Archives
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A Simple Error Trapping Utility
Brady Gaster took my implementation of error handling in VisualBlogger 2004 and turned it into a general WinForms error handling tool. It's a lot easier to use that the Exception Management Application Block. Check out ErrorTrapper on CodeProject.
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Curse You, Rob Howard!!!
I spent the past 2 weeks reverse-engineering the .NET Framework 2.0 so that I can get in-depth and understand how the Provider Model works. Then, I started adapting my knowledge to v1.1 of the Framework for VisualBlogger 2004. So then I get online today, and Rob Howard posted a new article on MSDN on the Provider Model, complete with a .NET 1.1 implementation in downloadable source code! AGGGH, Man, if I had this two weeks ago...
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Calling a WinForms app from another app?
OK. So I want to implement a new feature in VB2004 that I'm not ready to talk about yet. You may be able to infer what I want to do from the situation I'm about to describe, but I won't give any specifics until the next beta release. Here's what I need to do:
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VisualBlogger 2004 Beta 2 Status Report
I just spent the better part of 4 hours working on some major modifications to VisualBlogger. I heard your struggles, I felt your pain. I made configuration much simpler. Instead of using a config file for some global settings, I'm pulling from the registry. You should no longer get any errors when the application loads. The Configuration.xml file has been renamed to Blogs.config, and the default location is prespecified to be relative to the executable. Should make life TONS easier.
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Responses to some VisualBlogger Feedback
Josh, thanks for the feedback. I'll address them point by point.
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New VisualBlogger 2004 Beta Posted
I just posted a new build of VisualBlogger 2004. This build fixes the following issues:
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Some Notes About the VisualBlogger 2004 Beta
Just wanted to say a few things based on the initial feedback on VisualBlogger 2004 before I go to sleep. First off, PLEASE read the readme.txt file before starting to use the program. It has very useful information about configuration and known issues. If you get an error as soon as you run it, you haven't read the readme file very thoroughly.
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Announcing VisualBlogger 2004 Beta 1
OK guys, here it is. The moment one or two of you have been waiting for. The VisualBlogger 2004 Beta is finally available for download.
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FINALLY! The Help Integration Wizard Is Here!
Some of you may have noticed this, but a while back on MSDN, there was an article posted on this cool new toy called the Help Integration Wizard. A team at Microsoft had FINALLY made it dirt-simple to create an integrated VS.NET help collection, without making it ridiculously convoluted, aka the VSHIK.
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One Last VisualBlogger Test Post Before Beta
Testing a fix for a bug in .Text's category posting ability. There WILL be a be a beta before the end of the day tomorrow. I spent all day today tying up loose ends, and making sure that, in most cases, posts won't get lost. I also had to move some of the settings to an app.config file. I have a lot more work to do in the "Settings" capabilities, but that will have to wait.
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Inconsistencies in .NET 2.0 (Build 40301)
So over the past 48 hours, I've been really diving into the Framework 2.0, looking at how the Provider Model is architected and implemented. There is one point that kind of confuses me, and I'm hoping that since there are so many Microsoft voices here, someone can give me an answer.
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The Decentralized Nature of Microsoft
I got the monthly ServiceProviders e-mail newsletter today, and while I was skimming through it, at the bottom I caught this article:
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MS Provider Model Implementation Test Post
Working on VB2004 again, and I just moved the providers outside the main assembly, and I'm now using the Provider Model the way Microsoft intended it to be used. (I think). We're about to find out if I did it right. There were no compile-time errors, now lets see if there were any run-time errors.
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Neat ASP.NET Tip for Templating
At the AZDNUG Meeting tonight, Jason Beres of Infragistics gaveus a really cool tip for templating data repeaters based on a user profile or some other changable setting. Just create a separate user control that has your repeater template in it, and give it the name of your profile... something like "manager.ascx". Then, in the code behind of the page with the repeater, use this code:
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One Note SP1 Preview - NEW API Support
I was just reading last night about how people were wanting the OneNote team to open up the API. Well, ladies and gentlemen, here it is! Get more details on SP1, and download the preview today!
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ASU Going to Imagine Cup Nationals!
Vish just e-mailed me to let me know that his team (the winners of the Arizona State competition) took second at the Imagine Cup Western Regionals in LA, and they'll be going to Nationals on May 23rd. YAY! I'm so excited. I'm hoping to visit with him in the next few days and see how they progressed since the last time I saw their project. Congratulations guys, and good luck at Nationals!
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ASU Programming Competition
So I'm here at ASU, waiting for the students to start submitting their answers. With me are two people fresh from Redmond. Anand Vijay and Rowena Patrao. Anand is an SDET on the Exchange team, and Rowena is an SDET on the Windows Media Core Team - Setup. They graduated from ASU, and flew down from Redmond just for this competition. It's been fun talking shop while we're waiting. I love making new Microsoft friends. Maybe by 5pm they'll start blogging ;).
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Chillin with the Channel 9 Crew
While the MVP Summit officially ended on Wednesday, I took advantage of the opportunity and stayed in Redmond an extra day to meet with different people on campus about some of Interscape's endeavors. Wednesday night, I as lucky enough to stay with Jeff Sandquist and his family. Before heading back to his place, though, I got to hang out with Jeff, Lenn Pryor, and Robert Scoble. What followed was a rather unique experience: I was one of the only guys to see the Channel 9 team at launch + 24 hours. I just sat on Jeff's couch in his office, watching Jeff and Lenn respond to all the different conversations that were flying around the site.
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600th post, and OneNote coolness
For my 600th post, a rave about OneNote.
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Reserachers Develop 3-D Search Engine
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ComponentOne FollowUp
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Reflector for 2.0?
Anyone know of a tool a la Reflector that I can use to dive into to see the code for the .NET 2.0 assemblies? Need to start digging heavy into the Provider Model.
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Visual Studio 2005 CTP - Initial Observations
Well, since the Community Previews are publically available, I'm going to go ahead and talk a bit about my personal observations regarding the CTP DVD.
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Back from the MVP Summit
I got back from the Summit last night, after a very long and hectic week. Today is filled with meetings, catching up, and getting ready for next week. As soon as I get a chance, I'll respond to all the posts about my ComponentOne experience, talk about my overall experiences at the Summit, thank everyone that needs to be, and give an update on what the next month is going to look like. For now, I have to run. Gotta get my new laptop set up, and my new development network configured.
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Skype for PocketPCs - No More Roaming?
Skype announced today that they have released a version for the PocketPC called PocketSkype. It allows you to make free calls to any other Skype user on the peer-to-peer network. You can download it here.
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Another "I'm Off to the MVP Summit" Post
Yep, here I am . T-minus 6 hours and counting. I can't wait. I hear Microsoft is really rolling out the red carpet for us. Looking forward to getting to see some of my friends from PDC again. I have a killer camera this time, and I intend to take lots of pictures.
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Imagine Cup Competition at ASU & a Lesson for Life
So last week, I was the sole non-Faculty judge at the ASU Imagine Cup. Thanks are in order to Jason Beres and Jeff Julian for putting the INETA - Imagine Cup Matchup system in place. I went in with no real expectations, and had no idea how it was all going to work. What followed was some of the coolest stuff I had ever seen.
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ASU Student Programmer Gets Slashdotted
Anil Kandangath of Arizona State University was /.'ed today. I met him last week at the Imagine Cup competition. His friend Sushant showed me his graduate school project today, and I'll talk more about that a bit later this evening. After seeing some of the work that these guys did at that competition, I have a whole newfound respect for Indian programmers. More on that later this evening as well.
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McNealyisms - Thankfully not as hazardous as McCarthyisms
I was watching the video of MS and Sun this morning, and thanks to News.com, reading some McNealyisms, quips from Sun CEO Scott McNealy about former archrival and new Microsoft charity benefactor. FUNNY STUFF. My favorite, on Microsoft's efforts to entice developers: "You can take the offer from the dark side. The first hit of heroin is free." They missed the ones in my post from March 19, 2003, when I asked "someone get this guy his pacifier already“. Ironically, it was the first time I got Scoblized. Ah, the memories.
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Sun Eats Crow, Feathers Pass Without Incident
Today, Microsoft and Sun Microsystems announced a 10 year, 1.9 Billion (that's with a "B") deal that would put all litigation behind them. This comes on the heels of an announcement that Sun will lay off 3,300 employees, and that Sun's losses in the previous quarter were deeper than expected, around $800 Million.
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Longhorn Beta in 2005, XP Reloaded Clarified
Head on over to LonghornBlogs.com for an update on the Longhorn schedule, Windows XP Reloaded, and Windows XP SP2.
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A Word From BillG
This little blurb was missed by most of the news organizations covering Bill Gates' Executive e-mail this morning...
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VisualBlogger Beta 1 This Weekend!
I'm wrapping up the last features for the first beta of VisualBlogger 2004. Wanted to give a brief status report on where I am at, what features it has, and what features are left to be done before the final release.