We've got a draft of the updated document that I'm planning to post Monday around using Visual C++ 2005 Express with the Platform SDK. There are a couple of issues that are tackled in the article and the workarounds should get you up and running.

First, there is an issue with the dialog box that lets you set the paths in the IDE. That will be fixed in the release version, but for now you'll have to follow the instructions in the article to change the paths. The second issue had to do with using the Win32 wizard to generate a Windows application. You'll be happy to hear there's a new workaround in this article that also fixes that problem. Here's the article:

Using Visual C++ 2005 Express Beta 2 with the Platform SDK

Please give this a try and leave a comment or drop me a note at brianjo@microsoft.com if you have any trouble making the instructions work for you.

Thanks!

Brian

CLR PUM Jason Zander has posted information about the availability of debug symbols for Beta 2. If you haven't used the symbol server before in your debugging, this post is a good introduction to getting started doing that. Check it out here:

Public Symbols for Beta 2 Now Posted
...The symbols posted are what we call "Public Symbols". They contain the function names and offset inside of the DLL's, but no line number or local variable mapping information. To see the difference, check out these two call stacks I did on regasm first without and then with symbols...

I actually found this download via ActiveWin. Here's the scoop: The download "repairs access to .NET Framework Reference help content in Visual Studio 2005 Express Edition Beta 2."

Visual Studio 2005 Express Edition Beta 2 Help Fix
The Beta 2 Visual Studio 2005 Express Editions shipped with an issue that prevented the majority of the .NET Framework API reference documentation from appearing in the Table of Contents, Index, and Search Results windows for either Online or Local content. The source of the problem is faulty "filter" definitions. These issues have been fixed in later builds of the Visual Studio 2005 Express Editions.

This is one of those notes to myself. Desktop Search Questions on the Channel9 Wiki answers a lot of questions about Windows Desktop Search. (I'm personally running into the "Indexing is starting, Please wait" item. Hopefully the steps included will fix.

I didn't realize how dependent I was on this program until it stopped working. :)

Today we posted new content around .NET Framework version compatibility. Here's a link to the primary document:

Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 and 2.0 (Beta) Compatibility
The Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 builds on the success of the Microsoft .NET Framework 1.0 and 1.1 to provide the best runtime environment for Web and Microsoft Windows client applications. Microsoft's compatibility goal for .NET Framework 1.1 applications is that they should work smoothly on the .NET Framework 2.0 except for a set of documented changes. During the Beta 2 release, we have not yet achieved this goal and are seeking feedback on application issues that can be addressed before the release of the .NET Framework 2.0. This document discusses application compatibility scenarios and provides recommendations on best practices for different segments.

The other documents include Compatibility Testing Scenarios and the List of Breaking Changes.

Barak let me know that the Microsoft Component Installer Software Development Kit is live on the download center. ISVs can use this tool to make sure their customer's computers have the necessary Windows components installed. Visit the page here for more information:

Microsoft Component Installer Software Development Kit (Spring 2005)
Microsoft Component Installer Software Development Kit (Spring 2005) helps you deliver the needed Windows component to your customer in order to run your application. The SDK provides support for installing any or all of the following components (in the following order):

• Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.8
• Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1
• Microsoft DirectX 9.0c Microsoft DirectX 9.0c for Managed Code
• Microsoft .NET Framework Version 1.1 Language Pack
• Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1
• Microsoft ASP.NET Security Update for Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1
• Microsoft Windows Installer 2.0
• Microsoft Windows Installer 3.1

I've seen Star Wars twice already, so tonight I'm watching The Science of Star Wars on the Discovery Channel. This commercial comes on and I think to myself, man I wish we would do an ad like that. It was about a girl making an album after a breakup. It turns out to be an XP commercial. Way cool. I went to the Windows XP home page and I found a companion page for this campaign here.

JD let Kent and me know that PAG has published some new guidance around threat modeling. Threat modeling is more difficult than it might seem at first, but this guidance makes it a lot easier by helping you narrow down what it is you need to protect yourself against.

Threat Modeling Web Applications
This guidance presents the patterns & practices approach to creating threat models for Web applications. Threat modeling is an engineering technique you can use to help you identify threats, attacks, vulnerabilities, and countermeasures that could affect your application. You can use threat modeling to shape your application's design, meet your company's security objectives, and reduce risk.

My mom and dad visited from Wisconsin last week and we were talking about flying. My parents love to fly, but we have a family friend who's pretty much terrified of it. I went through the same sort of spell for a while. A couple of years ago I read The Flying Book. There's no magic to this title, it just tells you everything that's going on in an airplane as you're riding in it. I read this on a flight and I relaxed a lot. I read it before a second flight some months later and now flying is something that's really enjoyable for me again. Here's a link to the title on Amazon:

The Flying Book : Everything You've Ever Wondered about Flying on Airplanes
This is one book that lives up to the seemingly hyperbolic claims of its subtitle. Blatner, the author of books on mathematics, digital imaging, and virtual reality, is also a pilot who has logged hundreds of hours in the air. Concentrating on commercial aviation, he offers a compendium of fascinating facts.

I found an extremely insightful review on Amazon that effectively sums up how the book works:

...So, Blatner sets about explaining everything about every aspect of how planes work -- so that you have fewer gaps in your knowledge to fill with worst-case scenarios.

I like that definition of fear; gaps in your knowlege that you fill with worst case scenarios.

Interesting Macworld story about security in the new Mac dashboard. The author shows you how to open these files to see what you're getting. Both helpful and informative.