Thoughts about .NET. Thoughts about code.
Posted in Programming on Jul 7th, 2006
We all have our strengths and weaknesses when it comes to developing software. It’s widely known, for instance, that most developers are crummy at UI design or making their application look good. Some programmers, on the other hand, are really good at data structures and normalizing data for relational databases. I worked on a project [...]
Posted in Programming on May 28th, 2006
You need a picture or two for your next project mock-up.
You need it now.
You don’t want to pay a lot, it’s only a mock-up!
There are several websites that will sell you a nice, high-resolution image for cheap. Today’s find:
http://www.dreamstime.com/
Web licensing for as low as $0.74 per picture. They also give you seven free [...]
Posted in Programming on Apr 23rd, 2006
I am stunned at how many websites have absolutely dreadful credit card handling. Pathetic, unhelpful, and just wrong sometimes. I have a litany of gripes about existing sites. It’s embarrassing to be part of a group of software engineers that just can’t get the basics right.
Today’s example? United Airlines Easy Check-in page (see screenshot below). [...]
Posted in Programming on Apr 3rd, 2006
I’ve been saying for the last year that Microsoft would be including virtual services with Windows Vista. The first proof to surface is today’s announcement that Microsoft Virtual Server is now free. Is this because of the competitive offer from VMWare early this year? According to Ben Armstrong, Virtual PC PM, this is not the [...]
Posted in Programming on Sep 29th, 2005
AJAX, and more AJAX, that’s what we’ve been hearing about. Some call it the savior of the web application. Some say that it will kick Microsoft butt into oblivion. Web apps will be king, desktops are dead. Long live the king!
So you decide to look into AJAX and find out that it is a combination [...]
Posted in General, Programming on Apr 16th, 2005
When the original Design Patterns (GOF) book was published back in 1995 it defined 20+ object patterns. These patterns, the book argued, were standard ways to combine objects in order to solve common software problems. Fast forward to 2005 and it becomes apparent that more and more software companies are choosing to implement patterns. And [...]
Posted in Programming on Feb 25th, 2005
OK, I admit the title of this post is a bit misleading. The SQL Server 2005 Express edition will be free. The other versions are going to cost you $$$.
The important thing, from my perspective, is that Microsoft has started to reveal prices for products that are being released later this year.
Tom Rizzo, SQL [...]
Posted in Programming on Dec 27th, 2004
Sometime in 2004 Microsoft introduce a new bug-tracking website. The released it with little fanfare, which is a shame, because a common complaint about Microsoft is that they never share their open/close bug list to anyone outside of the company. This site is public and allows anyone to enter a bug or suggest a product [...]
Posted in Programming on Dec 27th, 2004
I use Virtual PC 2004 all the time. Virtual computers, which reside in memory instead of living on a single physical computer, are one the most useful tools you can have in your developer toolkit. I can’t work without them anymore. I’ll talk about how I use them on another day.
I found two great [...]
Posted in General, Programming on Oct 20th, 2004
Security is rapidly becoming uppermost in the minds of computer users worldwide. Whether it is someone deciding to beef up their own security or a slacker considering how to break your security the battle for protecting private assets is constantly escalating. Part of this new found determination for locking down computers is based on how [...]