April 2004 Entries
It's pretty obvious to most people that just because open source software is "cheap to buy", that doesn't necessarily mean a low TCO. This article on ElectricNews.net reports on the Irish Government's strategy of adopting open standards and clearly differentiating this from open source software. The article points out that historically companies like Microsoft have used proprietary formats and standards, but equally notes their move towards a more open approach with technologies such as Web Services...
pinvoke.net is "a repository where you can find, edit, and add PInvoke signatures" ready for use in .NET languages. Lovely! Thanks to this post on Eric Gunnerson's C# Compendium for the link
Microsoft have released the User Interface Process (UIP) Application Block Version 2. This application block lets you separate out your UI code from your UI navigation code by using a config-driven navigation/workflow system.I've been using version 1 quite extensively on a project in my day job, and an in-house framework that was pretty similar at my previous company and I recommend you take a look at it if you have any kind of halfway-complex or repeating navigation/workflow.One caveat - the back...
StrokeIt is a fantastic piece of software that I just found: It allows mouse gestures in all of your Windows applications. It's free for individual use, and a bargain $10 for use in corporate settings (details).If you've never tried Mouse Gestures, you are really missing out. Essentially you hold down the right mouse button, draw a shape on screen, and "some action" happens depending on how you configure it.It's great for UI-intensive tasks, such as designing orchestrations or web browsing, as you...