February 2016

Volume 31 Number 2

Universal Windows Platform Apps for Web Developers

[Windows 10]

Universal Windows Platform Apps for Web Developers

Tim Kulp

Building cross-browser apps has long been the domain of the Web developer, and those skills translate neatly to Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps that run on Windows 10. Learn how to leverage Web app dev skills when working with UWP apps.

Loyalty TestColumn

[Upstart]

Loyalty Test

Krishnan Rangachari

It's easy to confuse gratitude with loyalty, says Krishnan Rangachari, who urges developers to consider why they are staying with an organization. As it turns out, the best thing you can do for your company might be to leave it.

Implementing a UWP App with the Official OneDrive SDK

[Windows 10]

Implementing a UWP App with the Official OneDrive SDK

Laurent Bugnion

In the second part of a two-part series, Laurent Bugnion looks at the OneDrive SDK built by Microsoft, showing how the library can be added to a Universal Windows Platform app and how to work with the authentication scheme.

Architecture Spinoffs of UXDDColumn

[Cutting Edge]

Architecture Spinoffs of UXDD

Dino Esposito

Software architecture is not an act of faith. Learn how the UXDD design methodology ties together important concepts like CQRS, Event Sourcing and Polyglot Persistence.

Progressive Enhancement with ASP.NET and React

[ASP.NET]

Progressive Enhancement with ASP.NET and React

Graham Mendick

Graham Mendrick resolves the progressively enhanced Web application versus single page application dilemma by building a stripped-down version of a TodoMVC project as a progressively enhanced SPA using React and ASP.NET.

Refactoring an ASP.NET 5/EF6 Project and Dependency InjectionColumn

[Data Points]

Refactoring an ASP.NET 5/EF6 Project and Dependency Injection

Julie Lerman

Taking advantage of the dependency injection capabilities in ASP.NET 5--recently renamed ASP.NET Core 1.0--Julie Lerman refactors an existing EF6 solution to leverage an IoC container that makes it easier to inject object instances into logic that needs to use them.

Customizable Scripting in C\#

[C#]

Customizable Scripting in C#

Vassili Kaplan

Learn how to build a custom scripting language using C#—without using any external libraries. Vassili Kaplan extends his Split-And-Merge algorithm to parse not only mathematical expressions but also a user-defined scripting language.

Roach Infestation OptimizationColumn

[Test Run]

Roach Infestation Optimization

James McCaffrey

In machine learning, some numerical optimization algorithms are based on the behaviors of natural systems. James McCaffrey explores a relatively new technique called roach infestation optimization, which loosely models the foraging and aggregating behavior of roaches.

Azure Service Fabric, Q-Learning and Tic-Tac-Toe

[Microsoft Azure]

Azure Service Fabric, Q-Learning and Tic-Tac-Toe

Jesus Aguilar

Jesus Aguilar describes a machine learning technique for creating an intelligent back end powered by the Azure Service Fabric for determining the best play in a game of tic-tac-toe.

How to Be MEAN: Inside MongoDBColumn

[The Working Programmer]

How to Be MEAN: Inside MongoDB

Ted Neward

Ted Neward continues his exploration of the MEAN stack, consisting of MongoDB, Express, AngularJS and Node.js. In this installment, he explores the MongoDB NoSQL database.

Configuration in .NET CoreColumn

[Essential .NET]

Configuration in .NET Core

Mark Michaelis

Mark Michaelis introduces the new open source configuration support in ASP.NET 5, which is available in the Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration collection of NuGet packages, and includes both several built-in configuration providers and support for custom providers.

VB6: Waking a Sleeping GiantColumn

[Don't Get Me Started]

VB6: Waking a Sleeping Giant

David Platt

In previous columns David Platt has described Visual Basic 6 as the programming language that will not die. Now he proposes to give VB6 new life by turning it into the flagship, rapid app development language for the Web. Call it VB*.

MEAN StreakColumn

[Editor's Note]

MEAN Streak

Michael Desmond

For the past several months, Working Programmer columnist Ted+Neward has been writing about MongoDB, Express, AngularJS and Node.js—collectively known as the MEAN stack. Is it time for your development to get MEAN?