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  • 3 min read

Submitting a Unity 3D Game to the Mac App Store

Welcome back to another episode of Continuous Improvement! I'm your host, Victor, and in today's episode, we'll be diving into the process of deploying a Unity 3D game to the App Store.

Now, if you've ever been through the process of releasing a game, you know it's not always straightforward. It requires careful planning, attention to detail, and some technical know-how. In fact, just the other day, I went through this process myself, and let me tell you, it was quite the journey. But don't worry, because today, I'm going to walk you through the key steps I took to successfully deploy my game to the App Store.

Step one: Unity Build Settings. In Unity, navigate to "File," then "Build Settings." From there, select "Platform: PC, Mac & Linux Standalone," and set the "Target Platform" to "Mac OS." Now, click on "Player Settings..." and make sure to configure the following options: set "Default is Full Screen" to true, "Default is Native Resolution" to true, "Capture Single Screen" to false, "Display Resolution Dialog" to false, and enable "Mac App Store Validation."

Step two: Info.plist. In Finder, right-click on your game app and select "Show Package Content." Locate and open the Info.plist file. Ensure that the CFBundleGetInfoString is a valid string and that the CFBundleIdentifier and CFBundleSignature have values that match your bundle ID. Additionally, make sure that the CFBundleShortVersionString and CFBundleVersion are in the correct format, such as "x.x.x." Lastly, add a new key called "LSApplicationCategoryType" with the value "public.app-category.games."

Step three: Entitlements. Create a file named "GAMENAME.entitlements" in your Build folder. Inside this file, include the following:

    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
    <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
    <plist version="1.0">
    <dict>
        <key>com.apple.security.app-sandbox</key>
        <true/>
    </dict>
    </plist>

Step four: Apple Developer Account. Assuming you already have a paid Apple Developer account, visit the Apple Developer website and go to "Certificates." Select the dropdown for "OS X" and create new certificates for "Mac App Distribution" and "Mac Installer Distribution." Don't forget to save these certificates for later use. After that, go to "Identifiers" and create a Wildcard App ID that matches your bundle ID.

Step five: iTunes Connect. Log in to iTunes Connect, navigate to "My Apps," and click on the "+" button to create a new Mac App. Fill in all the required fields, making sure that the Bundle ID matches the one from previous steps. Additionally, remember to take screenshots and crop them to the correct sizes: 1280 x 800 pixels, 1440 x 900 pixels, 2560 x 1600 pixels, and 2880 x 1800 pixels.

Step six: Application Loader. Download and install the latest version of Application Loader. In the terminal, fix the content permissions using the command "chmod -R a+xr /path/to/GAMENAME.app." Then, sign the app with the entitlements document created earlier using the command "codesign -f -s '3rd Party Mac Developer Application: DEVELOPER NAME' --entitlements "GAMENAME.entitlements" "/AppPath/GAMENAME.app"." You may encounter an error about code objects not being signed, but don't worry! You can use the deep-sign command to resolve this issue. Next, build the ".pkg" file using the command "productbuild --component GAMENAME.app /Applications --sign '3rd Party Mac Developer Installer: DEVELOPER NAME' GAMENAME.pkg."

Remove any existing instances of the game app from your machine, and finally, verify the install by using the command "sudo installer -store -pkg GAMENAME.pkg -target /." Now, open the Application Loader and choose 'Deliver Your App,' selecting the GAMENAME.pkg. If all goes well, the upload should succeed. However, if you encounter any specific errors, address them accordingly.

Step seven: Select the Build. Sometimes, you may receive an email indicating issues with your build's signature. This often occurs when a subcomponent hasn't been signed correctly. In such cases, consult Apple's documentation for further guidance. Otherwise, return to iTunes Connect, select your uploaded build, and change the status from "Preparing for Review" to "Waiting For Review," "Review," and finally, "Ready for Sale."

And there you have it! The key steps to successfully deploying a Unity 3D game to the App Store. I hope this episode has been helpful for those of you going through the same process. Remember, continuous improvement is the key to success, so don't be afraid to learn from your mistakes and keep refining your process. Thanks for tuning in to Continuous Improvement. I'm Victor, and until next time, keep striving for greatness.

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  • 3 min read

Resolving Merge Conflicts for the Unity Game Engine

Welcome back to "Continuous Improvement," the podcast where we explore various challenges and solutions in the world of software development. I'm your host, Victor, and today we have an interesting topic to discuss - version control conflicts in Unity 3D game development.

So, recently, I've been working on a Unity 3D game project with a small team. It's been a lot of fun, but we've encountered some issues with version control, specifically when using Git and GitHub. Merge conflicts have become quite common, and resolving them hasn't been as simple as we initially thought.

Let me illustrate with an example. Imagine you have a merge conflict in a Unity scene file. It looks something like this:

Painful

Now, this type of conflict is not straightforward to manage. Deleting a section or performing a forced push won't solve the problem. So, what can we do about it?

Let's explore a solution I've discovered through trial and error. It's not perfect, but it works. Firstly, open the Unity editor and navigate to:

Edit -> Project Settings -> Editor -> Select "Visible Meta files" in the version control mode.

This will help eliminate unnecessary local meta files from being pushed to the repository. But we're not done yet. We need to add a .gitignore file to our project. Here's an example of what it could look like:

/[Ll]ibrary/
/[Tt]emp/
/[Oo]bj/
/[Bb]uild/
/[Bb]uilds/
/Assets/AssetStoreTools*

# Autogenerated VS/MD solution and project files
ExportedObj/
*.csproj
*.unityproj
*.sln
*.suo
*.tmp
*.user
*.userprefs
*.pidb
*.booproj
*.svd

# Unity3D generated meta files
*.pidb.meta

# Unity3D Generated File On Crash Reports
sysinfo.txt

# Builds
*.apk
*.unitypackage

.DS_Store

Once you have added the .gitignore file, commit the changes. Now, let's run a few commands to clean up the repository and make it ready for proper version control.

git rm -r --cached .
git add .
git commit -m "Fixed untracked files"

These commands will remove untracked files, add the necessary files, and create a commit with a specific message.

Lastly, Unity provides a tool called UnityYAMLMerge specifically designed for merging scene and prefab files. To enable this tool, we need to create a .gitconfig file with the following content:

[merge]
tool = unityyamlmerge

[mergetool "unityyamlmerge"]
trustExitCode = false
cmd = /Applications/Unity/Unity.app/Contents/Tools/UnityYAMLMerge merge -p "$BASE" "$REMOTE" "$LOCAL" "$MERGED"

By configuring Git with this .gitconfig file, we can leverage UnityYAMLMerge to handle these conflicts efficiently.

Keep in mind that when a teammate clones the project for the first time, they might see an empty scene. However, there's no need to panic. By simply opening the saved main.scene (assuming it has been saved and committed previously), everything should work as expected.

I hope these tips and tricks can make your Unity 3D game development experience a little smoother. Wouldn't it be great if Unity offered built-in source control integration like other IDEs? Ah, well, we can still make the most out of the tools we have.

That's all for today's episode of "Continuous Improvement." If you have any questions or suggestions for future topics, feel free to reach out. Until next time, keep coding and striving for excellence. Goodbye!

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  • 2 min read

Trivial Facts About JavaScript Date

Hello and welcome to another episode of Continuous Improvement, the podcast where we dive into all things programming and web development. I'm your host, Victor, and today we have some interesting facts about dates in JavaScript.

Fact number one: Did you know that in JavaScript, the integer value representing the month actually begins with 0 for January and goes up to 11 for December? It's a common mistake to think that January is represented by 1 and December by 12, but in reality, it starts from 0. So, if you're working with dates in JavaScript, keep that in mind to avoid any confusion.

Let's look at an example. If today's date is April 29, 2016, instead of writing var date = new Date(2016, 4, 29, 11, 10, 30), you should actually write var date = new Date(2016, 3, 29, 11, 10, 30). The month is zero-based, so April is represented by 3 instead of 4. It's a small detail, but an important one to remember.

Now, let's move on to fact number two. In JavaScript, the date is based on a time value expressed in milliseconds, while the UNIX timestamp is expressed in seconds since 00:00:00 UTC on January 1, 1970. This means that if you want to convert a UNIX timestamp into a JavaScript date, you need to multiply the timestamp by 1000.

For instance, if you have a UNIX timestamp and want to represent it as a JavaScript date, you can use the following syntax: var date = new Date(UNIX_Timestamp * 1000). This multiplication by 1000 converts the seconds into milliseconds, which is the required format for JavaScript dates.

And there you have it, two fascinating facts about dates in JavaScript. Remember to always keep the month's zero-based indexing in mind and don't forget to multiply UNIX timestamps by 1000 when converting them to JavaScript dates.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Continuous Improvement. If you enjoyed today's content, make sure to subscribe to our podcast for more programming tips and tricks. Stay curious and keep improving!

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  • 3 min read

It's Not a Tech Problem, Stupid

Welcome back to another episode of Continuous Improvement, the podcast dedicated to helping you overcome your challenges and be the best version of yourself. I'm your host, Victor, and today we're going to dig deep into a blog post that highlights seven critical issues that may be holding you back. So grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and let's dive in.

Have you ever found yourself encountering problems that seem beyond your scope as a programmer? You may be surprised to learn that the solutions might not lie in technological fixes like websites, apps, or machines. In today's episode, we're going to explore these problems and discuss how you can address them effectively.

Let's start with issue number one.

Issue #1: You're Not Delivering on Your Promises.

It's essential to understand the goal of your product and the problem it solves. Are you delivering what your customers need? Do you stand out in the market? If not, you might be wasting time and resources. Remember, building something nobody wants is a recipe for failure. Take a step back, reassess, and align your product with the needs of your customers.

Moving on to issue number two.

Issue #2: You're Risk-Averse.

Fear of change can often hold us back from making significant improvements. It's crucial to address messy code, maintenance issues, and other technical debts. By cleaning up and embracing necessary changes, you open the door to progress. Don't let the fear of breaking something prevent you from moving forward.

Now, let's discuss issue number three.

Issue #3: You Lack Creativity.

Sometimes, it's the small aesthetic problems that can affect the overall user experience. Trust your designers to make bold choices, and consider conducting A/B testing to gather valuable user feedback. Additionally, investing in high-quality content for SEO can greatly enhance your product's visibility and appeal.

Moving forward, let's focus on issue number four.

Issue #4: You Form Superficial and Dishonest Relationships.

Open and honest communication is the foundation of any successful endeavor. Misleading investors with over-promises and creating a false sense of progress can harm everyone involved. Embrace transparency and foster genuine relationships based on trust, accountability, and clear communication.

Now, let's move on to issue number five.

Issue #5: You Foster Rivalry Within Your Team.

Unhappy teams can have a detrimental effect on productivity and overall success. Take the time to understand why your team may be unhappy. Is the workload overwhelming? Do they enjoy their work? Building a pleasant and stimulating work environment based on trust and respect is vital to the success of your team and your organization as a whole.

Now, let's discuss issue number six.

Issue #6: You're Less Productive Than You Think.

Unfocused meetings, multitasking without setting priorities, and a lack of clear outcomes can significantly impact productivity. Stay focused, set clear goals, and minimize distractions. By managing your time effectively and prioritizing tasks, you'll not only enhance your own productivity but also inspire those around you.

Lastly, let's address issue number seven.

Issue #7: You're Not Humble.

Pride and ego can cloud judgment and hinder growth. Remember, it's not about being right; it's about doing what's right. Embrace humility, listen to others' perspectives, and make objective decisions that benefit the entire team.

And that concludes our exploration of the seven critical issues highlighted in this blog post. Remember, addressing these fundamental problems is the first step toward continuous improvement.

Thank you for joining me on this episode of Continuous Improvement. If you found this discussion helpful, be sure to subscribe to our podcast for more episodes dedicated to your personal and professional development. I'm Victor, and I'll see you next time.

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  • 3 min read

What I Learned from Building Large-Scale Applications for Overseas Clients

The IT industry in China is rapidly growing. Over the last year in Hong Kong, I've had the privilege of working on an exciting project that has become a significant milestone in my career, offering me the opportunity to learn something new and innovative.

Victor (Host): Welcome back to "Continuous Improvement", the podcast where we dive into real-life stories of professionals facing challenges and finding ways to improve themselves and their work. I'm your host, Victor, and today we have an exciting episode centered around the rapidly growing IT industry in China.

Over the past year, I've been fortunate enough to work on a thrilling project in Hong Kong that has truly become a significant milestone in my career. It offered me an opportunity to learn something new and innovative, but it also came with its fair share of challenges.

One of the main obstacles I encountered was collaborating with remote colleagues across different time zones. With team members spanning from Pacific Standard Time to UTC-06:00 and UTC+10:00, productivity was certainly a challenge. However, we found ways to overcome this hurdle and maintain effective communication.

Another challenge we faced was the language barrier with clients. While some spoke Chinese, they weren't proficient typists, causing delays in conversations. To tackle this, I recommend learning the pinyin input method as it greatly helped us keep up with brief conversations in QQ Chat.

To the surprise of many foreigners, China's Great Firewall posed interesting challenges for our development process. GitHub was completely censored, making it impossible for us to simply use npm install & bower install. Furthermore, hosting on AWS and certain analytics tools were also blocked, forcing us to discover alternative solutions. Additionally, collaborating with developer colleagues who preferred different work styles added complexity to our project visibility and workflow.

During our public beta test of an Ember application, we encountered performance issues. The initial load and rendering times were frustratingly slow, especially for customers using low-end computers with outdated browsers. We were amazed to see Windows XP crashing simply from loading font icons. Ultimately, we addressed this problem by refactoring the application with vanilla JavaScript. Although it improved speed, it also significantly increased the codebase and introduced more bugs and states to manage.

One crucial lesson we learned the hard way was the importance of maintaining complete control over the delivery pipeline. Without it, a release becomes nearly unattainable. Despite working for months on redesigns and receiving positive feedback, we still struggled to launch the project due to the inertia and resistance to change in large corporations.

Through this experience, we gained valuable insights into both the technical and project management aspects. We learned that shipping early and often is a best practice, and we are eager to apply these lessons to future projects.

And that wraps up today's episode of "Continuous Improvement". We hope you enjoyed this deep dive into the IT industry in China and the challenges we faced. Remember, no matter the hurdles we encounter, there are always opportunities for growth and improvement.

If you have any questions or suggestions for future episodes, feel free to reach out to us on our website or social media channels. Thank you for listening, and until next time, keep striving for continuous improvement.

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  • 2 min read

How to Use Webpack with React and Bootstrap

Hello everyone and welcome to "Continuous Improvement", the podcast where we explore various tips, tricks, and techniques to constantly improve our development skills. I'm your host, Victor, and today we're going to talk about setting up a project using Webpack, React, and Bootstrap without jQuery.

So, I recently had the experience of setting up a project with these technologies and it turned out to be a bit more time-consuming than I initially anticipated. But worry not! I've decided to share the steps I followed to save you from any possible headaches.

The first step is to install all the required dependencies. Open up your terminal and type in the following commands:

npm install react react-dom bootstrap react-bootstrap babel-preset-react --save
npm install webpack css-loader style-loader file-loader url-loader babel-core babel-loader babel-preset-es2015 --save-dev

Once you have installed the dependencies, it's time to move on to step two. In this step, we need to make some changes to the webpack.config.js file. Open it up and add the necessary loaders. Here's an example of how your webpack.config.js file might look:

var path = require('path');
var webpack = require('webpack');

module.exports = {
  entry: './main.js',
  output: { path: __dirname, filename: 'bundle.js' },
  module: {
    rules: [
      {
        test: /\.jsx?$/,
        loader: 'babel-loader',
        exclude: /node_modules/,
        options: {
          presets: ['es2015', 'react']
        }
      },
      {
        test: /\.css$/,
        use: ["style-loader", "css-loader"]
      },
      {
        test: /\.png$/,
        loader: "url-loader?limit=100000"
      },
      // ... more loaders ...
    ]
  },
};

Great! Now that we have our loaders set up, let's move on to step three. In this step, you need to import the Bootstrap CSS into your main.js file. This can be done with a simple import statement, like this:

import App from './app.jsx';
import Bootstrap from 'bootstrap/dist/css/bootstrap.css';

Finally, we're at step four! In this step, we'll import React Bootstrap components into our app.jsx file. Here's an example of how that might look:

import React from 'react';
import ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
import { Button } from 'react-bootstrap';

const buttonsInstance = (
  <Button>Click me!</Button>
);

ReactDOM.render(buttonsInstance, document.getElementById('here'));

Don't forget to include a div with the appropriate ID in your HTML file, as well as the bundle.js file. Here's an example of what your HTML file might look like:

<!doctype html>
<html>
  <head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>Hello React</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <div id="here"></div>
    <script src="bundle.js"></script>
  </body>
</html>

And that's it! By following these steps, you should be able to set up a project using Webpack, React, and Bootstrap without the need for jQuery. But remember, continuous improvement is all about learning and adapting, so feel free to explore and experiment with different setups that suit your needs.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, don't hesitate to reach out. You can find me on Twitter, my handle is @VictorDev. Thanks for joining me on this episode of "Continuous Improvement". Stay tuned for more exciting topics in the world of development. Until next time, happy coding!

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  • 3 min read

How to Be a Good Consultant?

I worked as a Software Engineer for a major Australian technology firm. While I am bright, skilled, and dedicated, these qualities alone are not sufficient to make one a successful consultant. Fortunately, after consulting with an experienced coach, I've come up with some insightful tips. Here are the three levels of consulting expertise I've learned:

Welcome to "Continuous Improvement," the podcast where we explore strategies, insights, and personal experiences in the world of consulting. I'm your host, Victor, and today we'll be diving into a topic that is crucial for any consultant looking to excel in their field: the three levels of consulting expertise.

As a former Software Engineer turned consultant, I've had my fair share of experiences and lessons learned along the way. And I'm here to share them with you. So let's get started!

At the basic level of consulting expertise, you possess a specific skill that sets you apart from others. For instance, in my case, it was JavaScript front-end development. Clients sought my services because I had a deep understanding of this skill, even surpassing the knowledge of their in-house team. However, relying solely on specialized skills can have its limitations.

Mistakes can happen, and it becomes challenging to maintain a consistently professional impression. Over time, you risk becoming indistinguishable from the sea of individuals with similar skills. This level limits your contribution, as the gap between what the client pays you and the value you deliver becomes narrower.

That's where the second level of consulting expertise comes into play. At this senior level, you bring significant value by leveraging multiple skill sets. Through previous client experiences, you gain a unique perspective on current challenges. You understand what works, what doesn't, and what the client truly needs from you and your consulting firm.

Cultural awareness also plays a crucial role in building trust with clients. By understanding their preferences and incorporating diverse talents, you set yourself apart from their internal team. This level allows you to contribute more effectively and provide a broader range of solutions.

Now, let's talk about the highest level of consulting expertise. At this level, you become a trusted advisor, someone akin to a king's confidant. Your responsibility is to provide honest feedback and recommendations, even if it's not what the client wants to hear. You hold yourself accountable for any potential issues that arise, as clients often find it difficult to blame themselves or admit their mistakes.

Building a genuine connection with the client becomes essential. It's not about simply liking them, but rather genuinely caring about their success. Understanding their motivations and recommending what's best for their company with compassion is the key. Your focus should extend beyond personal success; it should encompass the client's success as well. After all, when the client wins, you win.

Achieving the highest level of consulting expertise is undoubtedly challenging. It requires continuous learning, honing high-value skills, and offering exceptional value to your clients, your consulting firm, and yourself. It won't happen overnight, but by following these guidelines, you'll find valuable markers on your journey to becoming an exceptional consultant.

That wraps up today's episode of "Continuous Improvement." I hope you found these insights on the three levels of consulting expertise valuable and applicable to your own professional journey. Remember, continuous learning and self-improvement are key to success in this field.

If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for future episodes where we'll explore more strategies for personal and professional growth. Until next time, I'm Victor, and thank you for joining me on "Continuous Improvement."

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  • 2 min read

Understanding Optionals and Exclamation Marks in Swift

Swift is a strongly-typed language, meaning all variables must have a defined type.

Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of "Continuous Improvement." I'm your host, Victor, and today we'll be discussing a fundamental concept in Swift programming—Optionals. So grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and let's dive right in!

Swift is a strongly-typed language, which means that every variable must have a defined type. But sometimes, there are cases where a variable's value may not always be set or could be set to a specific value. That's where Optionals come in.

In Swift, an Optional is a special type that can have one of two possible values. First, it can have no value set, meaning it's in an unset state, represented by the value nil. And second, it can have a specific value set.

To understand how Optionals work, let's take an example. Imagine we have a variable called something and we assign it the value of display.text. We haven't explicitly specified the type of something, but Swift can infer it from the context.

If display.text is of type String, then something will be an Optional String. In other words, it's an Optional that can contain a String.

But how do we extract a String from an Optional? Well, we can "unwrap" the Optional, which means we inspect it and retrieve the associated value. To do this, we use an exclamation mark after the Optional variable.

So, by writing var something = display.text!, the type of something is now a String, not an Optional. However, it's important to note that if the value of display.text is nil, our program will crash!

Optionals are a powerful feature in Swift that help ensure our code handles both cases—the one where a value is set and the other where it's not. It prevents unexpected crashes by explicitly forcing us to consider the possibility of a variable being nil.

Well, that wraps up today's episode on Optionals in Swift. Remember, Optionals allow us to handle the absence of a value in a structured way and prevent unforeseen errors.

If you enjoyed today's episode, make sure to subscribe to "Continuous Improvement" so you never miss an episode. And don't forget to leave us a review and share the podcast with your friends.

Thank you for joining me today. Stay curious, keep learning, and until next time, happy coding!

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  • 2 min read

Connection between .h and .m files in Objective-C

When you first open an Objective-C project in Xcode, the .h and .m files may look confusing. It's important to understand the simple connections and the hidden code behind the scenes.

Welcome back to another episode of Continuous Improvement, where we explore different programming concepts and strategies to help you become a better developer. I'm your host, Victor, and today we'll be diving into the world of Objective-C programming. Specifically, we'll be discussing the structure of Objective-C projects in Xcode.

When you first open an Objective-C project in Xcode, you might find the .h and .m files a bit confusing. But fear not, understanding the simple connections and hidden code behind the scenes can help make it clearer.

Objective-C uses these .h and .m files to separate the public and private parts of a class. Think of the .h file as a header file, functioning like an API, where you declare public elements of your class. On the other hand, the .m file contains the private implementation.

To use functions from other files, all you need to do is import the .h file for referencing. It's as simple as adding:

    #import <Foundation/Foundation.h>

Easy, right? Now let's move on to the .h file. Here, you can declare public @property attributes of the class, which can be accessed from outside.

For example:

    @property (strong, nonatomic) NSString *something;

This line of code creates a pointer, @property, to an object of class NSString. The strong keyword means that the object will be kept in memory until the property is set to nil. Additionally, nonatomic indicates that access to this property is not thread-safe. If it were, the compiler would generate locking code.

Now, let's explore the .m file. When you synthesize your @property, the "getter" and "setter" methods for that property are automatically generated for you behind the scenes.

It's as simple as this:

    @synthesize something = _something;
    {
      return _something;
    }
    {
      _something = something;
    }

By default, the backing variable's name is the same as the property's name, but with an underscore prefix. You don't need to write this code unless you want to override the method and customize its behavior.

Are you still following? Great! Let's continue.

When you create a new method, you need to declare it in the .h file. The actual details of the method are then written in the .m file.

For example:

    - (int)calculateSomething {
      int num = 0;
      // Something happens in this method...
      return num;
    }

And there's one more thing. If you have private declarations, you can include them in the .m file using:

    @interface Something()
    // Private declarations...
    @end

And that's it! By understanding these fundamental concepts, you can start making sense of the code structure in Objective-C projects. Remember, when reading unfamiliar code, looking at the .h files gives you an overview, but if you need to delve into the details, check out the .m files.

Well, that brings us to the end of today's episode. I hope you found this dive into Objective-C project structure helpful. As always, keep improving, stay curious, and happy coding!

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  • 4 min read

Install Hadoop on AWS Ubuntu Instance

Step 1: Create an Ubuntu 14.04 LTS instance on AWS. Welcome to Continuous Improvement, the podcast where we explore the world of personal and professional growth. I'm your host, Victor. In today's episode, we will delve into the intricate process of setting up a Hadoop cluster on an Ubuntu 14.04 LTS instance on AWS. If you've ever wanted to master the art of big data processing, this episode is for you.

Let's jump right in, shall we? Step 1, create an Ubuntu 14.04 LTS instance on AWS. Once you have that set up, we can move on to step 2: connecting to the instance. To do this, make sure you have the necessary key file, and then use the SSH command followed by the IP address of your instance. Easy peasy, right?

Step 3 involves installing Java, a key requirement for our Hadoop setup. We'll be using Oracle Java 6, so I'll walk you through the process of adding the repository, updating, and installing Java. Don't worry, I'll be sure to include all the necessary commands in the podcast description for your reference.

Now, let's move on to step 4: adding a Hadoop user. By creating a new group and user, we ensure proper management of the Hadoop environment. It's a crucial step in our journey towards a seamless Hadoop setup.

In step 5, we'll establish a password-free login by generating an SSH key. This will make it easier for remote access and interaction with your Hadoop cluster.

Once we've set up the connection, it's time to test it in step 6. You'll be able to verify the connection by using the SSH command again, this time connecting to "localhost." If everything goes smoothly, we can consider this step complete!

Moving forward to step 7, we'll download and install Hadoop itself. I'll guide you through the process of navigating to the correct directory, downloading the necessary files, extracting them, and making some minor adjustments like renaming folders and setting up ownership.

Step 8 is all about updating your .bashrc file. I'll explain this in more detail during the podcast, but essentially, we'll be adding some important environment variables for Hadoop and Java. This ensures that the necessary paths are set correctly for smooth operation.

In step 9, we'll dig deeper into Hadoop configuration. We'll be modifying the hadoop-env.sh file within the Hadoop configuration directory. This step is essential for ensuring that Hadoop is running on the correct version of Java, among other crucial settings.

Step 10 involves creating a temporary directory for Hadoop. This is where Hadoop will store its temporary data, so we want to make sure it's set up correctly with the proper permissions.

Moving along to step 11, we'll be adding configuration snippets. These are additional files that we'll need to modify to fine-tune Hadoop for our specific setup. I'll guide you through the process and explain the importance of each file.

In step 12, we'll format the HDFS (Hadoop Distributed File System). This step is crucial for preparing the Hadoop cluster for data storage and processing. I'll explain the ins and outs of this process, so don't worry if you're not too familiar with it.

Step 13 gets us closer to the finish line as we start Hadoop! Using the relevant command, we'll start all the necessary processes for our Hadoop cluster, so get ready to witness the power of big data in action.

Step 14 enables us to check if all the processes are up and running. By using the "jps" command, we can ensure that Hadoop is functioning as expected. It's always a good idea to double-check before proceeding further.

Ready for a quick breather? In step 15, we'll learn how to stop Hadoop. I'll walk you through the necessary command to gracefully shut down your Hadoop cluster, ensuring that all processes are stopped correctly.

Finally, in step 16, we'll learn how to start Hadoop again. This process is useful for restarting your cluster after making changes or simply resuming your big data endeavors. It's always good to have this knowledge at your disposal.

And there you have it! A comprehensive guide to setting up a Hadoop cluster on an Ubuntu 14.04 LTS instance on AWS. I hope you found this episode informative and useful for your own continuous improvement journey.

If you'd like to access the detailed commands and steps mentioned in this episode, please visit our podcast website or refer to the podcast description.

Thank you for joining me on this episode of Continuous Improvement. If you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like me to cover in future episodes, please reach out. Remember, learning is a lifelong journey, and with each step we take towards improvement, we grow and evolve.

Stay tuned for our next episode, where we'll explore another exciting subject. Until then, keep striving for greatness and never stop improving.