Anyway, no time for inane ramblings, on with the show.

Sponsor Message: Pegasus Imaging
Looking for a .NET imaging control to create a document imaging or photo software application? ImagXpress v8 by Pegasus Imaging offers the ability to create thumbnail images, view and convert various file formats (like TIFF, JPEG2000, and Camera RAW), and scan documents through an advanced TWAIN interface.

Enhance the quality of scanned documents using binarization, auto deskew, despeckle, border crop, line removal, blank page detection, and a “preserve dark” feature to enhance detail on thumbnail images. Automatically detect and correct red eyes in photos, support alpha channels, and automatically enhance the colour of photos. Find ImagXpress and more at www.pegasusimaging.com/vbug.

You can check them out yourself at http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-gb/vstudio/bb265237.aspx and http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/..../sp2.mspx.

SQL Server Express
Are you looking to learn SQL Server Express, or perhaps move to it because a client has moved to Windows Vista and you can’t run MSDE any more? Well there are some excellent learning resources for this at http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/sql/learning/default.aspx.

These resources comprise of 12 videos of around 25 minutes each in length that are a real database development 101. One thing I have noticed of late is that Microsoft are offering ‘benefits’ if you register your use of SQL Server Express.

Compact Edition
Finally it’s no longer a CTP. It’s the mobile edition of SQL Server and you can get the full SDK right here.

Carbonite
So, have you ever lost any data due to a hardware failure or perhaps you lobbed something into the bin you wished you hadn’t? Carbonite is an online backup system that uses your internet connection to securely backup the files you choose. By default it does documents and settings, but with a simple right click, a whole folder can be added. The really neat thing is that a carbonite icon appears in my computer, and you can see exactly what has been backed up. Now for the crunch, Carbonite state that the backup is unlimited, which I was really sceptical about. Yet this seems to be true. Anyway, don’t take my word for it, check it out at http://www.carbonite.com/aff/001--IMG:23

You can get a 15 trial which you DON’T have to pay for in advance.

Windows Vista
So we have had the official Vista release with us for a little over a month, have you upgraded?, are you going to?, does it bring anything that remotely interests you? I would be interested to hear your feedback if you can be bothered. I’ll put the results into a report for the next propertybag.

I must admit that I think that the presentation of Windows Vista is outstanding. However what has concerned me is that at the time of release, the flagship operating system, was not supported properly by Microsofts flagship development tools. Visual Studio requires SP1 and then another hotfix, which is a CTP if my memory is any good today. Not very confidence building. I am sure they will bring it all together, but if you really are at the bleeding edge of this stuff, is it causing you issues.

Orcas
So we now have the latest CTP of the next version of Visual Studio. Maybe this will be 2007, who knows. You can get it here as always, if you install this, you do it at your own risk. Best advice is a virtual machine.

This version has all the toys like LINQ. I must admit I haven’t come across a benefits list for VB developers. Plenty for the sharpers though. Maybe this means that C# is catching up with VB in this edition.

For those of you who know Paul Vick, who is the VB.NET product manager at Microsoft, his blog, www.panopticoncentral.net has some brief details of what VB.NET.NEXT will have for us.

Have a look and see if XML literals, Type inference and anonymous types float your boat.

Dig up that old chestnut
So, are you a rock solid VB developer? Do you still feel ‘inferior’ to those C# guys out there? This article at TheServerSide asks, is VB the Rodney Dangerfield of languages? Now, I guess Rodney Dangerfield is some kind of significant US citizen and please excuse my ignorance because I have no idea who he is and google time is short. However, go take a look and add your 2p worth at: http://www.theserverside.net.

Ribbons
So, have you got Office 2007 yet? The interface for Word and Excel is spectacular. Mainly because it’s different, initially it will be a love it/hate it. It has done what they intended however and made things easier to find. This is called discoverability in the marketing meetings that occur. How easy is it to find those features that you thought were really cool, but are buried 3 menu’s deep and 2 dialogs in.

Personally, my view on the ribbon is that it works great for document centric applications. I think Microsoft kind of know this too, as they haven’t bothered with the ribbon for Outlook 2007. They haven’t bothered with it for Publisher either and that is a document centric application, so I could be talking complete rubbish, or it may just be that I am the only user of Publisher and so it wasn’t worth adding the ribbon just for me.

Have you tried adding a ribbon to your own applications? Did it work? What did your clients think? I have this worry that it just won’t work right with database applications. I would love to be proven wrong, but I get the feeling that it is definitely for applications that make documents. This is why it works so well with Word and Excel.

What do you think? Do you care?

DotNetRocks
I was a keen listener until I started my own software consultancy, then time just disappeared out the window. I no longer made the rail journey into Edinburgh where my listening took place. I occasionally listen to some music while developing but it’s not the norm. So, DNR has taken a back seat, that is until recently. I decided that I was becoming insular. I wasn’t aware of what was happening that could change development for me, that is other than that thing that cuts about 50% off my development time for my customers, but if you think I am telling you what that is without significant amounts of cash coming my way, then ha!.

DNR is still there and it’s still great. There have been a number of podcast programs come along on the tails of DNR success, even the fabulous Hanselminutes and MillahSeconds (seems to have been canned now!), both produced by Carl Franklin of DNR. If you have never been there, go take a look:

• www.dotnetrocks.com
• www.hanselminutes.com
• www.dnrtv.com

I have had a few Murach books of late, and they are really good. Do you want to master SQL ? Integrate with the CLR? Then you need this book. It’s really easy to read, not to brain clogging and it explains with realistic examples as it goes.

You can get it here http://www.compman.co.uk/. If you sign up with Computer Manuals, they periodically send you discount vouchers.

The one that got away.
I was going to tell you all about eFormStudio and eFormWizard from ieg4 this month. However, time has progressed and work has got it the way and I want to give you a real insight into this product and what I think of it. Those of you, who know me, know that I am a Windows Forms kind of guy. However, when something comes along that enables even me to make what looks like a half decent attempt at a web application that I wouldn’t be ashamed to put in front of a customer, then that has to be worth talking about.

If you want to take a look yourself, go along to www.ieg4.com. If you want more information maybe even a demo copy to play with, then contact Christian at the VBUG Office.

Wrap Up
Well I guess that’s just about it for another couple of months. Remember, we need your involvement to make VBUG great. If you just want great value, then fine VBUG does that already, however if you have got something to say, drop me a line at geoff.hirst@vbug.co.uk. Even if it’s just to tell me to shut up and stop writing propertybag. I do reserve all rights to ignore those kind of comments. ?.

Have a great developing time and see you in a couple of months.

Geoff Hirst