Out of my diary: Rizk or Fate - The Myth

Rizk? we call it Rizzak in our language. you may call it... the food!

They say it is the Rizk that takes you... whever you go... or where ever you plan to go.

I disagree.

I say, its up to us... where ever we plan to go, we go there.. you get your rizk there.

"Success is a choice - and so is failure" - Farhad Karamally.

I believe Whever you go the rizk will follow. And not that... where ever will be the rizk.. we will somehow, in trance, follow the path towards food automatically.

Just think abt it, if the rizk were to make us follow, then what choices are we left with??

Such a fable-myth, i would call it, prevails in our society!

My argument is always like: what about the other people on earth? wat about americans, germans, russians, indians, koreans, etc? Dont they get to eat things? They go watever they decide for, they do watever they plan to, and etc., but none say anything about rizk making them follow.

well, I dont believe the Rizk is there to make us follow it.

I mean people say, that, unconciously.. indirectly you get the feelings of the things that you somehow endup in planning... the way towards the rizk? now this, I think is crap!!! We thinking, we plan, and we execute is all I believe. Bad plan bad results, good plans good results.

Its up to us, "we", to think use brains and consultation and discussions to come to a conclusion and then decide, and the output will directly depend on the thoughtfulness of our decision; well... and it could be, sometimes, unexpected? the result! I believe when we actually endup with nothing good (bad plan), we call it fate. We accuse our kismets!

We do believe, that there is a promise about the Rizk. Everyone will get it no matter what or where ever!

But I donot believe, I mean I do not find single good reason that can help me accept the false myth.

We need to make an effort to get the promised food.

I believe, we can go wherever we want, and the rizk will follow... or even if it doesnt follow... you will somehow be able get your hungry belly filled anyway, so that means we need to make an effort to get the promised food, unless otherwise with an explicit intervention of God (Allah SWT). Like Moses people used to get Man-o-Salwa upon which they said ""O Moses! we cannot endure one kind of food (always).." (Al - Quran 2:61)

All i want to say.... is that I disagree.

Out of my diary: ...:: Untitled ::...

Couple of years ago, while thinking, I came up with following random rants (0:

...:: Untitled ::...

I wish I could let you feel...
the feelings of my heart & all...

I wish I cud touch you
deep inside your soul...

I wish I cud walk with you
to the deepest of shores...

I wish I could fly,
with you, by the side of my

I wish I cud lie...
on your laps to die...

I wish I could breathe,
the breaths you exhale,

I wish I could read.. you
a bad fairy's tale...

I wish to reveal...every secret of mine
I wish you to stay with me... like the cup & wine...

I wish you to be.. my strength and power...
I wish you to be... my fantasy tower

I wish you mean... every word you say...
and i'll be there for you.. for the greetings to say

I wish you to keep...smile and lite
for that I can give you.. a love bite

I wish I cud have you .... in my arms...
I wish to cherish your love and charms

always & forever.

What is ISO8583?

This was my question, and an excellent ISO8583 basic understanding resource.

http://www.mitug.co.il/iso8583coder/default.aspx

Google Gadgets Editor

The easiest way to get started writing gadgets is to use the Google Gadgets Editor (GGE). GGE lets you edit gadget specs and click Preview to see the live results of your changes, without even leaving the Developer Guide. You can also use GGE to save, host, and publish gadgets.

http://code.google.com/apis/gadgets/docs/legacy/gs.html#GGE

Microsoft Win32 to Microsoft .NET Framework API Map

While I was google'ing for methods in .NET that I used to use in my Win32 days. I came across this page; I am adding this for a quick reference for myself.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa302340.aspx

Although, it only applies to .NET v1.x. All Win32 methods are categorized in alphabetical list as well as hirarical list.

Urdu Typing Pad

Came across a nice urdu typing pad.

http://www.yanthram.com/ur/type/

Code Formatter @ Manoli.NET

A nice reference provided by a colleague, Ali Shah, that help formatting the code in various formats including C#.

http://www.manoli.net/csharpformat/

Types of database joins - Visuals/Venn

Excellent visual db joins - Basic concepts

Came across very nice articles regarding types of DB Joins using venn diagrams; Very useful for myself, and for those who like to learn from visuals.

KhanKennels
Jeff Atwoods

Islamabad Rains

living in isb isint a bad experience. at times i feel im falling in love with isb. specially the sensual attraction of the chilly weather, the islamabad rains, the cool morning breeze after rainfalls; and the most beautiful. the most arousing, the most romantic moments of my life... the islamabad... after rains. the dark brown thick stems under the bright-shocking-green shades... can only make you fall..... fall in love... with isb.

i luved coffee, watching the rains and listening the raindrops of cold winter, from my tarrace... fully packed (sweater/jacket/wool-cap/gloves/2socks/boots/double uw) being a complete woolsack, playing with the clouds of my breath... haa haa...

isb is a somber, dark place! dull, depressing... sad and yet sadistic, glum, and mournful. oppressively solemn, filled with an empty echoing solitude.

its a place with peace; peace that can turn you into pieces.

isb is romantic, finest... to share love.

Mysim9: Personal/customizable simulator

Download from Codeplex: http://middleware.codeplex.com/


Updated: 2012/Feb/24



Motivation

While interacting with middleware, or other similar software, there comes a need of a highly customizable simulator that should work handy, for the developers as well as testers. Based upon ISO8583’s financial transaction messages.

Requirement

• Shall work as a client
• Multiple client-instances shall also be supported
  
• Shall work as a server
• Shall connect multiple client at a time
• Shall respond to each client accordingly
  
• Shall provide a user interface to configure the format.

User Interface

FIG 1: MySim9 Simulator

Options

• Generate Sample
• Edit
• Reload
• Help, this help.
• Browse data file button
• List of simulations available
• List of Transactions available for a simulation
• Start button
• Send button
  

Definitions

1. Generate Sample
   Generates sample simulator file, contains specific simulations.
   

FIG 1.1: Generate sample xml option

2. Edit

Edits the simulator file (xml) file, in the default edit(for instance, notepad.exe)

3. Reload

Reloads all the transactions from simulator file

4. Help

Provides this help file.

5. Browse data file button

Browse button provides a window to select the simulator file (.xml)

6. List of simulations available

Simulations list box provides list the of simulations available in the simulator file. By default top most simulator is selected, when you click the reload button

7. List of Transactions available for a simulation

Transactions list box provides the list of transactions in the selected simulator.

8. Start button

In case of client, it starts trying to connect to server; In case of server, it starts the listening process.

9. Send button
   

Sends the text to the selected displayed on the complete message text box.

1. In case of server, it sends the message to all of the clients
   
2. In case of client, it sends the message to server.
   

How to use – step wise

1. Double click to run the application
1. Prerequisites,

• MySim9.exe must be having the simulator file (.xml) with it in the same directory
• MySim9.exe must be having the Avanza.Networker.Dll in the same directory.
  

2. Choose the browse button to select the a valid simulator file (.xml)
3. Click reload button to load the contents of the xml file
4. Click on start button to run the process.
5. 
   

FIG2: MySim9, on the run

How to configure simulator file


Data Types
Type.Date
Works for 8(yyyyMMdd) and 14(yyyyMMddhhmmss) and the formatting defined as the field value. For instance, mmddyyyy

Type.Time
Works for 6(hhmmss)

Type.Number
Adds the number

Type.AutoNumber
Creates an auto number of the provided length

Type.String
Text based data


Simulator Attributes

1. Simulator name

Name of the simulator

2. Server

True means it’s a server.

3. IP

IP address

4. Port

Port

5. Meta length

Length of message that is padded on the top of message. For instance 4 bytes ascii or 2 bytes binary.

6. Meta Type

Type of coding, supports binary, ascii, and hexa

7. Separator

Separator to be defined in between the message

8. Delimited

If true, means concat message without separator.

9. Request code

Request code, ISO8583 financial transaction, 0200

10. Response code

Response code, ISO8583 financial transaction, 0210

Header Field Attributes

1. Name
1. Name of the transaction
   
2. Data type
1. Type of data being provided
   
3. Length
1. Length of field
   
4. AutoPad
1. Pads automatically depending upon the length of the field
   
5. PadRight
1. If false then pad left, otherwise pads right
   
6. PadChar
1. Char to be padded
   
7. Field value
1. Value of the field.

Transaction Attributes

1. Transaction name
2. Transaction code

Pre-requisites/Mandatory

1. The name of transaction code field in the header attribute, must be “Transaction Code”, otherwise system will not be able to work properly.

Known Issues & Workarounds

1. No schema validation upon selecting the xml file.
1. Workaround: Use specified format, for now.
   
2. Can’t handle linear talking sessions, for instance, IVR requests to Middleware requests to Core banking requests to HOST and then HOST responds to core banking responds to middleware responds to IVR.
1. Workaround: Future development, volunteer help.
3. Button text doesn’t change when in client mode, when the client is forcefully stopped.
1. Workaround: Restart app.

Enhancement Areas

1. Add complete ISO8583 message base (including network messages)
2. Support all versions, ISO 8583-1-1987, ISO 8583-2-1993, ISO 8583-3-2003
3. Support all origins, Aquirer, Aquirer Repeat, Issuer, Issuer Repeat, Other, Other Repeat.
4. Support all functions, Request, Response, Advice, Advice Response, Notification., Response Acknowledgement, Negative Acknowledgement.
5. And support all classes/types of messages, Authorization, Reserved by ISO, Fee Collection, Administrative, File Actions, Financial, Reversal, Reconciliation, Network Management.

Report bugs/ideas, if you have.