"Visual Studio 2005 SCC Plugin for gotdotnet Workspaces"

Korby Parnell's Gotdotnet Wunderkammer : Released: Visual Studio 2005 SCC Plugin for gotdotnet Workspaces

"As Peter Bromberg notes, we recently released an updated source control plug for gotdotnet Workspaces that enables you to work on projects stored in gotdotnet (check in, check out, and other source control operations) from the comfort of your very own VS.NET 2005 IDE. The plugin also works in Visual Studio .NET 2003.

..."

I guess it's source code/SCCI providers day.

One thing I dislike is that selecting a source control provider is all or nothing. Sure there are utilities that make it easy to switch the active provider (How To: Switch Source Control Providers in VS.NET (ReduxRedux)) and VS2005 has the ability to switch providers built in, but I'd really like to be able to make Solution/Project scoped source control decisions and not be forced to a workstation scoping.

Wouldn't it be cool to be able to have a Solution with Projects from different all over the Net? One from GotDotNet, one from VSTS, one from CVS. Or one project from VSS and one from VSTS (that would sure help my migration to VSTS...).

I'd just like a Project's source control repository to be transparent to the IDE (sort of kind of like SCC Dispatcher - Transparent SCC Provider Switcher)

Yeah, I know much easier said than done... ;)

BTW, you can download the Gotdotnet workspace provider (WSSCCI) from a Workspace's "Interface selection" page...

Linux Ext2 Installable File System For Windows NT/2000/XP

Ext2 IFS For Windows

"It provides Windows NT4.0/2000/XP with full access to Linux Ext2 volumes (read access and write access). This may be useful if you have installed both Windows and Linux as a dual boot environment on your computer.

The 'Ext2 Installable File System for Windows' software is freeware.

If you currently have Windows running and you realize that you need some files for your work which you have stored on an Ext2 volume of your Linux installation, you no longer have to shut down Windows and boot Linux!

Furthermore, Windows will now be able to handle floppy disks which have been formatted with an Ext2 file system.

Linux Ext3 volumes can also be accessed. To do that, please read the FAQ section.

It installs a pure kernel mode file system driver Ext2fs.sys, which actually extends the Windows NT/2000/XP operating system to include the Ext2 file system. Since it is executed on the same software layer at the Windows NT operating system core like all of the native file system drivers of Windows (for instance NTFS, FASTFAT, or CDFS for Joliet/ISO CD-ROMs), all applications can access directly to Ext2 volumes. Ext2 volumes get drive letters (for instance G:). Files, and directories of an Ext2 volume appear in file dialogs of all applications. There is no need to copy files from or to Ext2 volumes in order to work with them. "

That's pretty cool...

(via Free IT Training and Interview help - full access to Linux Ext2 volumes from Windows NT4.0/2000/XP)

"WMF Day 2"

F-Secure : News from the Lab

"Microsoft and CERT.ORG have issued bulletins on the Windows Metafile vulnerability:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/912840.mspx
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/181038

Microsoft's bulletin confirms that this vulnerability applies to all the main versions of Windows: Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows 2003.

They also list the REGSVR32 workaround. It's a good idea to use this while waiting for a patch. To quote Microsoft's bulletin:

Un-register the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer (Shimgvw.dll)
1. Click Start, click Run, type 'regsvr32 -u %windir%\system32\shimgvw.dll' (without the quotation marks), and then click OK.

2. A dialog box appears to confirm that the un-registration process has succeeded.
Click OK to close the dialog box.

Impact of Workaround: The Windows Picture and Fax Viewer will no longer be started when users click on a link to an image type that is associated with the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer.

To undo this change, re-register Shimgvw.dll by following the above steps. Replace the text in Step 1 with "regsvr32 %windir%\system32\shimgvw.dll" (without the quotation marks).

This workaround is better than just trying to filter files with a WMF extension. There are methods where files with other image extensions (such as BMP, GIF, PNG, JPG, JPEG, JPE, JFIF, DIB, RLE, EMF, TIF, TIFF or ICO) could be used to exploit a vulnerable machine.

..."

I'm sure you've all heard about the WMF vulnerability and active exploiting of it by now (I hope). This is one of those scary ones...

I think the worse thing is that there are so many infection vectors... Switching away from IE won't really help as this problem is in a base OS component. Some researchers even believe that you can be infected by just having the WMF/infected file indexed by a desktop search tool (like Google Desktop).

I unregistered Shimgvw.dll yesterday and so far haven't had any major problems. Minor problems include image thumbnails not being created/viewed in Windows Explorer... But I can live without those until this is patched.

Keep your eyes open for a quick patch from MS and keep your anti-virus very up to date...

"Visual Studio Team Foundation Server MSSCCI Provider"

Download details: Visual Studio Team Foundation Server MSSCCI Provider

"The Visual Studio Team Foundation Server MSSCCI Provider enables users of Visual Studio 6.0 to use Visual Studio 2005 Team Foundation Server Version Control with integrated source control features."

Still in beta, which makes sense since VSTS/TFS as not been released yet...

But given the timing of this beta, it looks good that this will RTM with, or close to, TFS...

Related Past Post XRef:
VS6 MSSCCI Provider for TFS

Update #1 12/29/2005 @ 8:44 AM (PST):
Here are some more footnotes on this release, VS6 TFS MSSCCI Provider is now available.

Of note;
"...
* Unfortunately it does not yet support VS2003 or VS2002. We are working to add support for those now and expect to have them available when the Team Foundation Release Candidate ships.
* The plugin available now only works with TFS Beta3 and Beta3 refresh. Don't bother trying to use it with Beta2 or the Dec CTP.
..."

Merry X-Mas Pix from my Son...

Today, my son and I went to Borders to spend our gift cards. Jacob had five cards from different occasions and people, but was only interested in one specific book...

As we walked up to the checked out counter, he asked if he could buy a Darth Vader Lightsaber. We already had the Luke Skywalker Lightsaber but we were both interested in having both...

So I OKed the deal and I let him check out, with the new lightsaber in hand. It was a great lesson for him, watching gift card after gift card be feed into the register. As we walked out of the door, he was a in shock having just seen all his money disappear. He left with a renewed appreciation of the value of money and how quickly it can disappear.

When we got home he got to playing and quickly came up with the idea to create a X-Mas picture...



LOL... That's my Boy!

"Migrating from Visual Source Safe to TFS"

State and Local Government Developers : Migrating from Visual Source Safe to TFS

"Quite a few of you have asked how you can migrate from Visual Source Safe to Team Foundation Server (TFS) and use the new source code control features in TFS.

There is a pretty intense walkthrough that describes how to migrate from Visual SourceSafe to Team Foundation using the VSS converter tool, VSSConverter.exe.

In this walkthrough, you will accomplish the following tasks:
* Modify the settings file to specify which project folders to migrate.
* Run the converter to migrate your source from Visual SourceSafe to Team Foundation and generate a migration report.

Detailed instructions are here:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms181247.aspx"

Something I might need... Though I might skip VSS migration and just start fresh in VSTS. I'm thinking that starting fresh provides the push to organize things "right" and clean house...

Must be an interesting work place...

Official Google Blog: I'm feeling silly

"Not long ago, I walked by the desk of software engineer JJ Furman, and saw that he had made an interesting addition to his desk: a large blob of Silly Putty, about the size of a grapefruit. Intrigued, I asked how he'd gotten so much of the stuff. The answer? A bulk order directly from the manufacturer! Of course.

I knew then that I wanted some, and it dawned on me that I probably wasn't the only one. So I set out to place a really, really big bulk order. An email went out to cohorts. Their orders came in. Three weeks later, I had an eighth of a ton of Silly Putty delivered to my desk ..."

While some may think Google is the new evil empire, I think it sure would be an interesting place to work...

I've worked at places/departments that make random ice cream runs, movie outings, etc, but buying 1/8 of a ton of Silly Putty is over the top... lol

"SQL Server Service Broker Admin Tool for SQL Server 2005 RTM"

Niels SQL Server Blog : SQL Server Service Broker Admin Tool for SQL Server 2005 RTM

"Back in July I released the (then) latest version of SsbAdmin. For you who don't know what it is; it's a tool which allows you to graphically administer SQL Server Service Broker.

I have now uploaded a new version which is compiled against the released versions of SQL Server 2005 and .NET 2.0.

You can download it from here: [0].

After download, un-zip to some directory and read the README.doc file.

[0]: http://staff.develop.com/nielsb/code/ssbadmin.zip"

Here's a snip from the ssbadmin.doc included in the zip;
"SSB Admin is a GUI application for managing and creating SQL Server 2005 Service Broker (SSB) Objects on networked SQL Server 2005 Servers. Some of the features of the product are:
* Viewing SQL Server 2005 instances (local default, networked optional) and their SSB objects.
* Creating new SSB objects through a GUI.
* Deploying SSB Objects to other instances/databases than where they originally were created.
* Sending messages between services and on conversations.
* View messages.

..."

Even though the source is not included ( :( ) this sounds like a useful utility if you're using/playing with SQL Server 2005 Service Broker...

Using Microsoft Project and Visual Studio Team System Together DevX Article

Combine Microsoft Project and Visual Studio Team System for a One-two Punch of Productivity

"Microsoft Visual Studio Team System (VSTS) provides tools for every role in a typical software development team: Architects, Project Managers, Developers, and Testers. It enables project managers to use the tools they know well—Microsoft Project and Microsoft Excel—to store project management data in Team Foundation Server, the collaboration server that is part of Visual Studio Team System. This article explains how to use Microsoft Project to work with VSTS data and describes the benefits of doing so.

...

Comparing MS Project Server and VSTS

MS Project Server 2003 is an enterprise project management product with features such as project scheduling and management, resource utilization and billing, timesheets etc. It also allows multiple members to work on shared data by providing a Web based interface for viewing and updating project plan assignments. MS Project Server is fully integrated with MS Project (client) as one can publish assignments from MS Project to MS Project Server and view the updated assignments back in MS Project.

As VSTS has similar features in terms of shared data and MS Project integration, it is often compared with MS Project Server 2003. But these two products are entirely different products targeting different domains. Whereas Project Server targets enterprise project management domain, VSTS targets software development lifecycle domain. VSTS does not only provide assignments (or tasks), but also provides extensible work item infrastructure that can create customized work items as per project requirements. Because of its tight integration with Visual Studio IDE, VSTS allows team members to update their tasks and other work items from the IDE itself.

So both the products provide complementary features and have small set of features that are common; this commonality gives scope for integration between the two products. Although there is no built-in integration between the two products in version 1 of VSTS, Microsoft plans to provide tight integration in version 2 of VSTS. Also, there is initiative in the community to develop a connector between Project Server and VSTS. The details about the initiative are available at the GotDotNet site."

This is a cool article, one that might come in handy when VSTS ships...

(via Rob Caron - Combining Project and Team System)

Berkeley DB for .NET

SourceForge.net: Berkeley DB for .NET

"Provides a C#/.NET 2.0 interface for the most important functions of the Berkeley-DB database engine"

Interesting project...

(via www.oreillynet.com - .NET C# Wrapper for Berkely DB Now Available)

SqlClrProject

Niels SQL Server Blog : New release of SqlClrProject

"The SqlClrProject is a project type for Visual Studio 2005 for creation and deployment of assemblies to SQL Server 2005. It consists of templates for both Visual C# (C#) and Visual Basic (VB) with skeleton code for creation of CLR methods to be used as stored procedures, User Defined Functions (UDF's), triggers, User Defined Types (UDT's) and User Defined Aggregates (UDA's).

...

For you who have used the SQL Server Project project type from VS to do this, you may wonder what the differences are. Things that the SqlClrProject allows you to do, which the VS SQL Server project can't do:

Automatic creation of T-SQL deployment scripts.
Automatic creation of T-SQL DML scripts for testing of the created objects.
Ability to alter an assembly and only deploy newly added methods from the assembly.
Ability to create objects in a non default schema "schemaname.objectname".

..."

Very cool. I dig the creation of the T-SQL deployment scripts feature.

I script everything for SQL deployment. Doesn't matter if it is for Dev, QA or production, it's all scripted. This makes source control easy, Dev to QA to Prod migration easier, etc, etc.

So this addin will be something I'll have to very close look at when we move to SQL2k5 (mid-next year).

AllegNet Library for .NET 2.0

Create games with the AllegNet library for .NET 2.0 - The Code Project - C# Programming

"AllegNet is a game programming library based on the famous C++ Allegro library. At first, AllegNet was a wrapper, but due to the need of dealing with lots of objects inside the managed environment, I have change it by re-creating a set of classes, structures and functions in order to have full managed objects to play with.

With AllegNet, you can create games and multimedia applications with the support of DirectX, when available on a user's PC. AllegNet provides the same functions of the Allegro library 4.2.0 but with some modifications in order to bring the power of the .NET Framework 2.0.

AllegNet is a full manage library, so you can use C#, VB.NET, C++.NET and J#. All examples in the Examples section are provided for C#, VB.NET and sometimes J#.

This article will explain how to start creating multimedia applications with DirectX support using the AllegNet library. ..."

Sounds interesting...

For more info also check out the AllegNet homepage as well as the Allegro homepage.

"How to detect Chinese characters (or any other char set block) in a unicode string"

Peter Ty's WebLog : How to detect Chinese characters (or any other char set block) in a unicode string

"Recently I saw a question in a local forum asking on how to detect Chinese characters in a unicode string, I did some research on the web and found info regarding the unicode character map, it should be pretty straight forward to get that.

For example, the Chinese characters should be in the range of:
4E00..9FFF; CJK Unified Ideographs. After figuring this out, the next step is to use the .NET classes to generate the char out of an integer value and vice versa, for this task, I found the Char.ConvertFromUtf32 and Char.ConvertToUtf32 function helpful.

..."

This is an idea I think I can use...

Sonny Hard At Work...

Sonny hard at work posting to my blog...



(Sorry, I was contacted by the Blog Steering Committee and told that if I didn't post a cat picture soon I'd be cited ;)

Related Past Post XRef:
Sonny, the Uber-Cat

"A Model for Weblog Research"

Anjo Anjewierden: A Model for Weblog Research

"Given that weblogs are now becoming an object of research for social and computer scientists alike, it is perhaps an idea to look for a model (I hate the word).
One model element some think is important is size. The Weblogging Ecosystem workshop (Edinburgh 2006) is running a data challenge:

Much of the interest in research relating to weblogs involves the analysis of large quantities of data. As part of this workshop, we are very excited to provide a data set to the research community. The aim is to encourage the use of this data to focus the various views and analyses of the blogosphere over a common space...

...

It is actually possible to compress all five dimensions in a single visualisation when we forget about millions of posts and gigabytes of data. Below is a visualisation of a weblog conversation. The dimensions are visualised as follows:

Person. Top to bottom.
Document. Coloured rectangles.
Link. Lines between the rectangles.
Term. Wavering blue line. This one depicts usage of the term blog research over time.
Time. Left to right.



..."

Interesting... I've been saying for a while that this kind of analysis will drive the future of RSS aggregators/readers.

While the analysis itself is interesting, I'm more interested in the navigation/UI possibilities.

The Folder/Channel/Group metaphor is already breaking down for many of us. Tags/labels help extend it a little, but require a common onthology.

What I'd like to see is a new graphic conversation or topic based UI as an extension to the Folder metaphor. Something a little like the above graphic, but cooler and dynamic. Think folders on the left, post test on the top right, conversation map on the bottom right.

The conversation map being a graphic representation of the relationship of the post currently being read to other posts in feeds you subscribe to. Nodes linking to nodes...

And as a twist, showing nodes to feeds you do NOT subscribe to, with an option to easily view those feeds and subscribe to them. (Posts to feeds your subscribed to in color, those you are not, in shades of gray).

A node should also have some indication as to if you've read it or not.

And of course the map is active, so clicking on a node will navigate you to the given post, marking it as read in the process.

For the uber coolness, add 3D to the map (or maybe a treemap?).

The end result being a breaking away from the folder/tag metaphor and providing the reader a wider and more contextual sensitive view of their feeds and posts.

I guess it's time I get to coding... ;)

Gios PDF Splitter and Merger

Gios PDF Splitter and Merger - The Code Project - C# Programming

"Introduction
After the success of the Gios PDF .NET library version 1.0 released in April 2005, I decided to invest again a big part of my time ;-) for the community.

I thought that extending and improving the PDF Library was one the things to do, but which are the next features?

Well, I have to thank my friend Charles. Last month we were discussing about the further features of the PDF Library. He said: "if [you] need another challenge, how about developing a PDF merge program?". That sentence rocked me: I can't find a free windows application for doing that. Moreover there is no open project written in C#.

So I took again the giant PDF Reference by Acrobat for evaluating the possibility of doing that. ..."

Interesting... I can use a open source a PDF merge tool.

Currently I'm using the Acrobat API to merge PDF's, but that requires an Acrobat license/purchase. A cheaper, easier to deploy option with more control over the source code would be nice.

Let It Snow SharePoint Web Part

Snow Web Part - Tis the Season

"...I thought it would be fun to release a simple, holiday CEWP. We are using this Web Part on our own portal and our staff has gotten a kick out of it. So, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow (see figure 1)."

Cute...

(via STEFANO DEMILIANI WeBlog - Set your Sharepoint Site in Christmas mode!)

SQL Server 2005 System Table Map PDF

Download details: SQL Server 2005 System Table Map

"The SQL Server 2005 System Table Map shows the system tables included in SQL Server 2005, and the relationships between them."

This is a 36" x 36" PDF of the SQL 2005 System Tables. This was included as a foldout poster in the recent SQL Server Mag...

"Explore In Windows" Add-In for Visual Studio 2005

C# Shiznit - "Explore In Windows" Add-In for Visual Studio 2005

"...I often find myself wanting to see the contents of that folder in Windows for a number of reasons, but there is no easy way to get there shy of navigating manually.

The 'Explore In Windows' Add-In is pretty self-explanatory. Right click on a Project, Web Project or Folder > Explore - said folder will open in Windows."

VERY Cool. I find myself needing this capability all the time...

Installed.

Problem/Solution with the Infragistics NetAdvantage 2005 Vol 3 CLR2 Toolbox Install Utility ("Tools.InstallCommunityControls" is not valid)

Chetan Chudasama's Weblog : Failure to install Toolbox controls via ContentInstaller or Tools.InstallCommunityControls

"Failure to install Toolbox controls via ContentInstaller or Tools.InstallCommunityControls

If you have the SQL Server Management Studio Express CTP or SQL Server 2005, then it is overwriting some registry key settings. The workaround for this is:

Under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio\8.0\Packages\{36839529-3AF3-47fa-8194-F4A3FA9F0ED7}, change the CodeBase value to use the Visual Studio 8.0 location, for e.g. file:///D:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\IDE\Microsoft.VisualStudio.ToolBoxControlInstaller.dll

Under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio\8.0\Packages\{36839529-3AF3-47fa-8194-F4A3FA9F0ED7}\SatelliteDll, change the Path value to point to the Common7\IDE folder for e.g. D:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\IDE\

Open the Visual Studio Command Prompt and run devenv /setup

This should fix the issue.
Thanks,
Chetan"
[Content leached in full to help searchability]

I ran into an issue this [Command "Tools.InstallCommunityControls" is not valid. at EnvDTE_DTE.ExecuteCommand(String CommandName, String, CommandArgs)] this weekend when using the Infragistics NetAdvantage 2005 Vol 3 CLR2 Toolbox Install Utility with Visual Studio 2005 RTM. I googled and searched the Infragistics site but couldn't find anything and so had to fall back to emailing their tech support. Waiting in my inbox this morning was a link to the above post...

After following the above directions, the Utility worked fine.

I'm posting this to try and help others googling for this issue...

"Create Screen Dump of a Windows Form"

In the Minority (Ken Getz) : Create Screen Dump of a Windows Form:

"Recently, friend Paul Sheriff sent this email:

Remember in VB6 we had the Me.Print and it would print the bitmap of the form? Is there anyway to do that in VB.NET?

I sat on it for a while, knowing that it would be fun to work out, once I got to it. Turns out, in VS 2005, it's really easy. The Control class adds a DrawToBitmap method, so you can create a method like this to do the work:

Public Function GetFormImage(ByVal frm As Form) As Bitmap
Dim bmp As Bitmap
Using g As Graphics = Me.CreateGraphics()
Dim sz As Size = frm.Size
bmp = New Bitmap(sz.Width, sz.Height, g)
frm.DrawToBitmap(bmp, New Rectangle(0, 0, sz.Width, sz.Height))
End Using
Return bmp
End Function

Pass in a form reference, and you've got yourself a bitmap of the form's contents. ..."

Interesting... I can see a couple places where this could help. Think "Support Request" or "Bug Report" function/email/upload.

I hate having to train users to take screen-shots of a given app when requesting help, reporting a bug, etc. So instead build the capture into the app itself, with OS/app version/etc info and upload it all to a web service, published via RSS feed, etc (or email... but email is so 90's... and I have enough crap in my inbox already).

All in all, being able to easily grab a form as a bitmap is pretty cool...

Check out the entire post for the VS2003 version.

"Start Page Killer AddIn for Visual Studio 2005"

C# Shiznit - Start Page Killer AddIn for Visual Studio 2005

"I really find the Start Page useless after I've opened my solution. I mainly use it to list my recent projects - so once the project is open, the Start Page is just taking up an extra tab.

...

This AddIn for Visual Studio 2005 will close the Start Page once a solution is opened.

Click here to download Start Page Killer AddIn"

Nice. My work pattern starts with me opening VS2005, clicking on a MRU project via the Startup tab, closing the Startup tab.

This addin might only save me a second or two, but hey, those add up over time...

Installed.

"Wouldn't you like to respond to your user's issues and bug reports like this?"

Raymond Lewallen : Wouldn't you like to respond to your user's issues and bug reports like this?

Some of these made me laugh out loud...

"Problem: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
Solution: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

Problem: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
Solution: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

Problem: Something loose in cockpit.
Solution: Something tightened in cockpit.

Problem: Dead bugs on windshield.
Solution: Live bugs on back-order.

..."

Check out the post for a good laugh...

700 Free 16x16 PNG Bitmaps

famfamfam.com: Silk Icons

"Silk is a smooth, free icon set, containing over 700 16-by-16 pixel icons in strokably-soft PNG format. Containing a large variety of icons, you're sure to find something that tickles your fancy. And all for a low low price of $0.00. You can't say fairer than that. "

This is a very cool collection of 16x16, 32bit PNG's. Great for toolbars, etc.

There are the normals you'd expect and have seen before, but there are also some new and unique themes. And themes is the watchword for this collection. It's not a group of random images, but a series of like images, i.e. themes.

For example, there's the DVD image. And a DVD Add,DVD Delete, Edit, Error, Go, Key and Link. All with a common look and feel.

There's the Bug theme, Lego Brick, Arrow, Basket, Calendar, Chart, Comment, Plugin, etc, etc...

All in all this is a nice collection and the price is just right...

(via Larkware - The Daily Grind 777)

Upcoming Content Changes to MSDN Subscriptions

Subscriptions Home: Upcoming Content Changes to MSDN Subscriptions

"Products containing MSJVM to be removed from MSDN Subscriptions:
Microsoft Application Center 2000
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2000
Microsoft Commerce Server 2000
Microsoft Commerce Server 2000 Resource Kit
Microsoft DCOM for Windows 95 v1.1
Microsoft Embedded Visual Tools 3.0 (2002 Edition)
Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 & 2000
Microsoft FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions
Microsoft Handheld PC 2000 SDK
Microsoft Infrared Communications for Windows 95 DDK
Microsoft ISA Server 2000
Microsoft Plus! 98
Microsoft Site Server 3.0
Microsoft Small Business Server 2000
Microsoft SNA Server 4.0 Service Packs 3 & Service Pack 4
Microsoft System Management Server 2.0
Microsoft Visual C++ (Alpha Systems)
Microsoft Visual FoxPro 6.0
Microsoft Visual SourceSafe 6.0c & 6.0d
Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0
Microsoft Windows 2000
Microsoft Windows 2000 DDK
Microsoft Windows 98
Microsoft Windows 98 DDK
Microsoft Windows CE SDKs & DDKs
Microsoft Windows CE Toolkit for Visual C++ 6.0
Microsoft Windows ME
Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 DDK
System Stress for Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 & Windows 2000 "

Okay the list of stuff being removed from MSDN Subscription Download tomorrow (?) is broader than I thought. And broad enough to be too expensive to provide in a non-MSJVM versions of everything...

No matter the justification, it still feels like a forced upgrade move. I don't care if MS doesn't support VB6/Win2K, damn it I have to!

I think this is going to give MS a black eye in the near future when IT and Developers needing to support production solutions have no legal method of getting one of these products.

I wonder what the going price for old MSDN CD's will be on eBay in a few years?

Related Past Post XRef:
"Visual Studio 6.0 removed from MSDN [Subscriber] download on 12/16/2005"

(via Darryl Burling @ Work - MSDN Subscription - too many disks?)

Alchemi (Open Source .NET Grid Computing Framework) v.1.0 Released!

SourceForge.net: Alchemi v.1.0 released!

"We are pleased to announce that Alchemi v.1.0 is out now. It can be downloaded from http://www.alchemi.net or the source-forge website.

This release includes many bug fixes, and new features such as service mode operation (both Manager and Executor) , logging, and a brand new Console.

For more details, please have a look at the release notes at http://www.alchemi.net/files/1.0/ReleaseNotes.1.0.txt"

As a refresher about Alchemi...

"Alchemi is an open source software framework that allows you to painlessly aggregate the computing power of networked machines into a virtual supercomputer (computational grid) and to develop applications to run on the grid.

It has been designed with the primary goal of being easy to use without sacrificing power and flexibility.

Alchemi includes:
The runtime machinery (Windows executables) to construct computational grids.
A .NET API and tools to develop .NET grid applications and grid-enable legacy applications. ..."

Past Post XRef:
Alchemi - .NET Grid Computing Framework

Word - Track Changes Fun

DennisKennedy.blog: December 2005 Archives - An Important Tip about Word Track Changes and the Metadata Problem

"I learned something new and a very important distinction to keep in mind about Microsoft Word metadata from Tom Mighell today.

Tom and I were discussing whether clicking on "Accept all Changes" and saving a document would protect you from having someone to whom you sent the document be able to turn the "Track Changes" back on or otherwise see revisions and comments you had made but thought you had hidden.

Tom contended that the "Accept all changes" approach would work. Based on my fuzzy memory of what I had been able to do in previous versions of Word and this article, I had my reservations - but I like to be cautious on these issues, but I trust Tom's opinions.

We tried a few experiments, checked with a forensics expert and did a little research. I'm now willing to admit that Tom was right, with a few words of warning and some advice that you satisfy yourself about the answer.

...

4. Microsoft has some great information on its website about the Track Changes issues, including a very helpful demo that should be required viewing for everyone who uses Track Changes.

..."

See the post for the rest...

Let's say, if you didn't already know, track changes can truly jack you up and ruin your day if not handled correctly.

The MS demo (Demo: Get rid of revision marks, once and for all) he references is a nice overview of track changes and how to protect yourself while still using this useful feature...

Internet message headers - quick reference

Internet message headers - quick reference

"The following table lists Internet message header fields which have been defined in RFCs or actually used or both, in E-mail messages, Usenet messages, or other contexts. For each header, its name, a short description, and some reference is given; the reference tries to point to a document where the meaning of the header is specified or described. In several cases, the description is just an educated (?) guess. The use of the word nonstandard here typically means just lack of more specific information; it does not imply that other headers would necessarily be standard. This is a descriptive document, aimed at helping to find information in official and unofficial sources. ..."

This is a nice Internet Message Header resource...


(via del.icio.us/diogocarvalho/outlook)

So Much Too Learn ... "Windows Forms 2.0 - UseWaitCursor"

What's New in Windows Forms 2.0 - UseWaitCursor

"A new property has been added to the Control (in System.Windows.Form) class: UseWaitCursor. This property simply sets the control's Cursor property. When UseWaitCursor is set to true, the control's Cursor property is set to Cursors.WaitCursor. When UseWaitCursor is set to false, the control's Cursor property is set to Cursors.Default.

The Application class also contains a UseWaitCursor property. This property sets the UseWaitCursor property of any open Forms in the application.

Please note that you must set UseWaitCursor to false in order to change the control's Cursor property back to Cursors.Default; otherwise, you'll constantly see an hourglass mouse cursor for the affected control(s)."

Sigh... so much to learn (which makes this job so damn cool).

This new property is one of those simple things that can make you job just a bit easier...

Class Designer Powertoy

Visual Studio Hacks - Documentation - Class Designer Powertoy

"...The Visual Studio 2005 Class Designer and Distributed System Designers PowerToy add-in greatly increases the functionality of both designers. The PowerToy also gives developers a framework for creating custom add-ins to the tool.

Download and install the PowerToy from its workspace on GotDotNet to gain the new functionality. Enhancements provided by the PowerToy are broken into two categories: Design Tools enhancements and Class Designer enhancements.

...

The Design Tool enhancements improve your ability to work on class diagram drawings. You’re able to search diagrams for various attributes/classes, pan and zoom the window, and display a floating properties window. You also get powerful format and layout capabilities such as aligning shapes and changing Z-order layouts.

... The Class Designer enhancements improve how you’re able to view and interact with classes on the designer form. You’re also able to look up MSDN help on system types and export the diagram as a web page, complete with popup graphics detailing comments for all classes and members. ..."

This powertoy sounds pretty cool. A "should/must have" if your a Class Designer user? I like the Export to Web feature. Sounds great for documentation purposes...

Installed.

Plus it comes with the C# source, making it cool++

"Clean Up After Your PDFs"

Clean Up After Your PDFs

"...The latest: Like Richard Nixon running amok with his tape recorder, the Acrobat users at the Oval Office weren't quite in tune with the ramifications of their technology: Before posting a 38-page Iraq policy document to the Web—from which the President's speechwriters derived the headline-grabbing "Plan for Victory" speech Nov. 30 at the U.S. Naval Academy—the White House left "feaver_p" as "Author" in the document metadata. Read the story [Greg: No NYTimes registration need if you read it here] to see what developed after that, if you're really curious. ...

There are many potentially embarrassing or unnecessary things one could put in a PDF that could later result in your own "feaver_p" incident. Here are some of the biggies:

Document Metadata
...

Image Metadata
Another interesting place to look for hidden clues about the making of a PDF can be metadata in images, he continues. Some digital cameras actually imprint GPS coordinates (longitude and latitude) of where a picture was taken, in addition to the usual date-and-time stamp. Acrobat can conveniently add this to your PDF without your noticing. ...

Clean Up After a Review
Guess what? If you send a PDF through your company for review and comment before publishing, those changes will remain in the document until you deal with them. ...

Redaction
... "

I've seen people push PDF's "because they are safer"... Well if you don't understand the technology you are using, nothing is safe.

Though I have to admit, the GPS image metadata did grab my attention. Damn, I never thought of that being an issue with PDF's.

There's a good bit of metadata/EXIF tags that can be in a pic from a digital camera, camera phone, etc. And as GPS is embedded into more things, this is going to trip someone up big time in the somewhat near future...

(via PDF for Lawyers - Clean up your PDFs Before Publishing Them)

CSS Properties Window VS2005 Add-In

ASP.NET Web: The Official Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0 Site : Sandbox

"... Although the style builder enables you to create and edit in-line styles, there's no way to edit the styles that are inherited from a linked style sheet. The new CSS Properties window provides this capability — it enables you to edit both in-line styles and styles in linked style sheets.

The CSS Properties window is an add-in package to Visual Studio 2005. It does not change the behavior of any feature in Visual Studio 2005; it simply adds additional functionality specific to editing CSS in Design view.

Features:

Using the CSS Properties window, you can do the following:

Display in-line styles and styles inherited from [style] blocks and linked style sheets.
Edit in-line styles and styles in linked style sheets. (The CSS Properties window displays styles from [style] blocks, but does not enable you to edit them.)
Display drop-down lists of styles and values to help you create valid style definitions.
Drag style settings between different elements and to and from a style sheet.
Edit styles for multiple elements.

..."

If/when I go back to web development this is something I'll be able to use... Download it here.

(via BenCon's WebLog - CSS Properties window has shipped!)

VMPlayer is RTM

VMware releases Player, teams up with Mozilla | InfoWorld | News | 2005-12-12 | By China Martens, IDG News Service

"Virtualization software vendor VMware released its VMware Player Monday. ...

VMware will shortly make both VMware Player and Browser Appliance available for download from http://www.vmware.com/products/player/. Currently, only beta versions of those products are highlighted on that page."

Looks like VMWare Player has gone RTM. I'll post an update when the RTM version is actually available for download.

Past Post XRef:
Virtual Machines for VMware Player without VMWare Workstation...
VMware Player (Free way to run VMware and VPC VM's)

Update #1 12/12/2005 @ 11:48 AM (PST):
The RTM, 1.0.0 version is now available on the VM Player download page...

"The Programmer's File Format Collection"

The Programmer's File Format Collection

"Welcome to Wotsit's Format, the complete programmer's resource on the net. This site contains file format information on hundreds of different file types and all sorts of other useful programming information; algorithms, source code, specifications, etc. ..."

I can't believe I've haven't been all over this site...

There's some good binary and text file format info here that I'm sure I'll need.

GreatNews RSS Reader – One Week and Still Using It…

Last week I blogged about the GreatNews RSS reader. I said was going to give it a try for a bit. Well after one week, I’m still using it, which given my attention spam and tolerance level, says allot.

In the past week I’ve not needed to directly access Bloglines and I’ve found myself saying, “Wow, this is cool” on more than one occasion.

What do I like about GreatNews?

1. It is fast
Loading, reading, newspaper view generation, feed updating, etc. It’s just fast…

2. The Channel/Folder Newspaper views

I subscribe to a good number of feeds. The only way I can manage them is to organize/folder like or related feeds. Bloglines has a cool feature where if you click on a folder, you get all the unread posts from all the feeds in that folder as a single page. This is commonly called a newspaper view…

This suits my post reading/scanning style to a tee.

GreatNews supports this behavior in a couple cool ways.
It supports custom sorting in a given newspaper view. So instead of sorting by feed/by date, you can sort by title or author or date or title.

The different views are also available to help you find one that suits you and your reading style.  

Also I like how the navigation ties into the views.

3. Navigation

I dig how the navigation works. If you’re in a Channel/folder scoped view mode, then when you get to the bottom of the unread feeds and hit the spacebar/scroll the mouse button, you go to the next Channel/folder with unread posts.

If you’re in a feed view, then instead you go the next unread feed…

Meaning you remain at the same scope level as you read through your feeds.

If you want to navigate by select posts, the current list of post titles is easily available for you to view, sort and select.

4. When I leave it running, I don’t know it is running…

When it is running it doesn’t slam my machine, doesn’t suck CPU cycles, memory, etc. For example, right now it’s minimized to my System tray and it’s using just over 2 ½ MB of RAM.

5. Bloglines Sync

Sync’ing with Bloglines is very cool. But what’s also cool is that it is easy to break/detach the sync’ing of a feed with Bloglines.

For example for what ever reason, my SourceForge RSS feeds never seem to update on Bloglines, even though when I check manually there ARE updates. So I make a note to check all of them manually every so often, which pretty much defeats the whole purpose of subscribing to their feeds.

Well GreatNews allows you to stop sync’ing a given feed it Bloglines. It will then act as a normal Reader and get the given feed on its own.

It is as easy as right-click on the feed, clicking on the “Detach from Bloglines” button and now GreatNews handling the feed itself...

Things I don’t like?
1. Not being able to configure the keyboard shortcuts.
This bugs me, but something I can live with.


As you might guess, I’m pretty happy with it. Personally this is now my benchmark for Windows full client RSS Readers.

Virtual Machines for VMware Player without VMWare Workstation...

virtualization.info: VMX Builder for VMware Player

"Robert Petruska created a bunch of great Windows GUIs for many famous VMware utilities.

Ulli Hankeln reversed the VMware virtual hard disks (.vmdk) structure, creating a lot of incredible utilities. Among them there is a batch for producing new VMware virtual machines configuration files (.vmx) called vmx-builder.cmd.

Why should you need producing new .vmx files from scratch? Simple: to create new virtual machines with VMware Player without installing VMware Workstation trial. ..."

If you find this post interesting, you should also check out another of Alessandro Perilli post's, Guide to create .vmx files for VMware Player, which goes into more details and options for creating Virtual Machines for VM Player...

Microsoft CRM 3.0 RTM VPC Download

Mid Atlantic Microsoft CRM : New VPC Produced!!! With RTM Code for Microsoft CRM 3.0

"The Partner site will be updated on Monday with this. I am downloading it now!!! :-) Jan Jamrich is now my favorite product manager. (Although I am fickle... :-) I will be releasing a 'Goodies' file with all of the JScripts and Dashboard stuff this week... :-)

The VPC image
- contains a one-box installation of Microsoft CRM 3.0 both server and client.
- is built with Microsoft CRM 3.0 demo data (Adventure Works Cycle)
- has been built on Windows Server 2003, Exchange 2003 and SQL Server 2005.
- blank Sharepoint page located at http://localhost:1919
- CRM 3.0 server located at http://localhost:5555
- includes Visual Studio 2005 Pro edition.
- is time-bombed for 12/31/2006.

Distribution channels
The image is available through several different options listed below.

Microsoft Downloads
Bits are available. Please download all the 6 files, and run the exe.
http://download.microsoft.com/download/0/5/b/05b9940e-3734-4158-b9ef-24961a956a77/Microsoft CRM Realease VPC.part1.exe
http://download.microsoft.com/download/0/5/b/05b9940e-3734-4158-b9ef-24961a956a77/Microsoft CRM Realease VPC.part2.rar
http://download.microsoft.com/download/0/5/b/05b9940e-3734-4158-b9ef-24961a956a77/Microsoft CRM Realease VPC.part3.rar
http://download.microsoft.com/download/0/5/b/05b9940e-3734-4158-b9ef-24961a956a77/Microsoft CRM Realease VPC.part4.rar
http://download.microsoft.com/download/0/5/b/05b9940e-3734-4158-b9ef-24961a956a77/Microsoft CRM Realease VPC.part5.rar

..."

Having customized and rolled out a CRM product in a past life, I have an on going interest in CRM stuff. Well combined new MS CRM 3.0 with a VPC image and it's just something I can't resist.... ;)

Downloading it now...

Some Bad Personal/Family News...

I found out this week that my grandfather, (aka Pop’s), has Alzheimer’s. My mother-in-law died of complications from Alzheimer’s just a year ago last month. Now this…

Needless to say, this news has kind of taken my breath away.

There’s a chance that it might not Alzheimer’s, but two Dr’s have said it is so far, so…  (Don’t get me started on Dr’s and diagnosing illnesses. Let’s just say I have some strong feelings in this area…)

Alzheimer’s, IMHO, is one of the ugliest diseases around today. There’s no cure and seemingly little hope.

Watching the destruction of the mind of your closest loved ones is hard to describe. You know how some/many die from Alzheimer’s? They “forget” how to swallow. So it’s either force a feeding tube down their throat or let nature take its course and let them starve to death. What’s worse about this is that by this time, due to the nature of the disease, it’s the family who has to make this call…

Been there, done that, and let’s just say making that call really sucks. Big time

My grandfather has a special place in my heart… I spent many a night with him, learning how to play poker with matchsticks, hanging out and listening to his many stories (which if half of them are true, he’s led one hell of a life ;) He was always there for me when I needed help, like when I lost the key to my bike chain and he helped me first hunt for it, then cut the chain. As a kid, he was the silent yet steady bedrock of the family.

He’s been such a fixture in my life that I find it hard to believe he may soon be gone (sigh, soon… This disease can take 5+ years to progress…). He’s lived a good 89 years so far, but I’m still not ready for him to go. Hell the guy still goes to the gym every day. I’d bet he’s currently in better shape than I am!

I’m sorry for posting such a downer on a Friday, but one of the things we’ve learned in being an Alzheimer’s family is that you HAVE to share your feelings. Keeping them in will only make it worse and end up hurting not only yourself, but those around you. Hell, we’re still dealing with the ramifications of my Mother-in-law’s illness…

I love you Pop’s.

We’ll be here as long as you need us…

"New Web Project Model Option Coming for VS 2005"

New Web Project Model Option Coming for VS 2005

"One of the things that we’ve been working on the last few months is a new web project model option for Visual Studio 2005 that we are tentatively calling “ASP.NET Web Projects”. Our plan is to have an initial preview web-download version of it available for people to install on top of VS 2005 sometime in the next few weeks.

...

Some technical information on the new project option

The new project model’s project, build, and compilation semantics will be pretty much the same as with the VS 2003 web project model. Specifically:

1) All code within the project will compile into a single assembly (that gets built and persisted in the \bin directory on each compile).

2) All files contained within the project are defined within a project file (as well as the assembly references and other project meta-data settings). Files under the web’s file-system root that are not defined in the project file will not be logically considered part of the web project. You will also now be able to define classes and types anywhere in the project structure (there is no longer a need to define them under app_code).

3) The compilation system uses a standard MSBuild based compilation process. This can be extended and customized using standard MSBuild extensibility rules.

Two of the big changes/improvements we are making over the VS 2003 model are:

1) We will not use/require FrontPage Server Extensions (FPSE) in order to open and edit these web projects. There also will not be any requirement to store your web projects under inetpub\wwwroot. Instead, you can just define a standard project file for your web project anywhere on disk and add/open/manage it directly (this also means no more .webinfo files and hard-coded http:// paths in the solution file). This should make organizing and managing your projects much easier.

2) We are adding the ability to optionally use the Cassini-based built-in web-server with these projects (alternatively you can obviously also use IIS). You will be able to create a new web project using this model, add a few pages, hit F5 to compile the code-behinds and other classes into a single assembly, and automatically launch Cassini to run and debug it. All of this will also work in a non-admin user account (so you can login to Windows and develop as a normal user).

The new model will fully support all of the new VS 2005 WYSIWYG designer changes (no more html reformatting, master page/theme designer support, etc), as well as all the improvements made in the html source editor.

..."

There's tons of good info in this post, too much to copy and quote here. If you're a VS.Net/VS 2003 Web Project developer, or a not happy with the current VS2005 web project development scheme, you have to check out this post...

It's cool how quickly MS is responding to this need/feedback. And responding not with a hack, but a "equal but better" offering.

(via Chris Wallace - New Web Project Option for VS2005 (coming soon))

Office 2003 Local Installation Source Tool

Ed Bott's Windows Expertise - A useful Office 2003 troubleshooting tool

"If you use Office 2003, you should know about the Office 2003 Local Installation Source Tool. You may never need to use it, but if you do run into a problem with the Local Installation Source (LIS), it can save you hours of frustration. (If you use Office XP or Office 2000, see the note at the end of this post.)

A brief explanation: When you install Office 2003, all of the setup files are copied to your hard drive in a hidden folder called Msocache. This uses about 400MB of space but allows you to repair your Office installation or add new features without having to track down the original CD.

The problem occurs if the Msocache folder gets corrupted, or if you delete it the wrong way (using Windows Explorer), or if the disk on which it's located becomes unavailable for any reason. ..."

Ed Bott has posted about a "when you need it you REALLY need it" Office 2003 utility. From time to time I forget what MSOCache folder is and consider nuking it... Then I remember it's the Office install cache.

There's about a zero-to-one percent chance my family will know that. And my Dad likes to "clean up" his hard drive from time to time... :|

So this utility might come in handy.... ;)

"Visual Studio 6.0 removed from MSDN [Subscriber] download on 12/16/2005"

Federal Developer Weblog : Visual Studio 6.0 removed from MSDN download on 12/16/2005

"Please note that Visual Studio 6.0, Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, and all other products containing MSJVM will be withdrawn from availability on MSDN Subscriber Downloads beginning December 16, 2005. MSDN subscribers interested in this content and eligible to download these products are encouraged to make any needed downloads before this date. Recipients of MSDN Subscriptions media are encouraged to retain their latest discs containing these products for future use. Affected products will no longer be included in new MSDN Subscriptions media shipments or in future media updates, and once withdrawn, will not be available in any form from MSDN Subscriptions.

Visual Basic 6.0 will continue to be available until June 30, 2006, after which point it will also be withdrawn from availability. Microsoft will continue to support products throughout each product’s support lifecycle, but will no longer offer these products."

[flame on]
Okay, this kind of pisses me off. Didn't MS and Sun kiss and make-up (Reference the MSJVM above)?

Or is this a move to push developers off older products?

Crap, I can download Windows 3.1, QuickBasic 4.5, VB2,3,4, C++ 1.52, etc, etc! But after 6/30/2006 I won't be able to download VB6? COME ON...

You know, as much as MS doesn't like it, VB6 will be used in production apps for years to come. Making it harder/impossible for me to find VB6 a couple years from now because I have to fix a production app will not earn anyone any points.

GRRRRR!!!! This is just pissing me off the more I think about it (man I sooo need a life).

So I'm going to finish this up by saying I think this is a bad move that makes one MS customer pretty unhappy...

[flame off]

Update #1 12/7/2005 @ 12:54PM (PST):
So I go to download the items in question so I have enough ISO's copied around so I can find them in the future.

VB6? Well... Looks like the only version of VB6EE are the Chinese editions. That doesn't help me much.

MSDN Contact/Support email submitted

sigh...
Update #2 12/8/2005 @ 1:56PM (PST):
"Thank you for contacting MSDN. We would be glad to assist you. The stand alone English version is no longer available for Visual Basic 6.0, but you can download Visual Studio 6.0 English version which Visual Basic 6.0 integrated in Visual Studio 6.0."

Oh... Okay. Downloaded.

Public Domain Movie Torrents

Public Domain Movie Torrents with PDA versions

An interesting site that hosts a number of reported public domain or copyright expired movie torrents...

It's interesting that they also offer IPod compatible versions of many of the movies.

I'm trying to get a couple now (Night of the Living Dead and Plan 9 from Outer Space), but due to the many firewalls between me and the world, torrenting is usually a long and ugly process (I have 8 days of downloading left)... :(

(via digg - Copyright Free Movie Torrents)

Embedding SQL Server Express into Custom Applications along with ClickOnce Deployment

SQL Server 2005 Express Edition: Embedding SQL Server Express into Custom Applications

"This white paper discusses how to integrate and deploy Microsoft SQL Server Express-based applications by using configuration files and the ClickOnce deployment technology in Microsoft Visual Studio.

...

SQL Server Express no longer uses merge modules to embed the SQL Server Express Database Engine. Instead, it contains a single-setup executable that can be bundled with your custom application. This executable accepts command-line parameters for a smooth installation experience.

The best way to embed SQL Server Express within your application depends on how you plan to deploy the application. Ideally, you would always download the latest SQL Server Express version from the Web. This would help to ensure that your customers are running the latest version. However, it is probably more feasible to install SQL Server Express from an internal file share, or place the Express bits on the same media as your custom application.

This white paper describes the configuration file and command-line parameter support for the sqlexpr.exe setup installation executable. Because merge modules have been deprecated, configuring SQL Server Express this way is the best option for SQL Server 2005. To help you more easily embed SQL Server Express, this white paper also provides instructions for creating a wrapper class that will assist custom application developers in deploying a SQL Server Express solution. In addition, this white paper describes the advantages and disadvantages of using the ClickOnce feature of Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 to deploy your SQL Server Express custom applications.

..."

I'm becoming a big fan of ClickOnce. I've only deployed one beta with it so far, but that was so smooth, that I'm going to keep using it for future deployments.

My project didn't include SQL Express, but others might so this white-paper might come in handy in the future...

CLR Profiler 2.0 Download

Download details: CLRProfiler

"The CLR Profiler includes a number of very useful views of the allocation profile, including a histogram of allocated types, allocation and call graphs, a time line showing GCs of various generations and the resulting state of the managed heap after those collections, and a call tree showing per-method allocations and assembly loads."

CLR Profiler for .Net 2.0... What's cool is that the C#/C++ source is also provided.

Composite UI Application Block RTM for C# and Visual Basic .NET Now on MSDN

“Composite UI Application Block - December 2005 Release for C# and Visual Basic .NET Now on MSDN!

The Microsoft patterns & practices Smart Client Team is pleased to announce the MSDN release of the Composite UI Application Block for C# and Visual Basic .NET.

Please visit http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnpag2/html/cab.asp for more information and to download this release.

Highlights of the release:

- Source code for the block in both C# and Visual Basic .NET
- Tests for Visual Studio Team System and NUnit in both C# and Visual Basic .NET
- Comprehensive QuickStarts
- Intergated documentation
- Fixed bugs found since November 2005 Release”

Very cool… Downloading now.

Related Past Post XRef:
Composite UI Application Block Webcast
Composite UI Application Block (C# Version) Released
Composite UI Application Block (CAB) Tech Preview 1
A little More Info on Guidance Automation Toolkit (GAT) and the Composite UI Application Block (CAB)

"How To Detect If an Application Has Stopped Responding by Using Visual Basic .NET"

How To Detect If an Application Has Stopped Responding by Using Visual Basic .NET

"In some situations, you may want to detect if an application is blocked. For example, when you are automating Microsoft Internet Explorer, you may want to know if Internet Explorer has stopped responding.

This article describes how to detect whether an automated instance of Internet Explorer has stopped responding (hung) and how to close Internet Explorer. Although the code is written for Internet Explorer and Visual Basic .NET, you can use this approach for other applications as well.

...

procs = Process.GetProcessesByName("IEXPLORE")
...
Try
If procs(0).Responding = True Then
MessageBox.Show("IEXPLORE is responding")
Else
MessageBox.Show("IEXPLORE is not responding")
End If
Catch
MessageBox.Show("IEXPLORE is not running")
End Try
...
Try
If procs(0).Responding Then
procs(0).CloseMainWindow()
Else
'Force closure.
procs(0).Kill()
End If

Catch notRunning As Exception When Err.Number = 91
MessageBox.Show("Could Not Find the IEXPLORE Process")

End Try

..."

Nice... I dig the .Net Framework. It just makes some things sooooo much easier.

(via Braulio Díez Botella - How to detect if a process is not responding)

GreatNews - RSS Reader

GreatNews: The Intelligent RSS Reader

Have I found my Windows RSS client finally? Like many RSS readers, I keep my eyes open for a "new, better, cheaper, strong and faster" client...

To date, I've been using my fav, Bloglines. But I'm always open to trying new things...

I just read Ryan Farley's post about GreatNews and it sounded interesting, so I'm giving it a try. Best of all it sync's with Bloglines, so I can continue to use either the Web UI or GreatNews.

So far so good. It took a bit to figure out how to get it to sync to Bloglines (right click on a Channel, like the All News Channels, select "Add", then "Bloglines Sync Channels"), but once there, it pretty quickly downloaded all my feeds and polled to get all the unread feeds. Unread based on my last reading on Bloglines...

GreatNews has a newspaper type reading pane, which is one thing of many, I liked about Bloglines. You can read/view/scan/etc an entire folder/group in a single pass. Or you can go from feed to feed. Or post to post...

The one thing I don't like is the keyboard shortcuts are not user configurable. I want to be able to override the existing ones. Oh well...

In any case, it feels like the best of the Bloglines reading UI but with the power of a full client app.

We'll see in a week if I'm still using it... ;)

(via { public virtual blog; } - New RSS Reader - Hello GreatNews)

Managed Addin Framework (MAF)

Jack Gudenkauf (JackG) WebLog : PDC05 - Managed Addin Framework (MAF)

"The Managed Add-in Framework defines a programming model, built on top of .NET that allows applications to dynamically load and communicate with generic components at runtime. We provide a solution for creating independently versioning, mutually distrustful components, and allow them to work together. We tackle the two problematic – versioning and isolation – together.

At PDC05, Thomas Quinn, an architect on our team, responsible for VSTO and VSTA, and Jim Miller, a CLR architect, responsible for several platform components related to versioning support in the CLR, among other things, jointly presented the platform framework for managed Addin’s. See the PDC FUN309 session.

...

System.AddIn.dll and the System.AddIn namespace

• The NS will first be made available to the public in the VSTA/O12 release in the second half of 2006.
• The VSTA product and MAF have been announced at PDC 2005.
• First available in VSTA/O12 and then made available broadly in Orcas as part of the platform (CLR).
..."

I missed this at PDC 2005. Time to break out the DVD's... ;)

It's good to see MS getting serious about the add-in model/pattern. I just hope it DOES come in the Office 12 time-frame. But even if it does, I might wait until v2/Orcas version before investing too much time into it. I'd rather not get burned by getting sucked into a dead-end/interim API (been there, done that, got the t-shirt).

(via del.icio.us/foobarbaroni/dotnet)

Visual Basic (and C#, J#, XML) Code Snippet Editor

Visual Basic Code Snippet Editor

"Are you eager to produce your own Visual Basic Code Snippets but prefer not to think in terms of angle brackets? The Visual Basic Snippet Editor is a Windows Forms application with UI for creating, editing, testing VB code snippets. You can specify snippet code and metadata (e.g., title, author, description, keyboard shortcut), replacement variables, and referenced assemblies. You can preview your snippet as it will appear when inserted into the code window, and you can even test whether it will compile. ..."

Sometimes (well many times) I feel stupid...

I wanted to create some of my own snippets. So I did a little R&D, found the XML spec, and crafted them... in notepad.

Okay, using notepad for xml can be fun, but doing it once was enough. After doing it three times, I was done...

Then just now I happened across the VB Snippet Editor. Talk about a "smack myself in the head" moment... The Snippet editor sure makes creating and testing a whole lot easier!

It defaults to VB Snippets, but via its Options dialog (top right toolbar button, next to the Help), you can turn on/enable C#, J# and XML snippet trees.

VS6 MSSCCI Provider for TFS

bharry's WebLog : VS6 MSSCCI Provider for TFS

"I'm pleased to announce that a pre-release version of a MSSCCI provider for Team Foundation Server will be available shortly. This provider will allow the version control functionality of TFS to be accessed from within VS6 (and many other IDEs). This provider is going to be an unsupported tool and won't be an official part of the TFS release. None-the-less we realize that it will be a valuable addition for many customers and will work hard to make sure it is good. At this time it does not support VS2002 or VS2003 however we are working on adding that support and expect to have it in a few months. I'm expecting the provider to be available for download sometime within the next week or so."

Very cool... And very important to our moving to TFS...

"USB Air Darts"

USB Air Darts - Gizmodo

"You cubicle warriors out there can get pretty intense in your day to day work environments. This may be the perfect weapon to add to your arsenal. This contains three darts and is USB powered. Firing is done simply using the mouse and the included software. ..."



Now if only it had an API...

Let's see, a motion capture webcam to aim and launch USB air darts to keep the damn cat's off the kitchen table...

Oh yeah, THAT would be cool.

;)

Build Your Own PBX with Asterisk@Home. Also Asterisk@Home 2.1 Has Been Released...

The Geek Gazette - Build Your Own PBX

"What would it mean to you to have your own full-featured PBX system at your home or small office? What would it mean to you if you could build an entire PBX system (minus the phones) on hardware you probably have laying around, AND that it can probably also save you money on your phone bill? Sounds too hard to believe doesn't it, but using old hardware and some open source software, you really can build a commercial quality phone system that would normally cost thousands of dollars.

The Hardware
As I mentioned in the opening, we are going to build our PBX system from equipment that we have laying around the house. After cannibalizing three spare systems, what was left was a PII 450, 386mb RAM, 12gb HD, 48x CDROM drive, and an Intel Pro 10/100 network card. This is all you 'need' to get going as long as you are going to get VOIP dial tone service from a company like BroadVoice (more on this later). If you want to use regular analog phone lines you will need modem card. Not every card will work properly, however, the most recommended card is the Digium Wildcard X100P FXO card which can be purchased brand new on eBay for $6.95 each. So far, total out of pocket expense for the card plus shipping: $12.90.

...

While Asterisk can run on numerous systems from Linux to even flash ROM for some LinkSys routers, we will focus on installing Asterisk on our salvaged equipment as simply as possible. To aid in our install, Asterisk@Home is a pre-package ISO image that automates the installation of Asterisk and adds a usable web interface to monitor and configure your system.

..."

This is a short guide for installing Asterisk@Home on old hardware you may have laying around...

When checking this out, I also noticed that Asterisk@Home released v2.1 on 11/30.

So now I have two tasks. This first is to download 2.1 and play with in a VPC (I had problems getting 2.0 to install in as VPC guest OS... could just be a bad download though). The second is to install it on an old 400mhz machine that I've not turned on for years (it has a beta of Win2003 server on it... yeah, it's been off for a while).

Related Past Post XRef:
"Running Asterisk@Home Under Windows"
Slashdot | Asterisk Open Source PBX 1.0 Release

Update #1 12/3/2005 @ 12:57PM (PST):
My Asterisk@Home install problem was pervasive... I couldn't run/install 2.0, 2.1, 1.3 or even any of the LiveCD's!

Okay, that's not a problem with them/the downloads but must be me/my setup. All would "freeze" when trying to mount the HD (or there about).

You know, it's a wonder what uninstalling and reinstalling can do... ;)

Installing Asterisk 2.1 now (it's in its Package Installation phase now).

"Converting PDF to Text in C#" with PDFBox/IVKM.Net

Converting PDF to Text in C# - The Code Project - C# Programming

"How to parse PDF files?

When extending the indexing solution for an intranet built using the DotLucene fulltext search library I decided to add support for PDF files. But DotLucene can only handle plain text so the PDF files needed to be converted.

After hours of googling I found a reasonable solution which uses 'pure' .NET - at least there are no other dependencies than a few assemblies of IKVM.NET. Before we start with the solution let's take a look at the other ways I tried..."

This is a cool example for extracting text from PDF's using PDFBox. I like how the author talks about the other methods he tried, Adobe PDF IFilter and ITextSharp, before ending up with PDFBox.

This is the first time I've seen PDFBox. It looks pretty cool and something I might be able to use....

From the PDFBox site:
"PDFBox is an open source Java PDF library for working with PDF documents. This project allows creation of new PDF documents, manipulation of existing documents and the ability to extract content from documents. PDFBox also includes several command line utilities.

Features
PDF to text extraction
Merge PDF Documents
PDF Document Encryption/Decryption
Lucene Search Engine Integration
Fill in form data FDF and XFDF
Create a PDF from a text file
Create images from PDF pages
Print a PDF"

PDFBox - .NET Version
"Even though PDFBox is written in Java, there is also a .NET version that is available. It utilizes IKVM to create a fully functioning PDF library for the .NET framework. The released version contains a bin directory with all of the required DLL files. For the command line applications that are available in the Java version a native windows executable is also included. This page contains information that is specific to using the .NET version of PDFBox. "

Some interesting stuff...

Related Past Post XRef:
Java Implementation for Mono/.Net (IVKM.Net)
iTextSharp - PDF Lib for .Net

Standalone QuickTime Player Download

Apple - QuickTime - Download - Standalone QuickTime Player

I'm finally getting around to installing QuickTime on my new notebook... What is with the ITunes + QuickTime bundling? I don't fricken want ITunes just so I can play QuickTime streams!

After a quick google, I found the link to the standalone QuickTime installer.

(via Download Apple Quicktime Without iTunes for Windows, OS 8, OS 9, or OS X)

Skype 2.0 Beta (Now With Video)

Skype - The whole world can talk for free.

"Skype 2.0 beta.

Now with free video calling. Say hello, smile or even wave to anyone, anywhere in the world. Try it out but remember, it’s just a beta. (Some of you might prefer to wait for the shiny final version.)"

'Cause I just don't have enough crap running in the background. ;)

I would like to try the conference call feature and see if the video from everyone is available. I've been looking for a free, easy and firewall/NAT friendly, multi-party video conferencing tool...

Time to dig out my Cam I guess.

(via Laurent Kempé - Skype 2.0 Beta out — now with free video calling)

Blogpoly

Blogger Buzz: Play Blogpoly

"Based on a blogging-themed version of the Monopoly board from littleoslo, gaming site Kurnik just launched Blogpoly. From their post about the launch:

For a geek like me, there was no better theme for a Monopoly-like game that I planned to add ..."



LOL... That's cool...

SquawkBox - Online Flight Controllers for MS Flight Simulator

SquawkBox

"What is SquawkBox?

SquawkBox is an add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator that connects virtual pilots to online air traffic control networks. It adds tremendous realism to your flights by connecting you to an online world populated with virtual air traffic controllers. These controllers are real people that communicate with you on voice, handling every aspect of your flight: filing your flight plan, getting clearance, pushback, taxiing, takeoff and landing.

Best of all, SquawkBox is 100% free to download and use!

What Does SquawkBox Do?

SquawkBox is a simple and unobtrusive application which provides the core functionality needed to get you connected to online air traffic control networks. Here is a brief list of the main functions of the software:

Connects you to an air traffic control server.
Integrates with Microsoft Flight Simulator to communicate information about your flight over the network.
Displays information about air traffic controllers in your vicinity.
Enables radio communication using text or voice with air traffic controllers and other pilots.
Enables private text chat and private voice communication with air traffic controllers and other pilots.
Displays other pilots in your vicinity with accurate renditions of the aircraft they are flying.
Changes the weather in Flight Simulator using weather data downloaded from the network. ..."

My first thought was, wow, that's kind of cool. My next was, wow, some people have too much time on their hands...

Still I think this is kind of neat... Makes me almost want to go out and get Flight Sim just to play with it.

(via Nick Whittome - "The Naked MVP" - Squawkbox 3.0.4 Released)

ClickOnce and IIS HTTP Compression

HOW TO Enable ClickOnce Compression on IIS

"ClickOnce supports using HTTP compression for the file downloads, a Web server technology that uses the GZIP algorithm to compress a data stream before sending it to the client. The client—in this case, ClickOnce—decompresses the stream before reading the files. This results in shorter download times for your ClickOnce deployments.

If you are using Internet Information Services (IIS), you can enable HTTP compression easily.

..."

I've started using ClickOnce and am pretty jazzed about it (it actually seems to work in a production enviorment... yeah!).

This post provides instructions on how to configure IIS to enable HTTP compression and how to set it up so .application, .manifest, .deploy, .dll, .exe, etc, files are configured for IIS HTTP compression.

"Running Asterisk@Home Under Windows"

VoipSpeak - Running Asterisk@Home Under Windows

"We have been touting how cool the Asterisk Open Source PBX is and especially how nice the Asterisk@Home installation package is for some time now. You are all excited to try it out but don't have an extra machine, or maybe you are like us and want a way to show clients the web interface and the features but you don't want to run Linux on your laptop or carry a second machine. Well now, with the help of a few free downloads, you can now do a complete installation into a virtual machine on your system. You won't want to run a production system like this, but it does work great for developing scripts, testing IVR menus, and doing product demonstrations.

Requirements
Keep in mind that you will be emulating an entire computer system within the Windows environment, with that in mind you will better appreciate the need for a high-end machine for this setup. The system we used for this is about the minimum we would want to try this on:

Pentium M Processor 1.7ghz (Hyperthreading processor recommended)
512mb RAM (1gb recommended)
4gb of available disk space

..."

I've been wanting to play with Asterisk since I first heard about it... I mean why spend $50 on a new answering machine when I can use a $500-$1000 PC? ;)

I'm thinking of a system of vmail boxes for the family with no default box as one method to avoid the coming election year vmessage crap storm... Kind of a phone CAPTCHA system.

"If you are a human, press 1 to leave a message. If you are an automated message, stay on the line to leave a message in the VSPAM Must DIE voice mailbox..."

:)

(via Make: - HOW TO - Running Asterisk@Home Under Windows)

Paint.NET 2.5 RTM

Paint.NET - Roadmap and Change Log:

"Paint.NET v2.5
v2.5 Released: November 26th, 2005 - Download

The major goals of this release were to improve performance, expand selection support to be much more useful and powerful, provide support for localization to other languages, and to have an easier way for users to have the latest version (update manager). Other features added include the ability to work with measurements in inches and centimeters, a 3D Rotate/Zoom effect, Sepia adjustment, Radial Blur and Add Noise effects, GIF transparency support, TGA file format support, file format plugin support, and a refined Text tool. ..."

The very cool Paint.Net has reached 2.5 RTM. I'm looking forward to 2.6, which will be using .Net 2.0...

"Regular Expression Visualizers for VS 2005"

Announcing Regex Kit: Regular Expression Visualizers for VS 2005

"Announcing Regex Kit: Regular Expression Visualizers for VS 2005

I've been hibernating with everything relating to regular expressions for quite sometime now. I'm still working on the Regulator 3.0 (built on .NET 2.0), but for now, I thought I'd release these:

Regex Debug Visualizers for Visual Studio 2005
Visual Studio allows creating 'Debug Visualizers' for all types in .NET framework as well as custom types.
You can find such visualizers for Datasets, strings and XML. There wasn't one for Regular expressions, until now.

These visualizers allow you to 'visualize' the following types:
System.String
System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex
System.Text.RegularExpressions.Match
System.Text.RegularExpressions.MatchCollection

..."

Very cool... Downloaded and installed.

"The P/Invoke Wizard"

The P/Invoke Wizard

"What is the P/Invoke Wizard?

I wrote the P/Invoke Wizard to save time for both myself and my co-author, David Durant, while we were writing our .NET Compact Framework books. I wrote this tool because I found that P/Invoke declarations were both tedious and error prone when done by hand. Now with a few clicks of my mouse, I get complete and correct declarations in a fraction of the time it previously took. My company started selling the P/Invoke Wizard in 2002. Since finishing my books, I have been able to make some time to update the tool - and now version 1.3 is available.

The P/Invoke Wizard is a tool that automates the process of writing declarations in managed code for calling into unmanaged DLLs. With just a few mouse clicks, the P/Invoke Wizard can opens a C or C++ include file and create thousands of .NET-compatible P/Invoke declarations in a choice of C# or Visual Basic .NET. The wizard can be set for compatibility with either the .NET Compact Framework or the .NET Framework.

...

How Does The P/Invoke Wizard Work?

P/Invoke works by reading C/C++ include (.H) files. The P/Invoke processing engine takes the various declarations and produces a compatible .NET version in your choice of C# or Visual Basic .NET.

P/Invoke understands the following kinds of C/C++ declarations:

#define statements for integer and string constants
enum statements that define enumerated constant values
typedef struct declarations that define the layout of structures
typedef declarations for custom data types
union statements
function prototypes

The P/Invoke Wizard converts #define constants into the equivalent C# or VB.NET declarations. It converts C/C++ data structure definitions and converts them into the equivalent .NET data structures. It also reads C/C++ function prototypes and generates the equivalent function.

...

P/Invoke Wizard Limitations

Version 1.3 of the P/Invoke Wizard relies on information found in include (*.H) files. So if you do not have the include file, then P/Invoke cannot help you. It does not, for example, use the binary DLL file for input. Nor does the P/Invoke Wizard use a COM Type Library. In short, you need include (*.h) file declarations. Another limitation is that this tool does not accept executable C++ statements -- function calls, loops, etc.

What it *does* provide is a shortcut when you have a lot of native code declarations that you need to access from managed code. ...."

This $59.95 tool sounds interesting. I downloaded the demo and pointed it at a couple *.H files and it seemed to translate them with no problems. The next time I need to do some header file translations, I'm checking this utility out in detail...

(via pinvoke.net: Helpful Tools (misc))

"Exploiting the Blogger Atom API"

Exploiting the Blogger Atom API - The Code Project - .NET

"I was looking for a Blogger.com client for Pocket PC, but unfortunately I wasn’t satisfied by any of the applications that I found. So I decided to develop one myself.

I started by developing an independent .Net API for interacting with Blogger.com, which I’m presenting here. This component, which I named NBlog, allows any .Net application to simply perform different operations against Blogger.com without any knowledge about the underlying communication protocols.

NBlog uses the new Blogger Atom API as the main communication protocol. However, being designed with extensibility in mind, it allows for implementations of any other Blogger-supported protocol to be added. These new implementations can then be plugged into existing applications by using a simple configuration setting.

To show how NBlog can be used within an application, I’ve also developed a simple Windows Forms Blogger client. The image at the top is a screenshot from this application. ..."

This is a good Code Project C# posting, providing a real world abstraction example, ATOM usage, interesting WinForm design and Blogger intergration...

DPack 2.5.1 with Visual Studio 2005 (RTM) Support Released

DPack Blog - Blog Archive - Major DPack update with Visual Studio 2005 (RTM) support is out

"I’m proud to announce that after several months of development, new DPack version 2.5.1 with Visual Studio 2005 (RTM) support is finally released. Please note that all Visual Studio 2005 pre-RTM versions are no longer supported.

Here’s what’s new and changed in this version:

Added new Solution Browser feature.
Added opened files only option to File Browser feature.
Added support for Whidbey RTM. All pre-RTM versions are no longer supported.
Removed Bookmarks feature task list support and introduced a brand new bookmarks toolwindow accessible from the View menu.
Repackaged all assemblies into a single assembly. This should improve overall DPack load time.
Introduced a new installation task, which adds a Windows shell “Visual Studio Command Prompt Here” item. This is simply a convenient shortcut to Visual Studio command prompt batch file.
..."

The very cool DPack, now with VS 2005 RTM support, has been released.

Installing now...

Quick Blog Comment Policy/Guideline

Just a quick comment policy/guideline post…

This blog is like a white board in my house. I post stuff here that I find interesting. Thinking that others might also like what I like, I invite them into my house to read it and make comments.

But let’s be clear about this, this is my house and my blog. I reserve the right to delete any comment at any time for any reason.

If a comment is on topic, is polite and courteous then it will very likely stay. But comments that I consider are off topic, appears to be spam, is discourteous, rude or lame will be nuked.

That’s it… Thanks  :)

Have a Happy Thanksgiving...

We're heading out to meet the family at Las Vegas. I guess if you have to have a family get-together, then Vegas is a good place to have it... :)

I promised my wife I wouldn't bring my notebook, so I'll be offline until Sunday'ish (and I'm already having withdrawls... sigh).

Everyone have a happy Turkey Day...