Dev Life with the new 2017 MacBook Pro - a résumé

As chance would have it, a new computer was due just when the new MacBook Pro 2017 came out. Got one in July 2017, these are the specs:

• 13'' MB Pro (2560 x 1600, 2016)
• 3.1 GHz i5
• 16 GB RAM DDR3
• 500 GB SDD
• Intel Iris Graphics 550 1536 MB

I use it primarily for software development within the SAP mobility stack (hint: UI5, Fiori, node, SCP(ms), GW, ADT, iOS). Some Virtualization (VMWare). GUI Tooling ~ WebStorm, XCode, Eclipse, Visio. Terminal.app a lot.

Control-Strip/Tab-Bar/$Whatever-its-called

Generally I'm open to all kinds of improvements to the Human-Machine-Interface. Who wouldn't want to break out of the dreaded 2D-way of pushing the mouse to operate a computer?
So the Control-Strip/Tab-Bar/$Whatever-its-called (let's call it TouchThing for now) is worth a try.

In situations where the TouchThing complements interaction, it's really nice.
 E.g. quick access to a man page when typing a command in Terminal:

 Or using autocomplete when typing in text-centric input areas:

But during programming, I've yet to see a useful UX feature.
Dropping the F*-Keys in favour of the TouchThing has reduced the value of the MacBook as a tool. There's just too few haptic feedback on the TouchThing when reaching out for a LED F*-Key. Working with WebStorm a lot with utilises the F*-Keys a lot - so having the TouchThing is really cumbersome during coding.

USB-C periphery

There are no more ports on the new MB Pro other than a headphone line-in jack and USB-C ports.
(BTW: why, Apple, is there no adapter for the iPhone X lightning headphone cable -> regular headphone jack?!?!?!?!)
For USB-C, there are still too few devices out there. No more quickly using a USB-Stick. Always have to carry around (another) adapter, in addition to the ones for DVI, VGA and DP.
Please let USB-C-sticks hit the market in masses soon. Please.

Keyboard

A step back.
Plain and simple.
Compared to an older MacBook Air model that has the standard keyboard Apple outfitted MacBooks with for years, the keyboard on the new MB Pro is simply worse. Plus the occasional jamming/sticking/clamping of the Space Bar. Meh.
I don't care so much about the bigger TrackPad - use it only for navigating Spaces and uncluttering the Desktop (Five-Finger-Spread). No need for Force Feedback during development work.

Fingerprint Sensor

...for unlocking the Computer. Nice.
Even nicer: for Authorisation, e.g. when installing/upgrading Apps.
Comfort gain right there.

MagSafe power connector

Get outta here.

Various observations/remarks

• no use for Siri what-so-ever
• no more telnet on High Sierra - seriously?!?
• battery lifetime has (subjectively) decreased plenty - might be something with my local configuration; though generally I try to use as few custom settings and tools as possible in order to remain as "standards-compliant" as possible (hey, it's the SAP world after all I'm working in)
• overall performance is very good; but in MacVerse, we're spoiled anyway
• closing the lid leaves some not-so-nice spots on the display; can be wiped clean, but still
• iOS integration still awesome (e.g. make calls from contacts.app to regular phone numbers via Facetime Audio on the iPhone)

Code completion for UI5 in WebStorm

Just published an npm module for plugging SAP's UI5 code completion (*.js) into WebStorm:
https://github.com/vobujs/ui5-codecompletion

Some more words: https://blogs.sap.com/2017/09/08/ui5-code-completion-in-.js-files-for-webstorm/

dynamic image manipulation with UI5 and Promises

Wrote something about how to manipulate images at runtime from a UI5 (web) application with the help of Promises. And canvas, of course.
http://scn.sap.com/community/developer-center/front-end/blog/2016/01/06/dynamic-image-manipulation-with-ui5-and-promises

Sample code over at GitHub: https://github.com/vobujs/UI5_img_manipulation_Promises

Merging JSON models in UI5

Wrote something about merging JSON models in UI5 over at scn, including a sample app over at github: https://scn.sap.com/community/developer-center/front-end/blog/2015/04/28/merging-json-models

bye bye Dropbox, hello Google Drive

I'm on the road a lot, working at many different locations. Those locations have substantially different technical infrastructure - one place leaves you all your freedom (aka full LAN and Internet access, no closed ports, no MAC security, etc), another place gives you no leverage what-so-ever (no network access with a laptop, Internet access with your own equipment only via smartphone tethering, etc.)

Thus I rely on some sort of online storage to have relieable access to important work documents, apps and programs.
For many years, my requirements were ideally fulfilled by Dropbox: cross-platform client with great UX integration, quick syncing, history feature, BoxCryptor support.

As of now: no more.

Why?
Because their support of extended file attributes is completely out of control!
Around beginning of November 2014, "com.dropbox.attributes"-files began to show up at random in my Dropbox.
Sometimes for a file, sometimes for a folder.
And always composed of the format $file:com.dropbox.attributes or $folder:com.dropbox.attributes.

It got to the point where I had com.dropbox.attributes-files in the six figures. Deleting them on the command-line became an awkward yet necessary task. Necessary, because I rely on cloud storage - see above.

Mind you, there was no change to my working environment: same laptops (Win 8.1, NTFS; OS X, HFS), no re-installations, no moving of Dropbox location, no nada.

Dropbox support kept insisting that the cause is a Dropbox folder residing on an incompatible file system. Which simply isn't the case (see paragraph above).

To prove my point, I even recorded screen casts showing how those pesky "com.dropbox.attributes"-files appear the moment I create or modify a file in the Dropbox, no matter whether it's on Win 8.1 or OS X.
But still: Dropbox support: no believe.
And no, my Dropbox wasn't compromised. Logs show the expected devices. I have two-factor authentication on.
And no no, reinstalling the Dropbox client on both OS didn't change a thing.

So I had to bite the bullet and give up Dropbox.
"com.dropbox.attributes"-files cluttering my cloud storage, rendering it unusable for me for every day work.

Hello Google Drive.
A day of testing proved, that Google Drive can do all of the things that I rely on for cloud storage.
I loose Dropbox inegration in many iOS apps.
Sigh.
But at least, I can store files the way it should be. Uncluttered.

CORS with Gateway (and Chrome)

Wrote something about enabling CORS with SAP Gateway on the server-side and disabling SOP with Google Chrome on the client side over at SCN.
Which will give you cross-domain requests and hopefully make you a happy developer.

Vergleich: BPMN Designer/Modeller (OS X)

Dieser Post begann bereits Mitte 2013 im Rahmen des extensiven Modellierens von Geschäftsprozessen mehrerer Unternehmungen; er wurde aber nie fertig gestellt - ist aber zu schade, um auf der digitalen Müllhalde zu landen. Daher hier as-is in quasi Rohversion.

Oftmals sind die Modeller ja nur das Extra, das mit einer BPMN-Engine mitkommt.

Auf der anderen Seite ist die reine BPMN-Visualisierung eine perfekte Mischung aus formaler Notation, intuitivem Verständnis und visueller Dokumentation.

Sowas wie die Mutter aller BPMN-Editoren: die verschiedenen Editionen von Visual Paradigm, z.B. http://www.visual-paradigm.com/product/bpva/provides/bpmodeling.jsp

Auswahl:

• Billfish BPM Studio http://www.billfishsoftware.com/studio.html
• Yaoqiang BPMN Editor http://sourceforge.net/projects/bpmn/
• Aris Express http://www.ariscommunity.com/aris-express/
• (doch nicht betrachtet) Intalio BPMS Designer http://www.intalio.com/bpms/designer
• (doch nicht betrachtet) Bonita Open Solution http://www.bonitasoft.com/products/bonita-open-solution-open-source-bpm

Alltags-Features:

• "stickiness": Elemente müssen in Lane haften bleiben, damit Verschieben der Lane alle Elemente mitnimmt
• assisted modeling: Vorschlag für nächste shape samt Konnektor dorthin
• semantic check: Verbindungen dürfen nur zwischen erlaubten Elementen möglich sein

Yaoqiang BPMN Editor

• speichert in eigenem Format (.bpmn), Export nach PNG möglich
• validate-as-you-model
• awkward: Tastenkombinationen sind mit ctrl/Steuerungs-Taste belegt...
• "Snippets": vorgefertigte Prozessschritte (XOR Gateway - split & Zusammenführung)

Billfish BPM Studio

• Speichert in eigenem Format (.bpa) 
• Bedienung der Modellierung gewöhnungsbedürftig, kein Drag'n'Drop: zuerst Notationssymbol wählen, dann auf Modellierungsfläche klicken
• Validierung auf Knopfdruck
• assisted modelling: Klick auf Pfeilsymbol, weiterer Klick öffnet semantisch mögliche Anschlussnotation
• quick modelling (ctrl + N): schmale Prozesse "batch-input"-mäßig erzeugbar
• keine Lanes verschiebbar
• Activities fehlen

Aris Express 2.3

• massive Nacharbeiten für die Installation notwendig: die hosts-Datei (/private/etc/hosts) muss um einen Eintrag für das CDN der Software AG ergänzt werden wie hier beschrieben: http://www.ariscommunity.com/aris-express/installation-faq#pac - Ansonsten startet "Aris Express 2.3.app" bei jedem Aufruf einen erneuten Download aller Programmdateien, was eine Offline-Nutzung des Programms unmöglich macht

• ähnlich wie bei Billfish erfolgt die Modellierung nicht per Drag'n'Drop. Zuerst muss das Symbol ausgewählt, dann auf die Zeichenfläche bewegt und per Klick positioniert werden
• Beschriftungen von Verbindern (hier: "Kanten"), Start- und Endevents sowie Gateways nur über extra Klicks in den Eigenschaften des Symbols möglich. Lästig und zeitraubend.
• Unter Java 1.6.0_33 ist während der Beschriftung eines Objekts kein Text zu erkennen, nur eine dünne Linie erscheint. Sobald die Eingabe mit Enter bestätigt wird, erscheint der Text aber.