2010
Microsoft has released Visual Studio 2010 Feature Pack 2.
Microsoft has released Visual Studio 2010 Feature Pack 2 which includes Microsoft Test Manager to capture and playback action recordings for Silverlight 4 applications.
Architecturally how dead is Silverlight?
I can't speak for the money men and women. Only time will tell how much damage was done to the image of Silverlight. So far in my camp it has been a 50/50 split. One project still a go, one cancelled.
Silverlight is Dead, Long live HTML 5??? Really? HTML 5
Personally PDC bored me to death (until Bob did his interview). I didn’t go, that may have kept me awake during the Keynote. I do not need to pay 5K a year to maintain a software license just so MS can help me develop HTML 5. EVERYONE will be doing that.
Are you a .NET development shop, or a Microsoft development shop?
I am not sure if the market has clearly stated that there is a difference between being a Microsoft shop and a .NET shop. I watch a lot of places try to decide which way to go without realizing they are actually making the choice.
SOA with .NET and Windows Azure Book Review
This book is a must have for anyone that wants to know what Microsoft technologies have to offer to accomplish Service Oriented Architecture.
Professional Application Lifecycle Management with Visual Studio 2010 Book Review
This is a pretty sweet book. There are a ton of features in Visual Studio 2010 and Team Foundation Server 2010. This book does a great job of covering all of them that are related to Application Lifecycle Management.
The Decision Model: A Business Logic Framework Linking Business and Technology Book Review
This book is a very interesting read. It is about a new type of modeling called the decision model. The decision model has the potential to add great value to the software development process. It is intended to bridge the gap between the business users and the technical team on any given project.
2009
Sticking it to the Man, Our Day will Come
As I look out across the industry at what companies are doing to employees, at least in IT, what I see disgusted me. Many companies are not refusing to pay because they can’t; they are refusing to pay because they want to take advantage of the current economy. Fear is holding employees prisoner to job conditions they normally would have never seen.
Enterprise Service Oriented Cloud Agility (ESOCA) will save the day
The best of breed from the software industry has been combined into a new way of doing application development.
Technical Interviews and Interviewers that Suck and how to Avoid Them
Over the past 6 to 9 months I have interviewed with quite a few companies. The current economy has created a few new breeds of interviewer, breeds our field could do without.....
.NET Security and Hacking Tool Belt - Tools, Books, Videos, and Sites
There are a ton of tools and books out on security and hacking. I have listed some of the tools, books, videos, and sites I keep in my security tool belt....
Microsoft .NET RIA Services May 2009 Preview Available
Microsoft has released the Microsoft .NET RIA Services May 2009 Preview.
Software Architecture: Foundations, Theory, and Practice Book Review
I recommend this book for the beginner, as well as the experienced, software architect. It is a must read.
2008
Will the Microsoft VSTS 2010 Architecture UML tools be used by the Development Community?
As happy as I am to see them going with UML, I am hoping the grapevine is wrong, and that the tools are not exclusively for the VSTS 2010 Architecture versions. I am afraid if that is the case, they won't be getting used very much at all. At least not in the environments I have been in lately. .....
SEI Architecture Expert (ArchE) tool Version 3.0 is Available
The SEI Architecture Expert (ArchE) tool is a design assistant that helps architects explore architectural designs driven by quality attributes. ArchE shows the architect proposals for improving the current architecture and allows the architect to decide on the best alternative.
....
Do NOT install SQL Server 2008 RTM if ...
Do NOT install SQL Server 2008 RTM if you do not have the room on your C drive for all of VSTS 2008 and SP1.
If the software I depend on to build software can not be built to be installed correctly, there is something wrong. SQL Server was months late, of course that is 99% a marketing issue Microsoft has, but that should not become our problem.
They recall food with bacteria, they should recall this mess...........
Download the Software Tools Featured at MIX08
Attendees at MIX08 were provided with copies of developer tools and a fast download location to grab newest copies of the software. Now most of these tools are available for free download!
The list includes:
Expression Studio Beta
Expression Media 2 for MAC
IE 8 Beta
IE 8 Virtual Machines
Expression Blend 2.5 Preview
Deep Zoom Composer
Silverlight Tools Beta 1 for Visual Studio 2008
Silverlight 2 SDK Beta 1
ASP.NET MVC Preview 2
ASP.NET server controls for Silverlight
ASP.NET 3.5 Extensions Preview (December 2007)
MIX08 Sessions
The MIX08 sessions are now available online.
Sparx EA 7.1 beta 2 and MDG Link 3.5 beta 1 for VSTS 2008 Available
Sparx has released Enterprise Architect 7.1 beta 2 and MDG Link 3.5 beta 1 for Visual Studio 2008.
Cool Links IV- .NET 3.5, Architecture, AJAX, UML, EPF, Patterns, GOF, VSTS 2008, WPF, Silverlight, SQL 2008, XAML
This is the fourth installment of cool links. It includes links on .NET 3.5, Architecture, AJAX, UML, EPF, Patterns, GOF, VSTS 2008, WPF, Silverlight, SQL 2008, XAML, SPARX EA, Visio, Seam Carving, New Books, FXCop, etc.
Moving Up the CMMI Capability and Maturity Levels Using Simulation
My team is currently in the process of purchasing simulation software for use with process engineering. This paper's release was perfect timing for us to show what we are trying to achieve with the new software.
2007
Software Engineering Radio- Podcast for Software Developers
If you haven't checked out Software Engineering Radio lately, you may want to. There are some pretty cool episodes available.
New pattern & practices Guidance Bundles Available
There are 2 new Guidance Bundles available from the Microsoft patterns & practices team.
SPARX Enterprise Architect Add-in: SpEAd (formerly EA Utilities)
An add-in for Enterprise Architect from Sparx Systems to improve productivity, particularly when maintining existing diagrams.
Cool Links III- .NET 3.0, 3.5, Acropolis, TFS, AJAX, Visual Studio 2008, CAB, WPF, Silverlight, WCF, SQL Server 2008
I posted a few sets of links a few months ago. Here is another list. There has been a ton of new info to keep up with. Topics - .NET 3.0, 3.5, Acropolis, TFS, AJAX, Visual Studio 2008, CAB, WPF, Silverlight, SQL Server 2008, Architecture, WCF, LINQ, MVP, Repository Factory, etc...
