-
-
I wish the Weblogging community could adopt some general convention for referencing posts on other Weblogs. Personally, I evolved a format like this: [Don Box: XML eclipses COM]. It allows me to cite source and content in a single link. I would prefer to use a standard format that we all would recognize.
I frequently get annoyed when I see bloggers grab links without crediting their origins. In most cases, I think people just want to share good information and that we have not given them an adequate tool for giving credit where it is due.
-
-
I was relatively blown away by [Don Box: XML eclipses COM] and, was definitely over-awed by [Dilip Kumar: The XML Family of Specifications: The Big Picture]. How naive we were when we thought XML was simple and cool!
What I most enjoyed in Don's post was his "... rough pass at the "kernel" I couldn't imagine living without (and why)." When learning any new language, I find it immensely helpful to learn basic core skills that will let me get the job done. Later, I can expand my knowledge and elaborate my understanding; but, at the beginning, one is well-advised to stick to basics and to learn fundamentals.
Thanks to Don for reminding us of this!
-
-
Sam Gentile has summarized the essentials of using the Microsoft .NET Framework's support for Enterprise Services. He makes it seem so simple.
-
-
Python-enabled RSS readers and parsers appear to be in abundant supply. Some include useful source code. These days, you *rarely* need to reinvent the wheel.
Peerkat:
EffNews RSS Reader:
Mark Pilgrim's RSS Parser:
Usage exampes:
Pears (uses wxPython for its GUI):
If you need something for Linux with Gnome, check Straw:
http://www.nongnu.org/straw/
Then, of course, there is the ubiquitous:
You can easily find free source code for C#, Java, and other languages, as well.
-
-
The new FxCop version is up at the FxCop Team site at GotDotNet.com, including versions for both the 1.0 and 1.1 versions of the .NET Framework.
FxCop is a very handy code review tool. Even should you elect to ignore the "rules," you are well-advised to at least know them. While I certainly do not agree with all of the Microsoft .NET Framework Design Guidelines (I wish they would have talked with more of us Smalltalkers, first, particularly about casing), I will certainly follow most, if not all, of them because I would like that others be able to read and maintain my .NET code. If you do not want to have to memorize all of the rules before writing code, then at least use FxCop to help you "learn by doing!"
In adition to the GUI version, FxCop.exe, the distribution includes a command-line version, FxCopCmd.exe, and offers instructions for including FxCop checks automatically into your build process.
Oh, and you can add and manage your own rules with the included SDK.
Although you can ignore rules during analysis, FxCop is definitely a tool not to be ignored.
-
-
I am exploring a new enterprise information management tool, Multicentrix, which is conceived by one of its designers as "a multidimensional virtual mindmap represented by lists and XML documents." It is an interesting approach and worth examining. In a previous incarnation, Multicentrix was known as InfoMap but has evolved substantially from that point of origin. Multicentric Technology Sdn Bhd, the company responsibile for Multicentrix, has kindly made its product available to members of the Minciu Sodas Laboratory, which is "an open laboratory for serving and organizing independent thinkers."