How to finally figure out .NET technologies and start something

Let this be one of the New Year's resolutions: to finally master the Microsoft .NET Framework, which is undoubtedly, and this is true at the beginning of 2011, among the best technologies in the Internet world to create and maintain not only top quality Websites but also applications for devices, including the newest and cool Windows Phone 7, web services and more. I find in this book, Professional ASP.NET 4 in C# and VB, a good antidote to counteract the overwhelming amount of documentation available to learn and study these technologies. This book, of course not for beginners, offers a big-picture view of ASP.NET 4 with an excellent editorial layout covering the essential subjects and concepts with a wealth of examples. This is now one of my favorite reference books.

New York in 2011, back to the 1980's? Authorities off the map?

This is an MTA bus stranded in the middle of an important Queens street (not a "tertiary" street) for two days during the recent snow blizzard. It was "abandoned" there, like hundreds of other public buses in the city, some time on Monday 27 December 2010 and removed from the street only on Wednesday 29, time enough for graffiti vandals to stamp their signature... this could only happen in New York, a city I heard more than once  being called the World Capital of the Third World... But we still love this little town blues... Happy New Year!

Windows 7 Resource Kit, still the best reference

Since the times of the Windows 3.1 Resource Kit (1993?) I always get my copy of this essential guide to everything Windows. This Windows 7 Resource Kit is the best education you can get on this great operating system, Windows Vista's genetically improved heir, in a language you can understand, but also with a great technical level. In addition, you'll have good and documented information not only when it comes to fixing a rogue computer but also when you want to have an intelligent and meaningful chat with IT people or other PC enthusiasts. Divided in six parts and 32 two chapters it offers great insights on Windows 7 security, deployment, desktop management, desktop maintenance, networking and troubleshooting. This mammoth reference book is worth having in your library.

When your MS Access application won't run in all PCs

If you are an Access developer in a multi-user environment you know that even after testing and debugging, time and again, something could go wrong. How about one of your client PCs not loading the Main Menu (Switchboard)? This is the situation: you get inside your VBA code (from within the problem machine) to see what's going and then hit "Debug, compile" only to get to this line: Set con = Application.CurrentProject.Connection (which appears twice) and some error message about a "missing DLL". The core of the matter is simply that this is Activex Data Object (ADO) code that the application does not recognize even though is clearly referenced (see screenshot above). The answer to this puzzle which is provided in the Microsoft support knowledge base, solution 2 (kb/262847) consists basically in changing this and other lines to be compatible with Data Access Objects (DAO) also listed in this particular example. Do not be misled by the title of that support article. What went wrong? I was developing and debugging in a machine with Access 2003 SP3 installed and moved to another machine with Access 2003 SP2 and even if I updated to SP3 I kept getting that compilation error. As usual, going to all those forums where some people want to honestly help, but also others just are trying to impress with their "expertise" it is hard to find the right answer. There is a lot of misleading and incomplete information out there.

Here's the Windows Phone 7 Worldwide Launch

It's on Monday 11 October 2010 at 9:30 a.m. right here in New York City where Microsoft and AT&T, the "premier carrier",  will unveil new phone models for this new mobile operating system, including an exclusive lineup of T-mobile powered Windows Phone 7 devices, even though the actual launch of the devices will be on November 8. Windows Phone 7, a "different kind of phone" will however have to face an uphill battle with Apple iPhone and Google Android.  You can watch a live webcast of the launch event and also a very informative video gallery where you can judge for yourself how Microsoft has this time gone in a different direction, essentially a paradigm shift in the Windows Mobile business initiated some 10 years ago.

Today: Windows Phone 7 Developer Tools ready

All the tools, in its final version, that developers may need are available for free today: Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone, Windows Phone Emulator, Microsoft Express Blend for Windows Phone and XNA Game Studio 4.0. In other words the best proven tools for PC development, available also for phone development. Find more information here directly from Microsoft. And to match, get the Windows Phone 7 Training Kit for Developers, and don't forget to get the 69-page UI Design and Interaction Guide. Now, let's enjoy once more the creative process...

And now, to top it off all, a great browser

Today Microsoft made available to IT specialists and enthusiasts the new IE 9 (Beta version), which promises to be a great contender to other great browsers as Firefox and even Google Chrome. This latest version of this resurgent browser promises to "unleash a more beautiful web" by starting to use the newest Web standards like HTML5 and hardware acceleration that takes advantage of the graphics processor power in Windows 7 and Windows Vista (sorry, I does not run in Windows XP, and why should it?). The fish tank demo will run in all browsers, as it is supposed to be, but can you, for example, get 60 frames per second? Only in IE 9.