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2006

  • 1 min read

Baseline Architecture Toolkit (BAT)

The patterns & practices team introduces a new project, called Baseline Architecture Toolkit (BAT). It's a collection of carefully selected, designed, and integrated guidance assets which include:

  • Reference Implementations
  • Application Blocks (such as CAB and EntLib)
  • Hands-On-Labs
  • How-Tos
  • Guidance Automation Packages automating common tasks
  • Documentation bringing all the parts together and describing the rationale behind the key smart client design recommendations.

The toolkit provides an effective way for architects, dev leads and developers to create high-quality baselines for their smart client applications, addressing non-trivial design and development challenges. The toolkit will provide reusable assets, guidance and examples for solving those challenges in the most common scenarios. Also, the guidance will be open and customizable, so you will be able to adjust it to your specific needs.

There is a Smart Client Baseline Architecture Toolkit released on GotDotNet and it will be updated every 3-4 weeks and is based on the CAB.

On Channel 9 you can find 2 casts about Smart Client BAT:

  • 1 min read

Virtual PC

Here are some interesting blogs that are dedicated to Virtual PC

There are some fundamental features in Virtual PC that you really have to look at. For example differencing disks, see HOWTO: Use Virtual PC's Differencing Disks to your Advantage and you can also compress your VHD files, see Compact Your VHD Files.

Tip

On several keyboard layouts and for example on a AZERTY belgian keyboard you need the Alt Gr key for the backslash square brackets, etc. Inside Virtual PC the AltGr key doesn't work, therefore you can use an alternative for the AltGr key, which is Ctrl+Alt.

Update

There is a hotfix now for the AltGr problem.

  • 1 min read

Installing the Windows SDK January 2006 CTP

The Windows SDK - Janary 2006 CTP is available for download and can be used for developing WinFX applications (WWF, WPF & WCF). This page give you the several components that are needed for developing WinFX applications, these are:

When I tried to install the SDK, I received the message that the user has cancelled the installation. In the config file I had the following statements:

0:03:18 vrijdag 20 januari 2006: [SDKSetup:Error] Config_Products_Configure: Configuration of Product Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 2.0 (failed): User cancelled installation. 
0:03:18 vrijdag 20 januari 2006: [SDKSetup:Info] Config_Products_Configure: End configuration of product: Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 2.
0 0:03:18 vrijdag 20 januari 2006: [SDKSetup:Info] Config_Products_Install: End installation of product: Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 2.0 
0:03:18 vrijdag 20 januari 2006: [SDKSetup:Error] Config_Products_Install: Windows SDK Setup (failed): Installation of the "Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 2.0" product has reported the following error: User cancelled installation.

The solution was to simply remove the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 2.0 from the Add/Remove Programs in the control panel. After that the installation was successfull.

  • 2 min read

Windows Mobile SmartPhone with TomTom

For a long time I was thinking about purchasing a portable GPS device and I also wanted to replace my old GSM. One of the most popular devices is TomTom Go, but I felt it would be better to integrate both into a smartphone. TomTom also has a product called TomTom Mobile 5 that allows GPS navigation on your smartphone.

Therefore I bought the Qtek 8310 and TomTom Mobile 5 at PDAshop.be, I picked up the Navigation pack. The installation was easy, the only thing I had to do was to upgrade the TomTom software to TomTom Mobile 5.2 which can be found here, so that the software supports the Qtek 8310 which is the same as the i-mate sp5 (this must be chosen in the product upgrade). The TomTom package includes a mini-SD card which contains the TomTom software and maps that can be inserted into the smartphone.

qtek8310_3

I have to admit that everything works perfectly, the software is identically to the TomTom Go devices, there are no speed issues and the screen resolution is more than sufficient. Until now I didn't encounter any problems.

The smartphone itself has many many features, one of them is:

  • OS: Microsoft Windows Mobile
  • Quad-band GSM/GPRS / EDGE module
  • GPRS functionality
  • 1.3 Mega Pixels CMOS
  • Mini-USB plug (Slave USB, Power In)
  • Infrared IrDA SIR
  • miniSD Card slot
  • Bluetooth
  • WiFi
  • ActiveSync
  • MSN Messenger, IE, etc.
  • ...

And most importantly you can write .NET applications for your smartphone. If you download the Windows Mobile 5.0 SDK for Smartphone you get extra templates inside Visual Studio 2005 for writing smartphone applications.

Update:

projectsmartphone

  • 1 min read

SQL Code Coloring - The Microsoft way

Some years ago on a project I needed a usercontrol for code coloring SQL statements. At that time I reused a dll library that is used inside the query analyzer of SQL server. I wrote a little article about that topic, I think it gives some useful information about COM interop in .NET.