MSDN Flash - Volume 12, Number 18: August 25, 2008
Volume 12, Number 18: August 25, 2008
Top News
Download Visual Studio 2008 Service Pack (SP) 1
Visual Studio 2008 SP1 introduces full support for SQL Server 2008, improved performance in the IDE and WPF designers, improved Web development and site deployment, and many Team Foundation Server enhancements.
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack (SP) 1 Now Available
Download the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 for improved features for both client and Web development. Additionally, SP1 for the .NET Framework introduces the ADO.NET Entity Framework and ADO.NET Data Services.
From the Editor
Greetings Developers,
The service packs - Visual Studio 2008 SP1 and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 - are now available to download, and there's a lot of related guidance to help you get to most out these tools.
For instance, the Requirements Management with Visual Studio Team System White Paperoutlines how to use Visual Studio Team System for successful requirements management using Visual Studio Team System 2005 or Visual Studio Team System 2008. Looking forward, this paper describes some of the challenges that Microsoft intends to address in the next release: Visual Studio Team System code name "Rosario."
There is also a new site for all Visual Studio extensions. The Visual Studio Gallery can be used to share your extensions, and includes everything from community-built power toys to advanced industry partner solutions. All developers can post info about their Visual Studio extensions in the Visual Studio Gallery.
If you are getting up to speed on what's new in the SP1s, check out Soma's blog or get the official overview of the fixes and features. If you are getting ready to install the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1, be sure to read the release notes.
If you've been playing around with Silverlight, be sure to check out the 2008 Beijing Olympics online at NBCOlympics.com. The site is an awesome showcase for Silverlight 2.0, as the beta release is being used to handle all of the streaming video from the games.
Finally, with the release of Microsoft SQL Server 2008, feel free to download the 2008 Feature Pack for Microsoft SQL Server 2008 for access to the collection of stand-alone install packages that provide additional value for SQL Server 2008.
Thanks for reading,
Editor
MSDN Flash
A Note from Your Student Developer Team
Enhance your Windows experience for back-to-school with more PowerToys. As students, we explore many technologies. We learn how to perform tasks and develop software for many environments and operating systems. Wouldn't it be great to incorporate your favorite OS features into your Windows System?
While I was trying a new Windows add-in, SharedView, I came across a PC World article with a great set of add-ins to enhance your Windows Experience. Below are a few of the pointers from this article. For the complete set you can find it online.
Microsoft SharedView
As the computer expert in my family, I get endless requests to help. If you service computers for your family while at school, SharedView is a must have. SharedView allows you to share your desktop and control one another's desktop.
Microsoft Virtual Desktop Manager
When you pull an all-nighter to finish those last few lines of code, nothing could be worse than a 2:00 A.M. chat from party-goers. Virtual workspaces allow you to keep homework in one place and life in another.
Download Virtual Desktop for XP | Download Virtual Desktop for Vista
Stickies
Vista comes with a note gadget. If you are more at home with Mac or UNIX stickies, try Stickies for Windows.
ISO Burning
ISO images are a primary vehicle for transferring information via CDs and DVDs. Alex Freeman's free ISO Recorder allows you to burn ISO images on XP, 32- and 64-bit Vista.
Software for Free
Accessing ISO images is another important task. At Microsoft, we deliver software for free via DreamSpark and MSDN AA through ISO images. Daemon Tools offers free ISO mounting software. How to Install Software from an ISO Image.
Cygwin - Linux Emulator for Windows
If you are comfortable in a Linux or UNIX environment, Cygwin can help you adapt to Windows. Cygwin adds POSIX to Windows as well as providing a set of Linux-based programs for your use.
Unified Menu
If you like the look and feel of the unified menu on Mac OSX, Stardock's ObjectBar provides the look and feel of Apple menus with all the great applications opportunities for Windows - currently only on XP.
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Try Windows Home Server Free for 120 Days
Never lose another digital file. Back up and restore. Build the ultimate home server.
How to Optimize SharePoint Server 2007 Web Content Management Sites for Search Engines
Learn techniques to create Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Web content management (WCM) sites that are optimized for search engines, and what to avoid to help improve search ratings.
Developer Tools Data Sheet: Windows Parallel Programming Ecosystem
Microsoft has put together a rich ecosystem of tools that address the needs of multi-core and cluster programmers. Take a quick tour of Microsoft Visual Studio and some of its partner tools.
Windows Mobile Application Development
Check out this overview of what is required to develop for Windows Mobile Devices, which tools you need for developing Windows Mobile-based applications and communities available for Windows Mobile developers.
Manipulating Excel 2007 and PowerPoint 2007 Files with the Open XML Format API (Part 1 of 2)
This article, the first in a series of two, describes the Open XML object model code that you can use to access and manipulate Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 files.
Creating and Customizing TFS Reports
This article provides an introduction to the important concepts and step-by-step instructions to create and customize reports for Microsoft Visual Studio Team Foundation Server (TFS).
Creating an Enterprise Search Crawl Log Viewer for SharePoint Server 2007
Create a Windows Forms application that has the ability to view and filter the entries in the Enterprise Search crawl log.
Using Enterprise Search Property Filters in SharePoint Server 2007
Learn to use Enterprise Search property filters to narrow the focus of keyword searches in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.
Configuring the Windows Firewall to Allow SQL Server Access
To access an instance of SQL Server through a firewall, you must configure the firewall on the computer that is running SQL Server to allow access. This topic discusses how to configure the Windows firewall, but the basic principles apply to other firewall programs.
Government Resources
Developer Webcasts
Learn about the latest Microsoft development tools for Public Sector developers. And be sure to check out the upcoming webcast schedule.
On Demand Developer Webcasts
Missed a webcast that you wanted to attend? Check out our on-demand webcasts.
Visual Studio 2008 SP1 and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 have been officially released to manufacturing. See the Public Sector Developer Weblog to learn more.
Washington State Saves Millions of Dollars Creating its Voter Registration Database
Washington State, along with the other states in the country, had to create a centralized voter registration database after the U.S. Congress passed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), requiring states to replace local voter registration data stores serving individual counties with a single, centralized database administered by the state. Washington's Office of the Secretary of State created its HAVA-compliant solution using the Microsoft Application Platform, including Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and Microsoft Visual Studio Team System.
Wyoming Department of Health Improves Communication and Productivity with New Software
The Wyoming Department of Health replaced its Novell messaging system and multiple instant messaging applications with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. With common e-mail messaging, instant messaging, Web-based video conferencing, and presence capabilities across the agency, employees-especially in far-flung locations-can communicate faster and more personally. Travel across Wyoming's icy winter roads has been dramatically reduced, increasing employee safety and reducing travel costs.
Washington State Historical Society Advances Its Technology with Operating System Upgrade
The Washington State Historical Society, based in Tacoma, Washington, operates the Washington State History Museum, Washington State Research Center, and the State Capital Museum. It has 50 full-time employees.
.NET Framework KB Articles
List of fixed issues in the .NET Framework 2.0 Cumulative Update
SerializationException when calling AppDomain.SetData()
RSS Feeds
.NET Framework 2.0 | .NET Framework 1.1
Visual Studio 2008, Visual Studio 2005, and Visual Studio .NET KB Articles
.NET Application may crash at startup for specific users if user.config file is corrupt
Visual Studio 2008 IDE may crash while building a VC++ Project after modifying Linker properties
RSS Feeds
Visual Studio 2008 | Visual Studio 2005 | Visual Studio 2005 Team Edition | Visual Studio .NET 2003 | Visual Studio .NET 2002
SQL Server and Data Access KB Articles
Description of SQL Server Compact 3.5 Service Pack 1
RSS Feeds
SQL Server 2005 | SQL Server 2000 | SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services
Team Development, Source Control, and Testing KB Articles
ExpansionsXML.xml Causes Slow Visual Studio IDE Startup
RSS Feeds
Visual Studio 2005 Team Edition | Visual SourceSafe 2005
Visual FoxPro | XBase KB Articles
Return code 0x80004005 registering a .DLL COM server created with Microsoft Visual FoxPro
RSS Feeds
Visual FoxPro 9.0 | Visual FoxPro 8.0 | Visual FoxPro 7.0
Evaluation Center
Try SQL Server 2008 - Your Data, Any Place, Any Time
SQL Server is a comprehensive platform that can store and consume any data type, from anywhere, while reducing the development complexity with data abstraction and integrated environment with Visual Studio and .NET framework. Download it today.
Web Resources
How to Get the Most out of the Improved MSDN & TechNet Search
We asked a dozen IT Pros and Developers to use our Live-powered MSDN and TechNet search as their default for Microsoft-related searches for 12 days. The goal was to see if technical pros think that our search is now more efficient to use than Google or Live.com when doing technical searches. Everyone involved learned something that helped them get more out of their search queries. Read our blog post that summarizes the positive results and collects quotes from the participants with pointers to their blog posts.
Security for Developers
Security Is Bigger than Finding and Fixing Bugs
Our experiences with the SDL over the last 5 years have taught us that you need to consider security and privacy (but remember, you have to ship too!) very early in the design phase and have a consistent end-to-end process if you truly hope to reduce vulnerabilities and create more-secure software.
IE 8 XSS Filter Architecture / Implementation Revealed + Some Other News
Preventing SQL Injection with the Entity Framework and Data Services
What makes a bug a security bug?
Linus Torvalds is "Fed up with the 'security circus'"
Training
Get a Free Second Shot on Your Microsoft Certification Exam
Due to popular demand, Microsoft is extending the Second Shot offer. Get a second chance at no cost to pass your Microsoft certification exam if you don't pass the first time.
Free E-Book Offer: Writing Secure Code, Second Edition, by Michael Howard and David LeBlanc
Discover the best practices for writing secure code and stopping malicious hackers in their tracks - direct from the top security experts at Microsoft! Through August 27, you can download the e-book of Writing Secure Code, Second Edition for free. This offer requires a valid Windows Live ID and the access code 7234-N4E8-4995. Download the e-book today.
Take a Windows Server 2008 Course and Get Free Software
Take select Windows Server 2008 courses and get the Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition free. Offer available through December 31 or while supplies last.
Case Studies
Software Firm Adds Business Intelligence to Real-Time Decisions with SQL Server 2005
Nexvisionix credits the integration of the Microsoft Application Platform, including Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005, with helping it reduce development time by 50 percent.
Washington State Saves Millions of Dollars Creating Its Voter Registration Database
Washington created its HAVA-compliant solution using the Microsoft Application Platform, including SQL Server 2005 and Visual Studio Team System. Washington was one of the few states to complete its solution on time, and it cost a fraction of what other, similarly sized states deployed.
Garanti Technology Upgrading Enterprise Integration Solution to SQL Server 2008
Garanti Technology created an ERP solution linking automotive dealers, parts suppliers, and other key partners using the Microsoft Application Platform.
Partner News
Free CMS for ASP.NET
Kentico releases Free Edition of Kentico CMS for ASP.NET - the complete solution for web sites, on-line stores and community sites.
Web Standards and ASP.NET: The Aggiorno Way
Aggiorno brings expert knowledge and productivity to web developers. Need help with Web Standards? SEO? Accessibility? Get your free download today.
Telerik TV: See Telerik Tools in Action
Watch Telerik TV series and learn from the experience of other developers. Telerik customers demonstrate their experience with Telerik products.
Add Scalability to Your Enterprise Application
Scale Visual WebGui "Web-like desktop" applications over a Web farm. Download the VWG Scalable Server extension for free, and join the VWG beta-tester group.