Microsoft

Dynamic tests with mstest and T4

Victor Hurdugaci — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 17:30:10 GMT

If you used mstest and NUnit you might be aware of the fact that the former doesn't support dynamic, data driven test cases. For example, the following scenario cannot be achieved with the out-of-box mstest: given a dataset, create distinct test cases for each entry in it, using a predefined generic test case.

The best result that can be achieved using mstest is a single testcase that will iterate through the dataset. There is one disadvantage: if the test fails for one entry in the dataset, the whole test case fails.

So, in order to overcome the previously mentioned limitation, I decided to create a text template that will generate the test cases for me. As an example, I will write some tests for an integer multiplication function that has 2 bugs in it:

My Interview with Microsoft

Victor Hurdugaci — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:24:32 GMT

This post is for those who want to apply or have already applied (but not finished the interview) for a Microsoft Job. The recruitment process is quite similar for everyone and consists of a few steps.

Application
E-Mail Interview
Phone Interview
On Site Interview

I will tell you my story and how I went through the four phases.

1. Application

My blog's title (Ex Nihilo Nihil Fit) means "Nothing Comes Out of Nothing". You can't get a job at Microsoft by not doing anything - this is true for anything else. The first step you need to complete is the application process.

For this, many options are available. You can...

... apply online on Microsoft's Careers website as I did
... send your CV to different e-mail addresses (there are some dedicated e-mails for different positions)
... apply through some 3rd party organization (job shop, campus recruitment, job agency, etc)

On MS Careers you just have to post your CV and choose the job you want. That's all! No recommendation letter, no cover letter, no nothing. Of course, not every CV passes the selection process. Here are some tips for improving your resume (worked for me):

Don't write it just before applying! Write a draft version, wait a few days and then review it. This way you will find a lot of mistakes and stupid things you wrote initially. If you review it immediately after writing, your mind will not be criticism oriented and will just ignore mistakes. Repeat the write-wait-review process as many times as necessary, until you find that the review revealed no mistakes.
After you did the final review and the CV is bullet-proof, ask others to review it. They will definitely find inconsistencies and mistakes and this will make you feel stupid. This is good because will open your eyes will make you go into an 'I want to improve' mode. You'll try to correct everything. After you come up with a modified version go again through steps 1 and 2. Repeat this as many times as necessary. [Special thanks to Lucian Sasu, Nadia Comanici, Andrei Ciobanu, Monica Balan and Lavinia Tanase for reviewing my CV!]
Make it short and give only relevant facts. Initially, I come up with a 5 pages CV because I wrote every single technology with which I worked. There were a lot irrelevant things, I wrote Windows Workflow Foundation just because I played with it for a few days. I added extensive descriptions for every project, made a personal details section (name, birth date, address, etc) of 1/2 page. Others suggested to cut everything that was not necessary. You don't need to give extensive descriptions, just add a few words. For example, I wrote "VS Image Visualizer - Visual Studio 2008 debug visualizer for images" and added a link to the project's page - you submit formatted andcan embed links.
Add something that makes it different. I don't know if this makes a difference, but I added some lines to separate items just like in the picture below. Definitely Microsoft gets thousands of CVs per day. You need something special.
Don't lie! Tell exactly what you did and what is the proficiency level of your skills. For example, don't write "Advanced" for UML if you don't know the difference between composition and aggregation. Be realistic and don't under/over estimate yourself.
Use the spell chick. Make sure everything is written in correct English and there are no grammar/spelling mistakes. Noddy likes a WC with grammar mi takes. You mght fail just because of that.

Once you completed your CV, choose the job that suits best your needs, apply and wait... The waiting is a problem because all these big companies like Microsoft, Google, Mozilla, Apple, etc. will contact you only if they find something interesting in your application. If you're not suitable, then no rejection is sent.

I applied for an Intern Software Development Engineer position at Microsoft Redmond. I cannot apply for a full time position because I want to finish the master program on time, in the next summer - an internship is just what I need.

2. E-Mail Interview

January 20, 2010. Two months since I submitted the CV. I wasn't hoping anymore that MS will contact me, when I got an e-mail titled: "Victor Hurdugaci ES DK" from Holly Peterson saying:

1, 2, 3, 7!

Victor Hurdugaci — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:10:29 GMT

Today is a big day: Windows 7 is here

Office Live Apps

Victor Hurdugaci — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:57:17 GMT

I wrote on my main blog a small review for Office Live Apps - the Google Docs alternative from Microsoft.
Read the review

Microsoft unveils new controller

Victor Hurdugaci — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:49:37 GMT

Microsoft has unveiled its new control system for the Xbox 360 console, at E3 in Los Angeles.

Project Natal is a fully hands-free control system that will use face recognition and motion sensors to allow users to play games. Film director Steven Spielberg, attending the launch, said it was “a window into what the future holds”.

Basically it allows you to interact with the virtual world without using any controller at all. There is probably one or more webcams that capture movement and other sensors for voice and other forms of interaction. This is just a prototype and I don’t know if it will be possible to interact freely with the system or just under some constrains (light, body position, movement speed, correct language, etc); remains to be seen but it is fascinating.

It is so hard to describe it in words. You must see what it can do to convince yourself that this might be a revolution:

Read the rest of this entry >>

Windows Mobile 6.5 on Toshiba G900

Victor Hurdugaci — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:46:38 GMT

Before writing anything else I must warn all readers that changing the operating systems on your mobile will void the warranty. If the upgrade process fails the phone might be damaged and no service will fix that for free. Do it on your own risk and make sure the following list is satisfied:

Ask people about the ROM you want to install. Make sure it did not broke any phone.
The phone's battery must be at least 50% charged (better 100%)
Make sure you have and UPS. Or a laptop with good battery because if you cancel the process after it started the results might be unexpected.
Make sure the USB cable is firmly connect and is not broken!

I cannot be made responsible for any damages caused directly or indirectly by this article.

Read the rest of this entry>>

Software + Services. A Modern Approach. Part 2

Victor Hurdugaci — Mon, 18 May 2009 07:46:22 GMT

Part 2 - The idea

< Part 1 (Intro)

Contents:

A little more Live Mesh (CTP)
The Actors
The Modern Approach

1. A little more Live Mesh (CTP)

Today, online and offline tend to be two different approaches for building software. Most software companies offer either online or offline versions of their software.

If they somehow offer both then mostly sure one is a limited (reduced functionality) version of the other. Moreover companies tend to create a gap between the time when the offline and the online version gets updated. You always hear thing like "the online version does not yet support feature X that is available in the desktop version. Will be available soon". The bad thing is the soon might mean a couple of months.

Creating software that works the same way both online and offline is not a new idea but until not it would require a lot of overhead. There was the need to simulate either the offline environment online or the reverse.

Now, with Live Mesh, the online environment is simulated on the local machine with no overhead for the developer. The guys from Microsoft resolved this problem and they've simplified our lives.

There are some aspects that need to be clarified as pointed in Part 1 about online services and applications:

Read the rest of the article >>

Software + Services. A Modern Approach. Part 1

Victor Hurdugaci — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:01:42 GMT

Part 1 - Intro

Contents:

What is Software + Services
Azure Services Platform
Live Mesh

1. What is Software + Services

Over the past decade, the world we live in has been transformed by the Web. More and more people gain Internet access, services become more accessible and the experience is improving. There are a lot of advantages of using Internet services:

Low hardware requirements: services use the resources provided by the vendor and not the local ones. We only need devices capable of displaying the information that the service is sending. Most of the time no processing is done locally.
Device independence: a service can be accessed from any device connected the Internet. It does not require special privileges on the local machine and no installation is required.
No maintenance: services are maintained and updated by the service provider, the client must do nothing to configure it. The service is an out of the box solution.
Flexibility: we can change the service provider whenever we want. This capability creates new opportunities for businesses that can dynamically swap services and choose the one that matches their needs.

However there are still some limitations [...] Read the rest of the article >>