11 posts tagged “microsoft”
If you haven't heard already, Scott Guthrie posted on his blog that the .NET Framework Source code is now available to browse and debug in Microsoft Visual Studio 2008. You can debug and browse for the following:
There is a plan to release the source code for additional framework libraries such as: Linq, WCF and Workflow. This is most exciting! Now I can debug against all the networking code I want, threading, drawing the works!
While working on my research for using C# as a platform for starting a game company, I came across some interesting project code-names in the early days of the .NET Framework.Apparently the original codename for Microsoft.NET's C# was code-named "Project Cool".
When Microsoft rolled out its new programming language, C#, in June, a team of spin-paramedics was on hand to point out that no way, never ever was this anything to do with Microsoft's allegedly mythological "Project Cool".
However, we spotted in the documentation for C# an extended attribute created by language spec co-author Scott Wiltamuth that read 'Owner=scottwil Team=VC Feature=Cool'.
By your extended-attribute-tags shall ye know them, we thought, although we couldn't quite rule out the possibility that the witty language authors had inserted the reference as a tease. We even tried to out these fine folk with the naked enducement of a Register label badge, but the buggers wouldn't bite.
But it's all over now. Thanks to eagle-eyed Register reader Larry Smith, we've learned that C# is indeed Cool. Or if it isn't, it's chocca with references to it.
Take for example the C# file samples\quickstart\aspplus\samples\webforms\intro\acme.cs which contains the giveaway comment: "//TodoHack 'needed because COOL doesn't support array initializers yet'."
Then Larry discovered that the original C# compiler was called coolc (duh...) subsequently renamed as csc.exec. Elsewhere, sample C# code has the HTML tag <script language='COOL' runat='server'>, and Larry notes a couple of references to the string "C\temp\fact\factorial.cool"
Burrowing deeper into the libraries we find "CoolCodeStream" in VisualStudio.dll and "DataSetCSharp". "DataSetCool" and "Microsoft.VisualStudio.Data.CodGen.DataCacheCool.xsl".
Make files also have references to "compiling cool samples" - which Larry reckons isn't quite the smoking pistole, but nonetheless, we reckon, are too coincidental to be ignored. Had enough? Wait a minute - we haven't mentioned the preprocessor declarations such as COOL_EXE_FLAGS (hmm...)
It kinda reminds us of the beta trial of Windows NT 3.1 (nee OS/2 version 3.0) when Microsoft denied that WinNT had anything to do with its hated IBM counterpart... and that it was sheer coincidence that NT spewed a ton of identical OS/2 error messages (down to the number) as OS/2 did, in identical circumstances.
It's dirty work, but somebody has to point out Microsoft's unceasing innovation. And so it falls to us... ®
- http://www.theregister.co.uk/2000/09/12/official_microsofts_csharp_is_cool/
Here are some of the new features and improvements you can expect in SP1:
• Generate bitmap fonts for your applications from the provided fonts
• Install separate developer and release versions of device firmware
• Protect devices from installation of unsigned code to their flash memory
• A new tool for creating, signing, and installing device firmware images
• Improved feedback during deployment from Visual Studio to a device
• Revised and upgraded documentation
• Fixes for several customer-reported issues
The SP1 download does not include new device firmware. If you have a development board from one of our hardware partners, check with the vendor to see when new firmware for your device will be available. New device firmware is only necessary if you wish to use flash protection.
Device Profile for Web Services
We're adding Device Profile for Web Services (DPWS) client and server support to the .NET Micro Framework. DPWS, also sometimes called Web Services on Devices (WSD), is a Web Services profile that enables a USB-like level of plug-and-play for networked devices. A PC or other device can detect DPWS-enabled devices on a network, then discover and invoke the functionality each device provides. A release date has not yet been set for this package (it is not part of Service Pack 1).
Looking Further Ahead
We're already planning the direction the .NET Micro Framework will take over the next year. Our first project is an integrated TCP/IP implementation that doesn't rely on an underlying network stack. For developers, this means more small network-enabled devices to develop on. Look for more information about these and other improvements as they take shape over the coming months.
A few posts back I talked about multi-touch interaction on displays that made gestures and interaction with software a lot more fun and leanient. Well, it looks like the works of Andy Wilson at Microsoft Research has finally pulled through to a product come this Winter 2007.
http://www.microsoft.com/surface
One of the more interesting concepts that has come out of the research is not just the idea of gestures but the concept of placing objects on a screen and having the object be apart of the digital world. Like in the above example, the lady has placed her Zune on the table along side the camera. When the camera was placed on the table, all the images instantly spread out for dragging and moving around. She can then drag a picture that was on the camera over to her zune. Or in a different example where a cell phone is placed on the table and the man sets up his trip and appointments by moving things to the phone. The seemless feel between our physical world and the digital is becoming quite apparent. I need to work on a few WPF apps to take advantage of this.
Just in case you didn't have either the time or like in my case, the money, to go the Las Vegas and see Microsoft's Mix 07 event, you can view the video below from some of the keynotes and demos from the event.
And in case you don't know, the Mix 07 event is where all the web designers, developers, industry makers and market professionals gather to show off some of the newest technologies from Microsoft and talk about what's to come in the technology fields. For more information on the event, just go to http://www.visitmix.com
this video contains:
Ray Ozzie key note
Scott Guthrie key note
How Netflix uses Silverlight Demo
Expression media encoder, expression designer, expression blend
Silverlight demos Silverlight
Through a recent series of driver updates for Windows Vista, ThinkPad in combination with a biometric coprocessor driver vendor, you can now have the fingerprint login in Windows Vista. This is very handy since I usually don't enjoy typing in my password all the time. This tutorial is intended for users who have Windows Vista, but more specifically users who have the Thinkpad T60p as their laptop of use. If you don't then don't mind this post.
First, make sure that you have the drivers for the actual biometric processor. You can view this by opening up the Device Manager by clicking start, then either search for 'device manager' or click the control panel. If you clicked on the control panel then click hardware and sound then simply click on device manager. You should see something similar to the following once you have opened it up.
On some T60p laptops this will actually show the name 'Biometric Coprocessor'. Either right-click on that and click properties, or click an 'Unknown Device' and click properties. Then click on the Driver tab. Click on the 'Update Driver' button and this should open up a dialog with two choices.
1. Search for the files online.
2. Browse the computer.
We want to browse the computer for the files. But of course we're going to need to get the files first.
Click on the Browse my computer for driver software and continue on to get the files.
To actually get the files, simply go to the following website and download the drivers from the zip file.
http://www.upek.com/support/downloads/drivers/windows.asp
The ReadMe in the zip file instructs on how to actually install the drivers. All we really need to do is unzip the files in the folder that is associated to the type of operating system you have.
If you don't know the exact Operating System you have, that's easy to figure out. Right-Click on Computer, Click properties, this should open up a window that shows the operating system and the System Type. Mine is 32-Bit Operating System. Choose vista x86 version for 32-bit Vista. You'll know if it doesn't work if the computer attempts to install the drivers and fails.
Okay, back to the other interface. Once you've unzipped the right files from the folder that refers to the operating system you have, open the window we had before.
Once we have this, you need to modify your registry to recognize that the system has a biometric fingerprint reader built-in to the laptop. To do this, we move to Lenovo's Thinkpad website.
Lenovo Downloads and Drivers
You'll need to select the Brand, Family, and Operating System. I have selected: Notebook and Handhelds, Thinkpad T60p, Type: All Types, and OS: Windows Vista. Click continue.
In the drop-down menu select Fingerprint reader. The only topic within this should be:
Registry patch to change idle IRP timing by Fingerprint reader driver for Windows Vista - ThinkPad
[If you get lost you can just read the Installation Instructions on Lenovo's site]
It's a simply registry change. All you have to do is download that registry fix to your desktop. Then, using the Run... command, (Click start, all programs, accessories, run), type in the directory where you downloaded the registry fix, then the name: FPIRPOn.reg. I downloaded to the C:\Drivers directory so I typed in. C:\Drivers\Vista\FPIRPON\FPIRPOn.reg
This will, of course, ask for permissions to change the registry. Once this has been executed you can then move on to downloading the actual Fingerprint software for logging in. To get to this, go back to the Downloads and Drivers page on Lenovo's site. Click the 'Security' drop-down menu item. Then click on the topic link 'Fingerprint Software 5.6'.
Or, alternatively, you can just click this link: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-66948
Links and Downloads
- TouchChip Fingerprint Coprocessor Drivers
- Registry patch to change idle IRP timing by Fingerprint reader driver for Windows Vista - ThinkPad
- Fingerprint Software 5.6
This is slightly outdated, but I figured I post about it anyways. If you didn't already see Bill appear on the many shows showing off Windows Vista, or see him in the tons of interviews by such sites as MSDN's Channel 9 or Channel 10. Then you might like watching this one of him on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
I'd like to say that in all of his interviews, you can definitely catch his aim on software of tomorrow. Where the software we produce and use becomes contextual and personalized. A great step in .NET, for instance, is such SDKs as WPF. Where the interaction of our applications is a lot less dull and a lot more productive and exciting for our users. Creating interactive and intuitive applications that only display what is needed and used in a given context. I see a lot of applications being developed that are based on this model of context + interaction + personalization.
Thinking of the many Web 2.0 Applications out there, I have seen less pushes towards desktop application development. Although, it is nice to have web applications that can store all my information and I can access it wherever I go, it can potentially open up a lot of security flaws where my data could be compromised.
Google Docs, and several other office applications now let you create documents and store them online. Even still we can do all of our finances, communications, and storage all online. Again, this can open the doors for hackers to steal almost anything we may possess given a little data mining. But this goes back to the old principle that I believe Matthew once told me: if you have extremely sensitive data, don't put it online. I'll agree in the sense that there is just information that we really don't want getting out such as our finances, but other data we may need it to be connected and viewed by others even if it is sensitive. This is where one of Bill Gates emails comes in handy. (Read it here)
I feel that the Web is a way of connecting people much more rapidly than a desktop application may. Utilizing community features, and other web application usage is a great idea for most applications. Integration is a very important role of development. There is of course, Smart Clients, where the application is already connected with the web. However, this will all, of course, depend on the application being built. The principles behind the application should determine how it is connected if at all.
Going back to the personalized context interaction, it may take nothing less than data mining to determine the users intent and basic needs to accomplish a given task. Whether or not a given task is difficult to accomplish will rely on how interactive it is. We are, of course, talking about complex applications and generally speaking web applications. Creating web applications that dynamically populate data, inserting ajax based controls with immutable data can be far more interactive than nearly all desktop applications. The basic problem with desktop applications is that most desktop apps are developed through static WYSIWYG editors, and thereby severally undermining the architecture of both the system and especially its interaction.
Along side the .NET 3.0 framework we have WYSIWYG editors that accomplish what I'm talking about in the Microsoft Expression Suite. One such is called Blend. In Blend, you design your application with all the interaction you would like, moving around controls, destroying them, creating them, manipulating them all through the editor. With most desktop application development cycles, this would take a lot of custom code. The Expression Suite definitely eases this process in development, making interaction/design stages of development a lot smoother into programming. The ability to create applications with truly intuitive interaction is becomming less and less difficult. I believe the next step in intuitive interaction is indeed context, providing relative information to the users. Some of the other concepts could also be vertical search and definitely personalization. We have already seen personalization spread through sites such as NetVibes and Pageflakes. It will interesting to see how this progresses into other fields of software development.
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