My Amazon <-> WF integration article is now listed as a download on the official .NET 3.0 web site. Cool!

Go to: http://wf.netfx3.com/files/folders/web_services/default.aspx

The weather just won’t give us a break. Due to snow and sleet being forecasted for tomorrow afternoon and evening we will once again have to move our meeting back.

I’m very sorry about any inconvenience this may cause to your personal schedules, but I’d feel worse if someone got into an accident while driving to or from the meeting.

To allow everyone to pencil in the meeting in their calendars the meeting is now moved to April 26^th!!!

Please send an email if you plan to attend!!!

Once again we hope everyone will be able to make it, and maybe even some people that couldn’t make it today will be able to attend next week.

The newsletter on the website has a complete description on how to get the meeting.

Just to remind you the complete session info:

Date : Thursday the 26th of April 2007.
Time : 1:30pm to 3:30pm
Location : Augusta, ME (The Deering Building on Route 9 / Hospital Street)
Topic : Developing with Windows Communication Foundation

Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) is Microsoft's unified framework for building secure, reliable, transacted, and interoperable distributed applications. Learn how to leverage the new features in Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) to make a smooth transition to service-orientated development.  The capabilities exposed through this new addition to the .NET Framework will enable the core building blocks of connected systems such as data & service contracts, security, reliability, administration, and management.

Chris Bowen is the Microsoft Developer Evangalist for the New England region.

Please use the form on the contact page to let us know you'll be attending!

I guess some days are better than others... the Maine Developer Network user group meeting was cancelled due to severe weather warnings. I did however intend to go and pick my parents up at the airport in Bangor. Bad idea...

The picture below shows my truck in a ditch on the side of the road. One second I was motoring along... next second I had zero control over the truck, it just started sliding... no brakes, no steering, no ABS... nothing... luckily no one was injured and my truck only has a couple of dents...

Here is a short overview of what has been happening with .NET and what is soon to come:

- Windows Vista has shipped and comes with the .NET Framework 3.0 installed.

- .NET 3.0 = .NET 2.0 + WF + WCF + WPF

- WCF = Windows Communication Foundation

- WF = Workflow Foundation

- WPF = Windows Presentation Foundation

- .NET 3.0 does not contain changes to C# (or VB.NET) and is based on C# 2.0.

- The next version of Visual Studio, codename "Orcas" is targeted to be released in Q4 of this year.

- Visual Studio "Orcas" will come together with .NET Framework 3.5.

- The .NET Framework 3.5 will contain (amongst many things) C# 3.0.

- In the same timeframe as Orcas there will also be a release of Team Foundation Server and the whole Team System suite.

I've implemented an RSS feed for the Maine Developer Network.

Go to www.maine-devnet.org and look for the subscribe image on the left side of the page.

See you at our meeting this Thursday (don't forget to sign-up).

Over a 100 people have registered already. Great!

We only have room for 130, so sign up quick!

Go to: www.code-camp.nl. 

The very first Dutch Code Camp will be organised by a confederation of user groups. I love it when people come together to organize something great! Maurice de Beijer has taken the lead to get things started but with three user groups coming together it should be an excellent event!

Go to: http://www.code-camp.nl/

I found the following on Frans Bouma's blog, and I agree: recommended reading!

Jeroen van den Bos started a very interesting series of articles about software maintenance and software maintainability, what it does with your architecture, how to evolve implemented systems to contain new functionality etc. etc. Below the links to the articles which are currently online, more will follow soon. Highly recommended.

• How maintainable is your code?
• Evolution depends on architecture
• You can't measure architecture
• How does this work? Let's see the requirements
• Software maintenance estimation considerations

Here are the powerpoint and demo code from my session about developing for Windows Vista using .NET 3.0 at the Maine Developer Network user group meeting on the 27th of February 2007 in Augusta, ME.

WorkflowConsoleApplication1.zip (35.87 KB)

HelloWorldGadget.zip (14.31 KB)

02-27-2007_MDN_-_Developing_for_Vista_with_.NET_3.0.zip (417.06 KB)

[Updated: Fixed download link for powerpoint]

Individuals who have been in web development for quite some time, are now slowly converting to internet advertising. Working with tools for web design gives them an added benefit of course. They already have background knowledge on dedicated hosting. All they need is a cheap web hosting service and they can actually start an seo consultancy of their own. Usually pay per click and adsense does not agree with these people. More creative strategies like email marketing appeals to them.

Here are the powerpoint and demo code from my session about implementing application logic in .NET 2.0 at the Maine Developer Network meeting on the 27th of February 2007 in Augusta, ME.

UserManagement.zip (2.1 MB)

02-27-2007_MDN_-_Implementing_application_logic_in_.NET_2.0.zip (1.14 MB)

[Updated: Fixed download link for powerpoint]

SQL Server 2005 SP2 is available for download via MSDN subscriptions.

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2 (SP2) enables all editions of SQL Server 2005 to take advantage of the enhancements within Windows Vista and the 2007 Office System including SQL Server Analysis Services and Reporting Services improvements for Office 2007; increased interoperability; and enhanced manageability and data compression.

VirtualPC 2007 is out of beta and available for download.

Use Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 to run multiple operating systems at the same time on the same physical computer. Switch between virtual machines with the click of a button. Use virtual machines to run legacy applications, provide support, train users, and enhance quality assurance.

Virtual PC lets you create separate virtual machines on your Windows desktop, each of which virtualizes the hardware of a complete physical computer. Use virtual machines to run operating systems such as MS-DOS, Windows, and OS/2. You can run multiple operating systems at once on a single physical computer and switch between them as easily as switching applications—instantly, with a mouse click. Virtual PC is perfect for any scenario in which you need to support multiple operating systems, whether you use it for tech support, legacy application support, training, or just for consolidating physical computers.

Go to: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=04D26402-3199-48A3-AFA2-2DC0B40A73B6&displaylang=en#filelist

The SDN is holding its quarterly event on the 23rd of March in Bunnik, the Netherlands.

The session schedule is almost complete and looks once again to be very promising. Check it out below:

Sign up here.

C# sessies

• Enterprise E-Commerce met Commerce Server 2007 - Mark Willems
• Domain Driven Programming a Lego Mindstorms Robot - Edwin van Dillen
• Sharepoint solutions voor informatiewerkers - Frans Coenders
• Customizing Visual Studio Team System - René van Osnabrugge

Delphi sessies

• The Document Management Project - Olaf Monien (D)
• Introduction to IntraWeb 9.0 - Olaf Monien (D)
• Programming OpenOffice.org with Delphi - Bernard Marcelly (F)
• CodeGear & Delphi roadmap; office in Delphi for Win32 - Pawel Glowacki & Jeroen W. Pluimers

Chris Bowen (Microsoft Developer Evangalist for New England) and Bob Familiar will be touring New England with a roadshow about development on the .NET 3.0.

Roadshow Schedule and Registration

At the event in Portland, ME yesterday they showed a funny video of the WE-SYP program. A quick search on Google revealed that someone has uploaded this video to YouTube.

I spend the day in Portland, ME yesterday, helping out with the Microsoft Across America Launch Tour 2007. The event where Microsoft presents Windows Vista, Office 2007 and Exchange 2007 across America.

Russ Fustino (http://www.russtoolshed.net/) invited me on the stage twice and allowed me to promote the Maine Developer Network (www.maine-devnet.org), our Augusta, ME based user group. Quite a few people in the crowd came from the Augusta area and did not know about our group, so that was great!

I also did a quick demo of Workflow Foundation. Without preparing it was a little haphazard, but people seemed to be okay with that. A great crowd! Come to my presentation on the 27th of February to see a better prepared session which will include WF demo's.

Microsoft is releasing a patch for Windows to update the behaviour of automatic daylight savings adjustments. This is necessary because DST dates in the United States will start three weeks earlier (2:00 A.M. on the second Sunday in March) and will end one week later (2:00 A.M. on the first Sunday in November).

The .NET Framework uses the operating system to determine current date. So as long as you apply the Windows patch, your .NET application will automatically use the new DST rules.

Read more information in the Microsoft knowledge base: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/bb264729.aspx

My article on integrating Amazon Mechanical Turk into Windows Workflow Foundation has been placed on the Amazon web services developer connection.

Read it here: http://developer.amazonwebservices.com/connect/entry.jspa?entryID=635&ref=featured

Good news for all those that own the original iPhone (the one made by Linksys).

There is a Windows Vista driver available at:

http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Download_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1115417109934&packedargs=sku%3D1127783455701&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper