The Lanham Factor

Why I Love Microsoft Development

Brian Lanham — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 13:30:45 GMT

I've been writing software for a while and recently had an opportunity to broaden my horizons and start developing for iOS. We decided to leverage, as much as possible, our existing skills and use MonoTouch and MonoDevelop by Novell.

For those of you who do not know, Mono is a .NET port originally designed for Linux but adapted for other platforms as well. MonoTouch is a port specifically for building iOS applications using the .NET framework. MonoDroid is a port (in CTP-esque release) for Android.

A MISSING COMPONENT - VISUAL DESIGNER

MonoDevelop lacks one very significant component compared with other tools I am using: NO VISUAL DESIGNER. Instead of using an integrated visual designer, MonoDevelop shells to the Mac OS "Interface Builder". Since MonoDevelop lets me have a "Visual Studio-esque" feel *and* I get to use C#, AND it's FREE, I am gladly willing to overlook this. In fact, it's not even a question. Free? Sure, I'll take it with no Visual Designer.

In my experiences I've grown from UNIX and DOS to .NET development through many steps. Java/JSP/Servlets; Windows; Web; etc. I've been doing .NET for quite a few years and I guess I just got "comfortable" with the tools.

WHY AM I NOT GETTING IT?

Interface Builder (IB) is amazingly confusing for me. I had the opportunity to speak at the Northern VA Code Camp on 12/11/2010. My presentation was "Getting Started with iOS Development using MonoTouch and C#".

At the visual design part of the presentation, I asked one of the 3 or 4 Mac developers in the room about my confusion with the IB. I don't understand why the "Classes" list includes objects. I don't understand what "File's Owner" is. And, most importantly, WHAT THE HECK IS AN OUTLET AND WHY IS IT NECESSARY?!?!?"

His response to these question (especially Outlets): "They did it wrong."

I'm accustom to a visual designer that creates variables for graphical widgets for me. Not IB. Instead, I have to create "Outlets" manually. I still do not understand why and, the explanation from a seasoned Mac developer is that it's wrong. (He received nods of confirmation from the other Mac devs in the room.)

I LOVE MS DEV

I love development for Microsoft platforms using Microsoft development tools. I love Windows 7. I love Visual Studio 2010. I love SQL Server. Azure, Entity Framework, Active Directory, Office, WCF/WF/WPF, etc. are all designed with integration in mind. They are also all designed with developers in mind.

Steve Ballmer recently ranted "It's the developers!" That's why it is relatively quick to build apps using MS tools. Clearly, MS knows that while we usually enjoy building technology solutions, we are here to make money. And we need tools that accelerate our time to market without compromising the power and quality of our solutions.

So, yeah, I am sucking up I guess. But I love Microsoft Development. Thank you, Microsoft, for providing the plethora of great development tools.

P.S. (but please slow down a bit…I'm having trouble keeping up!)

An IDE that pushes PHP Apps Directly to Azure

Brian Lanham — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 18:37:47 GMT

I read the Andrew Binstock editorial in the latest issue of SD Times, "PHP debuts, Delphi returns, and C++ tapers off". At first, based on the title, it didn't seem worth reading. But it's short and it was half-time at the soccer match, so...

I didn't realize that Embarcadero purchased Delphi (among other items) from Borland years ago. They just released RAD Studio XE (http://www.embarcadero.com/). As mentioned, it supports Delphi XE, a few other interesitng and powerful tools, and RadPHP XE.

This is an interesting IDE in that it has built in support and tools for:

testing
static code analysis
metrics dashboard
visual build tool
widgets for REST transactions
Facebook interaction (FML?)
Google Maps.

What really piqued my interest was this feature (quoting from Binstock): "Cloud platforms are also integrated, with app deployment available to Amazon EC2 and Microsoft Azure directly from the IDE."

Yes, it's not the typical PHP developers IDe in that, well, it isn't free. But the ability to publish directly to the cloud (a la LightSwitch) has a lot of potential to extend the Azure market to include PHP shops.

iPad Experiences So Far

Brian Lanham — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 01:52:23 GMT

I bought an iPad on Labor Day at the Apple Store in Greensboro, NC. I blogged about my stored experiences with some interesting feedback. I'd like to share my experiences with the iPad thus far.

Hype

Yes, the iPad is hyped. But it is REALLY REALLY COOL! I admit it...I love it. I bought the least expensive version because I anticipated using it only for development. It's linked to Exchange, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Wikipedia, College Football scores, etc., etc. And I find myself using it a lot. I sit with it, keep it close with me in the house to quickly respond to questions about my schedule, research definitions, look for recipes, and so on.

I find myself disappointed in locations with no WiFi as I do not have a 3G version. That's how much I've enjoyed using it. I want to use it everywhere. It has a small profile that is easy to carry. I have a Lenovo Tablet Netbook but I find myself enjoying the iPad more for portability, battery life, and form factor.

Price

Despite how wonderful I think it is, I believe it is overpriced. The case alone is $40. No keyboard comes with it. I type very fast (about 105 WPM) so I am significantly slower with the on-screen keyboard. Additionally, it is a consumption device (thanks Chris Atienza for that word). I would want to write this blog post, for example, with the on-screen keyboard. So, for a consumption device, I think the price is too high.

Apps

The apps are fine in general. They are what I expected. EverNote, specifically, has been pleasantly surprising. I used it at a recent conference with much appreciation. The voice recording feature was suprisingly robust. I love have Exchange calendar and mail there. I don't do any productivity with it because of the aforementioned missing keyboard.

Usage

I have developed two specific usage styles based on the iPad form factor. 1) I have taught myself to use the keyboard in a way that works for me. 2) I have learned to take notes more efficiently. This is the best aspect of using it. Because of the keyboard situation, I take care to only note what is important to me.

Summary

It's cool, overpriced, consumption-oriented, and I really like it. So, while I think it's overpriced, I wish I'd spent the extra $130 to get a 3G version so I could quite literally use it almost everywhere.

Microsoft Mid-Atlantic Community Leadership Summit Notes

Brian Lanham — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:37:50 GMT

I had the pleasure to attend the Microsoft Mid-Atlantic Community Leadership Summit at the Microsoft Training Center in Reston, VA on Saturday. Due to logistics I was uncertain if I would be able to attend. Many thanks to Jess for enabling me to go and participate. It was a very beneficial event. There were a lot of smart people with great experience contributing good ideas to better the Microsoft development community.

We started by introducing ourselves. There were around 40 in attendance so this took quite a while. It was great to see some known faces (David Makogon, Kevin Hazzard, Kevin Griffin, Kevin Israel, Andrew Duthie, Dr. Z) and to meet some new faces (Rich Daly, Lance Wulfers, Pete Brown, etc.). It was also nice to put a face with a name (Hal Hayes).

Large Events

Dux Sy (Twitter: @meetdux) talked with us about hosting large events. He had a lot of good information based on his experiences with SharePoint Saturday events (recently hosting 1,200 attendees!). Some notes I took are:

Don't be afraid to ask for lots of money.
Get local media such as TV stations to advertise the event.
Clearly define roles and responsibilities and treat it as a business project.
A Vendor Track was offered for platinum sponsors. This meets the spirit of "no vendors" by clearing identifying that these sessions are "sales pitches" while at the same time making sponsorship much more attractice.
Liability - There was a lot of discussion regarding liability. Dux learned that local law enforcement needed to be hired for events with this many attendees. There were several discussions on liability and the need for insurance.
Recruiting may be a "problem" for some companies. Lance Wulfers noted that he has met some companies that emphatically do NOT want their developers attending. Ultimately, I think this is not something to worry about and many attending seem to feel the same way.
Code of Conduct for speakers should be defined. Additionally, signing a Code of Conduct may be prudent.
Lead Time: 5 months

Event Notification and Management

We discussed event notification and management specifically around Community Megaphone, and Kevin Griffin's (@1kevgriff) Mid Atlantic Developers Mail List. Andrew Duthie (@devhammer) offered some information that Community Megaphone is receiving a lot of traffic. Ultimately, no decisions were solidified regarding the centralized management of event listing and broadcasting but people are thinking heavily about it. I learned several other techniques for attracting attention to events.

Speakers/Sponsors/Marketing/Membership/Attendance

We discussed issues leaders encounter regarding speakers and sponsors and attendance. We ultimately agreed that there are several common issues affecting these.

Basics - Get back to basics. Have more introductory sessions, more beginner topics and speakers, more "soup to nuts" sessions.
I am considering a presentation series to demonstrate "soup to nuts". This will be logistically challenging but may attract repeat attendees.
Use "appetizer" presentations. I have read on this but never thought it a good idea until Saturday. Several leaders suggested this technique and described positive experiences. This helps reach a broader audience, and it helps cultivate new speakers.
Hold "new speaker" workshops to mentor new speakers. Separate these workshops from the regular meetings.
Volunteers - Ask specific people to perform specific tasks instead of the general "does anybody wanna?".

Summary

Ultimately, it was a really wonderful experience. I think the community will benefit from these types of engagements periodically. Thanks to G. Andrew Duthie for arranging it and thanks to his family for helping! I'm glad I was able to attend and I am excited to start implementing some changes based on what I learned.

Altoona Area .NET User Group - First Meeting!

Brian Lanham — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:29:44 GMT

I am excited to pass along that the Altoona Area .NET User Group will have their first meeting in September!

September 21st, 2010 6:00 - 8:00 PM; Link Computer Corporation, Bellwood PA (Bing Map)

Topics

Review the Central PA .NET User Group Code Camp
Roundtable Discussion on How Members are Using .NET
Formulate LinkUp Presence / Strategy
Plan Topic/Time/Location for Next Two Meetings
Eat Pizza

SWAG - I have it on good authority that there will be SWAG from Telerik, ComponentOne, and fellow User Groups!

I used to live in Altoona while attending Penn State. I recently returned to visit and started talking to the guys up there about starting a group. We have been working for several months and it is taking off nicely!

My Apple Store Experience

Brian Lanham — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:49:46 GMT

Today I bought an iPad at the Apple store in Greensboro, NC. No, it's not what you think. I have a client discussing with me some ideas for iPad applications. (I'll be buying a MacBook Pro soon, too.)

General Store "Feel"

I found it very interesting that they were relatively chaotic in the store. No one greeted us upon entry. It was relatively difficult to distinguish the employees from the patrons. The employees wore blue t-shirts with the Apple apple logo on the front. They did wear name badges around their necks on lanyards but these were non-descript and almost invisible. In fact, I never was able to read a name on any employee's name badge. No other distinguishing identifiers were worn by any to identifying them as employees. A few wore Apple hats but with no consistency and with no differentiation from Mac-olytes (not my term) in the store.

We moved toward the back of the store stopping occassionally to get some assistance with no luck. We then turned and moved toward the front of the store where, as it turns out, there was a greeter. He was holding an iPad with, what appeared to be some scheduling / assignment software. However, he was slow to get to us while "helping" another patron. When he finally got to us, he took no notes, used no technology to find assitance, etc.

Where's the Tech?

In additiona to the iPad, he wore a headphone in one ear which appeared to be a communication device for use in finding team members that are available. However, it was never used. Also, and this is the really interesting part, the iPad was never used...not once.

An associated did come around and she was extremely helpful. I knew exactly what I wanted (needed) and had no questions. Jessica had a few really good questions that I had not considered. I was grateful that she thought of them and asked. Also, I had not thought of a case for it and the associated suggested I look. I did buy a case but nothing else.

iPhone Attachment Credit Card Reader - Really Cool Technology

Then I paid...with a credit card...that she swiped using her iPhone. Apparently, there is an attachment that allows them to swipe credit cards and optionally email or print (or both I guess) receipts. I think this is an extremely cool feature. I was somewhat confused at the availability and simultaneously lack of use of technology. But this...well this was just cool.

Flames Bursting

I did, jokingly, mention that as a Microsoft .NET developer I was concerned I might burst into flames. She had a great sense of humor and joked right along with it. She was professional yet casual. I heard recently of another person receiving some "attitude" from an Apple store employee but I did not experience that today.

All in all, a surprisingly disappointing experience but it worked out okay in the end.

NCTC Fall Gala 2010

Brian Lanham — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:35:02 GMT

I attended the NCTC Fall Gala last night at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center. My company just joined and we sponsored a table. Chris Atienza and his wife as well as Jessica Taylor attended with me. I immediately ran into some people I worked with in the past and started a conversation discussing mobile development. That was a good conversation and may lead to something interesting.

At the table we met Anne Giles Clelland, the president of Handshake Media, Inc. They have an interesting business and she shared their Android application. Their premise is that even with all of our social networking technology, "it's still who you know." You can learn more at http://www.handshake20.com/.

The keynote speaker was David Houle, futurist and strategic advisor. He is very passionate and energetic about the future and what he calls The Shift Age, the current age of mankind. He has numerous awards and quite a resume including launching MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, and CNN Headline News (among many others). You can learn more about him and his ideas at http://www.davidhoule.com/. Although he is working on another book, you can still get a copy of The Shift Age (Amazon.com link - also available for Kindle).

As a shameless plug, his ideas are of particular interest because they are well aligned with our current strategy of Automate...Collaborate...Mobilize...Grow... You can learn more at www.YourTechOptions.com. I had an opportunity to speak with David afterward about our initiative and how it relates to his vision of the next decade. He offered some excellent feedback and advice in just a few minutes. He is extremely intelligent and fast!

An overall excellent experience! I can't wait to attend next year!

Win7 64 Drivers Help Request

Brian Lanham — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:46:01 GMT

So I still love Windows 7. It is easily the best OS Microsoft has released, head and shoulders above those before it (with the possible exception of DOS 6.22).

However...

My Lenovo Thinkpad W700 seems to still be missing some drivers. I downloaded a Windows7 Drivers file from Lenovo's site but it doesn't seem to help. According to the Device Manager I am missing drivers for:

- Other Devices

- Base System Device

- PCI Serial Port

- PCI Simple Communications Controller

This isn't a huge deal BUT I have no sound coming from out of da sound card. It seems that the sound card is not communicating with (and vice versa) the motherboard due to the lack of drivers for the simple communications controller.

Any other Thinkpad users out there with a similar ish? Can you help? Thanks in advance!

This is the Droid You're Looking For

Brian Lanham — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:24:19 GMT

I bought a Droid (http://www.droiddoes.com) from Verizon Wireless and I love it! I wanted a WinMobile phone but have been disappointed for years in them. I did NOT want a Blackberry. So I was patient. About a year ago I bought an LG Voyager and I didn't like it at all.

So I bought a Droid and it is FANTASTIC. It is so easy to use, so flexible and versatile, and FAST. True multi-tab browsing, always-on email, Exchange mail and calendaring, pop mail, text-to-speech, and the touch screen is FANTASTIC. It is truly responsive, intuitive, and FUN.

Thank A Veteran - It's That Time Again

Brian Lanham — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:53:01 GMT

Thank you veterans and active duty personnel who have sacrificed and served our country in good times and bad. If you haven't thanked a veteran today, please do so. If you don't know a veteran, let me suggest a few:

Hobart Carder (Silver Star for Gallantry in action, European Theater, World War II, Honorable Discharge)
Kyle Farmer (Bronze Star of Valor, South East Asian Theater, Vietnam War, Honorable Discharge)
James Dahlgren (Navy, Honorable Discharge)
Donald Paul Taylor (Navy, Honorable Discharge)
All My Dawgz from da Nav...you know who you are!
Chris Williams (Navy, Honorable Discharge)
Brian Johnston (Army, Honorable Discharge)
Tim Gardner (Navy Reserve, SeaBee, Active)
Darryl Agee (Air Force)
Ed Quirrouette (Navy)
Chuck Byrum (Army)

Thank you gentlemen...and thank all of you ladies and gentlemen who served and continue to serve.

Windows 7 - Already Likin' It

Brian Lanham — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:37:41 GMT

I installed Windows 7 Professional 64-bit on an HP Pavilion Entertainment Laptop with 6 GB RAM on an Intel Core 2 Quad CPU Q9000 @ 2.00 GHz processor.

A Little History: I have been a pro-Microsoft guy for a long, long time. However, Vista makes me sad. I have not enjoyed Vista and have resisted using it. Hearing some of the hype and learning about some of the features of W7, however, piqued my interest.

So far I really enjoy it. I love the "Pin to Taskbar", "Jump List", and "Pin to Jump List" features. That is really well thought. I also like the ability to shake a window and have other windows minimize/restore.

I did find a bug, however, in the screen save. I chose the "Bubbles" screen saver. I notice that after about an hour the system locks and the display has alternating white and robin's egg blue vertical lines. This is likely (IMO) a video card driver-related issue.

Anyone else? What do you think of W7?

Thank a Veteran

Brian Lanham — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:12:05 GMT

Kyle Farmer (Bronze Star of Valor, South East Asian Theater, Vietnam War, Honorable Discharge)
Hobart Carder (Silver Star for Gallantry in action, European Theater, World War II, Honorable Discharge)
Donald Paul Taylor (Navy, Honorable Discharge)
All My Dawgz from da Nav...you know who you are!

Chris Williams (Navy, Honorable Discharge)
Brian Johnston (Army, Honorable Discharge)
Tim Gardner (Navy Reserve, SeaBee, Active)
James Dahlgren (Navy, Honorable Discharge)

Darryl Agee (Air Force)
Ed Quirrouette (Navy)
Chuck Byrum (Army)

Thank you gentlemen...and thank all of you ladies and gentlemen who served and continue to serve.

B-Dogg's New Ryde

Brian Lanham — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 21:57:59 GMT

So a few months ago I broke down and purchased a new-to-me vehicle. The process of obtaining a new car was quite humerous (if it were happening to someone else). So here is the car buying summary and the car.

Summary

I originally set out to get a used BMW 530i. Well, several of my friends suggested I look into other cars. This irritated me, of course, because I had made a decision. One of my friends suggested I look at the Lincoln. That conversation went something like this:

Friend - "You should look at the Lincoln MKZ."

Me - "A Lincoln?!?!? I don't have an AARP card yet!"

Friend - "It has air conditioned seats."

Me - "Where can I test drive one?"

So I did some research (with a lot of help from friends) and test drove a few cars. The Toyota Avalon is the freakiest quietest car I've ever driven (or ridden). The Volvo S60 underhwelmed me but speed-sensitive steering is neat. I was hooked on the Lincoln MKZ with A/C seats and Microsoft Sync (you may recall that I bought a Zune a few months back).

The funny side is that I was starting to work with some dealers and look for one when the transmission in the van died. So I was stuck. Couldn't find a used '08 MKZ that fit what I wanted, didn't want to fix the van, couldn't find a buyer for it. I was about to give up and on a whim called Andy Clark Ford in Princeton, WV at 1:34PM. By about 7:20 that evening I had the car.

The Car

My version is Silver Metallic (darker silver, almost gray) and a charcoal interior with wood trim. It has driver/passenger heated and cooled seats, auto-dimming rear and driver side view mirrors, auto-defrosting mirrors, a 263 HP 3.5L Duratec V6 engine and gets around 28MPG highway (21 city), power moon roof, Microsoft Sync, and, oh yeah, a 600W, 14 speaker THX II Audiophile soundsystem.

I was ready to compromise on color and other features like the THX soundsystem, moon roof, etc. In the end I didn't have to. I got the car I wanted and love it. Sync is way cool and having a Zune makes it soooooo sweeet.

Why the Lincoln? I got more car, for less money and better warranty. It "glides" (to quote a friend who drove it). It has a lot of power yet low road noise. The sound system is amazing and it is generally a pleasure to drive. Here is a link to the '09.

http://www.lincoln.com/mkz/home.asp

Thanks to everyone who helped and gave me advice. I usually have buyer's remorse before I even get the product but this time it's different. I am actually glad that I bought both the Zune and the Z. It's an incredible combination that I do not regret (yet :) ).

Hosted Source Code Control Solution

Brian Lanham — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:49:58 GMT

I understand that CollabNet has a hosted version of Subversion but their site is a tad confusing in this regard. Anyone out there recommend a hosted source code control solution?

Been A While...Playing Catch-Up

Brian Lanham — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:31:16 GMT

So it's been a while since my last post. I've actually had a lot going on. In the month of September I...

Resigned from Foot Levelers full time.
Resumed my own company full time.
Moved to a new rental.
Bought a car.
(Hopefully) selling a car.

One of my previous clients provided an opportunity I simply couldn't pass. I broke the van (transmission) and was in the market anyway so decided to land a new ride. And the rental? Well I had been slowly working on moving for months. First I went to a six month lease, then month-to-month. Now I have no one over my head.

I am working at home today (as I do most days) sitting at a window. It is a beautiful day and no one is over my head making noise.

So who wants to buy a mini-van? :D http://roanoke.craigslist.org/cto/850889665.html

I'll get into more details about each item later.