Character Disassembler
I find myself needing something like this enough times that I need to remember this. :)
"Every so often I need to convert one or more characters to their numeric equivalents. This can be especially painful when dealing with Unicode characters. So I wrote a little tool called the Character Disassembler to help out.
...Given a string as input it will list each character and its respective numeric value..."
Bloglines | Free, Web-Based News Aggregator
My current fav RSS reader has been updated with a new look and feel and new features (It now hosts blogs too).
Not sure how I feel about the new look... It seems nice, but the old one seemed simpler and less cluttered.
Hey, not that I'm complaining given the price. :)
The Saved Items now being called Clippings and having it's own interface does make good sense. The searching is pretty cool too.
This is still my fav RSS reader. Simple, easy, and location transparent (and free).
MSR Data Visualization Components
"The Community Technologies team at Microsoft Research has developed a set of components for displaying data in .NET applications. Although the components were originally created for Usenet Views, a Windows Forms program for viewing and analyzing Usenet statistics, they are generic in nature and can be used in a wide range of applications to show a variety of data."
Some nice controls from MS Research.
Help/CHM's are included, but no code samples and no source for the controls. Also they've been released under "Microsoft Research Shared Source license agreement (MSR-SSLA)", and so can't use it in commercial apps ("...You may not use or distribute this Software or any derivative works in any form for
commercial purposes..." snip makes it pretty clear).
Too bad because they sure look cool and something I really could use here at work.
eMachineShop - Online Machine Shop - with FREE CAD Software
Now this is COOL...
Download the free CAD package, design your part, then submit it via the web for automated manufacturing and get the actual part back in the mail...
"eMachineShop is the remarkable new way to get the custom parts you need. Download our free software, draw your part, and click to order - it's that easy! Your part will be machined and delivered. Even better, your cost is low due to the Internet, software, and automated machines."
Man I want to build something just so I can say I did it... :)
(via Lockergnome)
ADVIS Sharepoint > Web Parts
Some free, trial and commerical WSS webparts.
A couple cool Site and Area nav parts.
Web site states that source is available (key word "available").
The free Page Header contol looks interesting (that's one of the most requested changes I get from new WSS admin's...)
(Via Patrick Tisseghem's Blog)
Syndication Generator for Windows® SharePoint® Services
"The Syndication Generator for Windows® SharePoint® Services is a web part based RSS generator. The web part is highly configurable and requires no access to the server once it has been installed. This is the main advantage of the tool when compared to existing RSS feed generators.
Creating an RSS feed for your SharePoint server has never been easier. Drag/drop the web part onto your page, pick the list you wish to syndicate, and ... tada! Your feed is up and running in no time flat."
Interesting...
I'd like to start pushing RSS usage for my internal WSS sites, but there's currently little interest in RSS feeds from it (and actually little general interest in RSS feeds at all...). When I've got a few spare cycles, I'll have to setup some feeds up and push it out to my early adopters and see how it flies.
I'm so sold on corporate RSS usage it's not really funny, but others at my company... well, no comment. :)
The one thing holding me back is a good (and free) RSS reader for Outlook (and is not web hosted, since all my corp feeds would be internal, etc). I don't want my users to have to run another app to get the feeds. I've seen all the posts for NewsGator and intraViews, but would really like to get my hands on a free product (with source of course, might have to write one myself... darn :)
(via Jan Tielens' Bloggings)
Image * After
"Non-polished images and textures free for commercial and personal use."
10K of high quality free photos...
In browsing the site the photos seem to be 24 bit 1600x1200'ish
The photos are grouped by subject, some textures by subject and there's a search too.
Here's a snip from the about page.
"What is image*after about?
We started Image*After because we, while working as multimedia designers/programmers, discovered that there was not much high resolution photographic material available. We decided that instead of buying expensive photo’s, we would be better off with a digital camera and started to make our own material. Because we know how hard it is to find good material to use for your work, we offer everybody who wants to, our high resolution pictures for free through this website. Keep in mind though that these are NOT meant to be stock-photos or stand-alone pieces of work - they are raw material, to be used and/or edited for whatever purpose you see fit."
The license seems to be reasonable, saying you can use the pic's in your projects, but have to give them credit and you can't download them all and resell them...etc
One note, the color scheme of the site is hard for me to read. Dark blue text on light blue background. But hey, they are cool and free so I can deal with it. :)
(Via Robin Good)
remobjects.com
Came across this today...
"Internet Pack is a lightweight and easy to use TCP/IP framework build on top of the .NET Socket library.
It builds the foundation of network access in the upcoming RemObjects SDK for .NET, but also provides general connectivity options usable in any .NET networking application.
Features
Lightweight and comfortable to use base framework
Flexible and highly scalable architecture
Extendable Connection class allows you to easily integrate custom encryption or compression solutions*
Extendable HTTP Client and Server framework - build HTTP applications with just a few lines of code, or easily expand the components to provide complex custom solutions
Extendable FTP Server framework and VirtualFTP sample implementation
CommandBasedServer and Client based components allow you to easily implement your own command based protocols (such as SMTP, FTP Command Connection, etc.)
SimpleHttpServer component provides an easy to implement file-based HTTP Server
SMPT and POP3 Client implementation, Mail Message encapsulation classes.
Integration with upcoming DebugServer 3 for easy debugging and tracing.
Supported Platforms
Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1
Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 (Currently in Alpha/Beta), 32 and 64bit
Microsoft Compact Framework 1.0
Mono
Supported IDEs
Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003
Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 (Currently in Alpha/Beta)
Borland C# Builder
Borland Delphi 8
Download Now
Internet Pack for .NET is free and comes with full C# source code.
">Download a copy now"
Cool... I like free (and I like Free + Source Code even better!)
... I stuck with MS tech.
<rant>
Trying to get Mono (and MonoDevelop,etc) onto SUSE and Mandrake is like pulling teeth.
Of course it doesn't help that I'm again a Linux noob, but still.
Man, I just want this stuff to WORK! I don't want to play RPM games, dependency games, etc, etc. I want to code and not be have to be a Linux admin to figure it all out. Give me a simple, scripted (i.e. wizard) install... The only reason I got Mono/MonoDevelop to install on any Linux distrib was cause of Novell's/Ximian's Red-Carpet service (which was pretty cool).
Why hasn't Linux taken over the desktop? Cause my Mom & Dad/Daughter & Son can't use it.
They just want to get stuff done. They don't give a crap about the OS.
Now Mac, that's something. With the current unix based version of the Mac OS, I think they would be okay. But the current Linux dist's? No way. No way I would turn Mom and Pop loose on a Linux box. Sure they might be a little more secure, but getting their apps running? Getting their patches in place? Supporting them (I can just see myself talking my Mom through a session on editing a text config file via VI or something)
I'm sort of able to figure crud out and make it work, but only after pulling out my hair for a while (and doing allot of goggling). And that's cause I like figuring the stuff out...
Is Windows the best OS? No. But is it the best today for the "normal" consumer/user? Seems like it is to me.
Want to win the desktop war? Make an OS that is totally transparent and invisible. An OS that no one knows is an OS. Cell's are close... I don't think I even know the OS from my cell. It just works. Consumer computer devices need that too.
</rant>
PS. This is NOT an invite to be flamed by those who dig Linux... Nor is it meant to slam it. It's just me venting to release some steam... Believe me I KNOW the problems Windows has. The holes and issues, etc... So for 7 of you who read my blog (give or take 10), if you live and breath Linux, please accept my apologies (and please make it easier to use! :)
Database maintenance routines
Very cool list of SQL Server Maintenance SP's...
"isp_DBCC_CHECKDB - perform integrity checks on all databases
isp_DBCC_INDEXDEFRAG - perform index defragmentation
isp_DBCC_DBREINDEX - rebuild the indexes
isp_Backup - full backup
isp_Backup_LS - full backup using SQL LiteSpeed
isp_Backup_TLog - transaction log backup
isp_DeleteBackupHistory - delete backup history from msdb backup system tables"
All with T-SQL source (of course the source is available... right? For now, yes, but when SQL2005 hits and all the assemblies start hitting the net, the source might not always be available. But I for one will try to not use a SQL assembly unless I can review the source... to scary not to...)
Tara's like an uber-SQL DBA... and codes up some great T-SQL...
Is it wrong that I'm excited about Mono 1.0?
I've been a VB coder since forever (I've released production applications in every version of VB/VB.Net, including VB1.0) but also attempt to pick up and use a new programming language once a year, a.k.a. my Language of the Year club.
[It used to be the Language of the Month club until my brain got full and I realized it's more important to be able to use the language to release productions app than to just know some syntax... funny that :) ]
This year it's C#.
What does that have to do with me being excited about Mono? Mono, and its C# compiler, give me one more reason to learn C# and use.
Now I'm not planning on moving my coding to Linux/Mac any time soon, but just knowing that I can, means a great deal.
But to "be in the now" I do plan on coding c# for Mono on a Linux VPC. I just wish the MonoDevelop had a better WinForms designer (But what do I want for free? My money back?)
I've got Mono on a RedHat 9 VPC, and am trying to get it on a SUSE9.1 Personal VPC now, (plan on trying to get it to work on Mandrake). Why, cause I want to see the cross distribution work and to give me some experience with these distrubtions...
Then of course now that I've downloaded VS2005 Beta1, I have to install that too (I'm excited about all the changes to VB2005 too, but that's a different post)...
Sigh... I need a faster notebook (and faster, bigger HD)(and more memory)(and more hours in the day :)
EXMerge is your friend
"One of the best utilities ever created for Exchange is EXMerge. You can get the latest version of this tool here, where it is listed as the Mailbox Merge Wizard:
http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/downloads/2003.asp
What EXMerge does may sound simple and may not seem to be all that generally useful: It can copy (or move) messages, rules and forms from an Exchange mailbox into an Outlook .PST file. And it can copy messages from an Outlook .PST file back to an Exchange mailbox. (If you're new to Exchange and Outlook, a .PST file is a message store you can create in Outlook regardless of whether you use Exchange. You can deliver mail to it from an Internet mail account, or create multiple ones to archive and organize messages. In current versions of Outlook, you can create a .PST file from File, New, Outlook Data File.)"
Might need this one day...
VS 2005 Beta 1 is now on MSDN...
Downloading now.
Wonder when SQL Server 2005 (Full) will be available...
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