Memi.Reflection

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VS 2005 - The road to the (Dark | Client) Side

While toying around with Beta 1 of the VS 2005, I found myself get intrigued more about the client side apps new features, rather than the new web features.

Specifically - I really don't find the new Datasource controls of much help. Since no one (I hope) is going to put an SQL DataSource on an ASPX page, and the Object DataSource is simply thin layer of coupling form fields and object properties (a feature which was developed by almost every IT shop using .NET), and since most of the new server controls can be found as third party controls, usually with better features, for more than two years, I really couldn't make myself excited about this.

BUT - the new Visual Studio Tools for Office definitely caught me. The first version of VSTO was, IMHO, wrong step in the right direction. I mean - common, why do I need to implement 26(!) methods in an applet-like fashion just to display a single button in the task pane? But the new version is really good. To have the word designer integrated directly into the VS designer - yes, this is how things should be done! A real masterpiece.

Furthermore - the ClickOnce mechanism is another revelation. Now there is really no real reason to develop a web inter-organization application.

I guess my focus will have to shift from web based to (office | winforms) based application in the near future.

Good thing we still have Java, which has no any other viable alternative to the web...

Posted: Sep 18 2004, 08:43 PM by memi | with 4 comment(s)
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Comments

Avner Kashtan said:

Just a short comment about VSTO - the 26-method interface hell was NOT VSTO, but rather the Smart Documents framework. I definitely agree with you - it got you nice results but at a cost of most of your sanity and frayed nerves.
The first version of VSTO enabled you to write code-behind code in C# or VB.NET and attach it to the same document events that VBA code could respond to up until now.
VSTOv2 encompasses the abilities of Smart Documents into the (much more convenient) VSTO context, rather than continuing the rather kludgy and annoying Smart Document framework.
# September 18, 2004 5:23 PM

Alex Hoffman said:

Let's just hope that .NET is actually on those machines to take advantage of ClickOnce.
# September 18, 2004 5:53 PM

Ian Griffiths said:

Believe it or not you don't need .NET on the target machines to take advantage of ClickOnce.

With .NET v1.x this is a requirement if you want to use href (aka 'no touch') deployment. But since this is such a sticking point, Microsoft have developed a solution with ClickOnce that enables .NET to be deployed automatically.

It's part of a more general 'bootstrap' mechanism. ClickOnce is able to feed any number of prerequisite packages out to the client machine before giving out the application itself. The .NET redistributable is simply one of these.

Obviously for this to work, the end user needs to be able to run the install as an administrator, and they have to elect to do so. There's no getting around the fact that the machine owner's permission must be obtained in order to install the .NET framework.

But assuming the user is willing, ClickOnce is able to make that happen.
# October 9, 2004 3:08 PM

VS 2005 - The road to the (Dark | Client) Side said:

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# November 27, 2007 2:26 AM
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