DotNetKicks.com : Stories kicked by Obishawn

Don't lose your code - 3 methods that can help

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:22:34 GMT

Inevitably, you'll lose power to your computer, have a hard drive crash, have lightening strike, accidentally delete code that hasn't been checked in, or encounter some other crazy scenario that I can't even imagine. What is your plan? Read on if you want some solutions that may just save your code.

Generic Method Overloading Selection Pitfall

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:01:02 GMT

Recently I ran into a very unexpected behavior when working with an overloaded generic method. Basically, the selection process for overloaded versions of generic methods is different than their non-generic counterparts. Please be aware of this issue!

Advantages of a 3rd party diff/compare tool

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 15:25:34 GMT

I recently spent nearly an hour trying to figure out why all of my unit tests stopped working in a particular class. It turns out that I had accidentally deleted a single character in one of my strings, but the built in diff tool that comes with Team Foundation Server is very simplistic. Learn how and why you can replace your stock compare tool with something a little more powerful.

How I've put my wife into SVN

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:31:14 GMT

SVN and TortoiseSVN are really great tools. It is a shame that these tools are used only by developers. I believe that every home should use SVN to keep track of it's files. The problem is that these tools are planned for developers. Using the file-system in windows is not a trivial task for everyone. In fact, sometimes people tend to be afraid of it. Not only using the file-system, but also using some client application that does not even have a window? And where do I get an SVN server anyway?!? Keep reading. you might find it useful.

Continuous Integration Display Wall

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:16:16 GMT

Awesome 4 monitor display wall for visualizing a CruiseControl.NET build process.

Cloud Computing (and Azure) - Right for your site?

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 02:16:02 GMT

A quick overview of cloud computing options and benefits from a web hosting standpoint.

Software Tools You Should Be Using and Blogs You Should Be Reading

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:01:02 GMT

Advice on how to become a great developer and not just a monkey programmer.

C# 4.0 New Features Part 1 - dynamic keyword

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:01:14 GMT

A quick look at the new "dynamic" keyword in C# 4.0 and its implications for application development.

The Excitement that is C# 4.0

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:01:02 GMT

I just got back from the "Future of C#" talk at PDC by Anders Hejlsberg. This was a truly inspiring talk for a geek like me. C# is evolving into a much more dynamic language. I have always been a believer of strong typing. except when I'm not. and I have been wishing for something more dynamic (such as Duck Typing). In C# 4.0, we will be seeing some significant dynamic features.

jQuery IntelliSense documentation file available

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:31:12 GMT

IntelliSense documentation files for jQuery just got published on jquery.com. This enables great IntelliSense at design-time for jQuery in Visual Studio 2008.

Essential Visual Studio Tips & Tricks that Every Developer Should Know

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:01:02 GMT

In this blog entry, Stephen Walther lists the essential tips and tricks that every developer who uses Visual Studio 2008 should know. The list is kept brief. The list focuses on only those tips and tricks that can be used on a daily basis. Almost all of these tips and tricks are just as useful regardless of whether you are building an ASP.NET Web Forms or ASP.NET MVC application.

ASP.NET MVC Pro's and Con's

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:16:06 GMT

Some of the main pro's and con's of the new style for building web applications (ASP.NET MVC).

Response.Redirect and Output Caching Trouble

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:14:04 GMT

Be careful when conditionally redirecting pages when using output caching. This post describes a potential issue you could run into, and provides some analysis and workarounds.

10 Programming Proverbs Every Developer Should Know

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:01:02 GMT

Proverbs are used to express universal truths or life lessons in a short and memorable fashion. I find that they are a great way to keep things in perspective, both in life and in work. Because of this, I have assembled 10 programming proverbs that every developer needs in their arsenal.

ASP.NET MVC, What about SEO?

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:31:05 GMT

Unfortunately, I've run into some alarming SEO (Search Engine Optimization) issues ASP.NET MVC.

Important questions a developer should ask a prospective employer

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 23:01:08 GMT

A list of questions that software developers should ask a prospective employer during their interview process. Similar to the Joel test, but more in-depth.

Using objects or repository interface in constructor

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:31:02 GMT

The differences between passing in simple concrete objects or an interface in a constructor, and why the interface route is typically preferred.

Development vs. Production Web.config

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:04:37 GMT

I describe a quick and easy way of changing or removing development settings in your web.config to make it production ready.

Locking sessions for multi-threaded access

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:53:50 GMT

I ran into an issue where multiple threads were accessing a user's session. You have to do some locking to avoid unexpected behavior.

Using "var" to simplify code and avoid redundancy

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:35:19 GMT

You've probably already heard of the new "var" keyword that you can use to declare variables in your .NET code. I wanted to clear up some quick myths and give a quick overview of when it's most valuable.

Unit tests are for functionality, not code!

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:31:02 GMT

Unit tests are meant to test functionality, NOT code! That means if you write your unit tests after the fact, you're probably not focusing on the functionality.

Why You SHOULD Have 100% Code Test Coverage

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 05:46:02 GMT

Shawn talks about why your goal should be 100% unit test coverage, despite what others may say.

What a developer needs from their manager

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:16:03 GMT

I've a read a lot of articles talking about what it takes to be a good development manager. There are also articles about what makes a good developer. I thought it would be a good idea to describe what a developer needs from their manager.

I finally get the point of inversion of control

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:31:02 GMT

A quick overview of IoC (with diagrams!).

Improve your software by creating an API

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:56:35 GMT

Good advice for anyone writing an enterprise application.