Connected Systems Chilled Out Blog

Apple closes iTunes account work-around

BizTalk Visionary — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:43:40 GMT

For many years savvy iTunes users have been setting up US iTunes accounts to not only get music, video and film at a reduced cost but also be able to get TV programs early. It has been one of the ‘legal’ ways of breaking the Sky monopoly.

That has all been stopped as Apple decides to maximize revenue. Previously a US account could be had by setting up an iTunes account and selecting the ‘No’ card payment option. Of course a US address was required and the purchase of iTunes US gift certificates thro’ ebay was needed.

The option was not a bug as previously reported by other commentators but the need to allow children the option of downloading without having to use an adults credit card. This is now been stopped. The argument is simply setup a paypal account for the child and do it that way.

At a stroke Apple has now pushed 1000’s of users previously paying for music, film and TV towards the world of Bit Torrent and the illegal non-paying exchange of such items.

This strikes me as madness in today’s world where I can purchase CD’s, Videos and the like and have them shipped to the UK.

Well done Apple!

Lord of the widgets!

BizTalk Visionary — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:54:35 GMT

This web page from Sprint takes web widgets to the nth level. It most certainly is one page to rule them all!

Lord of the widgets!

What’s wrong with MS cloud?

BizTalk Visionary — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:32:15 GMT

Very simple answer:

The Name: Azure… no one at Microsoft can agree as to how to say Azure!!!

Save money for Christmas in the UK

BizTalk Visionary — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 07:07:25 GMT

The process is simple:

Get paid for the things you buy anyway

Same shops. Same prices. Just extra cashback.

Create your free MirrorCashback account
Login and click on our links before visiting the shops
Buy from the retailer as usual
The retailer validates your sale and pays us
Once your earnings reach £25, we pay the money into your bank account or Mirror Quidity prepaid card

Use the following link:

http://www.mirrorcashback.com/refer.php?referrer=502404

Reading XPS files using Firefox 3.X

BizTalk Visionary — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 08:43:56 GMT

Microsoft have provided and excellent standards agreed format called XPS. Vista comes ready installed with an XPS viewer for XP you can download it. The issue is if your preferred browser is Firefox you will not be able to view XPS files.

The solution is simple:

Download the IE tab addin for Firefox
Install it
Then the clever bit open options
Set up a URL thus: /^file:\/\/\/.*\.(xps)$/
Jobs a good ‘un.

Now if you click on and XPS file Firefox will open and IE tab and load it!!

Oldies but goodies: Default Office formats

BizTalk Visionary — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 07:13:02 GMT

After upgrading to Microsoft® Office 2007 is the default for all documents is the .???x format for example new Word documents now end in .docx instead of .doc.

Although the new file type offers many improvements over the old one, it can be troublesome to use if you work with many people that have older versions of Office. There are workarounds available from Microsoft, but it's usually easier just to send them something you know they can open.

One way to solve the problem is to simply change the default file format to the previous Office formats. In the case of Word 2007 that’s to DOC.

To do this go into Word 2007 and click the Office Button | Word Options | Save | Save files in this format | Set this to "Word 97-2003 Document (*.doc)" and click OK.

For Excel and it’s the same principle.

More from PDC 2008

BizTalk Visionary — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 07:26:53 GMT

Microsoft code name “Geneva”, an open platform for simplified user access based on claims. This release consists of three components: Geneva Framework for .NET developers, Geneva Server for IT Pros, and Windows CardSpace Geneva for users.

Find out more here

Windows Azure Resources

BizTalk Visionary — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:57:48 GMT

Here are links to a number of resources for Azure…

Windows Azure Datasheet

Windows Azure Services Platform Datasheet

.Net Services datasheet

SQL Services datasheet

Live Services datasheet

Windows Azure Resources

BizTalk Visionary — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:50:32 GMT

Here are links to a number of recourses for Azure…

Windows Azure Datasheet

Windows Azure Services Platform Datasheet

.Net Services datasheet

SQL Services datasheet

Live Services datasheet

Azure!!! Microsoft’s cloud

BizTalk Visionary — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:26:20 GMT

So the secret’s out!

Microsoft’s Cloud will give us a number of key aspects.

First is the foundation or Windows Azure, this can be seen as the cloud OS but is much, much more than that. It is an infinitely scalable Computation, Storage and Management system providing hyper-visor powered virtualization for cloud hosted apps be it web or otherwise.

Next we have the application building blocks or Azure services. Here we find the gestation of BizTalk services and SQL data services. We have .Net services covering the service bus, workflow and access control (federated identity and more). Next along we have SQL services today giving us database, data sync and reporting with ETL, reference data and others hot on its heels. And then we have Live services the Mesh, Contacts and Calendar functins and again more to come.

The future promises Sharepoint and CRM services as building blocks to add even more to the mix.

And finally sat on this is and will be Microsoft’s own application offerings of Sharepoint online, CRM online, Office Live and Windows live.

This is a major future gamble for Microsoft and as such the other announcements this week almost act as supporting acts – take the example of ‘Oslo’ introduced as part of the cloud message allowing users to model on and off premise.

This is a great start to an exciting PDC. My only concern is that Live services feel a little like an aftr though or blot on…

Head in the cloud

BizTalk Visionary — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:21:58 GMT

I have recently been invited to join the Microsoft Cloud Advisory group and have just spent the last week at an SDR getting to understand all the wonderful cloud stuff. Unfortunately I'm under NDA until PDC but it is looking good.

On the topic of the cloud and BizTalk I came across a blog by Lori MacVittie (http://devcentral.f5.com/weblogs/macvittie/archive/2008/10/06/how-microsoft-is-bursting-into-the-cloud-with-biztalk.aspx)

that really has got it all wrong. The blog talks about BizTalk activities in the cloud and orchestrations and on but has missed the point completely.

Microsoft in their infinite wisdom named their cloud messaging and workflow technologies BizTalk Services. In fact they have nothing to do with BizTalk!!! They are based on the Windows Workflow foundation and the Windows Communication foundation. No it is true that we will/can be able to host our workflow's in the cloud, and use the Internet service bus it isn't and never will be BizTalk. I cannot do transformations, having adapters and accelerators coming out my ears and the like and I will not/am not able to use BPEL in the cloud - the underlying language of BizTalk orchestrations.

After PDC this will become a lot clearer!

Technorati Tags: Cloud,BizTalk

BizTalk 2009 - The next version.

BizTalk Visionary — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:18:05 GMT

Following on from BizTalk Server 2006 R2 released on October 2, 2007,Microsoft has been working on BizTalk Server 2006 R3. In a recent announcement Microsoft renamed it to simply BizTalk Server 2009. It is scheduled to be released in the first half of next year. A first community technology preview (CTP) has already been sent out to select BizTalk customers, and a second public CTP will be available later this year at PDC.

Oliver Sharp, general manager of BizTalk Server, stated that BizTalk Server 2009 will be a full release of the product that takes advantage of Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008, SQL Server 2008, and .NET Framework 3.5:

In particular the platform updates enable greater scalability and reliability, new Hyper-V virtualization support, and many advances in the latest developer tools. BizTalk Server 2009 also delivers some of the top features that have been requested by our customers, including a new UDDI v3-compliant services registry, new and enhanced LOB adapters (Oracle E-Business Suite, SQL Server), enhanced host systems integration (updates to MQ, CICS, IMS, CICS), a new Mobile RFID platform and management tools, enhanced B2B capabilities (updates to EDI, AS2, SWIFT), enhanced developer and team productivity through ALM integration with Team Foundation System and Visual Studio, and a new release of ESB Guidance 2.0 patterns and practices.

Sharp also stated that the customer base for BizTalk has doubled over the past four years and laid out Microsoft's goal for BizTalk Server releases: approximately two years apart, with service packs in between. Every full BizTalk Server release will integrate the previous major release with the latest service pack and new functionality. Microsoft has now posted a roadmap for BizTalk for now and the future.

Technorati Tags: BizTalk,Microsoft,BPM,ESB

IE8 Beta 2 - Extraction Failure when installing

BizTalk Visionary — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:10:27 GMT

Just wasted a few minutes trying to install the latest and greatest beta of IE8. Kept receiving the very unhelpful message: "Extraction Failed"

And then the penny dropped - simply Run As Administrator!

Technorati Tags: IE8,Install failure,Extraction failed

Introducing Zermatt

BizTalk Visionary — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:17:53 GMT

Nice article by Sebastian Iacomuzzi: Intro to ZZermatt.

Zermatt is a set of .NET Framework classes. It is a framework for implementing claims-based identity in your applications.

When you build claims-aware applications, the user presents an identity to your application as a set of claims. One claim could be the user’s name, another might be an e-mail address. The idea here is that an external identity system is configured to give your application everything it needs to know about the user with each request she makes, along with cryptographic assurance that the identity data you receive comes from a trusted source.

Microsoft announces Zermatt!!

BizTalk Visionary — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:59:10 GMT

“Zermatt” is the codename of a .NET framework that helps developers build claims-aware applications to address challenging application security requirements using a simplified application access model. It is currently in beta, and the first final version is expected towards the end of this year. This framework consists of a comprehensive set of libraries that facilitate the use of "claims" in applications - in Microsoft's words: make them "claims-aware". This greatly simplifies the development of applications that will work within federated environments and the new identity metasystem technology that Microsoft is developing, and will give a push to adoption of the new identity technology.

Download the bits of the Beta of “Zermatt” Developer Identity Framework.

Apple news: iTunes and APP store

BizTalk Visionary — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:40:09 GMT

OK for those who like it first....

The new version of iTunes is ready to download. It includes all the hooks for the new iPhone and version 2.0 software release and of course APP store.

App store is hidden at present but you can get to it by searching for AOL AIM in the store search then 'backing out' to App store. Here you will find all the goodie apps for free download or paid download.

Remember you still need version 2.0 of the software to run these!!

Technorati Tags: iPhone 2.0,iPhone 3G,APP store

Browser Memory Hogs......

BizTalk Visionary — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:08:24 GMT

Have a look at the following investigation by Sam Allen.....

"The author developed a program to snapshot memory usage per process every 3 seconds on Windows. Using this he recorded 3 hours of memory usage for five different browsers under real-world usage scenarios: Safari 3.1, Firefox 3, Flock 1.2 (a browser based on Firefox 2), Opera 9.5, and Internet Explorer 8. A million data points indicate that Firefox 3 has a surprising advantage over the other browsers tested. These are real-world tests and not contrived benchmarks."

Technorati Tags: Firefox,IE,Opera,Flock

Review: SlickEdit

BizTalk Visionary — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:07:51 GMT

SlickEdit is one of the old school editors that has survived the wonder world of the new IDE. Version 13 has just been released and it continues to blur the boundaries between a simple text editor and a fullblown IDE. While there are no visual form designers and other such wizbang graphics, what you get is an editor that you can use for many development tasks, including building, running, and debugging complete applications.

Ten versions down the road, and we now have almost too many features to list, but let's hit a few of the highlights. You get multiple windows and configurable everything, with colour-coding for all the languages your heart could desire. There is also a variety of language-specific indentation, auto-completion, and code prettification functions designed to save you typing while making your code look right. Add in a slick diff and merge tool, integration with loads of source code control systems (Subversion support is new in this release), searching that lets you use regular expressions or skip strings or comments (or limit your searching to strings or comments, for that matter) or what ever. You get a C-based macro language and just about any keyboard shortcut man (or woman) can imagine. And then there is built-in class and definition browsers making it super-easy and super-fast to jump to parts of your code. So overall SlickEdit is very fast; if you're used to waiting for an IDE to churn, you'll be pleasantly surprised with the responsiveness here.

From there, move on to the actual coding stuff. For example, you can open up a Visual Studio .NET solution directly in SlickEdit v13, build or rebuilt it, run it, even debug it with a full selection of watches, single-stepping, and other advanced debugging features. If you're working in C++ you also get a whole mess of refactoring features in the editor. Java developers get new support for Java Live Errors and the Hot-Swap Debugger (essentially edit and continue for Java), plus the ability to run JUnit tests from within the editor. The user interface has also been modernized from previous versions, with slicker icons and dockable windows for a more modern feel.

If you want to take the program for a spin, there's a trial available for download.

Find it here....

Review: SlickEdit

BizTalk Visionary — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:42:41 GMT

SlickEdit is one of the old school editors that has survived the wonder world of the new IDE. Version 10 has just been released and it continues to blur the boundaries between a simple text editor and a fullblown IDE. While there are no visual form designers and other such wizbang graphics, what you get is an editor that you can use for many development tasks, including building, running, and debugging complete applications.

From there, move on to the actual coding stuff. For example, you can open up a Visual Studio .NET solution directly in SlickEdit v10, build or rebuilt it, run it, even debug it with a full selection of watches, single-stepping, and other advanced debugging features. If you're working in C++ you also get a whole mess of refactoring features in the editor. Java developers get new support for Java Live Errors and the Hot-Swap Debugger (essentially edit and continue for Java), plus the ability to run JUnit tests from within the editor. The user interface has also been modernized from v9, with slicker icons and dockable windows for a more modern feel.

If you want to take the program for a spin, there's a 15-day trial available for download.

Find it here....

SharePoint Log on nags

BizTalk Visionary — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:43:35 GMT

If you keep getting nagged for log ons when using sharepoint this will solve the problem almost 100% of the time. The trick is to use the Windows managed Stored username and password feature. To access this,

1. Simply go into Control Panel
2. Click User Accounts
3. Go into Managed Passwords and click Add
4. Type the URL of the server (without HTTP), for example portal.us.com
5. Enter your credentials and click Ok

Now anytime Windows attempts to access ANYTHING on this server it will use the use those credentials and your prompting issue should go away.

The downside to this is if you change your password, you need to remember to come change it here.

Technorati Tags: SharePoint,MOSS 2007,Vista Tips