February 2015

Volume 30 Number 2

Share UI Code Across Mobile Platforms with Xamarin.Forms

Cross-Platform : Share UI Code Across Mobile Platforms with Xamarin.Forms

Jason Smith

The head of the Xamarin.Forms project shows how it provides access to all the native power of the major mobile platforms, as well as all the goodness of a simplified API for those things that dont need the complex native APIs.

Lightweight Client-Side Device DetectionColumn

Cutting Edge : Lightweight Client-Side Device Detection

Dino Esposito

WURFL.js is a lightweight device description repository that can improve the user experience in client-side intensive Web applications running on mobile and desktop browsers.

The Rise of Event Stream-Oriented Systems

Microsoft Azure : The Rise of Event Stream-Oriented Systems

Christopher Bennage

With the rise in prominence of event data streams, managing and processing those streams becomes more essential. The new Azure Event Hubs helps you predict and parse data streams.

COM Smart Pointers RevisitedColumn

Windows with C++ : COM Smart Pointers Revisited

Kenny Kerr

it’s time to apply some of the modern C++ offered by Visual C++ 2015 to the design of a new smart pointer for COM interfaces, as Kenny Kerr explains.

Adding a Code Fix to Your Roslyn Analyzer

C# : Adding a Code Fix to Your Roslyn Analyzer

Alex Turner

In the second part of Alex Turner's exploration of live code analyzers in the .NET Compiler Platform, he shows how to add a code fix provider to clean up errors found by the regex diagnostic analyzer presented in part 1.

L1 and L2 Regularization for Machine LearningColumn

Test Run : L1 and L2 Regularization for Machine Learning

James McCaffrey

James McCaffrey looks at how regularization can help to reduce overfitting, a common result of machine learning that undermines the predictive accuracy of the model.

Build Better Software with Smart Unit Tests

Visual Studio 2015 : Build Better Software with Smart Unit Tests

Pratap Lakshman

Smart Unit Tests lets you specify the intended behavior of software in terms of its source code, and uses automated white-box code analysis in conjunction with a constraint solver to generate and maintain a compact suite of relevant tests with high coverage for your .NET code.

Rise of Roslyn, Part 2: Writing DiagnosticsColumn

The Working Programmer : Rise of Roslyn, Part 2: Writing Diagnostics

Ted Neward

Dig into writing diagnostics as Ted Neward and Joe Hummel show how to use the open source .NET Compiler Platform (formerly known as "Roslyn") to write language tools when developing for the platform.

What Every Programmer Should Know About Compiler Optimizations

Compilers : What Every Programmer Should Know About Compiler Optimizations

Hadi Brais

Hadi Brais introduces the sophisticated optimization capabilities of the Visual C++ compiler, which enable programmers to write understandable, maintainable code without compromising performance.

Implement Search in Windows Store and Windows Phone Store AppsColumn

Modern Apps : Implement Search in Windows Store and Windows Phone Store Apps

Rachel Appel

Search is arguably the most important feature in any app these days. If you want to make your app popular and easy to use, you had better add a search function.

Building an Enterprise Search for .NET

.NET Framework : Building an Enterprise Search for .NET

Damian Zapart

Big data warehouses allow companies to store huge amounts of information, but the challenge is how to retrieve just a small and specific piece of it. With Elasticsearch, things get easier.

5 Years Down the RoadColumn

Don't Get Me Started : 5 Years Down the Road

David Platt

Has it been five years already? David Platt looks back at half a decade as the back page columnist at MSDN Magazine.

Analyze ThisColumn

Editor's Note : Analyze This

Michael Desmond

The new .NET Compiler Platform (aka "Roslyn") technology that is part of the Visual Studio 2015 Preview is already doing some pretty cool things. This month, we dive into Live Code Analyzers.