My buddy Bill Wagner of SRT Solutions has got quite something to be proud of here: a Hungarian edition of his book, Effective C#. Being unable to read so much as a word of Hungarian, I can't vouch for this one. But I highly recommend the English version!

My brother-in-law Carl led me to check out the latest news from Windows Automotive. It looks like the software now supports the .NET Compact Framework. That means that, when I can get ahold of one of these, I know how to program the car. Eeeevil ideas are brewing. Heheheheheeeee...

My brother-in-law Carl led me to check out the latest news from Windows Automotive. It looks like the software now supports the .NET Compact Framework. That means that, when I can get ahold of one of these, I know how to program the car. Eeeevil ideas are brewing. Heheheheheeeee...

It will be, if this guy (story linked by eWeek) gets the Republican nomination:

A public interest lawyer who is also intending to run as a Republican in the 2006 Illinois gubernatorial race is taking his fight to Microsoft in hopes of preventing the company from releasing what he calls "bad code."

Andy Martin of The Committee to Fight Microsoft on Tuesday announced his intentions to block Microsoft from releasing Windows Vista. Martin intends to ask Microsoft for an unconditional warranty that the operating system is free of bugs that could result in security vulnerabilities.

When Mr. Martin, a trial lawyer with a bit of an Ahab complex when it comes to Microsoft, writes and releases a single secure application that survives assaults from thousands of hackers the world over, then I'll take his opinions on software seriously.

But I think the Illinois Democrats will have to get by without my contribution. Despite being insane enough to nominate Alan Keyes in 2004, I can't imagine even the Illinois Republicans will nominate Mr. Martin for dogcatcher, much less governor. I think his positronic brain needs ajustment, so he can understand how the real world works.

Richard Hale Shaw continues his Moving Away from C++ to C# series:

You might ask: ok, if we don’t need them, then why are pointers still supported in the C# language? The answer is that pointers were retained for the purpose of accessing legacy code (calls to API methods or COM interface methods) that take pointer parameters or return pointer values.

A related concern is that some legacy hardware actually still demands particular addresses. I don't see this much in the traditional PC world, but I still see it in automated manufacturing systems built around PC hardware. Those people have a "good enough for the 1980s" view of computer technology.

(Full disclosure, in case it wasn't clear from the header of this blog: Richard is the agent for my UML courses, all of which are run through the Richard Hale Shaw Group, which also offers high quality intensive training on a wide range of .NET topics, as well as on XML and other topics. And as I announced recently, we've got a Tablet PC programming course coming up in Boston. (And yes, that was a shameless plug.))

Moved to the top because it's marketing, ya know? It doesn't make sense to let your marketing messages scroll off the cliff...

Well, I can now announce the big news: The Richard Hale Shaw Group will be holding a Tablet PC BootCamp at the Microsoft offices in Waltham MA, created and taught by yours truly. This will be a hands-on class for C# and VB.NET programmers, running November 1-4.

If you're planning or considering a project using Tablet PCs, this is the class for you. I'll teach you easy ways to get productive with Tablet programming quickly; but then I'll take you beyond the easy stuff, and into the real power of the Tablet API. Check out that course description.

But we'll do more than just program the Tablet PCs. We'll also discuss what makes a good Tablet PC app (or a bad one), and we'll discuss design considerations for Tablet development. (Given my perspective, there will inevitably be some UML creeping in there, too.)

We're still finalizing details, so registration won't open until next week. This will be a BYOT (Bring Your Own Tablet) class, but we're hoping to have a few rental units, too. I'll announce details when we have them.

Like all RHS Group classes, show up prepared to work, to be productive, to learn a lot, to have great food, and to have great fun!

UPDATE: Like all Richard Hale Shaw Group classes, this one is also available at your site. You can train a busy development team all at once, and save money in the process! Contact Richard for details.

Moved to the top because it's marketing, ya know? It doesn't make sense to let your marketing messages scroll off the cliff...

Well, I can now announce the big news: The Richard Hale Shaw Group will be holding a Tablet PC BootCamp at the Microsoft offices in Waltham MA, created and taught by yours truly. This will be a hands-on class for C# and VB.NET programmers, running November 1-4.

If you're planning or considering a project using Tablet PCs, this is the class for you. I'll teach you easy ways to get productive with Tablet programming quickly; but then I'll take you beyond the easy stuff, and into the real power of the Tablet API. Check out that course description.

But we'll do more than just program the Tablet PCs. We'll also discuss what makes a good Tablet PC app (or a bad one), and we'll discuss design considerations for Tablet development. (Given my perspective, there will inevitably be some UML creeping in there, too.)

We're still finalizing details, so registration won't open until next week. This will be a BYOT (Bring Your Own Tablet) class, but we're hoping to have a few rental units, too. I'll announce details when we have them.

Like all RHS Group classes, show up prepared to work, to be productive, to learn a lot, to have great food, and to have great fun!

UPDATE: Like all Richard Hale Shaw Group classes, this one is also available at your site. You can train a busy development team all at once, and save money in the process! Contact Richard for details.

Moved to the top because it's marketing, ya know? It doesn't make sense to let your marketing messages scroll off the cliff...

Well, I can now announce the big news: The Richard Hale Shaw Group will be holding a Tablet PC BootCamp at the Microsoft offices in Waltham MA, created and taught by yours truly. This will be a hands-on class for C# and VB.NET programmers, running November 1-4.

If you're planning or considering a project using Tablet PCs, this is the class for you. I'll teach you easy ways to get productive with Tablet programming quickly; but then I'll take you beyond the easy stuff, and into the real power of the Tablet API. Check out that course description.

But we'll do more than just program the Tablet PCs. We'll also discuss what makes a good Tablet PC app (or a bad one), and we'll discuss design considerations for Tablet development. (Given my perspective, there will inevitably be some UML creeping in there, too.)

We're still finalizing details, so registration won't open until next week. This will be a BYOT (Bring Your Own Tablet) class, but we're hoping to have a few rental units, too. I'll announce details when we have them.

Like all RHS Group classes, show up prepared to work, to be productive, to learn a lot, to have great food, and to have great fun!

UPDATE: Like all Richard Hale Shaw Group classes, this one is also available at your site. You can train a busy development team all at once, and save money in the process! Contact Richard for details.

From The Earth To The Moon reports that Buzz Aldrin has released a children's book on space travel. (They also continue to advertise a deluxe DVD edition of From the Earth to the Moon, the stunning miniseries from Tom Hanks. Drool...)

Dotfuscator and James Avery's book get a mention on Slashdot.

Speaking of books, Bill Wagner reviews Keith Brown's .NET Developer's Guide to Windows Security. "As I said at the top of this review, “The .NET Developer’s Guide to Windows Security” should be required reading for every .NET developer."

And speaking of James Avery, he got asked about blogs and RSS in a job interview this week. Hey, James, I hope that doesn't mean you'll take a new job out of town before I show up next month!

Tablet PC Buzz links to this Channel Insider report on unexpectedly high demands for the new ThinkPads, including the new ThinkPad Tablet PCs. "The ThinkPad Tablet has sold so fast since its introduction that Lenovo quickly ran out of stock and is now working to catch up, he said. The product, intended for vertical markets such as health care, has caught on in the mainstream marketplace, he said."

Howard Lovy takes a hiatus from his blogging hiatus to post outtakes from his Wired story on nanomedicine and cancer. These are parts that were cut for space, but they add nice depth to the overall article. I hope Mr. Lovy finds full-time employment soon, so that he can spare more time for blogging on nanotechnology.

Julie Lerman points out The Regulator, a regular expression testing and learning tool. RegEx has always frustrated me, since it seems to be very powerful yet is incredibly poorly documented. And no one seems to be able to recommend a good book on it. Instead, I hear, "Read chapter such-and-such from that O'Reilly book on SED," or something like that. The Regulator looks like a great help. Thanks, Julie! And thanks, Roy Osherove, for writing it. (Julie also experienced a tornado recently. We have a family friend who was trapped when her house was collapsed by a tornado, and I've had tornado-phobia my whole life. A post like Julie's will give me nightmares tonight. Thanks, Julie...)

Chris from PowerBlogs (my blog service provider; and yes, I'm very pleased with the service) reports that reports are working again. That will be good, because I haven't actually seen reports since I signed up. Now lest you think that's a complaint, I entirely understand the reasons why: Chris was away on his honeymoon; and unlike some people I know, he actually stayed away from tech for the duration. (Actually, judging by the timing, Chris was setting up my account somewhere right in the middle of last-minute wedding stuff.) I look forward to checking out the reports.

Sam Gentile posts on the power of blogs. "So what's the message? An investment in reading quality bloggers every day will increase your knowledge and make you a better Developer/Architect/Marketer, and also your own blog could do wonders for your career and exposure."

me: under a microscope (found via Eric Maino) struggles to balance school and work and like. At that age, I thought it would get so much simpler when I could drop school out of the mix. Sorry to tell ya, bud, but it only got more complicated. Keep working on your balancing skills. They'll serve you well.

Mike Swanson posts on the new WinFX, as well as other new stuff. Mike also bucks the trend in ironic, imaginative, and generally silly blog names, with "Michael Swanson's Blog". I respect that.

hack-a-day links to a robotic drum set that would make Herbie Hancock proud. (And if you don't get the allusion, you must not have spent the early 80s letting MTV rot your brain.)

Thom Robbins points out some new Sharepoint application templates. Some day, I'll understand what that means...

Patrick at The Tablet PC in Teaching & Learning asks about a tool for using Ink in IE. A commenter links to IE Ink 2004, which lets you Ink on any Web page and then save a local copy. I'll have to try that out. Patrick also points out a new Tablet PC commercial from Microsoft, aimed at the education market. This ad almost makes me want to go back to college!


UPDATE AND SHAMELESS PLUG: And And since there's Tablet PC information in this post, Richard Hale Shaw would have my hide if I didn't recommend our new Tablet PC BootCamp.

From The Earth To The Moon reports that Buzz Aldrin has released a children's book on space travel. (They also continue to advertise a deluxe DVD edition of From the Earth to the Moon, the stunning miniseries from Tom Hanks. Drool...)

Dotfuscator and James Avery's book get a mention on Slashdot.

Speaking of books, Bill Wagner reviews Keith Brown's .NET Developer's Guide to Windows Security. "As I said at the top of this review, “The .NET Developer’s Guide to Windows Security” should be required reading for every .NET developer."

And speaking of James Avery, he got asked about blogs and RSS in a job interview this week. Hey, James, I hope that doesn't mean you'll take a new job out of town before I show up next month!

Tablet PC Buzz links to this Channel Insider report on unexpectedly high demands for the new ThinkPads, including the new ThinkPad Tablet PCs. "The ThinkPad Tablet has sold so fast since its introduction that Lenovo quickly ran out of stock and is now working to catch up, he said. The product, intended for vertical markets such as health care, has caught on in the mainstream marketplace, he said."

Howard Lovy takes a hiatus from his blogging hiatus to post outtakes from his Wired story on nanomedicine and cancer. These are parts that were cut for space, but they add nice depth to the overall article. I hope Mr. Lovy finds full-time employment soon, so that he can spare more time for blogging on nanotechnology.

Julie Lerman points out The Regulator, a regular expression testing and learning tool. RegEx has always frustrated me, since it seems to be very powerful yet is incredibly poorly documented. And no one seems to be able to recommend a good book on it. Instead, I hear, "Read chapter such-and-such from that O'Reilly book on SED," or something like that. The Regulator looks like a great help. Thanks, Julie! And thanks, Roy Osherove, for writing it. (Julie also experienced a tornado recently. We have a family friend who was trapped when her house was collapsed by a tornado, and I've had tornado-phobia my whole life. A post like Julie's will give me nightmares tonight. Thanks, Julie...)

Chris from PowerBlogs (my blog service provider; and yes, I'm very pleased with the service) reports that reports are working again. That will be good, because I haven't actually seen reports since I signed up. Now lest you think that's a complaint, I entirely understand the reasons why: Chris was away on his honeymoon; and unlike some people I know, he actually stayed away from tech for the duration. (Actually, judging by the timing, Chris was setting up my account somewhere right in the middle of last-minute wedding stuff.) I look forward to checking out the reports.

Sam Gentile posts on the power of blogs. "So what's the message? An investment in reading quality bloggers every day will increase your knowledge and make you a better Developer/Architect/Marketer, and also your own blog could do wonders for your career and exposure."

me: under a microscope (found via Eric Maino) struggles to balance school and work and like. At that age, I thought it would get so much simpler when I could drop school out of the mix. Sorry to tell ya, bud, but it only got more complicated. Keep working on your balancing skills. They'll serve you well.

Mike Swanson posts on the new WinFX, as well as other new stuff. Mike also bucks the trend in ironic, imaginative, and generally silly blog names, with "Michael Swanson's Blog". I respect that.

hack-a-day links to a robotic drum set that would make Herbie Hancock proud. (And if you don't get the allusion, you must not have spent the early 80s letting MTV rot your brain.)

Thom Robbins points out some new Sharepoint application templates. Some day, I'll understand what that means...

Patrick at The Tablet PC in Teaching & Learning asks about a tool for using Ink in IE. A commenter links to IE Ink 2004, which lets you Ink on any Web page and then save a local copy. I'll have to try that out. Patrick also points out a new Tablet PC commercial from Microsoft, aimed at the education market. This ad almost makes me want to go back to college!


UPDATE AND SHAMELESS PLUG: And And since there's Tablet PC information in this post, Richard Hale Shaw would have my hide if I didn't recommend our new Tablet PC BootCamp.

(And no, I'm not apologizing for any disturbing images that title may elicit.)

...Craig Errey (referenced in this post) kindly sent me a link to more of their essays that are worth some attention.

Now let me say up front that all of these essays have a bit of the self-serving and self-promoting about them. Well, guess what? So does this blog. Get over it. With very rare exceptions, no one makes a living writing tech essays. (Tech news is a different matter; but I've heard tell that even that's scarcely a living for most practitioners.) Most people who write tech essays have at least a secondary motive of promoting their goods and services. The writers hope to impress you so much with their ideas that you'll want to become a customer. If you ignore all tech essays with any self-promotion, you're going to miss most of the good stuff that's out there. Instead, you should read the essays with an eye for the good content and a second eye for "OK, this part is self-promotion." And then if the content impresses you, go back over that self-promotion a second time. Maybe you should be a customer of someone that smart.

Well, there's definitely some good content in these essays, and I would like to call it to your attention. I'm really intrigued by what I read of their approach to analysis and design. I was going to do some capsule reactions and responses to their essays; and I will, but not today. Family business has cropped up, big time, and I need to put this post to bed. So suffice it to say: I endorse most of what they write, plan to expand upon some of what they write, and disagree with a point here and there. But if I were looking for a development shop in Australia, PTG would be high on my list.

(And in the interest of full disclosure: Mr. Errey and I have exchanged exactly two messages regarding his possible interest in Tablet UML. I do not believe that has colored my opinion of their essays, but you have a right to know of any potential bias I may have.)

(Hey, there's a reason why this bog has no "Humor" category...)

Richard Hale Shaw has a series of posts on moving from C++ to C# (with guest comments from Charles Petzold).

Here are my favorite quotes from the series so far:

Most C++ developers who object to considering C# will say that the latter leaves them without the power, control, and performance that they need. But I hope to show that – outside the context of communicating directly with hardware – the power and control of C++ are a myth, and the features that give you that power and control are exactly the ones that leave you without power (and far less control) debugging your application at 3am (when you could be having a life). Richard

In one sense, it was easier to understand exactly what C++ classes were because we had long experience with structures and we knew precisely what structures were (how they were stored in memory, how to use pointers to structures, etc). And yet, once I started to use classes in any serious way, the whole paradigm collapsed. I'd start off defining a class, and then using it like a structure to declare an variable, but inevitably I'd realize that I really needed to be carrying around a pointer to the object, and so I'd have to go through the code changing periods to dash angle brackets, and everything else involved in such a conversion. Charles

I look forward to more in this series.

(Full disclosure, in case it wasn't clear from the header of this blog: Richard is the agent for my UML courses, all of which are run through the Richard Hale Shaw Group, which also offers high quality intensive training on a wide range of .NET topics, as well as on XML and other topics. And as I announced recently, we've got a Tablet PC programming course coming up in Boston. (And yes, that was a shameless plug.))

Joe Kunk has a lot to say on VB.NET (as well as .NET and other topics).

Joe Kunk has a lot to say on VB.NET (as well as .NET and other topics).

So it's Sunday night. Well, technically Monday morning, since it's after midnight. And I'm online, and working. But a look at Windows messenger tells me most of the geeks I know are offline (or cloaked).

All except for one: Eric Maino, former GVSU student, now Microsoftie (on the C# team), just popped online. Now folks who know Eric know that he makes most of us obsessive geeks look pathetic. With a razor sharp mind, a bubbly personality, a zeal for technology, and the boundless energy of youth (Eric's a hair more than half my age), Eric's a one-man technology whirlwind. Some days, I feel like experience is the only edge I have on him.

But tonight, I think he has taken the tech obsession just a little too far. See, Eric has the habit of modifying his Messenger ID to tell where he's at or what he's up to. "Eric (working)". "Eric (skiing)". Like that. So look how he identified himself tonight:



I believe Eric's wedding was a little more than a week ago. Eric, buddy... It's OK to shut down the machine for a while. Really. The code will still be there later.