I just picked this up on RSS and am psyched!
We've been using DataDude since early on in it's initial release. It has become an integral part of our database schema development process. Hats off to Gert and all of the others on the VSTS DbPro team for all of the great new features, extensibility and SQL Server 2008 support in the new edition.
You can read more about it in Gert's blog post.
SALUTE!
Jim
I got this warning from the compiler while building a solution earlier today. I thought... the compiler must be married... ;)
C:\DevRenz\RENZ Framework and Web Service\Renz.Application.Console.SqlDependencyTest\Program.cs(67,13): warning CS0168: The variable 'sex' is declared but never used
JE
MONO.... for those who don't yet know what MONO is, I will quote the MONO website.
Mono is a platform for running and developing modern applications, based on the ECMA/ISO Standards. Mono can run existing programs targeting the .NET or Java frameworks.
Now, from my practical standpoint, MONO is a way to expand my market to clients who have a mixed platform environment or simply refuse to use the Microsoft platform for a number of reasons that may or may not make any logical sense. The first time I was able to port one of my ASP.NET applications from IIS to Apache running on Linux was exciting. This is where I'd always been a bit envious of the Java developers. They've been able to deply their web applications on multiple platforms and web servers for years. I felt that in some ways that gave them a leg up on me in terms of marketability as a developer.
I am not a Java fan for many reasons, some of which are technical and some of which are philisophical. I will not go into those reasons now. The fact of the matter is I am a .NET developer. I find it highly desirable to be able to develop applications which can run on multiple platforms. I still prefer to target the Windows platform with my development for a number of reasons, but I also like not being locked in to doing so.
Let's face it, Microsoft is a large target that has a large number of enemies. I will not let myself be dragged into any kind of open-source/proprietary-source free/pay religious crusade. I see both models having benefits. In the case of MONO, the benefit is competition for Microsoft. This is a way to keep Microsoft innovating. Take the example of the forthcoming Internet Explorer 7. Does anyone really believe that IE 7 for any Windows version prior to Longhorn would have happened without the rise of Mozilla Firefox?
My biggest concern with MONO at this point is wether or not Microsoft will attempt to squash it at some future date through litigation. I sincerely hope this does not happen. I think it would be a huge mistake on a number of fronts, both for us developers and for Microsoft itself. I believe it's in Microsoft's best interest to allow MONO to grow and flourish. I think there is a certain mindshare that was won over by Microsoft when they worked with ECMA to make C# and the CLI open standards.
I can also see that allowing MONO to continue helps Microsoft on the anti-trust front. They get an implementation of .NET for other platforms without the expense while at the same time shielding themselves from claims of tying the .NET platform to the OS as has happened with IE.
I'll be posting some future blog entries on MONO, the myths and the realities.
JE
Call me crazy. Call me nuts. Call me what you will, but I actually set the alarm for 3:45 AM this morning.
What would lead me to do such a crazy thing? Well... some call them early-bird specials. Others call it morning madness. I decided to once again wait in line for an early barn-burning price on some items at the local Micro Center store. My wife thinks I'm nuts, but this year's quest was more for her than anything else. I was on a quest to get my wife a new computer at a bargain-basement price. Not just the computer mind you, but a bundle with a monitor and printer as well.
Now don't think this trip was completely selfless. I did pick up a few items for myself at a great price. A couple of UPSs, a new two-port KVM and a 256MB USB key also mysteriously found their way into my shopping cart as I cruised through the store to pick up the computer bundle.
I knew the bundle would be waiting for me after I perused some other rows since I had the coupon I'd waited for in line at the store 2 hours before they opened. There were only 15 of these coupons to be had. My wife figured I would be the first in line when I got to the store, but she figured wrong. I was number 13 in line. If I'd set the alarm for 4:00 AM, it would have been possible for me to miss the deal. Apparently the line had started at 2:45 AM.
Micro Center makes things easy for you. They had the bundle already stacked into a shopping cart just waiting for me to pick it up. I am indeed looking forward to seeing the twinkle in my wife's eyes as she's enjoys her new computer. The only real downside to this is... the writer's cramp I'm going to get from filling out the 7 (yes, count 'em 7) rebate forms I have to fill out and submit...