Robert McLaws: FunWithCoding.NET

I'm working on an article (well, one of several that I am currently working on) about how to handle versioning in .NET. This is sparked by several threads about handling Framework versions, and my experiences with Xheo beta testing their components. Paul Alexander and I have a great relationship in regards to the software we write. Neither one of us has fully taken advantage of the situation we created for ourselves, but hopefully that will change in the very near future.

Talked with Joe Feser today. Man what a freat guy. He's a frickin smart guy too. Informs me that he's finishing up the next version of VB XML Comments Creator (I think it needs a new name tho =) ). Yes, that's my logo for GenX.NET in the corner. I need to clean that logo up a bit and send him a better copy.

In further thinking about GenX, I wanted your opinion. Do you think that a .NET utility that has nothing to render should still have design-time support? Personally, I don't think that it should, but I've been wrong before and I'd like to hear what you think. Please send me an e-mail or leave me some comments and tell me what you think.

In my ever-continuing quest for knowledge, I have been toying with an idea in my head about rewriting GenX.NET (my flagship ADO.NET Exporter component) to make better use of the OOP techniques that .NET has to offer. This would be the third major rewrite of the component. The first time I told Brady Gaster about it, he said "Why not use an Interface?" For Brady, that kind of thing is a no brainer. He used to program Java for Wells Fargo, and now he's probably one of the greatest C# coders I've ever seen. The way he cranks the stuff out just boggles the mind.

Courtesy of my hereos, those guys who redefine bleeding edge, you can now add WMI to the Server Explorer in VS.NET 2003. Gosh, ANOTHER reason to switch??!? I dunno... <wincing> I think I should stick with 2002.

Consultancy.... R.I.P.? ZapThink seems to think so, at least, according to News.com. Well, I am construing it just a bit. What they actually said is that, with the advent of Web Services, consultants have to focus less on getting systems to communicate, and more on, God forbid (or Allah as the case may be) Business Process Rearchitecture. This is long overdue in my opinion.

What kind of sexy are you?

 he he he ;). Yep, that's me :).

I'm not going to put any more effort into trying to solve the "framework compatibility" problem that was discussed, because after talking with some people over at MS (thanks RobH and Scott Louveau) I've decided to stand by my original statement. The only responsible thing that control developers should do is have a build for each version of the Framework. I don't want my 1.1-compiled app trying to run on 1.0, and you shouldn't either. You want to give your users the best experience possible, and by only providing one version, you are not doing so. I will blog about a few possible solutions that MS suggests within the next day or so, but I agree with them and their recommendations.