"7 Behaviors That Mess Up Communication: Are You Making A Good Impression? "

A Better You Blog - 7 Behaviors That Mess Up Communication: Are You Making A Good Impression?

"Have you ever felt puzzled by how others react to you? Do you want to improve communication in your family, your marriage, or other relationships? Are you wondering how to get along better with others at work? Here are 7 behaviors you can quickly change to smooth out differences and improve communication. Each of these behaviors sends the message that you are better than, more important than, or more valuable than the other person. When you do not want to act this way, are you doing it anyway? Show respect by changing your actions, and create some peace where there is strife.

..."

There are some great tips/points in this post.

Sigh...I seem to have a couple listed areas I need to improve on though (gee, funny that ;)

Still that's the good first step isn't it? Acknowledging that there is room for improvement? 

(via Jason Haley - Interesting Finds: April 7, 2007)

Windows Workflow Foundation Web Workflow Approvals Starter Kit

"This starter kit is a Visual Studio 2005 project that demonstrates using Windows Workflow Foundation for simple task oriented workflow in an ASP.NET web application. A workflow model is used to automate work order requests at a small example company. It includes three pre-defined roles which each play a part in the work order creation, approval and monitoring. The starter kit may be modified for other workflow models to suit other small web based task management systems."

This might be useful... A way to wrap your head around WF in an ASP.Net app.

(via Public Sector Developer Weblog - Windows Workflow Foundation Web Workflow Approvals Starter Kit)

Windows Movie Maker 2.6 (Updated for Vista Users who couldn't run it before)

Microsoft Downloads - Windows Movie Maker 2.6

"Movie Maker 2.6 is for Windows Vista users whose computer cannot run the Vista version of Movie Maker.

To test if your computer can run the Vista version of Movie Maker:
1. From the Start menu, click All Programs.
2. Click Windows Movie Maker.

If Movie Maker launches, you should not download version 2.6.

If you get an error message that says, "Windows Movie Maker cannot start because your video card does not support the required level of hardware acceleration or hardware acceleration is not available", download and install Movie Maker 2.6.

..."

Yep, I was one of those people who couldn't run it. I guess it was my Windows Experience of 1.0... ;)

Well with this update/new version I can now run it.

One thing that confused me a little... This download does not replace your existing Vista Windows Movie Maker. It installs an additional copy, side-by-side. Meaning after you install this, you will have two Movie Makers installed.

When you "Start" make sure you select "Windows Movie Maker 2.6". (i.e. if you keep trying to launch "Windows Movie Maker" and not "Windows Movie Maker 2.6" you'll still get the hardware warning...)

Reusable Outlook Style Rules Wizard

Code Project - Reusable Rules Wizard in Outlook style

"Introduction

If you are a regular user of Microsoft's Outlook you may have come across the most useful "Rules and Alerts..." feature. This feature is a great tool to help you automatically manage and organize your emails. The power in this feature lies in the fact that it allows the user to define his or her own set of rules on how he/she would like to have things organized. This gives a great sense of freedom and configurability within an application for the user.

The wizard in Outlook may look very intuitive and easy, however I found that it is actually quit a bit of work to implement this in my own application and faces some challenges. So what I tried to do here is to make a framework where this same concept can be used in your own applications and applied to any type of business objects you are managing in the application. E.g. this could be list of emails such as in Outlook, but also for managing other 'business domain types' such as Contacts, Transactions, Sales, Suppliers, Projects or any other business domain you can think of. The sky is the limit ;-)

In the demo application I have added examples where it is possible to manage a list of customers using the Rules Wizard, simply by defining your own set of applicable rule conditions and actions to be performed that are relevant and tailored for your own application and business domain. I also included an example on how to simply save and load the rules to and from file.

..."

This is a cool bit of work...

TFS Related CodePlex Project List

Buck Hodges - TFS tools on CodePlex (April '07)

"Sébastien Monteil, C# MVP, sent me email about a tool on CodePlex called Fissum, which is a tray app that shows your work items.  That reminded me that back in September I wrote a post listing the tools for Team Foundation Server on CodePlex.  So I thought this would be a good time to post a new list.  It's great to see that the list has gotten quite a bit longer!  It's in popularity order, according to the search that I did on CodePlex.

..."

Buck provides a great list of TFS related CodePlex projects. Some from MS (Guidance, Branching, etc), many from third parties...

If you find yourself saying, "I just wish I could do XYZ on TFS..." then check out this list. You might find an answer (or at least the start of an answer) already here...

(via INauseous() - Buck Hodges : TFS tools on CodePlex (April '07))

Enterprise Library 3.0 - April 2007 Released

Microsoft Downloads - Enterprise Library 3.0 – April 2007

"This release of Enterprise Library includes: Caching Application Block, Cryptography Application Block, Data Access Application Block, Exception Handling Application Block, Logging Application Block, Policy Injection Application Block, Security Application Block and Validation Application Block.

..."

Another Enterprise Library release, another statement that I still want/mean to use it... ;)

Update 4/6/2007 @ 8:55AM PDT:

Here's some more good info on this release...

David Hayden [MVP C#] - Enterprise Library 3.0 Released

"...

You get a whole bunch of really awesome enhancements in this new version of Enterprise Library:

• New Validation Application Block
• New Policy Injection Application Block
• New Visual Studio-Integrated Configuration Editor
• DAAB support for System.Transactions, Batch Updates, and SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition
• Rolling Flat File Tracelistener
• WCF Enhancements in all of the blocks
• Various Automation Tools like Application Block Software Factory
• etc...

I have about 20 - 30 Enterprise Library 3.0 Tutorials as well as several Code Camp Presentation Slides and Demos.

..."

Related Past Post XRef:
Enterprise Library for .NET Framework 2.0 RTM (January 2006)
"Avanade Integration Pack for Microsoft Enterprise Library Released"
Enterprise Library MSN Messenger Log Listener
Enterprise Library Logging : Rolling Flat File Sink
Microsoft Enterprise Library Tutorials
Microsoft Enterprise Library WebCasts
Download details: Enterprise Library
Enterprise Library (New release of the patterns & practices Application Blocks)

Ease Use of Vista Task/Common Dialogs with Project Glidepath Windows Vista Bridge Package

Project Glidepath - Project Glidepath Windows Vista Bridge Package now available!

"Today we're releasing a new Project code-named "Glidepath" package that enables you to take advantage of the new Task and Common file dialogs unique to Windows Vista. There is a 5-minute screencast you can watch to see a demo of the Vista Bridge package in-action.

...

Windows Vista contains numerous enhancements that give developers opportunities to deliver an easier-to-use and more optimized User Experience. Some of the new features, however, have only a complex unmanaged interface.

Inside the Windows SDK there is a library called the Windows Vista Bridge that exposes some of these new features for .NET developers but it's not easy to find and, like the unmanaged code, contains a complex API.

The Project Glidepath Windows Vista Bridge package delivers information on the Vista Bridge library and an automated system that actually writes the code to make the calls into the library to deliver 3 kinds of Task Dialogs and the new Vista-only Common File Open and Common File SaveAs dialogs.

The Vista Bridge package works with both Windows Forms and Windows Presentation Foundation and is offered in versions which work with either C# or VB.NET." [Post leached almost in full, just missing a couple paragraphs...]

I've not looked at Project Glidepath much to-date, but this looks kind of interesting...

Guitar Hero II for the XBox 360

My son and I just went out and picked up Guitar Hero II 360 and wow... I stink! But I don't think I've had more fun stinking at a game than I have at this.

This is our first Guitar Hero game and I can see why it has such a following.

Time to take some Advil (damn, I have to get in shape... Hero shape!  ;) and to get ready to play some more... 

BYW, here's a good meta-review from XBox 360 Fanboy, As if you need it: Guitar Hero II metareview

Expression Web and Blend Available for MSDN Premium Subscribers (and the Entire Suite to Team Suite MSDN Subscribers)!

Somasegar's WebLog - Listening to your feedback - Expression and MSDN

"When we announced Expression Studio last December, we saw great excitement from both the design and development community – excitement that is clearly reflected in the hundreds of thousands of CTP and trial downloads we’ve already seen.  Following the announcement we received a lot of questions about why we did not include some of these products, particularly Expression Web, within customers’ MSDN subscriptions.

...

Based on this feedback, I am pleased to say that we will be making Expression Web available starting today to all MSDN Premium subscribers.  We will also make Expression Blend available to MSDN Premium subscribers shortly after the Expression Studio release later in Q2 2007. ...

The decision extends to all MSDN Premium subscribers, including those with Visual Studio Professional and Visual Studio Team Edition’s. For customers that have premium subscriptions to Visual Studio Team Suite, we will be making the entire Expression Studio available to them.

..."

Rock on!

It really bugged me that the Expression tools were not part of my uber Team Suite MSDN Subscription. And there was NO way my boss was going to pony up the funds for these, given what we've already paid for my MSDN subscription...

It very nice to see MS make this move. I feel they've listened to their community and took (IMHO) the right action.

(via AddressOf - "Community Happens")

DockPanel 2.0 Released

DockPanel Suite - DockPanel Suite 2.0 Released

"The Version 2.0 of DockPanel Suite has Visual Studio 2005 look and feel, full RTL support, XP theme support, and more... " [Post leached in full]

Looking for a docking panel/tab UI for your OSS app? Then this might be a great place to start...

Related Past Post XRef:
Dock Panel Suite - Public Domain VS Like Docking Component Written in C#

Tree Surgeon Now Available on CodePlex

Fear and Loathing - Tree Surgeon has a new home... on CodePlex!

"About a week or so ago Mike Roberts posted a note that he was no longer going to be working in the .NET world as the Java world was taking over at his company. Mike is the author of many blog posts on setting up a development tree in .NET and these blog posts spawned a tool called Tree Surgeon. As Mike was no longer going to be working in the .NET space, he threw out the gauntlet for someone to pickup the maintenance for the tool.

I picked it up as I think it's a great tool and can only improve with time. You can find the new home for Tree Surgeon here on CodePlex.

I've setup all the documentation the same as the original site along with putting out version 1.1.1 (the last release)...."

CodePlex - Tree Surgeon

"Have you ever spent a few days setting up a new development tree? Have you ever spent several days setting up several development trees? Have you even spent weeks trying to perfect all your development trees using a set of best practices?

If the answer to any of the above answers is 'yes', then you'll like Tree Surgeon!

Tree Surgeon is a .NET development tree generator. Just give it the name of your project, and it will set up a development tree for you in seconds. More than that, your new tree has years worth of accumulated build engineering experience built right in.

..."

A cool tool has been resurrected... Nice!

Related Past Post XRef:
Tree Surgeon 1.0 [Development Source Directory Tree Setup Utility]

LOTRO (Lord of the Rings Online) "Expansion Preview" (Humor)

You guys know my current addiction is LOTRO. With release coming soon (open beta starts on the 6th and preview purchasers can play already [yes, I already have 2 PC's at the preview/open beta 15 lvl max...] ) well I have LOTRO on the mind.

I say this posted in the LOTRO forums and I am still laughing. The language is mature (think "South Park mature"), so if profanity offends you, you shouldn't visit it...

While it's intended for LOTRO players, if you've played a MMO you'll still get it...

Lotro Expansion Preview

"Lord of the Rings Online is in open beta.  At release, the game implements only the first 1/6 of the story.  Here is what to expect in the expansions:

The Forming of the Fellowship

Gandalf: 'o.k. merry, pippin, sam. you're going to have to stay in rivendell.'
Pippin: why?
Gandalf: 'we can only fit 6 people in our fellowship and we’re going to need a well rounded group’
Gandalf: 'we'd create a raid, you know, but then none of us would get any xp when we destroy the ring'
Pippin: ok
[LookingForFellowship] Sam: '3 hobbits LFF'

..."

NDepend 2.1

Patrick, of NDepend, emailed me last week letting me know of a cool new feature in NDepend Professional, the Build Comparison feature.

"Demo Build Comparison
Explains how to know precisely what have been changed between 2 builds, how coupling has been impacted and how to detect breaking compatibilities issues. "

After checking out that demo, I thought it was time again to check out NDepend. It seems that I've blogged about NDepend once a year, for the last three years, so I'm due...

NDepend is a "... tool for .NET developers that allows controlling the complexity, the quality and the evolution of .NET code. NDepend analyses source code and assemblies and generates a report. A GUI allows to visualize, zoom and control any part of the code. "

For me, my interest in NDepend is based on the key word, "evolution." I'm looking at it to help me manage not just my code, but the libraries/assembles I rely on. I want to see, in code, what has changed between different versions of the third party assemblies I use.

For example, I use the GData .Net assembly in a couple projects and have a pretty aggressive release cycle. I want to use NDepend to help me determine the differences between the current GData assembly and the one I'm using. To help me determine if I want to actually use it, help me focus my testing on new/changed areas that I'm actually calling, etc, etc.

Also I think NDepend will be critical for me the next time a new, yet already existing project, is thrown over the wall to me... In playing with it, it looks like one great way to visually explore the code and structure of a project. A way to help me get a bigger picture of a project, its dependences, etc.

And last, I like the UI.  :)

I have yet to use a treemap in a project, but I keep looking for the right opportunity. NDepend's usage of a treemap makes understanding the code just that much easier.

There are other touches I dig too. The entire UI seems designed to help you deal with lots of data, yet with the ability to zoom in to help you focus on the details too. The Zoom on the grids/pivot tables is pretty cool. It lets you zoom in and out on them, again to let you see the Big Pic or to focus on a specific method... That's pretty neat UI (and something I want in my apps  ;).

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. You can easily (samples are included) add NDepend reporting/analysis to your build process (MSBuild, NAnt and CruiseControl.NET). So you can get automated NDepend reports with each build...

Okay, enough for now... There's a free trial/Open Source/academic version which, while having limited features, gives you a good feel for the utility.

The Professional version is not hobby coder cheap, but for work not too expensive. It's one of those things that would take you forever to write yourself and when you need it, you'll really need it...

[Full Disclosure Notice: I've been offered a free Professional License if helped create a little buzz about NDepend. But I've been blogging about how cool NDepend is for that last three years, without that incentive... Also I'd blog about the Build Comparison feature anyway, as it's pretty cool and something I can really see a use for. And my wife is not about to let me buy NDepend Pro for my OSS projects, so if I can do something I was already going to do anyway, and get something cool free for it... well... ;) ]

Related Past Post XRef:
NDepend V2 (beta1) Released
NDepend
NDepend 1.0

Visual Studio Management Model Designer (VSMMD) (aka Design For Operations)

David Aiken - Announcing the Visual Studio Management Model Designer VSMMD

"Today we got one step closer to building manageable applications. On codeplex, right now, is the bright shiney new Visual Studio Management Model Designer.

The designer, available on Codeplex at http://www.codeplex.com/dfo , is built upon the Visual Studio DSL. The designer allows Architects to describe a health model including defining Managed Entities, Aspects and Health State Indicators, as well as specifying abstract and concrete implementations for multiple trust levels.

Furthermore the health model can be used to auto-generate the actual .net implementation code for writing events and performance counters. This will significantly reduce the amount of developer effort required to build manageable applications.

..."

CodePlex - patterns & practices - Design for Operations

"...

This project has created two deliverables. First is the Visual Studio Management Model Designer (VSMMD). The VSMMD is a tool for modeling line-of-business health scenarios and the associated instrumentation. The tool includes guidance packages that generate platform instrumentation (called Instrumentation Helpers) and validators to confirm that application source code contains instrumentation defined in the Health Model. Lastly is the Management Guide that contains prescriptive guidance on building highly manageable applications on the Microsoft Windows platform.

The VSMMD also includes a guidance package to export a transformed model to the stand-alone Management Model Designer (MMD). The MMD may be used to continue to model additional management attributes as you progress to the total system view. The MMD also enables you to generate a Management Pack for Microsoft MOM and System Center.

VSMMD is in an early stage of development. It was developed to help raise the Architect and Developer awareness of the needs of the ITPRO..."

Interesting... I like the idea of making it easier for me to build applications that are easier to monitor and manage.

One thing though... I wish they had a "DFO/VSMMD For Busy Developers" summary. On a Monday morning trying to cram the above buzzwords/jargon into my brain is a little tough.

Something like, "DFO/VSMMD will help you, the developer, build applications that IT can monitor, manage and support. For example, it will help you build applications that can be monitored from System Center and/or Microsoft Operations Center. It will help you build into your apps the tools your IT First Responders need to help your clients (i.e. helps them handle the call without the client calling you...)"   ;)

There's supposed to be a 300 page doc coming this week with more details. I'll grab that and, if appropriate, post more details...

(via ActiveWin - Announcing the Visual Studio Management Model Designer (VSMMD))