Programming

Dealing with Passwords

Submitted by PurpleAlien on Fri, 06/29/2012 - 05:57

Tags: Cryptography, Programming, Security

After the recent leaks of password hashes from LinkedIn and others, I thought it would be a good idea to write down some 'best practices' in how to properly deal with user passwords and sensitive data. This entry is by no means complete, nor is it the be all, end all there is to say about the topic. What it does try to do is give a decent starting point to eliminate basic mistakes which could lead to embarrasment later one. If you're developing a new website, or bringing another one up to date or are otherwise working with users and passwords, these tips might be of help. Let's start...

X-Ray Key

Read more »

Porting wpa_supplicant

Submitted by PurpleAlien on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 05:51

Tags: Network, Programming, Wireless

If you've ever tried porting wpa_supplicant to a different operating system, you probably have come across this link on the wpa_supplicant documentation page: Porting to different target boards and operating systems. While it gives a good heads up, the end section describes the C files needed to build an initial compiling version from where to start building the operating support.

Read more »

Qt and Web Content

Submitted by PurpleAlien on Fri, 02/03/2012 - 01:27

Tags: Programming, Qt

Qt is a really nice framework to develop applications that need to be cross platform, and where you have the raw power of C++ (or even optimised C/Assembly libraries) at your fingertips. However, more and more we see web applications and web languages taking over from the traditional desktop applications. Often though, what you really need is a mix between the two: the raw power and responsiveness that a desktop application provides, while interacting with web API's and displaying web content as part of the desktop application. Good thing then that Qt allows just that... 

Qt Logo

Read more »

A Ray Tracer - Part 2

Submitted by PurpleAlien on Wed, 12/28/2011 - 01:17

Tags: C, Graphics, Mathematics, Programming, Ray Tracing

Last time we build up the basics of the raytracer: some essential math and the corresponding function implementations and structures in the C programming language. We will expand the ray tracer this time to generate actual graphics and to generate these images with multiple spheres, light sources, and reflections.

Painter

Read more »

A Ray Tracer - Part 1

Submitted by PurpleAlien on Sun, 11/13/2011 - 15:28

Tags: C, Graphics, Mathematics, Programming, Ray Tracing

I've always been fascinated with computer graphics. One of the first things I learned to code when I was a kid was a ray tracer. It was a simple and straight-forward assembly implementation on an early home computer, but it taught me a lot about how computers deal with graphics and just programming in general and its connection to mathematics.

Raytrace Scene

Read more »

MIPS 101

Submitted by PurpleAlien on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 05:19

Tags: Computer Architecture, MIPS, Programming

To truly understand how a computer (or rather, the processor) does what it does, I highly recommend trying out an assembly language. You might never need it in your professional life (unless you're an embedded coder, or when you're working with portable devices and need to use ARM NEON for example), but understanding assembly can give you more insight into the inner workings of a computer system and help you design better code in other programming languages.

SPIM screenshot

Read more »

Clickatell with Qt

Submitted by PurpleAlien on Mon, 09/05/2011 - 00:28

Tags: Programming, Qt, SMS

Over the past couple of weeks I've been working extensively on the Linux kernel, specifically working on drivers and board support for the the new Genesi hardware based on the Freescale i.mx53 ARM SOC. I needed a little 15 minute break from the Linux code and decided to play with Qt again. Specifically, I wanted to send SMS messages from a Qt application, just for fun.

Qt Logo

Read more »

C: Structs and Pointers

Submitted by PurpleAlien on Sun, 03/06/2011 - 10:17

Tags: C, Programming

This blog entry covers parts of a recent C programming exam I held for my course C programming at VAMK. I know some of my students read this blog, so it might be of help to them, or anyone else interested in some more, dare I say, 'advanced' C stuff. It is by no means intended to be a complete tutorial, but it might provide a starting point for further study.

Read more »
Syndicate content