February 2004 - Posts
We've been trying to find a solution whereby the totally none-coding designer works with the crayola wielding developers and the simple "Make a static page with some content" people. Dreamweaver templates are excellent for this but VS.NET makes them an impossible solution.
What happens is the template inserts a comment just below the HEAD tag of the simple html page.
<!-- InstanceBegin template="/Templates/test.dwt.aspx" codeOutsideHTMLIsLocked="false" -->
The designer saves the page, it all works and then the developer sets about making it work. As soon as they open the page in design view, the template is screwed because VS.NET moves the instanceBegin comment to after the title tag
<HEAD>
<title>template</title>
<!-- InstanceBegin template="/Templates/test.dwt.aspx" codeOutsideHTMLIsLocked="false" -->
The consequence of this is that Dreamweaver now finds nested editable regions, therefore breaking the functionality of the template 'philosophy'.
http://www.asp.net/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?tabindex=1&PostID=457479
http://www.asp.net/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?tabindex=1&PostID=441814
http://www.asp.net/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?tabindex=1&PostID=391742
Now, I'm led to believe that Whidbey leaves your code alone and basically, I can’t progress some kind of totally safe shared environment without that functionality. Dreamweaver is an awesome web design tool - especially when coupled with Photoshop and someone who knows how to use it (If you're reading this, then you aren't one of those people :P )
VS.NET will always screw over your code so while Dreamweaver is the tool of choice for frontend stuff, it won’t work with VS.NET (nothing will as VS.NET html mangles everything). However, code development with VS.NET is 10 times quicker than with any other IDE that I know of so whatever solution we use, it has to be VS.NET compatible, not the other way round.
I've looked at BasePages and they seem cool - John Rebbeck and Russ Neimhausers articles are succinct and clear but IMO its not going from A to B when all you want to do is server HTML with some dynamic content. Surely the fastest served page is control light with pure HTML in - not something that is inherited and processed, and then controls moved here and there to make it fit?
So - Whidbey - is it what I'm led to believe it is? I'll let you know.
So, I got two bluetooth dongles (Zeevo BT500 stack), plugged them in the old USB sockets and away we go... no?
Bugger. Bluetooth won't work with Server 2003. I did some searching and found Brian Desmonds blog on the subject, but the end result is - bluetooth doesn't work with Microsofts flagship product (which I love btw). Switch to XP Pr - install the software and way we go.. no?
No. The default installation all runs against the LAN 1 connection (of course I already have a lan, i'm a network dude fer crissakes) so with some tcp/ip tomfoolery, away we go.. no?
NO! If the client laptop is not positioned in the absolute correct position, then you lose the signal.
What I wanted was a cheap alternative to a wireless network. I figured - hey, Bluetooth, 10m connectivity, away we go. No. What you actually get is an upgrade to line-of-sight infra-red connectivity - its pants. If someone walks past the two devices, you lose it. Forget about closing doors or through walls - it no workee.
Upshot? Buy wireless. Bluetooth is useless other than for keyboards and mobile phones that are sat within 3inches of the damn host dongle.
Recently, on a list serv that I'm on (Uk webdevelopers - http://www.MsWebDev.org.uk/ ) we were discussing the ups and downs of being a developer. Money came up, as it does, and then the current high rates for contracting.
My own view is that is a short lived affair - and that it will happen less and less. My reasoning? .NET.
Microsoft have got it right now, and I mean properly right. Totally right. Well, maybe a couple of bugs here and there but if you can throw a datalist object back and forth like a tennis ball, in a proper object oriented fashion, and it makes no difference what language its in - surely someone somewhere should be saying "Ok, we give in.You win!"
So, companies are now happy to embrace the .NET framework into their business (or so it would appear from the recent demand for contractors).
However, will that demand last?
Will we see a return to the heady days of constant £500 a day contracts or will (as I suspect) expectations rise and therefore demands rise for increasingly complex web apps?
I dunno, cos I'm off out of it. .NET will be my hobby
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