ShawnVN's Blog

July's Mobile Ink Jots column is now on-line (yes I know, it's late August).  Learn about the Tablet PC's new support for running Ink in partially trusted CAS contexts:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnmobink/html/tbconmij3.asp

Most of this will be straightforward for anyone who's already deployed WinForms code, this way.  In a sentence: the Microsoft.Ink assembly now bears the [AllowPartiallyTrustedCallers] attribute.

Nevertheless, here are some highlights:

• Learn how (and why!) you should properly Dispose() of Ink resources, in the web page's onunload event.
• Learn some cool tricks for posting ink back to the server.
• Compare and contrast various options for supporting both Tablet and non-Tablet clients from the same endpoint.
• Follow lots of good hyperlinks to related articles by Chris Sells, Jay Allen, and of course the new Tablet SDK docs.

For those who've been wondering why my blog is so silent, it's because I've been busy writing content for the new Tablet PC Developer Center on MSDN.  My first column just went live:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnmobink/html/mij02.asp

I submitted that column over a month ago, referring to the release of XP SP2 in the future tense.  We had a pool going around the office, to see which would appear on-line first -- my article, or SP2.  It was a photo-finish!  Honestly, I'm not really sure which won.  SP2 isn't quite out to the public yet, but I think it did appear on MSDN subscriber-downloads before my column did...

Oh well.  The important thing is this: Windows XP SP2 includes a ton of enhancements for the Tablet PC -- not just security fixes, but a whole new user experience for handwriting recognition and correction.  No single screenshot can do it justice.  It must be experienced, to be believed.

Oh, and there's a bunch of stuff for developers to be excited about, too.  Like, the ability to collect and render Ink in partially-trusted security contexts (eg: web pages).  If you're into that, stay tuned for my next column...