May 2003 - Posts
as most of you know, i've recently found myself stuck behind my ever-so-toasty toshiba 5105 laptop, reading and pre-testing away. when i do this every evening, i sit on the couch and listen to jazz on cable radio. perhaps the design of this beast isn't what i once thought it was, but over time it has certainly lost its smoothness.
in fact, i spend a lot of time wondering why i can't stop feeling like my arms are resting on a sharp blade.
am i on crack? or have we a new disorder, worthy of proper insurance-company-regulation? it's like carpal tunnel, but worse - it
stings.
yesterday sucked. i flunked the sql server exam. today, i didn't. that's right - i'm one more test - so only one more! so, so, so, so happy i am, yes? this past month has racked my brain. i've no idea what i'm going to do with all the free time i'll have now that i won't be studying.
but as of friday, i've become a microsoft certified application developer. i passed the web services and service components exam (by the skin of my teeth, i'm convinced!). to provide a slightly shameless plug, here's the logo i can now use on my sites:
the old friend? COM+ - don't flip, it's not that kind of affair.
in my studies for exam #320, i've really grown fond of the System.EnterpriseServices namespace. the whole notion of using attributes to control properties of your components and packages under COM+ is simply rad. if you haven't tried this, do so, it's really nifty.
example - creating roles under COM+ -
this was such a pain for me in the past, at least, the programming aspect of it was a total pain. perhaps i never learned enough about COM+, but it couldn't have been as easy as it is in .NET, which is ironic.
basically, you just mark your component or class with the following attribute:
[SecurityRole("MyRoleName",false)] (or true if you want to add the Everyone group to your role)
then, you compile and run a client app that references the class library you've set up to work under COM+. MAGIC - you go to your Component Services manager and there it is - your business objects spinning away. to boot, if you expand the Roles node under your components, the role you provided via the attribute is there - now just add users.
too darned
money, i tell ya.
somehow, i had boned up the access control to the machine keys folder. read the first comment from the original post for an explanation. basically, you have to allow yourself access to the machine keys folder before you can use what's in there.
kinda true for most everything else, if you think about it, eh?
for some reason, i can't run the sn.exe command-line tool on my computer. basically, i've just typed...
sn -k MyKeyPair.snk
i'm logged into my machine as an admin, and whenever i type this, i get a message that says that the key could not be generated... and access is denied.
weird? or am i missing something here? any help - send a comment! please!
the first step
i'd have to say that, if you're wanting to begin to study for these tests, figure out the order in which you want to take them. that's first. i'm an aspx developer by trade, i guess, so i started with the aspx exam. then, i moved on to windows (i passed it today).
the second step
first off, go to
tim's huge resource to get started with a good list of things to learn. this cat's gone through each thing you need to know and compiled a huge list, of everything that microsoft says you'll be tested on. excellent, excellent, excellent. start there...
the third step
whatever you do, get the
transcender tests. these guys have just about the single best practice tests on the face of the planet. order your tests as in step 1, then start going through each test. you can do test a, test b, and test c, and then start performing random tests. once you get a perfect score on a random test more than a few times - once it gets boring because you know it - you're totally ready.
these tests provide links to explain each and every question. you get it wrong, you get pointed to the right place. during the second test's round of studying, i found the "enable grade button" option. this option places a "grade item" button right there on the test. you can supply your answer, then grade it. whether you get it right or wrong, you'll get links explaining that particular answer. this feature rocks - without it, i have no idea if i would have been able to learn the stuff.
my big secret
if you read about something you don't know about, implement it. create a project and start doing every single thing you're asked. build a case study for yourself that, when you're done and its been deployed somewhere (say on another machine or a friend's machine), you'll be rock solid. you'll literally triple your knowledge. the best part - you'll end up learning a ton of shortcuts for stuff you've coded already. you'll end up thinking stuff like "i wish i'd have known that last week!" do this, and you're
sure to at least improve your scope of understanding and experience, but you'll be a veritable shoe-in for the certification.
universal topics
what do i mean by this? all three of the main tests (remember, you only need the three subject-specific tests for an MCAD, which is good enough for 99% of the dev's i know) - by virtue of need - must test you in some of the same areas. they all test you heavily on ado.net. they also all have questions related to deployment. additionally, know all about role-based security (System.Security.Principal namespace, especially - my favorite!) and code-access security. the windows test, obviously, will be slightly more specific on enterprise and policy-related topics. yet, a deep understanding of security, deployment, your chosen language's syntax, OOP, and ado.net is absolutely required by all 3 tests. so be solid on those topics, and you're pretty sure to do well right off the bat. oh yeah - be really knowlegeable about culture-specific issues and satellite assemblies. all of the tests cover that as well.
most importantly
do not take these tests if you aren't serious about being good at .net. i've been working with the framework for over 2 years, and i've learned a lot. i couldn't - not in a million years - just study and then take the tests. these tests, i hear (this is my first certification track), are
far more appropriate in terms of the fact that you are tested on stuff you would need to know out there in the real world.
these tests do an excellent job of measuring - and transcender does almost as good a job as teaching you - your true skills with .net. they are intense, they are totally and completely legit. i have not only been challenged by some of the questions, i've found them very interesting.
don't forget this, too - think good thoughts and eat hard candy while you're taking the test. researchers have proven you'll have better memory recall if you've got hard candy in your mouth.
good luck everyone!
if i can do it anyone can! i've had test anxiety since i was in grade school. i had an "A" brain with "C" tests. seriously - i panicked before tests in every single subject. this has been hard for me from a personal perpective because i don't test well and never have. if you've done well on tests your whole life, you'll have a leg up on me because you're an experienced tester.
this afternoon i received a comment, simply asking for advice on studying for the mcsd.net exams. to explore this as a topic, i've created a new category in which i'll begin placing links and info about what i studied. more importantly how i studied. hopefully, my instruction to everyone will provide a little assistance with the tests.
As of a few moments ago, i'm now one step closer to obtaining my MCSD.NET certification. i just passed the windows forms exam - in C#, of course. not nearly as difficult as the Web Applications exam, but still pretty darned difficult.
Yes!
had an idea just now...
given that rss supports the ability to distribute HTML or (if you think about it) XML code that could then be rendered in the client application, do you think it'd be possible to embed something like SMIL code? insomuch creating the possibility for user-interface or interactive rss entries?
notice this is in the "nifty stuff" category. it'd sure be nifty if someone would implement this.
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