Development

NxtGenUG Oxford - CI Factory talk

Liam Westley — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:02:50 GMT

Thanks to all who attended the NxtGenUG Oxford meeting last night, always good to see a different user group in operation. Apologies for not achieving the promised 20 minutes to create a CI server from a completely clean Win2003 server installation - but 26 minutes isn't too shoddy.

As promised you can download the slidedeck for my CI Factory talk from here. Make sure you view it with the speaker notes as they give all the background information. On the 'Demonstration' slide the notes include the exact steps and installation list for creating that CI server in 26 minutes.

And finally, thanks to Barry Dorrans for ferrying me to and from Didcot Parkway station (and providing a Hot Wax chilli seedling) as well as Research Machines for providing the factilities for the evening.

Liam

P.S. In the demonstration I used a full .NET 3.5 redistributable package to install the .NET SDK without requiring an internet connection. Thanks to the articles on Aaron Stebner's WebLog and Bret Grinslade blog I idenitified the correct package to download. The full package also arrived this week on MSDN CD 2426.29 (grey).

London .NET User Group - CI Factory talk

Liam Westley — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:29:24 GMT

Thanks to all who attended the London .NET User Group meeting last night, a great turnout and lovely weather for slurping beers in the streets of Clerkenwell afterwards.

As promised you can download the slidedesk for my CI Factory grok talk from here, and if yoiu want an extended version I'm presenting at NxtGenUG in Oxford on Wednesday 6th August.

In the one hour or so I'll hopefully have time to actually create a SubVersion repository, edit the CI Factory setup file to create a new build server and demonstrate it automatically building an app checked in from Visual Studio 2008.

And finallyl, thanks to Ian Cooper and Skillsmatter.com for providing the factilities for yesterday evening.

LINQPad - what a great little tool

Liam Westley — Thu, 15 May 2008 07:50:59 GMT

I highly recommend downloading a free tool called LINQPad (http://www.linqpad.net) which execute LINQ queries and acts as a stripped down query analyser for your SQL Server databases. I love the ability to view the real T-SQL generated for the LINQ query, or as the lambda expression.

It's incredibly simple, requires no install (other than .NET 3.5). It has that key attribute of good quality software; it deals with one simple task and executes it perfectly.

I also like the author's suggestion to use LINQPad instead of the standard SQL Server query analyser tools so that you start thinking in LINQ instead of thinking in SQL and converting it to LINQ. Think I might give it a try ...

The joy of file synchronisation with Allway Sync Pro

Liam Westley — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:41:34 GMT

I’m an itinerant developer armed with a laptop which means I have to deal with the issue of keeping my files synchronised with my file server. Source code is easy, it’s under version control. That leaves items such as documentation, Outlook PST files and MSDN downloads which are way too big and way too binary for version control systems.

For years I've been synchronising my files with a set of Windows Briefcase folders, when they came in with Windows 95. They worked fairly reliably. I put up with the agonizing delay to open a briefcase when the network drive was no longer connected – think 30 second timeouts on every folder being opened while it ‘checked the file status’. However, it was Vista that was the nail in the coffin, it supports briefcases but file access rights become an issue on dual boot systems.

So I bit the bullet and looked for a file synchronisation tool. I decided that I would happily pay for this software. For me, I consider this is an essential business application, so paying for it is not an issue. I also decided to change my work methods, instead of dragging a laptop around, I would carry around one of my portable hard drives, based on an 80Gb notebook drive, powered over USB, much easier to carry than a laptop (and less expensive if you drop it).

So I was after a many to many copy utility that would make sensible decisions, warn me if there were conflicts, and more importantly, once configured, be a one button fire and forget solution. After researching free products (PowerToys sync included) I found a product called Allway Sync Pro, http://www.allwaysync.com/. I’ve now been using it for about a month, which allows me to make a considered judgement.

It’s brilliant. Truly, it’s really, really, really good software. I can’t believe it only costs $12 a PC (for 5 PCs).

OK, the UI design is a bit messy and old fashioned looking, but it actually does everything that you expect, and sometimes things you didn’t expect (good things). This is a tightly focused piece of software that has a clear set of functionality in which it excels.

An unexpected feature was that it properly ‘deletes’ files it updates so they are put in the recycle bin. At some point I must take a look at some of the more fancy options, such as how it can automatically synchronise files when you logon and logoff.

So now, before I leave my office, on my Windows Server 2003 file server I synchronise my server files to the portable hard drive. Back home, I plug in the same hard drive and synchronise to Windows XP Pro. Back in the office I also run a copy under Windows Vista that synchronises files from the C: drive to my file server.

So in summary, for me this is now an essential application for my business and is that rare beast - a technology solution which actually delivers what it promises and makes your life easier.

I also think it’s a clear example of what software developers should strive for in their own software – reliable, functional, focussed on a clearly defined task, simple to use and intelligent in how it operates. I would hope that software I create can be as good as this - although probably with a better UI design,

Thanks to Conchango for hosting Silverlight User Group

Liam Westley — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:15:44 GMT

Conchango hosted the first Silverlight User Group last night. It was great to see people discussing real world problems they have encountered and how they are really stretching Silverlight to the limit. A 3D demo of MRI scans within a Silverlight browser control was very impressive.

Tim Sneath, evangelist for the Silverlight team, was over from Redmond and did a very informative round up of the current state of Silverlight development and the envisaged roadmap to release of 2.0 RTM.

A great start to what I hope becomes a very active user group. I can't wait for more designers to get interested in Silverlight so the developers within the user group get more exposure to good graphic design.

Although I am used to working with graphic designers in my television projects for on screen graphics and animations, I've never had the same experience with applications or web sites. It's something I'd be keen to get involved with. Despite using a Wacom tablet instead of a mouse and being happy wandering around Photoshop, I do have a complete understanding of my level of design skills (abysmal).

Software Developement as a Craft - 'The Craftsman' by Richard Sennett

Liam Westley — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 02:52:29 GMT

I was listening to the BBC Radio 4 social science documentary strand Thinking Allowed earlier in the week (from my backlog of DAB radio recordings) and they were discussing a new book 'The Craftsman' by Richard Sennett.

The book deals with the concept of learning a craft, as opposed to the acquisition of pure academic skills. It dealt with the sort of manual crafts that you might expect to be included, such as jewellers, wood workers, etc. To my surprise Richard Sennett mentioned that he has spent a lot of time studying the craft of software development as part of his research.

The surprise is to hear the recognition of software development as a craft, not something obtainable by passing certification courses, but by practical real world experience. Richard Sennett reckons it takes 10,000 hours to become a skilled carpenter or musician, and by inference a skilled software developer too. That's about FIVE years of software development before you're a true craftsmen.

Hallelujah !! I was taken back to my sister-in-law telling me that she had 'decided' to quit being an actuary and was going to become a 'C++ programmer' and could I recommend a book so she could learn it over the next few months ready for applying for jobs. There was a complete lack of any realisation that you software development might require an aptitude for the discipline of software development or that it might require experience to really become proficient. The later is mentioned by Richard Sennett, in that is important to make mistakes in order to become skilled in a craft. You are unlikely to simply read up on a craft and get it right first time. Try telling the standard line manager or project manager that mistakes are 'good' and will increase the knowledge of the team.

The only 'non craft' area of software development might be seen to be the lack of touching or coming into contact with a material. In my case, the start of any software development is nearly always a paper based exercise. Out comes my trusty ink pen (yep, ink pen, Lamy Safari, complete with blotting paper) on spiral bound notebooks, scribbling flowcharts, workflows and database schemas onto A3 or massive A2 sheets. Let's not forget my favourite tool, a decent sized white board and four whiteboard markers.

So here is to software development as a craft - a fantastic intellectual and creative endeavour that I personally find exciting and satisfying (although not always when it's Visual Studio 2003).

Ref: A meeting between Laurie Taylor (presenter of Thinking Allowed) and Richard Sennett can be found at the New Humanist web site.

ASP.NET MVC Preview 2 (March CTP) - support for shared hosting

Liam Westley — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:30:02 GMT

I've been investigating the ASP.NET MVC framework for some months, in between a major client project in January and holidays in Frebruary. In that time the ASP.NET team have been beavering away and released the MVC Preview 2 March CTP (download it here). Jeffrey Palermo has some great blog posts over at codebetter.com which detail some of the improvements.

The big news for me was that I could finally upload any applications to my development site, which is on a shared hosting server at discountasp.net, they have .NET 3.5 hosting as standard which makes life easy. You can now just copy the MVC assemblies into the application bin folder and you have an MVC application installed.

I did hit one issue, in that the MVC handler does not route as required without the formal setup, and the in line comment s in Global.asax.cs suggesting I add the file extension '.mvc' for routing requests for IIS6 compatibility didn't work either. The issue is that the DiscountASP team have not registered '.mvc' for processing by the ASP.NET ISAPI dll. Obviously something I cannot configure on a shared host.

No problems though - I discovered that if I use the file extension '.mvc.aspx' for controller routing in Global.asax.cs the pages get handled by the ASP.NET ISAPI DLL, complete with MVC goodness. Standard .aspx pages are unaffected, and as long as you don't mind the mangled URLs it all works as expected.

If you haven't yet dabbled with the MVC framework now is definitely the time to try. Shared hosting support, combined with the excellent quick start video tutorials over at http://www.asp.net/learn/3.5-extensions-videos/default.aspx#mvc makes life a lot less painful.

P.S. after spending a few hours researching the '.mvc.aspx' solution, I found it was already in the forums on the ASP.NET site - DOH!

Virtual PC on two monitors without additional software

Liam Westley — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:21:06 GMT

I've finally moved my main development environment on my desktop to Vista, and had the issue that I still do quite a bit of work for one client in Visual Studio 2003 which is not supported. No problem - run up a Virtual PC 2007 image running XP Pro SP2 with just VS2003 and SQL Server 2000 and I have a perfect solution. On a dual core processer with virtualisation support and lots of memory it runs fine.

However I also run on dual monitors and I'm very used to developing with VS on one screen, and my SQL tools on another. Also I like Virtual PC in full screen mode. Unfortunately you cannot maximise, or even resize the Virtual PC screen across both monitors.

But the saviour is the hard to find span option for Remote Desktop, not available via the dialogue but as a command line switch (needs both monitors to have the same resolution);

C:\Windows\System32\mstsc.exe /span

So, configure your Virtual PC image to allow remote connections, start it up, but don't login. Then use remote desktop to connect over your two monitors. It all is one big display, 2560 x 1024 in my case, so dialogs get split and you can' maximise code windows but it really works nicely. The best bonus, running a source code diff in TortoiseSVN over two windows means the original code is one screen and the changed code is on the other - cool.

UK MSDN Roadshow 2008 - registration now open

Liam Westley — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:04:10 GMT

For those who couldn't make the VS 2008/SQL 2008/Server 2008 launch in Birmingham in March, we have dates for the MSDN Roadshow in April around the UK. I'd register now if you're interested as these events sell out really fast.

Here's the Microsoft blurb;

Now the roadshow is coming to a city near you

A short while ago you expressed interest in the MSDN Roadshow, which means you're now one of the first to hear that registration is open. We're anticipating high demand, so you'll need to act fast before this opportunity is promoted to a broader audience in the next two days.

The MSDN Roadshow is a series of full day, demo-heavy events where you can find out more about Visual Studio 2008 and future Microsoft technologies. It's also your opportunity to meet the MSDN team and discover the latest developer tools.

Now that Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Framework V3.5 have been launched, the MSDN Roadshow will also focus on other products of interest for .NET developers. We'll look at Silverlight, ASP.NET, ADO.NET and Visual Studio Team Suite to create sessions that are all about code, not PowerPoint.

Places are limited so register today

- Cardiff, 21 April 2008 <http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8384142>

- London, 25 April 2008 <http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8384143>

- Manchester, 1 May 2008 <http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8384144>

- Glasgow, 13 May 2008 <http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8384145>

- Newcastle, 16 May 2008 <http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8384146>

Development tools - CodeRush and Refactor Pro

Liam Westley — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:06:58 GMT

Oh dear, what a long time since my last blog - a hectic pre Christmas projects, a three week Christmas and another major software development in January have really had an effect. Fortunately I'm getting back on track with new development and once I'm back from a holiday in the Caribbean I'm hoping to get some serious research into new technologies including the MVC framework from Microsoft and getting my CI Factory installations up to date.

As part of this new push, I looked into finally taking the plunge and buying either Resharper (from JetBrains) or CodeRush (from Developer Express) to enhance my Visual Studio development experience. The decision wasn't easy, and wasn't affected by the fact that Oliver Sturm (who works for Developer Express) is a member of the London .NET user group in which I'm involved.

I'd heard pros and cons from fellow developers for both sets of tools, read the blogs and studied the respective product web sites. Visual Studio 2008 support was definitely going to be an issue, as well as legacy support for Visual Studio 2003 (God help me, I still have to use it regularly). I also wanted something that will run OK on my ageing 1.5Gb 1.6Mhz Centrino HP laptop.

In the end I went for CodeRush and Refactor Pro from Developer Express. I know that had I already been a Resharper user, I would have missed the ability to quickly find usages of classes - but I've never had it so won't miss it; and this feature only works due to the code analysis which according to rumour, would most likely cripple my 1.6 Centrino laptop.

However, here are my top two show stoppers for Resharper;

Resharper (as of January 2008) does not support Visual Studio 2008 fully (it has a free upgrade when the new version is completed which is a superb offer from Jetbrains)
If I wanted Visual Studio 2003 and Visual Studio 2005 support I would have had to buy TWO licences. CodeRush comes with a single licence for a developer for ALL versions of Visual Studio.

It was support for ALL versions of Visual Studio that mattered to me, and the single developer licence; it can cover my multi o/s laptop and desktop, as well as a Virtual PC image for Visual Studio 2003 / Windows XP to allow VS2003 development on a Vista base o/s.

My first experiences are fairly positive; creating some new data classes in Visual Studio 2003 was made much easier with the CodeRush templates handling converting private variables into Property get/set blocks. Also, the ability to break arguments over multiple lines has greatly helped tidy up legacy code which I didn't write. I nearly panicked that there was very little documentation on all the template short cuts within CodeRush, then I found how to display the CodeRush helper window (now docked with my Solution/Class explorer window) which provides 'next key' help for all the CodeRush short cuts.

Once I'm back from my holidays I expect to be really ramping up the Visual Studio 2008 development on my dual core Vista desktop, which should give me a much better CodeRush experience. So expect a more detailed review to come towards the end of February.

UPDATE 30 Jan 2008 : Oops, point wasn't true, although the JetBrains web site didn't make this clear, so shame on them for not telling me clearly, and shame on me for not e-mailing JetBrains customer services. I was still concerned about Resharper's CPU usage though.