Ian Dees's Scripted GUI Testing with Ruby (Pragmatic Bookshelf) is a practical, quick-moving tutorial based on real-world GUI applications. The book uses examples from Windows, OS X, and cross-platform Java desktop programs as well as Web applications. You'll develop test scripts in Ruby. You don't need to be a Ruby expert to use this book, but basic comfort with the language will be helpful.

This month's topic: The Latest in JavaFX

Josh will catch us up on the latest JavaFX release, 1.2, which includes lots of improvements to make JavaFX better for real world apps (speed, more controls, charts and graphs). Josh will also give us a sneak preview of features coming in future versions of JavaFX, along with some great demo apps.

Speaker: Joshua Marinacci

Joshua Marinacci first tried Java in 1995 at the request of his favorite TA and never looked back. He has spent the last ten years writing Java user interfaces for wireless, web, and desktop platforms. After tiring of web programming with several large companies in the Atlanta area he joined Sun to work on Java user interfaces full-time, first on the Swing team, then NetBeans, and now on the JavaFX tools team. Joshua recently co-authored O'Reilly's Swing Hacks with Chris Adamson. He also contributes to SwingLabs and writes regularly for Java.net. Joshua holds a BS in Computer Science from Georgia Tech and recently moved to Eugene, Oregon to be with his new wife.

PJUG meetings start with some time to eat and socialize (pizza and beverages are provided), followed by the featured speaker, then Q&A, discussion, sometimes a drawing to give away swag. :)

Though we like knowing how many people to expect, you don't have to RSVP, on Upcoming or otherwise. Go ahead and just show up!

Many people also go for a drink and further discussion following the meeting, at a location determined ad hoc (lately, the Market Street Pub at 10th and Market: http://mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=24 ).

http://twitter.com/pjug http://pjug.org/ (join our mailing list, linked from the website!)

You have an idea for some program that you've always said you would write when you got a round tuit. FreeTUIT gives you that first tuit for free. Now you can write a simple cross-platform desktop application without writing any code. Just declare the widget layout and put a shebang line on it and you have an executable application. From there, it's a simple matter of programming to respond to input events.

FreeTUIT is a syntax and Perl runtime for concisely declaring the layout and configuration of GUI widgets (such as forms, toolbars, buttons, and dialogs). The freetuit interpreter drives a unified object layer which is accessible from event callbacks. The system is currently built on top of the wxWidgets toolkit, and is currently in transition to the Qt widget set.

This month's topic: JavaFX 2 is the future of RIA development

JavaFX 2 is the future of RIA development. It takes the power of a modern scene graph, adds rich animation and multimedia capabilities, and extends to the web and beyond with seamless portability. At the same time, it leverages the power and breadth of the Java language and platform, allowing full access to existing Java libraries and integration with Java client technologies like Swing.

This session will introduce you to the JavaFX 2 platform from the perspective of a seasoned Java developer. The breadth of JavaFX APIs will be explained through several examples that we will build out during the course of the session. In addition, we will showcase SceneBuilder, the new JavaFX-based GUI building tool for rapid application development. If you have heard about JavaFX before, but were not sure about taking the plunge, now is the time to see what you have been missing out on.

This talk will provide a theory of operations, systems description and possibly a demo of a live system. All code will be made available on Github.

Speaker: Stephen Chin

Stephen Chin is a Java Evangelist at Oracle specializing in UI technology and co-author of the Pro JavaFX Platform 2 title, which is the leading technical reference for JavaFX. He has been featured at Java conferences around the world including Devoxx, Codemash, OSCON, J-Fall, GeeCON, Jazoon, and JavaOne, where he twice received a Rock Star Award. In his evenings and weekends, Stephen is an open-source hacker, working on projects including ScalaFX, a DSL for JavaFX in the Scala language, Visage, a UI oriented JVM language, JFXtras, a JavaFX component and extension library, and Apropos, an Agile Project Portfolio scheduling tool written in JavaFX. Stephen can be followed on twitter @steveonjava and reached via his blog: http://steveonjava.com/

PJUG meetings start with some time to eat and socialize (pizza and beverages are provided), followed by the featured speaker, then Q&A, discussion, sometimes a drawing to give away swag. :)

Though we like knowing how many people to expect, you don't have to RSVP, on Upcoming or otherwise. Go ahead and just show up!

Many people also go for a drink and further discussion following the meeting, at a location determined ad hoc.

http://twitter.com/pjug http://pjug.org/ (join our mailing list, linked from the website!)

Welcome to World Information Architecture Day 2013! Please register for this event on Eventbrite.

Come learn about what Information Architecture means and about some of the challenges facing Portland's leading practitioners.

Ideal for: Anyone interested in technology, creative tech, business of tech, industry pros, students and everyone in between. 

Thanks to our sponsors: AIGA, IxDA, PDX Web and Design Meetup, Northwest Creatives Social Club, People's Sandwich of Portland and Floyd's Coffee

Our speaker lineup is amazing!

10am: Jeanne Turner-Walmart Labs  Cultivating Good Will in the Digital World When we have to wait 20 minutes for service after being seated at a restaurant, or when a grocery store is disorganized and the clerk is distracted and unhelpful, then we know that something is wrong with the situation. In the physical world, lack of information and poor interactions are obvious. In the physical world, we know how to make improvements that increase customer satisfaction. How can we translate this understanding to the digital world? What do we need to understand about human nature to improve digital experiences? In this talk, Jeanne Turner will discuss concepts and techniques that allow us to cultivate good will in the digital world.

11am: Patricia Colley-Interactionflow Civilizing Information Architecture: A meditation on systems design What is the scope of information architecture practice? To design optimal architectural structures, we know we must empathize with its inhabitants, and apply deep expertise in organization, language and flow. But we've learned, this alone will not ensure a design's success. As we dive deeply into the churning sea of design and technology trends, tools and methods, we often forget how we orient to design practice, and its increasingly complex problems, as thoughtful human beings. Will our apps, widgets and gadgets come to serve us, or will we lose ourselves in a wilderness of unmitigated digital distractions and breakdowns? To civilize our digital future, we are compelled to take a systems view of design practice. We are compelled to shift our perspectives and spark grander dialogues.This session will examine the origins and evolution of the IA role, the current and emerging climate in which our products reside, and put forth a few principles and methods to help answer the call to broaden our vision and expand our influence in a changing world.

12p: Huston Hedinger-Wikisway Networks as a User Interface The mathematics of graph theory and its many applications via network science in sociology, bioinformatics, intelligence, and even physics, represent a paradigm shift in how we study and consider information. Over the last 30 years, machines have allowed us to structure data in such a way that allow us to analyze the complex interactions between the individual actors in networks. These interactions turn out to reveal patterns that are both predictable and obedient to mathematical laws- many in the academic community are just beginning to grasp the power an the importance of these claims. The ability to visualize networks allowing the researcher/user/customer to quickly understand the structure and behavior of a network is the main focus of this talk.

1p: Matthew Baranauskas and Noah DiJulio-Ziba Meeting the Challenges of Innovating on Top of Existing Platforms Information architecture is the keystone of every digital experience. It's where consumer needs and desires often collide with a brand's hopes and dreams. The danger for companies as they grow is figuring out how to integrate new features into their customer's existing experience. Using real world examples and personal anecdotes, Matthew and Noah will discuss how they navigate the challenge of innovating on top of existing platforms using a consumer-centric approach. You'll gain perspective on where to look for inspiration and insight, how to prioritize features into something that is meaningful and authentic, and how not to lose your mind in the process.

2p: Joel Barker and Michael Sulis-Wordlions and Summit Energy Tech, respectively Capture, Tagging and Release of Institutional Knowledge: Delivering Information in the Real World When creating a system to deliver institutional information outside of the organization, the success of the project rests on understanding the requirements and work process of all stakeholders. In this case study, Summit Energy Tech and Word Lions collaborated to collect, organize, and make available the mission critical institutional knowledge that was the foundation of our client’s relationship with their customers. This presentation will cover not only our solution, but the points where understanding the client capacity makes the difference between implementation and project failure.

3p: Alison Stump-The Social Wall Visualizing Insight: Getting Started in Information Architecture Information Architecture has only recently been given the respect it deserves by those outside the realm of User Experience. Often the designs we build are so elegant they appear simple. The average person on the street knows that a menu bar probably goes at the top of the page. In most cases its "common sense". It is positioned on the top of the page because an Information Architect thought about all the options, considered the usability and user research data and delivered a product that just works.That is what information Architecture is. So how do you do it? We will discuss a basic schema, various tools and resources to help you get started as well as key terms and phrases that will allow you to escalate your career.

4p: Dedrick Sprick-OHSU Progressive Content Strategy: A content commitment model There are a lot of hurdles to overcome for managing content well on any site. Managing content well includes knowing your website, scheduling tasks, getting the resources together, staying on top of trends and responding to visitor needs. Learn how to tackle this monumental task one step at a time, so your team can grow with your website.  

We can have only 80 guests/session, so it's all first come, first served, so make sure you're on time! 

Also, food and drink is allowed, but not provided. Please go to Floyd's Coffee across the street or People's Sandwich of Portland to find food, or bring your own.

Afterparty @Backspace 'til whenever. Please register through Eventbrite for this. http://worldiadaypdx2013.eventbrite.com/

Hope to see you all here!  

Shake off the winter blues with Amy Dubin, who will present on the myriad considerations all designers face in their roles as visual information disseminators.

Being a designer means taking into account an enormous array of factors, which includes the business and marketing plans that drive demand for your product. Coming up with a product that fits the whole picture will make you not only competitive, but in demand. The tough part is-how to gain this knowledge when 'business' just isn't your thing? This talk offers practical resources to help you understand how big the 'whole picture' really is, where you fit, where you may lack particular skills and how to get them in the most painless way possible. Knowing who to ask for help, and when, is a key strategy and we'll uncover tactics to help you design your career, as well as your products, successfully.

Apologies for shifting the date on this one... the second Thursday was Valentines day.

Thanks to Vitamin-T for providing food; Thanks to Webtrends for the space; Thanks to Amy for presenting an interesting topic!

-Eric Redmond, Organizer of meetup.com/pdxweb