, compact, and easy to navigate, this new iPhone/iPod touch version will enable you to take your network with you wherever you go.

New features are constantly being added. Wait for a big one next month.

Here is a screenshot of OracleCommunity.net on the iPhone:

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• Oracle OpenWorld Flickr Group

I know that you want to put names on the faces. So, if you see yourself in any of the pictures, please join the Oracle OpenWorld 2008 Flickr group and then you will have the option to add a note (your name and blog URL) to your face like what I did on this picture.

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(via Dan Morgan)

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John already had an RSS feed for the 11g documentation search results. He commented on my Ubiquity post:

A lot of the potential RSS goodness is tied up with the Web 2.0-style stuff in the 11g library. E.g. there are URLs for RSS feeds for new books, but have to find the right place(s) in the UI to link to them; for example, perhaps in the left navigation bar for each book. But the RSS feed for search results doesn’t have such dependencies, so it shouldn’t be a problem to backport.

So, a few days later, John email me the URL for the 10gR2 documentation search results RSS feed:

http://www.oracle.com/pls/db102/search?word=search_term&format=rss

and for 11gR1 it is:

http://www.oracle.com/pls/db111/search?word=search_term&format=rss

I have updated the oradoc Ubiquity command to use the new 10gR2 feed.

Thanks John, you rock!

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