DonS.CF : Enterprise Architecture and Development

Please Welcome The New Microsoft Developer Evangelist for New England - Chris Bowen!

Dons — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 14:08:03 GMT

I happened to read Chris Bowen's latest blog post today. He has accepted the position as Developer Evangelist for Microsoft in the New England district. While Chris follows a legacy of two fantaatic predecessors in Russ Fustino and Thom Robbins, he brings what I feel are the right "ingredients" for success -

A deep understanding of Microsoft platforms, tools and technologies;
A wealth of experience with the .NET platform;
Strong ties to the Microsoft developer community in New England.

I have had the pleasure of knowing Chris for a while, and I am truly pleased for both him and the community.

BTW - Chris (much like his predecessors) has a great sense of humor. This "soft skill" goes a long way in my book... ;-)

The .NET Framework 3.0 - Taking Things "One Piece At A Time"

Dons — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 17:42:23 GMT

I recently spoke at the Software Association of New Hampshire's annual InfoXchange event on the .NET Framework 3.0. I had approximately 30 minutes to address the topic "What Is the .NET Framework 3.0, and Why Should I Care?". It reminded me of those essay questions that went something like this -

Describe the American Revolution and it's impact on geopolitics in 200 words or less. :-)

I found myself facing a really serious challenge here. As I started to think about how much is really in the .NET Framework 3.0, I realized that for many developers, this could be intimidating (especially from an initial impression respective). I wanted to make certain that (given the short timeframe of the presentation and the need to generalize, I could scare off more people than I would help. I found the answer to how I finally approached the situation, thanks to my two small sons (particularly my oldest, six year-old Nicolas).

Nicolas likes to try out puzzles every once in a while. When I say "puzzles", I mean just that - the classic tabletop x number of pieces board puzzles. As he gets older, he has worked with increasingly complex puzzles. Now, he has (on occasion) opened a puzzle box and poured out the pieces and stared in disbelief at the sheer number of pieces. Usually, his response is "Dad, forget it. This is just gonna be way too hard." I usually respond with "OK - let's at a time." We first find the corner and edge pieces. Then, we group pieces by commonality (perhaps color or imagery). Finally, we focus on one area of the puzzle at a time. Usually, my son ends up saying something like "Wow, Dad! That really wasn't so hard."

I realized the other day that the .NET Framework 3.0 is a lot like my son's puzzles. At first glance, the .NET Framework 3.0 can translate to "A whole lotta new stuff to learn." Unfortunately, that typically leads to the common fears of all developers (including myself). If the time is taken, however, to look at each of the "components" of the old WinFX (the "new part" of the .NET FW 3.0) individually, the learning curve might surprise you. It certainly did surprise me.

I ended up taking the time in my presentation to break down each of the new technologies in the .NET Framework 3.0, highlighting what functionality is provided and why it might matter to the developer and/or business owner. There are any number of compelling reasons why the .NET FW 3.0 could be of benefit - but I will leave that to another blog post ;-) In the meantime, I strongly encourage you to take some time to look at the .NET FW 3.0 from a "mid-level" perspective. Not too high-level or too low-level, which can be very intimidating. Instead, take things "one piece at a time".

Windows Mobile Installers and Vista/WMDC

Dons — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 13:23:00 GMT

Just a heads up to all of you Windows Mobile application developers -

If you build an installer for your application, be sure that you do *not* hard code your path to ceappmgr.exe in order to copy and install your CAB files. Instead, you should be looking at the registry for the location of ceappmgr.exe first. The registry key is the same as it has been in the past -

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\CEAPPMGR.EXE

The location of ceappmgr.exe has changed, and (always a possibility) could change again.

I have noticed that some application installs are failing under the new Windows Mobile Device Center ("WMDC"), while others are succeeding. Having used the registry key technique for all of my CAB installs, Imy applications are not experiencing any issues.

WMDVUG July 19th Meeting - Registration Now Open

Dons — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 20:34:00 GMT

The event registration URL for the July 19th meeting of the Windows Mobile Developer Virtual User Group is now open! You can register via this link at the Microsoft Events site. Please be sure to register right away! You can also get more information (and subscribe to news via RSS) at the WMDVUG web site.

See you online!

Introducing... The Windows Mobile Developer Virtual User Group!

Dons — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 13:37:00 GMT

As many people out there may already know, I have at various times tried to get a Windows Mobile Developer User Group going in the Boston area. The difficulties have usually been two-fold:

This is a very focused type of user group, so attendence for one geographic region tends to be small by nature;
Since most Windows Mobile developers also work with other technologies and user groups, a "competing for the user group dollar" tends to exist.

After conversations with a number of people, I have decided to try to overcome both issues with one felled swoop. So -

The Windows Mobile Developer Virtual User Group ("WMDVUG") is intended for individuals focusing on developing software for Windows Mobile devices. This includes connected applications using ASP.NET and rich client applications using the .NET Compact Framework and/or eMbedded Visual C++. Our meetings will be held live via Microsoft Live Meeting every other 3rd Wednesday of the month from 12 Noon - 2 PM EDT/EST.

Our first meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 19th from 12 - 2 PM EDT. Once information on registering for the meeting becomes available, I will pass it along. In addition, we are in the process of putting together the first agenda. Once again, I will pass along updates.

I am extremely excited about the potential for this medium to reach a large audience beyond the geographic confines of the Boston/New England region. I look forward to seeing you online soon!

The Mobile Devcasters Show - Episode 5 Now Available

Dons — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 14:00:00 GMT

After a far-too-long hiatus, Thom Robbins and I have finally gotten back on track with the Mobile Devcasters Show. Episode 5 is now available for download at the Mobile Devcasters web site -

"In this episode, Thom and Don play a little "catch-up", discussing upcoming major Windows Mobile developer events and some changes to the Mobile Devcasters Show. The main topic of the episode is Mobile Connected Application development, with Thom and Don talking ASP.NET 2.0, mobile web considerations, best practices and tips."

The "changes" we discuss are something that should have you subscribing to our RSS feed (if you have not already done so). Be sure to check it out!

The Lowdown on SQL Server Everywhere Edition

Dons — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 19:48:00 GMT

On April 6th, 2006, Microsoft (via a SQL Server 2005 Update from Paul Flesner) announced a "new" product in the Microsoft SQL Server family - SQL Server Everywhere Edition (or "SQL Everywhere" for short, or "SQL/e" for shorter). At the time, I chose not to post about it until more official word came out. I did this for two reasons -

My unofficial word would be just that - unofficial. Better to hear more information direct from the source;
I would have to type a lot less if I simply pointed people in the right direction ;-)

Microsoft's own Steve Lasker has put together a good FAQ regarding SQL/e on his MSDN blog. In short, SQL/e is essentially SQL Mobile without the desktop limitations. As you may or may not be aware, SQL Mobile was authorized for use in developing Tablet PC applications as well as Windows Mobile applications. That was the extent of "desktop" deployment, however. This new structure allows for SQL Mobil... er, SQL/e to be used as an embedded database in any Microsoft OS environment.

Personally, I applaud this decision. I know that when the decision to allow Tablet PC deployments but not others first came out, a lot of folks in the .NET CF and Embedded MVP communities thought an broader expansion would be a good thing. Obviously, Microsoft listened (to MVPs and others) and responded. This change opens a number of possibilities for occasionally-connected application developers.

BTW - Steve Lasker has also posted about leveraging SQL/e in Visual Studio 2005 development. Really great article with useful information.

.NET Speech Server Day Tips and Tricks Presentation Now Available

Dons — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 01:14:00 GMT

Thanks to everyone for attending today's .NET Speech Server Day at the Microsoft offices in Waltham. As promised, my PowerPoint slides from the presentation can now be downloaded from the BostonPocketPC.com web site.

Enjoy!

Talk About Your Windows Mobile "Wins": Census Bureau Signs $600 Million Contract for Data Collection

Dons — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 15:11:00 GMT

Talk about a nice deal! AP is reporting that the U.S. Census Bureau has signed a 5-year, $600 million contract with Harris Corporation for data collection for the 2010 census that includes the deployment of Windows Mobile devices in the field by census takers -

The portable devices are being designed to allow census workers to immediately record information they gather when going door-to-door to American households, said Monty Wood, a spokesman for the Census Bureau.

While the devices (which will be manufactured by Taiwan's HTC) are critical for the collection of census data, they will not be used for other functionality (PIM, e-mail, etc). This will remain with the Census Bureau's RIM Blackberry devices -

Wood said the devices will not be used as cell phones or for other functions such as sending e-mail, and will not replace bureau employees' BlackBerry communicators.

"It's not like a BlackBerry," he said. "It's specified designed for the census 2010 application."

And here I was, getting worried that there weren't enough large-scale enterprise deployments of Windows Mobile devices for custom application usage... ;-)

Source: Yahoo! News

UPDATE: According to a Bloomberg article (spotted at Smartphone Thoughts - thanks, Mike!) , the deal equates to 500,000 devices (and an equal amount of Windows Mobile 5.0 licenses for Microsoft).

Coming This May - Code Camp 5 - Code Frenzy!

Dons — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 20:16:00 GMT

Ah, yes - I can hear the music from "Jaws" playing already.

"Da-DUM... Da-DUM... Da-DUM-Da-Da-DADADUMMMMM..." ;-)

From Thom Robbins web site -

Announcing Code Camp 5: Code Frenzy!

Register

Saturday, May 6,7 2006

May 6 – 8:30 AM – 9PM

May 7 – 8:30 AM – 4PM

Microsoft Waltham Office

201 Jones Road, 6th Floor
Waltham, Massachusetts 02451
United States

Call for Speakers

Are you a developer interested in improving your .NET skills? Then this is the event to attend. Code Camp 5: Code Frenzy! promises to be both bigger and better than anything we have done before. This free two day seminar is designed as a series of intensive code related demos and technical sessions to guide the developer to the next skill level. The continuing goal of the Code Camps is to provide an intensive developer to developer learning experience that is fun and technically stimulating. The focus is on delivering programming information and sample code that can be used immediately. All training, slides, manuals and demo code is provided free!

This two day camp is hosted in our Waltham facility. The leading technical camp counselors from both Microsoft and the New England Developer Community will share their technical expertise and experiences. Each track starts with a “get the code” basics before advancing to more advanced topics.

Register early as it will fill quickly!

FYI - I plan on being there, .NET Compact Framework code in hand... :-)

Speaking Of Windows Mobile Presentation Downloads...

Dons — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 05:15:00 GMT

I just realized that now would be as good a time as any to point people to the archive of Windows Mobile developer presentations that has built up over on BostonPocketPC.com. In our Downloads Section, there are a number of the presentations I have given over the last couple of years, including lots of sample code. I hate to see good content go to waste, you know... ;-)

My Presentations From Enterprise Mobility Mini Code Camp Now Available

Dons — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 00:54:00 GMT

First off - thanks to everyone who attended this past Saturday's Enterprise Mobility Mini Code Camp in Waltham, MA. It was great to have such a strong turnout and a great interactive crowd. I loved the questions both during and after the event; it really makes me believe in the genuine interest the community continues to generate in Windows Mobile / .NET Compact Framework solutions. I would be terribly remiss if an additional HUGE THANKS did not go out to Thom Robbins, who continues to lead the way in making these community events a reality, and the New England .NET Developer Community as strong as any other out there.

My PowerPoint slides from my 3 presentations for the day are now available for download from the BostonPocketPC.com web site -

Windows Mobile User Interface Design

Windows Mobile Data Access and Movement

Developing Mobile Web Applications

New England SharePoint User Group Meeting February 28th

Dons — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:24:00 GMT

As some of you know, I began work with a new company shortly after the first of the year. One of the many Microsoft technologies my company is involved with is SharePoint (both Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Portal Server). We are also proud to run the New England SharePoint User Group. For those involved with projects surrounding collaborative solutions, this user group is a wonderful resource of information. The next meeting may be of additional interest to those who are interested in presence-awareness and corporate IM -

Topic: Presence Enabling SharePoint with Microsoft Live Communication Server

Please join us at the New England SharePoint User Group meeting on Tuesday, February 28, 2006.

5:45 - 6:00 Registration

6:00 - 7:15 Presence Enabling SharePoint with Microsoft Live Communication Server with Chris Chalmers, Microsoft Technology specialist, Real-Time Collaboration

A powerful feature of SharePoint is the ability to see the online/offline “presence” of any user whenever their name appears, and to use a one-click menu displaying all available communication options for that user, including sending email, sending instant messages, and looking up calendar free/busy data and telephone numbers. Enabling “presence” within SharePoint increases collaboration, decreases lag time in communications, and multiplies the value of SharePoint. Presence is managed and controlled by a separate Microsoft product called Live Communications Server.

Chris Chalmers will demonstrate presence-enabled SharePoint sites, explain Microsoft’s vision for presence, and detail how to deploy a Live Communications Server and presence-enable a SharePoint site. Chris Chalmers is a technology specialist in the Real-Time Collaboration group, based in the Northeast District. His entire tenure at Microsoft has been within the RTC group. Prior to Microsoft, Chris held various technical positions at e-Learning and CRM application companies. He is a contributor to the microsoft.public.livemeeting forums, and a Microsoft Certified Professional.

7:15 - 7:30 Q&A

Where Microsoft Corporation - 201 Jones Road (6th floor), Waltham, MA 02451
The meeting is free, but space is limited. To register, please email NERSUG@starit.com.

Enterprise Mobility Mini Code Camp - Feb. 25th - Waltham, MA

Dons — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 16:33:00 GMT

From the Microsoft events site -

Enterprise Mobility Mini Code Camp

Saturday February 25, 2006 8:30 AM 5:00 PM
Microsoft Waltham Office

201 Jones Road, 6th Floor
Waltham, Massachusetts 02451
United States

With the release of the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, the .NET Compact Framework 2.0, SQL Mobile and Visual Studio 2005, the opportunity for enterprise developers to extend their applications to mobile devices and end-users is greater than ever! While Microsoft provides the tools and technologies for building highly mobile line-of-business applications, it is you the developer that brings vision and knowledge to reality. Leveraging your experience in application development for your enterprise will provide major benefits when extending applications to the Windows Mobile platform, but this new technology provides challenges as well.

Join us for a one-day Mini Code Camp hosted by our own Don Sorcinelli focused on development for the Windows Mobile platform. You’ll learn firsthand about the tools and technologies and how they can help you achieve your mobility goals. You’ll also learn some of the most common practices for overcoming the obstacles typically encountered when entering the world of mobile device development.

As always, the Code Camp Series represents the best technical content of the local developer community. The Code Camp is free and guaranteed to be the most fun that you can have in any day camp. This is an exclusive mini-session that is not to be missed!

8:30-9:00AM- Registeration
9:00AM- 5:00PM- Event

You can sign up for this event at the Microsoft Events web site. Hope to see you there!

Mobile Devcasters Show: Episode 3 Now Available

Don — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 01:28:00 GMT

The latest episode of the Mobile Devcasters Show is now available for download -

“In this episode, Thom and Don talk all about the benefits of new releases for Windows Mobile developers There is lots information regarding the
.NET Compact Framework 2.0, Visual Studio 2005, SQL Mobile and Windows Mobile 5.0. In addition to the "whats" and "hows", a lot of the discussion
also focuses on the "whys" (as in "why this matters to me").”

You can download the podcast (27.9 MB, 1 hr, 1 min, 8 sec) and subscribe to the Mobile Devcasters RSS feed (iTunes-ready) at the Mobile Devcasters web site.

Mobile Devcasters Show: Episode 2 Now Available

Don — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 15:45:00 GMT

The latest episode of the Mobile Devcasters Show is now available for download -

In this episode, Thom and Don talk about the advantages and challenges surrounding mobile application migration. With the next release of the .NET Compact Framework only a month away, developers are once again considering moving from any of a number of different platforms and languages to the .NET CF 2.0, and Don and Thom try to help with thoughts and tips. Don also talks a bit about his recent trip to the Mcrosoft MVP Summit in Redmond, and Thom talks about upcoming events and a way for listeners to turn him into a rock star (at least from an '80s hairband point of view).

You can download the podcast (27.0 MB, 59 min) and subscribe to the Mobile Devcasters RSS feed (iTunes-ready) from the Mobile Devcasters home page.

The Mobile Devcasters - Episode 1 Now Available

Don — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 18:32:00 GMT

Episode 1 of the Mobile Devcasters Podcast is now available from the Mobile Devcasters website. In this episode, Thom Robbins and I discuss some upcoming happenings in the development world, and focus on stategies for optimizing occasionally-connected mobile applications.

Remember – you can also subscribe to the RSS feed for the Mobile Devcasters, which supports MP3 enclosures and iTunes.

The Mobile Devcasters Podcast Is Live!

Don — Mon, 05 Sep 2005 16:10:00 GMT

Well, now we’ve gone and done it. Thom Robbins (New England Regional .NET Developer Evangelist) and I have formed the 2005 version of the “Odd Couple” with our new podcast, the Mobile Devcasters. The show will focus entirely on mobility development with .NET technologies.

We’ve recorded “Episode 0”, a sort of introduction of the two of us and our goals for the show, that is now available for download (18.1 MB MP3 file) . The Mobile Devcasters home page also provides an RSS link for the podcast that is suitable for RSS readers and podcatchers. I will also make a point to announce here whenever new episodes are available.

UPDATE: In my “D’OH” move of the day, I provided an incorrect URL for the Mobile Devcasters website. I have corrected the URL listed above to http://www.mobiledevcaster.com. Note to self – Singular rather than plural…

OpenNETCF Smart Device Framework Version 1.4 Now Available

Don — Tue, 09 Aug 2005 14:19:00 GMT

The latest release of the most excellent (see what watching Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure for the first time in years does to you?) OpenNETCF Smart Device Framework is now available for download. Here is a quick list of changes, thanks to the equally most excellent blog of Chris Tacke (an SDF contributor and Microsoft MVP):

Bluetooth support added

Serial.GPS mods to standardize naming

Diagnostics.DebugMessage and RetailMessage

Bug fixes in TimeZoneCollection and DateTimeEx

Bug Fix in XmlSerializer for GUIDs

EventWaitHandle.WaitOne bug fix

Additions and fixes for AccessPoint and Adapter classes

Bug fix in StreamInterfaceDriver.DeviceIoControl

ThreadEx.RealTimePrioority added

Updated BatteryLife designer

Updated DateTimePicker Designer

Fixes and Updates to Win32Window

ApplicationEx fix for modal Forms and thread safety added

FTP bug fixes

ControlEx added support for WM_COMMAND

DeviceMonitor adds RequestDeviceNotifications

SelectedIndexChanged fix in ComboBoxEx

WS and WS_EX updated to remove unsupported styles

At the risk of repeating myself, I cannot emphasize enough what a valuable set of tools the Smart Device Framework provides for any Windows Mobile developer. If you have not yet downloaded the SDF, then – what are you waiting for?!? ;-)

Code Camp 4: Developers Gone Wild!

Don — Fri, 15 Jul 2005 16:32:00 GMT

In case you haven’t heard, Thom Robbins has announced the next Code Camp event in the Boston area, slated for the weekend of September 24th – 25. To quote Thom directly:

September 24/25, 2005

Register Today

September 24 – 8:30 AM – 9PM

September 25 – 8:30 AM – 4PM

Microsoft Waltham
201 Jones Rd.

Waltham, Ma.

Call for Speakers

Are you a developer interested in improving your .NET skills? Then this is the event to attend. Code Camp 4: Developers Gone Wild promises to be both bigger and better than anything we have done before. This free two day seminar is designed as a series of intensive code related demos and technical sessions to guide the developer to the next skill level. The continuing goal of the Code Camps is to provide an intensive developer to developer learning experience that is fun and technically stimulating. The focus is on delivering programming information and sample code that can be used immediately. All training, slides, manuals and demo code is provided free!

This two day camp is hosted in our Waltham facility. The leading technical camp counselors from both Microsoft and the New England Developer Community will share their technical expertise and experiences. This code camp is divided into three tracks – Smart Client, Web Development and Data Technologies. Each track starts with a “get the code” basics before advancing to more advanced topics.

I would especially like to encourage… no… urge… no… beg ;-) anyone who hasn’t yet presented at a Code Camp and is interested in sharing their knowledge with the rest of the community to take a look at the “Call For Speakers” information. The continued success of Code Camps comes from and relies upon community participation. Remember – Code Camps are all about being “by the community – for the community”.