Now THIS is a Deposition...

This deposition made me snort-laugh... lol

Jamail deposition 

(via Yahoo LitSupport Group - Great Video of Deposition)

"ActionList for .NET 2.0"

The Code Project - The Code Project - ActionList for .NET 2.0

"Introduction

Everyone who has worked with Borland’s Delphi knows how powerful Actions are. Actions are used to link together various UI elements, such as Buttons, MenuItems, ToolbarButtons, making them behave consistently: linked items are Checked/Unchecked/Enabled/Disabled at the same time, they share the same Text and eventually Image property and, of course, execute the same code once clicked.
 
...

Actions can help WindowsForms developer to coordinate the behaviour of various UI elements in a pretty simple and efficient way. I wanted then be linkable to a lot of .NET Framework 2.0 winforms controls (they work with each ButtonBase or ToolStripItem derived control), so the only way to handle this requirement was using reflection. However, the performance drop is compensated using a PropertyInfo caching system, which is able to reuse metadata information for object of the same type.

Crad’s Actions library ships with some purpose-specific actions too: for example, some of them are helpful to handle clipboard-related operations, such as cut, copy or paste, while others provide formatting features when applied to a RichTextBox. According to Borland’s naming, they’re called Standard Actions, and I’m still working on them, so... expect some more for the next releases.

To better understand how easy is implementing complex user interfaces using Actions, you can check out the simple RTF Editor provided as demo application."

Very cool...

I like the idea behind this (I’ve coded in/with Delphi, but it was with 1.0 and so long ago that I don’t remember much, but it still has a special place in my heart...)

Technorati Tags: IExtenderProvider, WinForm

New Infragistics ClickOnce & WinGrid KB Articles

Tim Hitchings - New Knowledge Base Articles

"...
HOWTO:  Deploy a VS2005 Windows Forms application with NetAdvantage controls using ClickOnce deployment (by BrianW):
http://devcenter.infragistics.com/Support/KnowledgeBaseArticle.Aspx?ArticleID=9692
...
HOWTO:  Enhancing the Copy and Paste functionality between WinGrid and Excel (by TomP)
http://devcenter.infragistics.com/Support/KnowledgeBaseArticle.Aspx?ArticleID=9694
http://devcenter.infragistics.com/Support/KnowledgeBaseArticle.Aspx?ArticleID=9695
http://devcenter.infragistics.com/Support/KnowledgeBaseArticle.Aspx?ArticleID=9696
...
HOWTO:  Using the Background Worker component with the WinGrid to get data asynchronously CLR2 (by TomP):
http://devcenter.infragistics.com/Support/KnowledgeBaseArticle.Aspx?ArticleID=9838
http://devcenter.infragistics.com/Support/KnowledgeBaseArticle.Aspx?ArticleID=9839
..."
 
Some new Infragistics KB articles that I wanted to note (and be able to find later...)

Technorati Tags: Infragistics, NetAdvantage, WinGrid, ClickOnce

TFS Install - Production Time...

As I mentioned in past posts it’s been my plan to uninstall our current TFS install and reinstall it.

Today was that day.

Following the Uninstall TFS checklist, yesterday I backed out everything up to uninstalling IIS. IIS was fine and there was nothing I felt I needed to change, so it stayed. But TFS Explorer, TFS, SharePoint and SQL Server all had to go.

This morning the reinstall process began. Talk about a night and day difference in the "brain pain" this time... Having done it once, this time was a slam dunk. (having all the source CD’s/ISO already also helped... ;)

This time I’m going with the Trial Edition instead of the Workgroup Edition. I’ve gotten word that buying TFS (once it’s available for purchase) should be no problem, so it made sense to install the full blown copy so the entire Group can access it.

Also this time around I added a few extra steps to tweak some settings to better fit the install to our hardware.

Once I had SQL Server 2005 installed, I stepped off the checklist and tweaked my SQL environment. I changed the default Data and Log locations from the default C: drive to our RAID E: drive. Same for the Analysis services. Also this time installed of using the default C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio Team Foundation Server\ path I also switched it to the E drive.

Post install, I did a quick check to make sure all the DB’s and stuff were indeed on the E drive.

While almost all the SQL DB’s were created in their new location, the ReportServer DB’s were still on the C drive. Simple enough to detach and reattach them, but something to remember for future installs.

And in the end, I now have TFS ready for production usage. Oh yeah...!

To Do:
A) Version Control Structure Plan
Version Control Structure diagramed and documented, so this is done/ready.

B) Project Structure Plan and Create Project(s)
Decide what get kinds of products/solutions/apps get a new Project, what get wrapped into an existing Project, etc.

C) Migrate VSS

D) Migrate Existing Feature Requests/Bugs

E) Configure Team Build on the Team Build workstation

F) Get the server on the Production Backup/Recovery list

G) Do the "Happy Dance" because I’ll be done?

Related Past Post XRef:
TFS Bug/Feature Migration - Test Director to TFS (or how I learned to love the TFS Excel Add-in)
TFS - Work Item’s and Customization
TFS Lesson #2 - Listen to my own advice...
TFS SQL Databases Moved... One Tip, Remember the DB Owner
"Moving Your Team Foundation Server Deployment"
My First Soup to Nuts Team Foundation Server Install
"An updated TFS MSSCCI provider is available"
TFS Administration Tool
"Migrating from Visual Source Safe to TFS"
"How many users will your Team Foundation Server support?"

Technorati Tags: Team Foundation Server, TFS, Visual Studio Team Suite

"Data Mining Managed Plug-in Algorithm API for SQL Server 2005"

Feature Pack for Microsoft SQL Server 2005 - April 2006 - Data Mining Managed Plug-in Algorithm API for SQL Server 2005

"...
 
The Managed Plug-in API is a Microsoft .NET object model that enables software developers to create plug-in data mining algorithms for SQL Server 2005 by using CLI-compliant languages, such as Visual C# 2.0. The object model is available as source code and it needs to be built on the developer’s computer. The package includes a step-by-step tutorial, a compiled HTML help file (.chm), as well as a sample plug-in algorithm developed in C#.

Audience(s): Partner, Developer
X86 Package (DMMgdPlugInAPI.msi) - 1268 KB
..."

I’d missed this... I’m glad Jamie point it out. I dig the SQL Feature Packs, but I really wish MS would provide a change history. Just a list of pack items that have changed or been added in the main section of the download description (or a link to a KB article with the changes)...

Now I hate to say it, but I doubt I’ll ever be able to actually use this. I’d LIKE too, but coming up with new data mining algorithms? But then again I never envisioned where I’m at today when I fired up VB1 for the first time... So YES, there’s hope! I may just become the Data Mining Guy! lol... yeah, okay... I’m done. ;)

Anyway I think it’s cool to see this kind of extensibility for SQL Server.

(via JamieMac’s WebLog - Managed Plug-ins at Last!)

Related Past Post XRef:
Feature Pack for SQL Server 2005 (Nov 2005) Download

Technorati Tags: SQL Server 2005, Feature Pack for SQL Server 2005, Data Mining

Another VS2005 Project (and File) MRU Utility

@ Head - VS 2005’s MRU Project and File lists

"Following on from my IE typed URLs quick & dirty app, I thought I might as well address that annoying list of Most Recently Used files and projects in Visual Studio 2005. So I added the ability to re-organize the entries, as well as delete them, and with a single click remove all broken links.

Clean up your VS 2005 MRU lists quick and easy with the Visual Studio 2005 MRU Paths Manager (source and exe, 17kb)"

Another cool Visual Studio Project MRU utility (with VB source). This is an external utility that not only lets you remove entries, but also re-order them. It also helps with your File MRU list...

Related Past Post XRef:
VS 2005 Project MRU Cleaner Add-In

SQL Server 2005 SP1 RTM

The RTM of SQL 2K5 SP1 is now available.

SQL 2K5 has been stable for me, but the first SP is still an important milestone.

One of the key "new" features in this is that Data Mirroring is now baked in. No special flags to turn it on and the SQL Management Studio can monitor it now too.

Downloading and installing...

Update #1 4/19/2006 @ 7:23AM (PDT):
Install went pretty smooth. The only issue I ran into was that the Setup needs to verify authentation and I had the SQL 2K5 services off (I’m running 2k, 2k5, Express, etc, all on my notebook and even with 2GB of RAM that fills quickly...), which the SP1 setup didn’t like. As soon as I started the services, the Setup was able to continue.

Then because I started all the SQL services, when the setup tried to upgrade some of the components (SQL Browser and Full Text Search) it nagged that some of the files were locked. So I shut those services down and again the setup was happy to retry and continue...

I like this new SP system. I dig how the SP1 setup let me know all the services it was going to upgrade.

What I didn’t like was that even though SQL Express was listed, it couldn’t be selected. The setup told me to get the SQL Express SP1 to upgrade that...

To get SQL Express SP1, you need to get this download. The problem I have with THAT is that it’s not clear if that download will apply SP1 or reinstall the entire thing (and if it does reinstall the entire thing, if that’s a good thing...). I’d much rather have a SQL Express SP1 setup that is JUST the SP1 patch and not the entire engine.

Well okay... I do like to have a rolled up SQL Express setup, so one install gets you both the engine and SP1... So I guess I want both. SQL Express SP1 and SQL Express Engine with SP1 included packages.

Anyway, I installed the SQL Express SP1 from the above download to upgrade my system and it installed fine...

Now we’ll just have see how things shake out in the coming days...

(via B# .NET Blog - SQL Server 2005 SP1)

Technorati Tags: SQL Server 2005

AccessChk 1.0 From Sysinternals

Sysinternals - AccessChk

"Introduction

As a part of ensuring that they’ve created a secure environment Windows administrators often need to know what kind of accesses specific users or groups have to resources including files, directories, Registry keys, and Windows services. AccessChk quickly answers these questions with an intuitive interface and output.

..."

Oh yeah, this will come in handy...

"Building an Asterisk@Home Test Lab"

O’Reilly Linux DevCenter Blog - Building an Asterisk@Home Test Lab

"Learn how to build an Asterisk@Home test lab.This series is also a good howto for setting up a small production Asterisk iPBX on the cheap. This three-part series is aimed at both telephony and Linux noobs. If you understand computer networking basics, this is just the Asterisk howto you need to get up and running. Not only for a test lab, but also a small production system. The series covers installation, what hardware to use, how to set up local extensions and automatic call routing, how to connect to the outside world, and how to replace the Asterisk@Home logo with your own custom logo.

VoIPowering your Office with Asterisk - Building a Test Lab, Part 1
VoIPowering your Office with Asterisk-Building a Test Lab, Part 2
VoIPowering your Office with Asterisk-Building a Test Lab, Part 3 "
(Leached in full, but with Part 1 & 3 links fixed)

I so want a home PBX. We have a new multi-handset 5.8ghz phone system with digital answering machine which is pretty cool (as a call comes in it does text-to-speech on the incoming caller ID’ed phone number... so we don’t even have to screen the call to know we don’t want to pick it up... ;)

But still, it’s just not a cool as a home PBX could be.

The problem is that the SAF (Spouse Acceptance Factor) is pretty low in relation to a home PBX though... sigh...

Related Past Post XRef:
"Running Asterisk@Home Under Windows"
Build Your Own PBX with Asterisk@Home. Also Asterisk@Home 2.1 Has Been Released...
Free eBook "Asterisk: The Future of Telephony"

Visual Studio SDK V2 RTM

AllenD’s WebLog - VS SDK V2 Has Been Released

"I’m proud to announce the availability of the V2 VS SDK supporting VS 2005.  This SDK is awesome.  It has some incredible sample content including Iron Python language integration including WinForms Designer integration.  By examining the Iron Python source code (not included in the SDK, but free) you can see how a language can integration into VS in a rich deep way.
 
..."

Downloaded and installing...

Related Past Post XRef:
"V2 of the VS SDK almost ready to ship"


Technorati Tags: Iron Python, VS SDK, Visual Studio 2005

"Configuring Desktop Builds for Building Specific Solutions in Team Build "

Manish Agarwal - Configuring desktop builds for building specific solutions in Team Build

"Scenario

I have set up a Team Build Type which builds an entire system consisting of multiple solutions. I want an easy way for developers to be able to invoke builds on there dev machines (for only the solutions they are working on) using Team Build. We do not want developers to build the entire system (all solutions) as this will result in lot of time wastage. Additionally we do not want to create a sperate Team Build Type for each developer for supporting the desktop scenario for scalability and maintainability issues. Is it possible?

Yes, it is possible. Developers don’t need to define new build type customize for there needs. By doing simple customization in tfsbuild.proj file and passing desktop properties scenario can be easily enabled.

..."

This is a cool post on how to hack your TFSBuild.Proj to enable command line parameter builds...

Related Past Post XRef:
Scheduled Team Builds with TFS
"Continuous Integration Using Team Foundation Build"
VSTS Rocks (Visual Studio Team System Rocks) Web Site

Technorati Tags: TFS, Team Foundation Server, Team Build

Easter Bunny Hard at Work

.: Daniel Melanchthon :. - Aus gegebenem Anlaß: Frohe Ostern!



I used to tell my son that I had IM’ed the Easter Bunny (or Santa, etc) to tell him that my son has been a good kid. So when I say this, it made me laugh...

Does the New Ribbon UI in Office 2007 Mean Even Less Usable Working Space? Nope...

Jensen Harris: An Office User Interface Blog - The Size Of Things

"One of the most discussed aspects of the new Office 2007 UI has been: "Does it take up too much room?"

It isn’t a straightforward question to answer, above all because to answer it requires a subjective opinion. What seems just right to one person might seem to another person to be too much.

So today, I’m going to try to take an objective look at the size of the new UI just by presenting the facts--and then you can form your own opinion. I’ll also discuss some of the background about why we made the design decisions we did.

One of the tricky things about measuring the size of the Office user interface is figuring out what to measure. The size of the Office 97-2003 user interface, in particular, is greatly affected by the number of toolbars and Task Panes brought up to use the features in the product.

To sidestep that problem for the time being, I’m going to compare the out-of-box experiences of Office 97 and Office 2007. Why these two versions? First of all, Office 97 was the first version of Office with command bars, and it’s the version often cited as representing a cleaner, smaller brand of UI. It’s also before the introduction of Task Panes, so we don’t have to take that into account. Also, it was (and is) an extremely successful version of Office which many people have installed, so it seems like a good comparison.
..."

This is a cool post which will help put to rest some of the worry you (well I) might of had that new Office 2007 Ribbon UI was going to eat up even more screen real estate...

"Visual Studio Custom Checkin Policy Template"

I Wish I Knew Now What I Knew Then - Visual Studio Custom Checkin Policy Template

"I’ve been spending some time writing custom checkin policies for VSTS, so many in fact that I decided to write a Visual Studio template. This weas very straightforward except for the fact that I when you edit the .vstemplate file you also need to remember to edit the .csproj file (if any file names are affected).

The template is here. Copy this file to your "Visual Studio user project templates location" (you can find this under Tools..Options..Projects and Solutions") and you should be good to go. "

Very Cool.

This is a C# Project Template to help you create TFS check in policies ...

Related Past Post XRef:
TFS Check In Policies, Code to Police Code

Technorati Tags: TFS, Team Foundation Server, Check In Policies

"Hiding additional files in a ZIP archive"

The Code Project - Hiding additional files in a ZIP archive

"A ZIP archive consists of local file headers, local files, and at the end of the zip file the central directory. When a zip application like WinZip or FilZip opens an archive, it first reads the directory. Only when you actually extract a file, it reads the offset from it’s directory entry, then the local file is read and uncompressed. Something that is not listet in the central directory will not be listet in the zip application.

ZIP archives can contain lots of single files, each of them has two sizes: Compressed size and uncompressed size. Have you ever calculated the expected archive size from the compressed file sizes and compared it to the size of the zip file? No? Well, that’s why a few additional bytes - additional compressed text files - won’t be found by chance.
..."

From the EDD perspective, this is an interesting project. And one I need to think about. Combine hiding files in ZIP’s and zip encryption and you have pretty good protection scheme.

This is the whole defense in depth thing (or hiding in depth, etc). First rename the zip to *.dll or something, so you need a signature analysis to even find the file. Then zip encryption, which is hard to break just by itself. Then hide a file in the zip (say another encrypted zip).

I wonder how email attachment/AV scanners work? If they work off of the zip’s catalog, since that’s the fastest method... Na, I’m sure the take the more secure approach and examine the zip header chain...

Anyway I’m going to need to test this and see how our unzipping library handles this (it’s reasonable to assume it would skip the files not listed in the catalog.)

Isn’t EDD cool?

Technorati Tags: EDD