May 2003 - Posts
Working 24/7 at the moment so posts may get a bit thin :(
At the moment I am spending a lot of time creating ASP.NET server controls in VB.NET, now I know I could switch to C# but I am working in a group of programmers and they are all using VB.NET, so C# is not an option. My problem, where are the books on creating .NET server controls in VB.NET? Most books I can find are C#. As VB.NET handles things in a different way to C# (as we know) it means that while these books are useful it also means more work translating the code. Sure I can surf the web to find resources but its always nice to have it in a book.
I spent a bit of time today going through a DVD (of the first Rotor event) from MS Research, its packed full of resources and presentations (weird to see David Stutz introduce him self as a MS employee and Peter Drayton not to :).
One of the presentations that I found very interesting was on the Common Compiler Infrastructure (CCI) given by Eugene A. Zueff of ETA Zurich. The CCI is a BCL for creating compilers that target the CLR, the state of play at the time the presentation was that the CCI could provide almost everything a compiler writer needs with the exception of Lexical and Syntax analysis (no great deal as there are lots of Lex/YACC type tools), Name Look-Up and Semantic Analysis.
So while the CCI would save you time in creating a compiler you still have some work to do. I have been unable to find any addtional resources on the CCI, if anyone has any clues as to where CCI might be available or indeed or what condition the SDK is in then please leave me a note in the comments.
Fighting my way past bus loads of Microsofties ;-) I finally managed to see the film of the year (till Matrix 3 anyway :) this weekend. Is it as good as everone says? oh yes! must you see it? oh yes!
Well ok the game :) He makes some interesting comments.
It's available for pretty much every platform except *NIX-based computers (e.g., Linux, Mac OS X). I went for the XBox version, as I don't have a good gaming PC that's in a good spot for gaming (long story).
If I had to compare it to what I've played before, it's closest to Splinter Cell.
Beyond the scenery and story line differences, Enter the Matrix has the "focus" feature in which time seems to distort a la the initial Trinity vs. 4 cops scene in the original Matrix film.
The "focus" effect is pretty compelling. Much better than bullet-time in Max Payne. Using focus to fly is pretty amazing, although I too didn't make it the first time.
My PC is not the worlds best PC for gaming but it does ok, maybe some day i'll have the cash for a console. The bullet time in this game is what interests me the most after I loved using it to the Max (Payne). It does sound very cool and if you can warp time to pull off some cool bruce moves then that is fine with me. Its not quite available yet in the UK yet but as with the film its pre-booked :)
Niklas Gustavsson points out that Nick Bradbury is creating a RSS reader called FeedDemon. Nick created homesite (before he sold it to Alliare) and the ever popular Topstyle so I agree with Niklas that this reader should be quite cool. One question Nick, where is the Blog? ;-)
I posted this question on the CLR list, any clues?
I have seen references that Enum values are available as value and reference types (indeed the CTS spec supports this). However all I can find is that Enum values are created from System.Enum which in turn inherits from System.Value (a la value types). Maybe I am missing something but how is possible to create Reference Enum types (or do I have to box the value type)?
Interesting thread on the Mono development list which looks at the pros and cons of the CLR and its support for dynamic languages. They go-on to look at the approach that the
Parrrot VM is taking, how it differs from the CLR and why its approach is good and bad (I wonder what
Dan will have to say about this ?). Lastly there is some input from some of the Project 7 members and Microsoft folks (Don Syme of Gyro fame).
As ever Chris (Mr CLR) Brumme comes up with the goods and provides some
very interesting info on value types in the CLR. I have in the past enjoyed his posts of GC in the CLR as I push on with understanding how its done in Rotor (and possibly where it could be better). If you are not already subscribed to his Blog, do so, today !!
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