Ashutosh Nilkanth's .NET Blog

• A new version (4.1.3) of Inno Setup (an application installer & setup creation tool that I use quite frequently) has been released with an all-new Explorer-like folder browser.
• With Visual Studio Whidbey, Microsoft will deliver a set of tools (code-named "Whitehorse") that enable architects and developers to easily design service-oriented applications and operations infrastructure simultaneously. Whitehorse uses a drag-and-drop design surface to connect XML Web services, and then validates the resulting applications against the deployment environment. [via Dan Fernandez]
• Mapping Binary Data to a Structure - a summary of the primary ways of mapping binary data to a structure besides the standard approach using BinaryReader.
• Calculate the most effecient page size based on the catalog, in DB2, by Brett. Anyone know of a SQL Server variation to it?
• Axosoft, the creators of the team-based defect tracking and task management software - OnTime, announced that they will provide a free 3-user version of its OnTime Web or Windows edition product free to bloggers who agree to mention Axosoft in their blogs.

• Sample chapters (Part 1 and Part 2) from O'Reilly's ADO.NET Cookbook
• Ted Neward shares his thoughts on the talk Joel Spolsky gave on "Designing Applications With The User in Mind" at UCDavis
• Microsoft Interview Questions by Chris Sells. [via Jason Salas]
• New article at TSS: Managing .NET Development with NAnt
• Windows Future Storage services (aka WinFS, as part of Longhorn): Microsoft's Data Management Vision
• Eric Sink writes on Getting Started with Your Own Software Company

Yesterday I posted a line on the Matisse Database, said to be The Ultimate .NET Database (PDF). Comments from that post got me thinking - can Matisse fit in an enterprise data management environment and how “ultimate” is it for use with .NET. Here are some interesting findings on Matisse ...

• The company and their database product has a long history of industrial use (since early 90s)
• Deployments include those at Airbus, Accenture, Craig's List, Go.com, Pacific Bell, US Airforce etc.
• Its one of the first object databases to release a .NET binding
• It natively bridges SQL (standard SQL-99) with .NET objects and XML documents
• It also supports database mirroring, notification services and advanced full-text search
• It includes a native ADO.NET Data provider
• It simplifies the architecture of applications by integrating its reusable SQL components technology with the Visual Studio .NET environment. This feature alone is said to cut the size of the application code by 30% to 50%
• Supported server platforms include Windows NT/2003/XP, Linux, Sun Solaris, J2EE and .NET frameworks, SQL and XML standards
• Range of language bindings including Java, C++, C, C#, VB.NET, Delphi, Python, Perl, PHP, Smalltalk and Eiffel

There are two excellent articles revolving around Matisse Database at 15Seconds.com (Using Object Databases in .NET and A Simpler Way of Getting .NET Objects out of ADO.NET) - introducing Matisse as a robust object database and also giving application architecture samples for a deeper understanding of the database system.

Reading about Matisse has certainly got be interested. I'll be downloading the free developers version of the database and see how it goes.

DISCLAIMER: This article reflects my personal opinion and unbiased views. I'm not related or working for any of the companies/individuals mentioned in the article.

• The Unofficial Microsoft Weblog
• Now we know a little more about “Microsoft Venus” (i.e. ASP.NET 2.0).
• Matisse 6: The Ultimate .NET Database (PDF). There's even a new .Text DbProvider available for Matisse database. I wonder if any web hosts support Matisse as yet or is it only good for self-run self-managed servers for now.
• Longhorn Developer FAQ
• WilsonORMapper, an Object-Relational Mapper for .NET, by Paul Wilson.
• “For some reason, Microsoft's brilliant and cutting-edge .NET development environment left out one crucial tool...” says Joel Spolsky. For now, maybe the Salamander .NET Linker and Mini-Deployment Tool can heal some pain or we wait for Longhorn to arrive which should have the .NET framework pre-installed.

• Open Source Testing is a compendium of 138 open source testing tools, including unit testing, feature testing, performance testing, bug tracking, the whole gamut. If you're considering building some testing infrastructure, you should spend some time looking around here first. [via Ned Batchelder]
• NPerf - Performance Benchmark Framework for .NET.
• Data Access and Storage Developer Center, the home for developer information on Microsoft data technologies, was recently launched at MSDN. Keep up the good work Christa!
• I was doing some reading on the MetaWeblog API and came across this interesting article on What's Wrong with the MetaWeblog API?
• Joel Spolsky writes about how to get your resume read.
• Brian Noyes is on .NET Rocks! this week with Carl Franklin talking about AutoDeployment issues and how Microsoft is addressing them with ClickOnce, a new deployment and Windows application updater technology that will ship with the .NET Framework 2.0.
• .NET Bugs Registry - A registry of known .NET bugs.
• dotNETTools.org features a number of .NET resources and useful sites.
• Microsoft Win32 to Microsoft .NET Framework API Map.

• SQL Server Yukon seems to be the highlight in MSDN Mag (Feb 2004 issue) with articles on Yukon Basics, XML in Yukon, T-SQL in Yukon, Types (and Managed UDTs) in Yukon etc.
• Working with the System Registry using .NET
• Comparing the three Timer Classes (System.Windows.Forms.Timer, System.Timers.Timer, and System.Threading.Timer) in the .NET Framework Class Library. Complete article ...
• Java to .NET - This week Microsoft annnounced the beta availability of the Java Language Conversion Assistant (JLCA), a tool designed to ease migration of Java applications to the .NET environment. Notable in this release is the ability migrate J2EE 1.3-compliant applications, including JSP, JMS, JNDI and EJB.
• Craig Skibo writes about the 54 commandments of COM object model design.
• There is a Windows Installer for Mono 0.29 available now.

The Republic Day (Mon, 26th Jan) is near while the odd rains in and around New Delhi will hopefully not confine people indoors during this long weekend. To me, the most amazing sight in the city this time of the year is the evening view of the Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidents House) which is all lit up and looks magnificent (see photo).

Anyways, back to the daily rant ...

• MSBuild - Alex Kipman, a Microsoft PM, talks about changing the VS.NET Whidbey build process using it's new build engine: MSBuild. If you're interested in batch building or extending your own build process, MSBuild is worth your attention. [via Chris Sells]
• .NET Identity and Principal Objects - The .NET Framework includes a simple but very flexible identity-based security mechanism. By using it, you can exercise very fine-grained control over who is allowed to use your programs and which functions those users can perform. As discussed in this article by Enrico Sabbadin, the key is a detailed understanding of the Principal and Identity objects. Complete article at informIT ...
• System.DateTime - A Best Practices article on the DateTime class and the DateTime FAQ. [via BCLTeam]
• Microsoft Expands .Net With 'Xen' - a new programming language coming out of Microsoft Research. 'Xen' programming language unites C#, XML and SQL programming languages. More on 'Xen' here and here.
• Joel Spolsky will be speaking on the subject of Designing Applications with the User in Mind at UC Davis (Davis/Sacramento area) on January 29th 2004. The speech is free and open to the public. More info on Joel's site/blog.
• Peter Provost has an excellent FAQ on Virtual PC 2004. [via John Lam]
• Gus Perez, who has been on the C# team almost since its inception, gives us a look inside the C# (compiler) team's testing process. [via Robert Scoble]
• Simple Tricks for More Usable WebForms
• Details on what will be in "Europa," the next version of FoxPro (.NET ?)

To organize my blog better I'm starting this new category of posts called Signal-to-Noise. Such posts will basically be aggregated random links, ideas, thoughts and resources from the .NET community and the technology sector. Here's today's scoop ...

• A look at the .NET Authorization and Profile Application Block as part of the Patterns & Practices Library.
• Visual Studio "Whidbey" introduces a technology codenamed "ClickOnce" that allows developers to write Windows Forms applications that utilize the powerful features of the client, yet are as hassle-free to deploy and update as a Web page.
• Darrell Norton shares some tips and best practices for NUnitAsp driven testing.
• Generating Thumbnail Images from PDF Documents using VB.NET. [via Stefano Demiliani]
• Convert a DataReader into a DataSet, more-so the on-going discussion is a must read!
• SQL Server 2000 Books Online has been updated.
• AppForge ships cross-platform .Net environment called Crossfire 5.0, a mobile and wireless cross-application development environment designed for Microsoft .Net developers. Write the code once and deploy on 90% of the world's handheld, mobile, and wireless devices including Palm OS, Pocket PC 2000/2002, Windows Mobile 2003, Nokia Series 60, and Symbian UI.