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On Nov 19, 2007 6:26 PM, Michelle M <michelle at murrain.net> wrote:
> - Give us a brief intro to yourself, and why you are taking this course

Hello to Everyone.  So glad to have found LinuxChix.  I have been 
working
with Linux on and off for the last 8 years or so and I am also a Mac OS 
[chi]X
as well. I guess I just really like operating systems....and figuring 
stuff out.
There is so much cool stuff going on in technology it is hard to keep 
up with
on top of my other hobbies of yoga, hiking, biking, and my cats.   
Anyway,
I started off in RedHat and today I am running Fedora Core 8. My
new day job currently has me [GASP] programming entirely in Micro$oft 
land... it is
quite shocking after being spoiled by a Linux programming environment 
at my old job.
  Alas, I am looking at it as a way to further explore yet one more 
operating system - but
it often makes me nostalgic for my Linux programming world.  Which 
brings me to
why I am taking this course....to keep my fingers in Linux world and 
also begin to further
explore Open Source and Linux based applications.  Finally, I really 
need to learn some
  basic database concepts for my current job.

> - If you haven't already, think of a concrete project you'd like to use
> PG with. Share with us a brief synopsis of the project: the problem, 
> the
> platform, the approach you'll think you'll take, and why you think PG
> might be a good fit. It should be something that will be fun, and
> perhaps a bit challenging for you.

I still have some firming up to do on both a short and long term 
picture for the project, but
in general, I would like to create a database of scanned in pictures 
(kinda like tarot cards but
both the front and backs need to be scanned and also tied together) and 
then there are
also a bunch of quotes and have them pulled from the database. Finally, 
I would like the
front end to be able to enter in short journal-like amount of text from 
the user.  I know it sounds like
it has been done a bazillion times before, but this is part of a much
bigger picture and right now I am keeping it simple and am 
concentrating on
collecting, storing and manipulating data.  I believe a database is the 
way to do it.  Along the way
perhaps begin uncovering best sets of solutions to over all db 
design...Is using a database
to store the pictures a good way to go - there are only a finite number 
of cards to scan? What format
  for the pictures.   What about storing small audio files in a db? Or 
should you use the database to
catalog the info and a file path to it but not actually store it within 
the database? Are there other built-in
database functions that will ease the front end programming and keep it 
slim and faster by using
native functionality?, etc.

Anyway, want to learn lots and have fun while I am at it.

Cheers!
Stephanie