DotNetKicks.com : Stories kicked by estherschindler

Convincing the Boss to Pay for Developer Training (Several tips)

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:13:30 GMT

Your company wants you to be competent (if not brilliant) with your programming tools. But even in the best of times, Management is reluctant to pay for training classes, tech conferences, or even a programming book. Here's a few suggestions that might, MIGHT get your manager to approve the expense.

22 amazing JQuery - Modal - Plugins

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:31:03 GMT

A collection of 22 amazing JQuery - Modal - Window - Plugins

Do You Really Need a College Degree to Get a Programming Job?

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 03:16:04 GMT

There's plenty of articles about the shortage of skilled IT workers and the difficulty experienced by companies in finding qualified software developers. The whining would be far more credible if the Want Ads didn't have a silly, arbitrary qualification: a college degree.

Starting out - The story of starting a software tools company

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 04:01:10 GMT

Not strictly about coding, this post talks about starting a business that builds tools for software developers (in this case, tools for developers on the Microsoft stack). Covers some of the lessons learned and experiences in the first few months.

What ASP.NET MVC Can Learn From Ruby on Rails

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 08:31:14 GMT

What I think ASP.NET MVC can learn from Ruby on Rails.

A lap around MIX09 keynote announcements

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 02:31:09 GMT

Simone collects all the big announcements from MIX09 and provides links to get deeper into the new stuff

Who Pays For Your Development Tools When You Work At Home?

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:07:49 GMT

The boss expects you to be available 24x7, and to fix a bug at 7:00am on Sunday. Fine; these days, everyone is at least a part-time telecommuter. But who pays for the development tools (and other software) you use for your Work programming?

From 32-Bit to 64-Bit: Why Software Lags Hardware

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 23:43:53 GMT

Your new computer has a 64-bit processor, but your software probably is still 32-bit. Why haven't software developers done more about it?

Microsoft's Zune Meltdown: Three Lessons Developers Should Learn

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:37:01 GMT

On December 31, all the 30GB Zune models turned into bricks because of a Leap Year firmware coding error. This quality assurance and testing debacle demonstrates three lessons every software developer should take to heart.

Running an Effective Code Review

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:29:06 GMT

Code reviews can be a frustrating waste of time, but here's how to turn it into a worthwhile experience that contributes to team-building, improves the software, and oh yeah... is also fun. If this is not the definitive guide, it is at least exhaustive and in-depth.

26 Ways To Know Your Software Development Project Is Doomed

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 04:52:24 GMT

There's always a moment when you realize that all is lost, that there is absolutely no way THIS project can be a success. Here's a few signs that should suggest your project is headed for failure.

Microsoft Announces Visual Studio 2010. Developers Respond.

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 01:01:13 GMT

Microsoft's development environment offers new tools for Agile development, software testing enhancements and improved support for cloud computing. Microsoft showed CIO.com a sneak peek, and the author invited developers to chime in with their feedback.

Getting Started with ASP.NET Ajax

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 23:35:17 GMT

Learn the various set of technologies that make up Ajax, the key ingredients of ASP.NET Ajax, the major goals of ASP.NET Ajax, and why Ajax has become indispensable in web application development communities worldwide. Book chapter from Sams Teach Yourself ASP.NET Ajax in 24 Hours.

Embarcadero to Upgrade Windows RAD Tools

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 23:33:34 GMT

Products bring together CodeGear and Embarcadero's DatabaseGear functionality into a single offering featuring support for Microsoft's Silverlight.

Using Parallel LINQ

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:11:42 GMT

At the skunk works in Redmond, they're working on extensions to Language Integrated Query (LINQ) referred to as Parallel LINQ (PLINQ). PLINQ makes it easy to use multiple threads and all that processing power. This article shows you how and provides some parameters and guidelines for when you can get some extra horsepower out of multithreading your LINQ queries.

Microsoft's Silverlight Draws Patent Suit

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:39:07 GMT

Video software developer Gotuit Media has sued Microsoft, claiming that its Silverlight multimedia software infringes several of the company's patents.

A Quick Tour of Visual Studio 2008

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:40:49 GMT

This book chapter, from Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Unleashed, shows what to expect as a first encounter with Visual Studio 2008, including a run-through of the tool to help you get your bearings and a review of the Visual Studio product line.

Silverlight Book - Apress Silverlight 2 Visual Essentials

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 02:37:48 GMT

Apress Silverlight 2 Visual Essentials is the last published book for Silverlight. Download Link: Apress.Silverlight.2.Visual.Essentials.Jun.2008.pdf I'm sharing this book for all silverlight developers. If you like the book, buy a printed copy from book store. If you need any book related help, send mail to books@amconlinebd.com

10 reasons why SQL Server 2008 is going to rock

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:01:12 GMT

Just like its predecessor, SQL Server 2008 is taking its sweet time to actually ship. However, unlike its predecessor, it won't just be a "worthwhile upgrade". It will kick ass. Here are the top 10 reasons why.

Weeklong chat with big names in open source

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:30:49 GMT

CIO.com is hosting a blog-based "panel discussion" this week about the challenges of getting business acceptance for open source. Anyone can comment and ask questions of these folks. A *small* subset of the participants include Mike Milinkovich (of the Eclipse Foundation), Marten Mickos (former CEO of MySQL), Dominic Sartorio (president of the Open Solutions Alliance), Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier (Novell SUSE Evangelist), Wikipedia's Doman Mituzas, Ron Gula (developer of Dragon IDS). Nobody specific to Microsoft (they declined) but should be of interest to anyone developing/using open source in business.

The ReaderWriterLockSlim Synchronization Primitive

Mon, 26 May 2008 21:22:29 GMT

.NET 3.5 introduced a new synchronization primitive called ReaderWriterLockSlim in the System.Threading namespace, which provides synchronized access to a resource for multiple readers, or one writer. Conceptually, ReaderWriterLockSlim does the same thing as ReaderWriterLock. But ReaderWriterLockSlim performs much better and is less prone to deadlocks. The .NET team recommends ReaderWriterLockSlim for all new development. Jim Mischel shows how it works.

An Introduction to .NET for Beginners

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:34:38 GMT

Starting with a brief historical overview, in this book chapter from "Start-to-Finish Visual Basic 2005: Learn Visual Basic 2005," Tim Patrick explains all about .NET, from the concept of objects to typical development processes.

Adobe Responds To Silverlight

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:16:02 GMT

The move that Adobe is making is to include the ability in include C, C++, Java, Python, and Ruby code into Flash that will get comiled into ActionScript. This is a smart move by Adobe which will strengthen Flash and remove the major reason a developer might decide to switch to Silverlight.

A useful job interview question for developers

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 20:54:11 GMT

IT managers rarely know what to ask when a programmer is led into their office during a job interview. Here's one that can separate the true subject matter experts from the tyros.

Getting Clueful: 7 Things CIOs Should Know About Agile Development

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 05:41:35 GMT

Agile methodologies for software projects can help organizations create better software faster. Yeah, yeah, you've heard that before. Here, experienced programmers explain the key ingredients to make those goals achievable.