Hamilton C Shell 2009 Review

I just posted a review of Hamilton C Shell 2009 on my personal blog titled Hamilton C Shell 2009 Review - The Missing Shell for Windows.  If you're a Windows user and use the command line, I strongly recommend you check this review out and check out this wonderful piece of software.  I'm still discovering new things with it and its definately boosted my productivity while on my Windows machine.

Installing Ruby 1.9.1 for Windows

Installing Ruby on Windows used to be very simple, due to the one-click installer.   Unfortunately, the project hasn't had a release recently and the most recent stable release is 1.8.6, which contains some potential security issues.

Installing the Latest Binary Release

The solution is relatively simple though.  To start, uninstall any copy of Ruby you may have already.  This will reduce confusion as to what version is installed and where.  In this guide we'll focus on 1.9.1 but  the instructions are the same for 1.8.7.

Go to the Ruby downloads page and select the 1.8.7 or 1.9.1 binary.

Unzip the file to C:\Ruby.  Then you'll need to add C:\Ruby\bin to your path by following these directions:

1. Click on the Start Menu then right click on Computer and click Properties


2. Click Advanced System Settings


3. Click Environment Variables


4. Under System Variables, double click on the line with PATH in it and add ;C:\Ruby\bin to the end of it.  The semicolon is very important and must be before C:\Ruby\bin


5. Click OK and restart any command prompt windows

You're now ready to run Ruby for Windows! You can install most gems in the usual way you would on Linux or MacOS with the gem command.

UPDATE - Missing DLL Files


There are some missing DLL's for some necessary Ruby gems (including built-in ones), such as readline, sqlite3, and gzip.  I've compiled a ZIP file containing them, just put them in your C:\Ruby\bin folder, available here.  If you aren't comfortable using it, just go to the various sites for each library that is missing and grab the DLL from there (this is what I did).

R.Cloud Software Releases Family-Oriented iPhone Apps

I'd like to take a moment to tell you about the recent release of family-oriented iPhone apps by one of our clients, R.Cloud Software.  They have recently release 3 titles aimed at kids and family:

Create a Cartoon Face

This app allows you to create a character portrait from classic illustrations by New York Times Bestselling illustrator and author Steve Bjorkman.

Digit Defenders

Digit Defenders is an entertaining game that helps develop math skills by presenting a series of increasingly difficult waves of falling math problems.  Difficulty ranges from preschool to college level.

iLOLZ

Ever wanted to make a lolcat, fail, or any other kind of funny picture on the go?  If so, this easy and intuitive photo captioning iPhone app is for you!

R.Cloud Software offers a selection of other iPhone applications as well, so check them out.

Most applications are priced at $1.99, and some are even free.  Where else can you get hours of fun for you and your family for just pennies?

We are proud to help promote our clients projects.  If you have a project you'd like us to post about, please let us know.