MSDN Flash - Volume 12, Number 1: January 3, 2008
From the Editor
Happy New Year, and, as always, make it a safe and prosperous one. If safety and prosperity align at all with your New Year's resolutions, we've got some head-start tips for you:
On the safety front, you can protect your customers from malware by creating applications that take advantage of the many defensive enhancements found in Windows Vista. These defenses are essentially free and could transform a coding error from a serious vulnerability into a crashing bug.
If you are interested in learning about data security, Web application security, authentication, or encryption, check out the new "How-do-I?" series of security videos. These videos explore a variety of security questions for developers and offer best practices to help you write safer code and build safer applications. New videos are added regularly, so check back often.
Often, security and prosperity go hand-in-hand. In order to extend your Web applications to vendors, partners, and other trusted organizations, learn how to develop federation-aware applications using Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) to provide secure external access to your Web applications while lowering your workload. Used with Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services as an identity provider for authentication and Windows Authorization Manager for control of access policy, AD FS provides a complete solution to extending your Web applications to trusted organizations.
Want to make the most of Team Foundation Server? Download the patterns & practices Team Development with Visual Studio Team Foundation Server Guide. It's a collaborative effort between patterns & practices, Team System team members, and industry experts that shows you how to incrementally adopt TFS for your organization.
Fun Stuff Update:
• The First-Ever Rechargeable Backlit Keyboard
The Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000 is the ultimate rechargeable keyboard and mouse for Windows Vista and PC entertainment. Control PC media from your desk, your lap, or even from your couch.
Windows Home Server brings it all together in a central hub, connecting your home PCs. Check out cool add-ins, a list of free, published community add-ins to customize you Windows Home Server experience.
• Extras for Windows Media Player
Check out cool stuff - skins, new visual effects, and plug-ins.
• New and Updated Windows Live Software and Services
Check out the new Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Writer, Windows Live Photo Gallery, and more.
• Fingerprint Reader
Simply place your finger on the receiver whenever a password or username is required.
Thanks for reading.
Editor, MSDN Flash
A Note From Your Student Developer Team
Pimp Your World with .NET
Have a great '08. From uber-projects to picture-taking, we've got projects lasting from minutes to hours to enhance your technical profile and fulfill your resolution to code more this year. Clint Rutkas, author of Coding4fun and BetterThanEveryone, has created a number of creative and fun applications using the .NET Framework. Visit Peace, Love, Code for ideas from crazy - like a Disco Dance Floor and Drunktender - to practical, like Vista Battery Saver and Visual Studio Cleanup.
Clint recently created the Delayed Startup Application for our team, to cut out those minutes of waiting as you start up you computer. This program starts up only the basics (like e-mail, IE, and Visual Studio). To top that off, Martin Schray put together a screencast that creates an installer in Visual Studio 2005. A classic combo to make your life easier.
Not interested in a disco dance-floor for your apartment? Maybe Dan Water's new series on robotics is more your style. He demonstrates how to get started with Robotics Studio and an iCreate robot (think Roomba).
Another coding option is to try something a little festive by creating Winter Visualization using Windows Media Player and Visual C++ Express.
If you don't have time to code up an application, add a new layer to blogging by using Windows Live Writer 2008 (just released from beta) or Word 2007. Enhance your blog with a Clustrmap like this one to trace your viewership around the world. Add .NET code to your blog entries with this .NET formatter.
Here at Microsoft we're starting out the year with a little on-hold 80s dance. Speaking of videos, everyone has digital pictures and videos these days. If you have any that focus on the environment, you may want to submit to the Imagine Cup Photo & Film competition - this year's theme is "A Sustainable Environment". It's quick and easy and potentially pays out.
• First Place: US$5,000 and debut at the Seattle International Film Festival
• Second Place: US$3,000
• Third Place: US$1,500
• First Place: US$5,000 and 2-page color spread in American Photography magazine and display of pictures on Imagine Cup micro site of PopPhoto.com
• Second Place: US$3,000
• Third Place: US$1,500
If you've really gone back-to-school mode, try exploring the Math Add-In for Word 2007, which adds computational and graphing capabilities to the equation tools ribbon. With the Microsoft Math Add-in for Word 2007, you can:
• Plot a function, equation, or inequality in 2-D or 3-D
• Solve an equation or inequality
• Calculate a numerical result
• Simplify an algebraic expression
I tried this out and it is very easy to use, with lots of helpful explanations and "how to" instructions. You have to have Word 2007, of course, but the add-in itself is a free download.
Hope you had a great holiday!
Student Developer Team
MSDN Events
What's New in IIS7 and Extending ASP.NET 2.0 Application Services: Live MSDN Events
Learn how to extend application services - including membership, role management, and navigation - from ASP.NET, and how to consume them from a wide variety of clients. As a special bonus, find out about the top security counter-measures available for Web sites and Web applications of all kinds.
• Session 1 - Safer, Smarter, Stronger: What's New for Web Developers in IIS7
• Session 2 - Extending ASP.NET 2.0 Application Services
Your Featured Content
Update Your Selected Topics
Ensure that the content most relevant to you is presented in this section.
Evaluate the Windows Server 2008 Release Candidate
See how built-in Web and virtualization technologies make Windows Server 2008 a robust, security-enhanced, and reliable foundation on which you can develop, deliver, and manage rich user applications and experiences.
Enhance Your Apps with the Integrated ASP.NET Pipeline
Mike Volodarsky demonstrates how IIS 7.0 lets you add performance and security upgrades to PHP apps without touching a line of PHP code.
Drag and Drop with ASP.NET AJAX
Jeff Prosise shows how you can implement drag-and-drop functionality in your Web app with ASP.NET AJAX.
Encapsulate Silverlight with ASP.NET Controls
To implement Silverlight in ASP.NET pages, you can encapsulate your Silverlight elements in ASP.NET controls. Here's how.
ISV Innovation Presents: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Training for ISV Developers
January 8 - January 30
SQL Server 2008, the next release of Microsoft SQL Server, provides a comprehensive data platform that is more secure, reliable, manageable, and scalable for your mission-critical applications, while enabling you to create new applications that can store and consume any type of data on any device, and enabling all your users to make informed decisions.
Your Future Beyond SCO: Perspective on Microsoft and Linux
January 17, 9:00 A.M. Pacific Time
Compare Windows to Linux as a solution for businesses from small to enterprise, and put key criteria, such as total cost of ownership, reliability, performance, and support, in perspective as you compare the advantages and disadvantages of each. If you are considering a move away from SCO UNIX, this seminar is a perfect opportunity to weigh the alternatives.
Now Available: SharePoint Server 2007 SP1
SharePoint Server 2007 Service Pack 1 includes hot fixes, Windows Server 2008 compatibility, ASP.NET for AJAX compatibility and support, and new Stsadm commands. Find links to deployment instructions and view the updated online SDK.
Project 2007 SDK - December Update
The December 2007 release of the Project 2007 SDK includes the new ERP Connector Solution Starter, a how-to article for customizing Project Server notifications, the Project XML Data Interchange Schema reference, and an update of ProjTool with project backup and restore. Use the SDK to help customize and integrate the Project 2007 clients and Project 2007 Server with other desktop applications and business applications for enterprise project management.
Download: Project 2007 SDK (December 2007 Refresh)
ind updated documentation, code samples, how-to articles, and programming references to help customize and integrate the Project 2007 clients and Project Server 2007 with other applications for enterprise project management.
Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 SDK (SP1 December 2007 Refresh)
Each update of the Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 SDK contains significant new conceptual, procedural, and reference material to help developers create customizations and applications for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.
ISV Innovation Presents: "Light Up" Applications for Windows Vista
February 4 - 7, 10:00 A.M. Pacific Time
Windows Vista has been redesigned from the foundation up to provide increased security, reliability, and manageability. Attend this 4-part Web seminar and learn how you can "light up" your applications for Window Vista.
Government Resources
Microsoft Developer Conference
- January 16, Seattle, WA
- January 17, Olympia, WA
- February 6, Los Angeles, CA
- February 7, San Diego
Register for a full day of developer-oriented technical sessions on Visual Studio Tools for Office, Windows Workflow Foundation, and Windows Communication foundation. There is no fee to attend.
Missed Attending the Virtual Earth Road Show?
Presentations and session content are now available.
Missed Attending the Microsoft Robotics Developer Dinners in Reston and DC?
Presentations and session content are now available.
Attend the Public Services Government Web Expo Virtual Conference on Demand
Learn About the Latest Microsoft Development Tools for Public Sector Developers
...and be sure to check out the upcoming webcast schedule.
Missed a Webcast that You Wanted to Attend?
Check out our on-demand webcasts.
Free How-to Videos: Visual Basic, C#, and C++ Visual Studio 2008 Videos for Beginners
If you are new to Visual Studio development or want to switch from one language to another, then Robert Shelton, Public Sector Developer Evangelist, has some videos for you at his blog.
.NET Framework KB Articles
.NET Framework KB Articles RSS Feed
Visual Studio .NET and Visual Studio 2005 KB Articles KB Articles
Cannot have more than one document open in the Visual Studio 2005
TFS: How to remove "orphan user" from Workitem Tracking (WIT) "Assigned to" field
TFS: Browser error opening work item attachment from Visual Studio Team Explorer
Visual Studio 2005 KB Articles RSS Feed
SQL Server and Data Access KB Articles
You may encounter connectivity issues when you connect an application to SQL Server 2008 CTP
Evaluation Center
Download the SQL Server 2008 November CTP
Download the SQL Server 2008 Community Technology Preview (CTP) and try out the latest features of SQL Server 2008.
More Resources to Help Optimize Your SQL Server 2008 CTP Evaluation Experience
Find more resources to help make the most of your SQL Server2008 CTP evaluation - all in one convenient place. You'll find Web forums, blogs, webcast, product demos, and more.
Windows Server 2008 Evaluation Resources:
Windows Workflow Foundation Team Answers Your Questions
The Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) team answers a variety of questions about the new workflow engine included in the .NET Framework 3.0.
Performance Characteristics of Windows Workflow Foundation
Technology Samples
These samples demonstrate specific technologies of Windows Workflow Foundation.
Introduction to the Window Workflow Foundation Rules Engine
This article provides an overview of the rules engine capabilities in Windows Workflow Foundation.
More Evaluation Center Resources...
Web Resources
Announcing The Ingenuity Point Winners
After reviewing many entries from all over the globe, we are pleased to announce the winners for Phase I of The Ingenuity Point contest. Among the winners were OSIsoft (Clean Technology, USA), TR Control Systems (Education, UK) and Tobii Technologies (Healthcare, Sweden). Read about these companies and their world changing solutions.
Security for Developers
Implementation vs. Design Defects
Design defects are much, much harder to correct than implementation defects, so a few of them can easily add up to more work than dozens of implementation errors.
Security Is Not All About Security Updates
Training
Get Ready for Visual Studio 2008 with Free E-Learning
Learn how to incorporate ASP.NET AJAX with this free online course, "Developing Enhanced Web Experiences with Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX Extensions."
New Book: Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Step by Step
Learn how to use the fundamental features of Visual Studio 2008 and gain a basic understanding of the latest enhancements to the Visual C# language. This step-by-step guide includes a companion CD with code samples, data sets, and a fully searchable e-book.
Case Studies
Process Management Experts Increase Revenue by 52 Per Cent with Software-Plus-Services In 2007, Nimbus integrated Control 2007 with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 simplify global deployment.
Software-Plus-Services Model Expected to Achieve UK£33 Million Savings for U.K. Government Department
The U.K. Department for Work and Pensions can now aggregate information across all authorities, and build predictive models that identify fraudulent claims or errors.
Intuitive Language Software Automatically Answers 90 Per Cent of Customer Questions
Q-go's natural language search (NLS) technology integrated with SharePoint Server 2007 allows users pose questions in their own language and get an immediate answer.
Partner News
New 30-Day Trial of DevForce Professional
For a limited time, get DevForce Professional with support for Visual Studio 2008, stored procedures, DevX and Infragistics controls, and more.