Linq is very, very, very cool.  I can easily envision looking three years from now and wonder "how did we write software without Linq?".  Several recent language editions have helped to reduce code needed and thus made my development life easier.  However, I have to say that Linq is something that seems to hit a home run in several distinct areas to improve my development life.  Over the next few posts, I'm going to outline a few "real world" examples that I've been using.  Understand, I'm still learning Linq... and even without knowing all of the ins and outs, it is extremely helpful in everyday coding.

Finding, filtering, connecting data is much more "natural" using Linq.  No more using a For loop to find a piece of information.  How many times have you written the following code:

Dim exists As Boolean
For Each item As SomeClass In items
  If item.SomeValue = targetItemValue Then
    exists = true
    Exit For
  End If
Next

All of this just to find out if we have a value that matches.  Now compare that with the following:

Dim exists = (From item In items _
                   Where item.SomeValue = targetItemValue _
                   Select item).Count > 0

Sure, it's less "code"; however, the real point here is that once you have a basic understanding (and I do mean basic) of Linq, the above code is much more concise and very quickly expresses the overall intent.  I firmly believe that coming back after a year and seeing the above two versions of code, the Linq one will be much more easily to grok and maintain.

Unfortunately there is a downside to Linq.  Linq doesn't seem to play nice with Edit & Continue; so if you have issues with your Linq statement(s), you won't be able to change them while debugging.  This is extremely unfortunate as I see it will hinder some of the adoption rate for integrating Linq into existing projects.  However, under real world scenarios, I've been able to, using Linq (even without E&C) to restructure complicated code, make it much more understandable, improve on the overall logic because it's more understandable and create (hopefully) much more robust code in the long run.  The lack of E&C is a let down, but overall I think the down side is acceptable given what is gained.

See you in the next installment.

Although the MVP Summit doesn't actually begin until Monday morning, a lot of activities are scheduled by those in the community just prior to the Summit. 

For the last four years, Rod Paddock (Editor-in-Chief for Code magazine) has hosted a BBQ gathering at his house.  This event has not failed to impress and the opportunity to visit with those whom I've been fortunate enough to gain as friends over the past few years over some grilled food is great!  Thanks Rod for making this opportunity available.

Then it was over to the vbCity.com crowd to hang out with (mostly) Visual Basic related enthusiasts.  This was my first year to participate in this dinner gathering and it was excellent!  Conversation and food were excellent.  This event was also a great opportunity to interact with several people from outside of the USA.  And it is always a pleasure to hang out with a large group individuals who are passionate about Visual Basic.

Party with Palermo - MVP Summit Edition 2008 was great, yet again!  Thanks to Jeffrey Palermo for continuing to put this together.  It's amazing how well this thing comes together year after year.  This is probably the number one opportunity for *ALL* MVPs to network and have some fun just prior to the Summit as it is open to MVPs of all categories.

As for this morning, I'm getting a bit of work done before the lunch at the convention center.

Sorry for the lack updates; it definitely hasn't been due to a lack of ideas. ;-)  So here's a quick update before I have to get back to it.

Right now I'm preparing to head to Redmond for a week of interaction with the various Microsoft product teams and fellow MVPs from around the world.  Hopefully the agent I just spoke to on the phone regarding flight status is accurate and my flight will have no issues (it's an MD80, the ones that are having the inspection issues).  When I purchased the ticket back in February, the flight was for 7:40am... now it's for 6:45am... ouch... man that's early.  Not looking forward to a 4am wakeup call.

This morning I did another Windows Vista for Developers presentation at the NTPCUG - VB group.  It's interesting to hear the questions, concerns and comments regarding the state of Vista.  Once I share some of the information, I think some people are left wondering why there is so much resistance in moving to Vista.  Ultimately I think that Vista is the first consumer OS released by Microsoft in an age of laptops and manufacturers are being substandard in supporting products that they've already sold; not that it's entirely their fault... they are busy working on new products and laptops are definitely a product that requires a balance between the hardware, drivers and other software.  Just throwing a new OS at it isn't necessarily a good idea.  There are other issues and I can't answer to as why so many people seem to be anti-Vista; all I can say is I've been running it since release on all machines I use.  I'm happy.  The first crash I encountered was this week when a Raptor 150 drive decided to puke its guts out... my first OS re-install in over a year and a half.  Something I can't say when I was running anything prior.

The recent Visual Studio 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 launch event was fun as usual; however, I was a little disappointed in the lack of "tough" questions.  Of the questions received, they ranged from Linq, SQL Server 2008, BizTalk, IIS and Vista (of which I deferred to the "booth" next to us manned by people from the Vista product team).  There were also some questions regarding moving to Visual Studio 2008 from prior versions.  So the only real developer questions were surrounding Linq.  Which brings me to my next subject...

Linq is freakin' AWESOME!  Expect to see a lot more from me in the near future regarding Linq in the real world.  I'm still getting my head around all the finer details... and so far I'm very impressed in the breadth (or would that be depth) that Linq offers.

Still working on growing the two DNUX groups in the area and have my first "it's not me presenting" speaker coming to the Dallas DNUX this month.  David O'Hara will be presenting; which will allow me to focus a bit more on the Fort Worth .NET Users Group local VS'08, SQL'08, Server'08 launch event taking place later this month.  I'll also have to put together another topic for the Fort Worth DNUX, so if you have any suggestions, fire them my way.

I'm going to have a new batch of samples coming soon; in addition, I plan on migrating all existing samples to 2008 as well.  One particular one I'm working on that will also have a related article is using Vista Aero ("Glass").  Yes, some others have shown how to do this, but I think you'll be interested in my particular angle on it. ;-)

I still have a write up planned that will discuss my working on a daily bases in three different development languages; this will include the positives and negatives encountered... but will not be a versus article.  The three languages are Visual Basic, C# and T-SQL.

In early May, I'll be the official Prize-man for the Dallas Tech-Fest, so be sure to come by and say hello.  Early June is Tech-Ed 2008 (Developers)... I'll be there as well hanging out in the product group areas answering (and asking) questions.

If you are in Fort Worth and interested in getting up to speed on WPF/Silverlight... XAML is one of the key components of doing so.  Tonight's presentation is XAML 101 being presented by yours truly...

Hope to see ya there.

http://dnux.org for more information.

I know that this entry is bit strange given what is normally on this site, but bear with me...

In one corner we have the VCR (Video Cassette Recorder) and in the other we have the DVR (Digital Video Recorder).  Both attempt to solve similar problems.  Both have their strengths and their weaknesses.  So let's dive in and see if we can find a winner.

The VCR has been around for a while now, long enough to gain it's very own long standing joke.  Over the years, the VCR has made incremental improvements in usability and functionality.  There was the advancement with the four head recording and we even have an high definition capable one if you so desire.  Storage media is extremely cheap and you pretty much can store as much as you want; though categorizing, indexing and searching the content is a bit of a chore.  Some VCR devices (and/or TV/remotes) contain the ability to record using a guide.  I've never utilized these, but rather just setup a schedule to record or recorded while watching.  Recording to cassette also offers the ability to loan a friend what you've recorded.  Duplicating your cassettes is also relatively easy; though time consuming.  For the most part, learning how to use one VCR allows you to use any other VCR on the market.  You stick in a cassette, press record to save a show.  You press play to watch the show.  Want to watch/record another show, select a different cassette.  Due to its limited functionality, the VCR to use is, by design, simple.

The DVR has entered into our lives only a few years ago.  With products such as TiVo, not only can you schedule a recording by time and/or a guide.  It can even "learn" what you like and suggest (automatically record) things for you to watch.  The quality is pretty good, every bit as good as a VCR, and searching through what has been recorded is pretty simple.  For most things, the DVR passes the Wife Approved test.  Of course, TiVo isn't the only DVR in town.  At one point, there was only one other, however these days there are more DVR devices than one could probably count (discoverability).  Every DVR has a different UI with multiple on screen displays... to the point that it's possible to actually get lost as to where you are.  Additionally, because of the manufacturers desire to make a profit and the consumers desire not to spend any real money, these devices utilize extremely low performing CPUs for their display interaction; yielding a sluggish interaction experience.  Most, if not all, DVR devices allow for easy recording and easy access to what has been recorded.  Finding something to record is pretty straight forward as well.  Now for the problem, because of their design, DVR devices have a limited amount of storage. Some larger than others, however, still they are limited.  Additionally, most of these devices don't allow for any way to archive what you've recorded nor do they allow you to share what you've recorded with a friend.  DVR devices to solve one of the major problems with the VCR, but introduce other limitations in the process.

This is not to say that there isn't a DVR device that can help to solve the problems introduced with going digital; there is as a matter of fact.  Utilizing a Vista Media Center PC (VMC) solves a few of the problems that I mention.  VMC can do all that a DVR can do, providing you with ease of recording and finding recorded content.  However, since it is a PC, it has the CPU power necessary to provide an extremely interactive, visually attractive and responsive UI.  As for storage, again, since it's a PC with access to a network, you can store the recordings across multiple storage locations (more computers, USB drives, etc.) and you can also save the content using DVD+/-R media for offline storage.  Since you can save the content to DVD, you can loan what you've recorded to a friend.  All of this doesn't come with out a cost though (punn intended) as a Vista Media Center will cost more than most other DVR devices.  Additionally, you may not be able to take advantage of your content providers advanced features.  (This looks to change, but it's not available today in some cases.)

As you can see, each of the three that I mention has their respective strengths and weeknesses.  None of them is an outright winner for every circumstance.  For price and ease of use, for limited storage, a DVR is great.  It's a nice middle ground.

I actually own several of these and utilize them just about every day.  I have a Direct/TiVo in the bedroom,  a DirecTV HD box in the living room along with a pretty powerful Vista Media Center PC.  I have two VCRs in my office and another one in the closet for when someone brings over a VHS cassette that I can quickly hook up any TV.  The one I prefer to use, hands down, is Vista Media Center PC.  However, it's not able to record any of the DirecTV HD channels; I'm only able to record ATSC and DirecTV standard definition shows on it.  Since most of the HD shows I watch are available ATSC, I watch those on VMC.  Additionally, I can watch any of that content on any other computer in the house.

So what is this post about?  Well, let me try to explain.  You see, I keep seeing x vs y every time I turn around.  Windows vs Linux.  Windows vs OSX, VB vs C++, VB vs Delphi, VB vs C#, Agile vs somethingorother and the list goes on.  If there was a clear winner in any of these, there wouldn't be any debate.  There is something about each of the items that appeals to a group of users.  Understanding that is key.  Once that is understood, then maybe real discussions can exist as to the benefits of doing one thing one way vs another can take place and progress can be made.

(Please keep this post in mind for the next post that will be coming soon...)

It's time again for Action Movie Night!

This is just a quick reminder regarding the Action Movie Night taking place Saturday evening, September 22, 2007, starting at 6:00pm located at my house so space is limited to those that RSVP.  The movies being shown are:

Announcing the Dallas/Fort Worth dnux group.  What is it?  .NET has been growing in size over the past 5+ years and, as such, it's hard to cover everything in a .NET user group meeting.  Some people may call what dnux is as a "sig"; however, although there are similarities between dnux and a sig, the subjects covered will be broad enough that it doesn't really fit (in my opinion) the idea of a sig.  Additionally, I'm purposefully trying to not use the words "user group" to describe dnux.  It's an "enthusiasts group".  I want to bring back the fire, the intensity, the energy and excitement in producing applications.  I still haven't answered exactly what dnux is...

The name itself is taken from combining the the words .NET User eXperience; however, we may be discussing technologies that compliment .NET as well so the name itself doesn't really dictate the focus either.  In the end, this group is all about the end user experience with a base focus on leveraging .NET as the core technology.  So I see what your thinking, this will just be a group that is similar to other .NET user groups but with presentations focused on Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), XAML, Media Center Markup Language (MCML), Silverlight, System.Drawing, Windows Forms, etc.  You'd be right, and yet, you'd be wrong.  dnux will focus on these technologies, sure; however, everything will be much more hands on and interactive.  Almost organic in nature.  The "presenter" will seed the conversations and the group as a whole will help dictate where that conversation goes.  Some topics will be basic (especially in the beginning) as everyone is learning the technologies.  As people become more proficient, things should get very interesting indeed.  I don't want to spoil the surprises just yet, so if your interested in finding out more details, just come to the meetings. ;-)

You can find out more information at http://dnux.org.

It's dark-thirty in the morning and I'm headed out the door up to Oklahoma City, OK to speak.  I'm going to attempt to get there for the opening, which is about 2 hours and 45 minutes from now... and local.live.com says it's about a 3 hour and 22 minute drive.  We'll see if I make it.  Why am I going up there, you may be asking?  Well, of course, I'm presenting obviously. ;-)

http://www.okcodecamp.com/Agenda/tabid/56/Default.aspx

If your in the area, stop on by an say hey.  (I know, more notice would have been great.  I got a bit swamped the past two weeks, so sorry about that.)

Someone sent me an IM asking if I knew of a way to handle the pressing of the close button on a console application.  After a bit of research, I found a way (and some limitations).  This required stepping outside of the Microsoft .NET Framework utilizing P/Invoke.  This allowed me to capture the application close event (which is initiated via the close button, the close menu item or task manager) and when Windows is shutting down (the user logging off).  You can read all about how to accomplish this here.

It's time again for Action Movie Night!

So I saw Transformers the other day.  It was a pretty decent movie except the director bought into the ill conceived idea that shaking the camera all around would somehow make the action scenes more intense.  I mean it's supposed to be a special effects movie... not something to make me dizzy.  Shaking the camera DOES NOT make the viewer feel like they are "in the action".  It makes our eyes jiggle around in our skulls and gives us a headache!  STOP IT!  Anyway, back on track.  Before the movie was a trailer for a movie with no name that had all of its footage shot on and from the perspective of a handycam.  Starts off somewhat sublime and then hell starts to break loose with some sort of large creature noise and explosions; the cars, building debris and such being tossed around was a nice touch.  Then it goes to the black screen that usually shows the title, producer(s), director and main actors/actresses.  This screen is up for less than 2 seconds (including cross fade) and then just the date for the release of the movie.  Someone filmed it and put it up on one of the video sharing sites so I got to pause it on that frame.  The title and actors/actresses are not displayed on this screen.  So what is this movie called, what is it about?

Honestly, I completely forgot about it until Jason Bock pointed it out on his blog.  Thanks for the nudge, Jason.  Of course, where to go look for more information?  Ummm.  One of the sites that I happen to be listed on, of course!  IMDB.com.  Doing a little poking around on IMDB, J. J. Abrams has a project listed as "Untitled J. J. Abrams Project (2008)".  The synopsis states:

A giant monster movie (currently referred to internally as Cloverfield; the monster itself is referred to as "The Parasite", not to be confused with the film project The Parasyte) that is shot using home video cameras from the point of view of people who are experiencing an attack on New York City.

Sounds a little gimmicky though ILM is doing the special effects so who really knows.  It'll be interesting nonetheless.

Well see how long they can keep things a "secret".  The last movie I remember (although I wasn't old enough to understand the idea behind keeping a movie secret, or that it was a secret until it's release on DVD and them saying it was done that way in the extras) when Star Wars was being filmed.  Even if I were, it would have been a whole lot easier to keep a movie somewhat secret back in 1977.  However, doing the same thing today has to be even more difficult.  Someone trying to do so has at least two things going against them.  First, there is a lot of competition in the box office, so they need to promote as early as they can in order to as many people into the theaters given how short of a shelf life a movie has on the big screen these days.  Second, we have this wonderful medium we call the internet at our fingertips.  Information is much more readily available today than it was in 1977. ;-)

It's time again for Action Movie Night!

I have to admit that lately I've been feeling a little overwhelmed by the amount of new technology that I need to grok in order to stay ahead of the curve.  In a relatively short window of time, we've had Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Windows Workflow Foundation (WF), Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), Expression Blend, XNA Studio and Windows Vista (with 7,000+ new API's) released and Silverlight, Dynamic Language Runtime, Core-CLR, yet another version of Blend, Windows Home Server and, probably most importantly, "Acropolis" coming within the next six to nine months.  And this is just the items that I have on my personal todo list; the list is actually a pretty small in comparison to the total.

Obviously it isn't possible for me to learn all of this at the same exact time.  So I've decided to focus on one of the core technologies behind several of the ones I've mentioned.  XAML.  Since XAML is the basis of WPF, Silverlight, Blend and "Acropolis"... it's something I'm not going to be able to avoid.  Additionally, I'm focusing on the WPF angle.. but learning WPF via "Acropolis" and Blend.  I have a long list of projects that I'd like to utilize WPF, so I'm starting there and seeing if I can rewrite one of the smaller ones utilizing "Acropolis".

What is "Acropolis"?

"Acropolis" is a "set of components and tools that make it easier for developers to build and manage modular, business focused, client .NET applications".  "Acropolis" "builds on the rich capabilities of Microsoft Windows and the .NET Framework, including Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) by providing tools and pre-built components that help developers quickly assemble applications from loosely-coupled parts and services".

Ever heard of CAB?  Ever tried CAB?  If you have and thought, "Man, why does this sort of thing have to be so difficult.", "Acropolis" is poised to help rectify that situation.  Brad Abrams used the word "democratize" to describe the goal of "Acropolis".  As such, you won't have to understand what composite applications, software factories, etc. mean in order to build these sorts of applications.  Using a wizard, you can create a basic infrastructure for a robust application that you can then focus on the business problems at hand instead of all of the plumbing to bring different "parts" together.

Since "Acropolis" is focused on delivering this technology leveraging XAML for both the plumbing and display (WPF), it seems like a great technology to focus on to get my feet wet with several pieces of technology.  Also, I really believe that there will be a huge demand for those that understand "Acropolis" in the near future as more people realize the benefits of what a true rich client application can provide.

Additionally, I have decided to make it a personal mission (one of many it seems) to do whatever I can to see that VB is a true first class citizen in the "Acropolis" world.  So it seems I have three reasons to spend some serious time in the land of "Acropolis".