PropertyBag from VBUG.net

PropertyBag - July/August 2007

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It’s been a while since my last rant and in that time a lot has happened, one of those things is that I became a father again. So, back to bottles, nappies and sleepless nights. No wait scratch that, sleepless nights are part of being a programmer.

So, hope fully we have some stuff this month that you’ll find interesting and maybe even take a look at.

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Competitive Advantage
Are you self-employed, or more appropriately an entrepreneur? Do you catch and bring home your own bacon? I know I do with my own development consultancy. However, have you ever considered what it is that makes your customers come to you? I know I do, I ask them. Why me? Just so I can find out what I do right, and maybe even do it better. Whatever you find out in the line is called competitive advantage. I have 3 companies whose products and services I use that I consider to be part of my competitive advantage. Firstly, Developer Express their Windows Forms components provide an interface that I have just been unable to match with any other vendor toolset, the next is a company called Virtual LNK, this company make icons and I am sure you are thinking that how the hell does an icon company form part of my competitive advantage. Well it’s easy, they make the most incredible products set of icons that are excellent for software developers. The have a no-nonsense licensing scheme and their products are exceptional. This enables my applications to look exceptional then to my customers. Lastly, I use a framework, yes ok well all use the .net framework, but I use another framework that sits on top of the .net framework. It’s called MM.NET and it pretty much cuts my development time by about 60%, which makes me look great to my customers. It also means my products get to market quicker, which means I get paid quicker. My final item is a bit different, it’s a company and they help me to build my brand. They design my letterheads, business cards and website. For the record they are called ReddishPink and they have done great things for my business. The very final item, is me, I have to be part of my competitive advantage, if I am not, what the hell am I doing? So, what’s your competitive advantage?

www.devexpress.com
www.virtuallnk.com
www.reddishpink.com
www.oakleafsd.com

So, do you need to bring VB6 and .net together?
There is still a lot of us who code in VB6, we have to. There’s too much code out there to just cast it loose. However, over time and as business allows this will be updated and converted to .net. For those of you needing to make them work together take a look at this Fusion site from MSDN. http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms364069(vs.80).aspx

VB and Silverlight
So, if you haven’t been on Mars or had your head in the sand for the last 6 months you must have heard about Silverlight. Well for the savvy on what Silverlight means for VB, check this blog out http://blogs.msdn.com/vbteam/archive/2007/05/01/vb-on-silverlight.aspx

VB9
Lots of talk about VB 2008, whatever it ends up being called. I am starting to wonder if TechEd might be a good show this year. The reason is I am thinking, and this is totally my own opinion is that things might just be launched there. There is always a downside to this in that MS have ‘launched’ products at Tech-Ed before, but you haven’t been able to get hold of them for 3 months.

VB9 does look like fun though. Lots more toys, perhaps easier and more efficient ways of doing things but LINQ is interesting. For the latest on VB9 check out Paul Vicks blog, Panopticon Central at http://www.panopticoncentral.net/archive/2007/06/27/21113.aspx

Automating Word 2007
Now, I work with Office fairly regularly. Automating Office has become somewhat easier with each generation. What I miss is the ability to make Word or a Word document PART of my applications. It now seems that you just can’t do this any more. I am prepared to be corrected by you experts out there. Anyway, just to get back on the rails, here’s a great article about making office work with VB http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb407305(VS.80).aspx

SQL Server 2008
So, Katmai finally has a release name and it is building on the strengths of SQL Server 2005. We have some details on what this next version has to offer. Check it out here http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-gb/sql/bb498264.aspx

.NET 3.5 Podcast
So, we just about get .NET 3.0 in the door and 3.5 is on the way. I think we all know that 3.0 was a bit of a marketing play, but what the hell. It’s an advance and that has to be good. So, we have a podcast here from Thom Robbins about the .NET framework 3.5. http://www.theserverside.net/news/thread.tss?thread_id=45985

DateTime anyone?
I think we have all had problems with datetime variables or calculations as one time or another. Well it seems we are soon to be provided with a new variable called the datetimeoffset. The details are here http://blogs.msdn.com/.../a-brief-history-of-datetime-anthony-moore.aspx.

So, hopefully you’ll find the above interesting. I will be back in September with more new and interesting stuff.

Regards

Geoff Hirst

geoff.hirst@vbug.co.uk

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