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Author: Brad Larson
Web Sites: sunsetlakesoftware.com, sonoplot.com

In the first part of this article, I introduced the syntax and structure of DTrace scripts through a series of real-world Cocoa performance problems that DTrace can solve. Within this section, I'll show you how to answer even more specific questions about your application via the use of custom static probes, and I'll demonstrate how easy it is to use DTrace within Instruments to extend its already powerful data capture capabilities.

The title of the page that I'm link to is actually, "A Unix and Perl Primer for Biologists." But this is generally useful information so people outside of biology may find many hidden gems in it. Keith Bradnam has generously made available on the internet materials he and his colleague used for teaching an introductory course on Unix and Perl this summer.

For those of you looking to get familiar with a scripting language, this will probably be of interest to you. With the following note from their site: "The course is very much aimed at people with no prior experience in either programming or Unix."

The materials have been released under a Creative Commons license.

A Unix and Perl Primer for Biologists

You may have used Marvin a collection of tools for drawing, displaying and characterizing chemical structures, substructures and reactions. Most of the time you would access these tools via the GUI provided by ChemAxon, however it is also possible to access these tools via the command-line. Open up a Terminal window and type cxcalc -h and you should see the following options available.

Author: Brad Larson
Web Sites: sunsetlakesoftware.com, sonoplot.com

One of the great things about developing for the Mac or iPhone is the suite of performance and debugging tools that Apple provides: GDB, Shark, Instruments, etc. However, there's one tool which has received a lot less attention than it should, potentially because of its perceived complexity. That would be the DTrace framework, which lets you probe the inner workings of your applications or your overall system. As I'll show you here through a series of practical examples, it's a lot easier to work with than you might think.

It's my pleasure to announce that MacResearch is partnering with the Kentucky Dataseam Initiative to help develop applications for scientific computing on the largest Xgrid powered computing grid. There will be more information in the coming weeks and months regarding projects we are working on and the benefit to the Mac using community. So stay tuned.

Mental Case is an application for Mac and iPhone that is used by students the world over to study anything from languages to fine art. A twist on the traditional concept of flashcards, Mental Case makes learning an integral part of your daily routine, rather than something you do the night before a test or exam.

With built in screen capture and iSight support, information can be captured at any time — from the real or virtual worlds. With note-taking software, that is usually where it ends, but Mental Case uses advanced spaced-repetition algorithms to feed back what you put into it as an automatically-generated lesson. This lesson can be studied as a slideshow on a Mac, or transferred to an iPhone or iPod touch for study 'on the go'. In this way, study becomes a first class citizen, with the lesson taking its place alongside the Inbox, Twitter stream, and RSS feed updates.

PeepCode is a small company dedicated to making high quality screencasts for the latest technologies in software. A lot of what they do centers on the web — lots of Ruby on Rails and Javascript — but they also cover some topics of interest to non-web developers, and even scientists. For example, they have just released a screencast covering the version control system Mercurial, which is used on Google Code and is steadily gaining traction. Other topics for which screencasts are available include MacRuby, how to screencast, controlling your email Inbox, Emacs, productivity for programmers, and the version control system Git.
The screencasts each cost $9, which is a very reasonable price, and for that you get around an hour of video in a variety of formats, including ones that will play on an iPod.

A few months ago, Mac and iPhone developers got together in the UK for NSConference, two days of geeking out and discussing all things Apple. I was lucky enough to be invited to talk at the conference, and delivered the presentation 'What a Performance', which takes a journey through the Mac performance universe as it now stands.

In 'Showcase' reviews, the reviewer is the developer. No claim of objectivity is made, but it’s a chance for the developer to show off his/her app. Here, Faber Acoustical presents SignalScope Pro for the iPhone/ iPod Touch.

SignalScope Pro, which has been available for Mac OS X for over four years, has finally gone mobile. The new mobile version incorporates a significant portion of its desktop counterpart's functionality for real-time signal analysis and data acquisition.