May, 2011

Admit it, you’ve done it. You have a bug somewhere in your web page and you add an alert to popup a useful message like “I am in the if statement” or “varName=Bob” to help you figure out what is wrong with your code. In IE9 we have an alternative: the Console object . ASP.NET programmers who work in Visual Studio may already be familiar with the debug object. You call methods of the debug class in...

If you’re not already using Windows Azure somehow in your applications, I’m sure you’ve been hearing more and more about how Windows Azure can help you build applications faster by focusing on development and not infrastructure or how it can help you respond faster to customer needs by having IT resources at your disposal the moment you need them. You may have seen the following summary of why to use...

It’s been in the making for some time now, but it’s finally confirmed! With the help of our friends at Canada’s Technology Triangle .NET User Group , AzureFest is coming to Kitchener on Tuesday, May 31. Register today as space is limited! Remember, Azure Fest is a hands-on event . This means that you’ll be following along on your own laptop and actually deploying your solution...

Just enjoyed a great session at TechEd “ Microsoft ADO.NET Entity Framework 4 and Beyond: Building Real World Applications ” presented by Jeff Derstadt (@jeffders) and Jonathan Aneja . Lots of cool stuff, great story of a real world upgrade from windows forms with datasets to Entity Framework and WPF, but it was the last 10 minutes of the session that had me running to my computer to blog! The next...

Pick up my badge, grab a quick breakfast, now off to the keynote! Huh, apparently you should arrive more than 2 minutes before it starts if you want a seat, oh well, lesson learned. TechEd isn’t just for developers, so the first part of the keynote was interesting but as much as I understand the value of all the great new things for the IT Pros of the world, I have to admit, that I didn’t really get...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, I’m not dancing down the aisles, but I do have to stop myself from bouncing up and down in my seat, which would probably really irritate the guy sitting next to me on the plane. Tomorrow is the first day of TechEd . Now that I think about it, TechEd is already underway, there are pre-conference sessions going on even as I type. TechEd really is one of my favourite...

Guest post by Atley Hunter ( @atleyhunter ) Hackfest? If you’re in the Toronto area and you’ve been meaning to write apps for Windows Phone 7, there’s a Hackfest near you this coming Saturday, May 14th!  · If you have an idea for an app but don’t know how to build apps for Windows Phone, this event is for you! We’ll have experts and tutors on hand to show you how to write your first Windows Phone...

I’ve been talking a lot about AzureFest recently as we’re travelling around the country introducing developers to the concepts of Cloud computing, and more specifically, what’s possible with Windows Azure . Many of you have told me that taking the time out of your day to come out to an in-person training event is difficult. You also told me that short 1 hour training “sprints” squeezed in during the...

Spring is here and what a better way to kick off this season of renewal by getting up-to-speed on some of the latest tools and technologies! Last month in Las Vegas, we hosted the MIX11 conference; a 72-hour conversation, featuring developers, designers, UX experts and business professionals creating the most innovative and profitable consumer sites on the web. At this event, we made a number of key...

“CSS3 gradients are hard. Let's go shopping!” Today, I blogged about my experiences with CSS3 gradients in IE10 PP1 . In short, they’re not the easiest things to get right, especially in a cross-browser supported manner; translating the differences that exist between them can be a challenge. Well, never fear! Help is here! Earlier this week, Alex Sirota ( @iosart ) updated his Ultimate CSS Gradient...

Recently, I’ve been playing around with IE10 PP1, which you can grab from the IE Test Drive site. So far, I really like what I see, especially the support for CSS3 gradients. In fact, if you care to see a sampling of this work, check out the CSS Gradient Background Maker : So, how does this all work in IE10 PP1? From the IE10 Platform Preview Guide for Developers : IE10 PP1 supports CSS3 gradients...

Note: The following blog post was written by Windows Phone 7 expert, Mark Arteaga . During MIX11 the Windows Phone Developer Tools team made some great announcements that will help developers build new types of applications for the next version of Windows Phone code named “Mango”. From the beginning I knew Windows Phone was a great platform and they had something big. Now, have they won the mobile...

Yes it is! The usual argument I hear against certification is “When I apply for a job, they don’t care if I’m certified, they just care about my experience.” Well of course a hiring manager cares about your experience, but they also care about certifications! Earning a certification tells everyone *you* are someone who takes initiative! When you walk up to your boss and say “I want to get certified...

Are you currently evaluating Windows Azure as a means of deploying your solutions at scale? Perhaps your organization has already committed to the Cloud model and now you, the developer and/or architect, need to get up to speed on how to architect and develop solutions for the Cloud. Better yet, are you looking to be ahead of your organization, gain the skills that you need for the next generation...

Whether you are developing a website, a windows application, a windows phone application, or a game, there are certain universal truths to application development. Friday evening, I attended the Algonquin college game expo where graduates of the Game Development program showcased their final projects. Teams of students each developed games for the Xbox 360. The team members brought their graphical...