…since my last blog. I’ve managed to clear down all, not just most of the problems in my main customer’s bug tracker related to the two projects I have done for them. I’ve got one outstanding issue left, which is just a minor cosmetic issue with a seperate internal-use system. I shall finish it shortly so I don’t have to worry about it. Inevitably, more issues will get filed that will need to be dealt with, so I doubt it’ll be this quiet for long. I’ve also got a nice chunk of cash in the bank for my troubles, which should make paying the bills for the next 2-3 months a little less traumatic.

So, I also managed to clear down some long-outstanding issues for my other (secondary) customer. I switched them from CVS to Subversion, and a couple of their staff are now using TortoiseSVN on their WinXP boxes to manage their own webiste inhouse. One or two of their staff seem to know enough HTML and picked up TortoiseSVN quickly enough. I also helped them install a NetGear DG834G wireless ADSL router, which I would recommend to anyone. Unlike previous NetGear products I’ve bought (also from the ‘DG’ range), the built-in software is actually useful, feature rich and I didn’t run into any bugs (so far). Apparently you can flash an embedded Linux onto it too, so I’ll be buying one when ADSL comes this way (they say before the end of the year!). I also managed to install a bug-tracking system for them, same as my main customer, so they can stack up and prioritise as many requests as they like and I can deal with them when properly when I get time, or they can delegate them to their own technical staff, if they can find any. Unfortunately, experiencing some problems with SQL joins in Mantis 1.0.0b3, which seem to be written up and reported by several others elsewhere, so hopefully a patch or new version should be forthcoming soon.

Also, I upgraded ‘black’, my personal (family/friends) main server to Fedora Core 4 (from 3), which involved a fair bit of RPM shoehorning, but wasn’t too troublesome, and it’s all running nicely now. Another tick on the list. Also set up viewcvs for the various Subversion repositories I manage, and authenticated access for the customer’s whose sites they are, so they can see what I’ve changed and when etc.

All things computer-wise being well, I have also managed to find a local accountant, who is in the process of handling the movement of my company tax records to my new address. I will have a meeting with them on Sunday, by which time hopefully the company will have been moved and we can sort out how we’re going to deal with the company income and expenses etc. I can then also (finally) arrange to have my Internet bill sent to our new address, so I can pay it promptly. We have set up Mee a new bank account in Bang Saphan, with Internet banking facilities, so we should be able to pay that bill from home in the future. I went to open an account myself, but the law has changed since I last opened an account, so I need to provide a load more paperwork I don’t have right now, so I gave that a miss. On Monday, we need to ride on up to Prachuab to find the local ’labour department’ office and get my tax ID moved from my old address to here, so I can go and get my work permit moved and updated etc.

I’ve also dug 20m of trench to lay in some water pipes to go from the well to the water filter and then to the bathroom. I’ve also had Da Lio come and build some ‘Ang’s (an essential part of a traditional Thai-style bathroom!), and a small concrete area at the back of the house to park the motorbikes when the rains come. Tomorrow, P’Bot and P’Chai are coming to put some plywood up in the rafters so we have a proper seperation between the bedroom and the loft, which should make keeping the bedroom clean easier. We’ll also re-pack the water filter and get all that sorted out, so we can fill in the trenches and lay a nice lawn over the top. I’ve also cut nearly all of the grass in the garden until the machine broke down, and Mee has also put some more fruit tree saplings in. So the house and garden are getting there in small, steady steps. I doubt I’ll be able to afford to do the terrace or the kitchen this year, but that gives me plenty of time to think about it.

Nice to find a few old friends from back home have started using Skype in the evenings (their time), which means if I’m on after midnight we can do group voice/text chats etc, which is cool.

So, that’s the last two weeks in my world in a nutshell.