[Novalug] Diabetes Software chance

Ross Patterson RossPatterson@Comcast.Net
Thu Jul 26 23:41:23 EDT 2007


At 01:31 7/23/2007, Peter Larsen wrote:
>I'm sometimes amazed on how a discussion skips the requirements and
>design phases and jumps right into implementation.

Well, actually, you asked for suggestions about "what to hold the 
data in", and you got some answers.  I've yet to find a system for 
tabular data that couldn't be convinced to accept and understand CSV, 
and I doubt I ever will.  To me, the long-term viability of the data 
seems important.

>Both methods are pretty outdated and from the
>needs I've given here before, not good enough.

If you prefer a database-like programming interface, MySQL can read 
CSV files like any other database.

>With XML you simply click on your XSD and presto, you have code 
>classes that represents the
>whole structure.

Yup, sometimes that's true.

> > Although working from CSV, something like OpenOffice Calc or GNUPlot
> > will do wonders for you.
>
>How is anyone that's not semi familar with spreadsheets going to be able
>to use tools like that? You have to setup filters etc. to make anything
>semi automatic, and how would you deal with new data when it comes in?
>I'm interested, because reinventing the wheel isn't what I want to do.

I wouldn't recommend a spreadsheet for a non-geek.  But GNUPlot is a 
really great tool for generating graphs, and can be easily invoked 
from inside another program.  If you're running on a Linux desktop, 
it can write directly to an X-window, or it can create image files 
that you can embed in HTML easily.  In short, if you don't have a 
favorite free POJO charting package, GNUPlot is a nice POU (plain old 
Unix :-) ) alternative.

>Btw. XML can be read into OpenOffice too.

Yup.  I tend to think of XML data structures as obfuscated CSV, but 
that's largely because I see XML containing tabular data.  I know XML 
will save the world (hey, I bought Goldfarb's SGML book 15 years 
ago!), but most of the folks who tout it as a "self describing data 
format" haven't tried to use it for that over the long term.  But I 
digress ... ;-)

>Interesting. Do you have any experience with the meter data-stream data?

A bit.  My son has been diabetic for 24 years and has attempted this 
before, for PalmOS.  He wired up some cables a couple of times to 
connect a couple of meters to the Palm serial interface, and it sort 
of worked.  He lost interest in the project a couple of times and 
nothing much came of the experiments.

>I would have guessed it was binary, and not ASCII. Not that I've seen it
>before; it would certainly make some aspects a little easier compared to
>a binary stream. But since the meter talks serial, and most likely 9600
>bps, binary would be faster.

You may be surprised at how compact the data can be.  A single test 
can require only about 25 characters in ASCII, even at 9600 baud 
that's almost 40 tests transmitted per second.

>  But if the same people that design the
>software for windows designed the interface, I wouldn't be surprised
>.... I wouldn't be surprised at all.

:-)

Ross 




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