The dot before the Net : .Net

Wanna learn .Net? Enroll today in the .Net University

Sanket Bakshi — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 06:09:11 GMT

Yes, its there now. Learning .Net just as a curriculum. The .Net Univerisity provides online courses, labs to try some hands on & presentations.

Feel free to download and study at your own pace. Or you can even become a student by enrolling for trainings. Each lecture is 75 mins and each lab is 30 mins. So it is quite possible to complete all the courses in a day. For course not very in-depth content, but gives a real good overview of the .Net 3.0 technology stack -

- Windows Presentation Foundation

- Windows Communication Foundation

- Windows Workflow

- Windows CardSpace

The content is of course available online, but you can also schedule an instructor based training and become an University aluminus!

Enjoy it on the campus now!

Just a word about DPAPI

Sanket Bakshi — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 15:32:48 GMT

An obvious question after my last post is of course - What is DPAPI?

Beginning Windows 2000, the OS comes with the DP API packaged within it. The Data Protection API (DPAPI) is a set of functions that provide OS level services to user and system processes.

The protection with DPAPI is based on a key generated from the user credentials. The DPAPI work with the Local Security Authority (LSA) to provide its features. The LSA in turn leverage the Crypto API (crypt32.dll) to provide the encrypt & decrypt functions.

Shawn Farkas gives some good insight of the DPAPI here.

SecureString

Sanket Bakshi — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 18:22:54 GMT

.Net 2.0 has come up with hordes of exciting new features. It's quite difficult to look at them all at one glance. Another new thing that I bumped on was the SecureString class.

Given the sensitivity of the data that some classes might be dealing with, sometimes it becomes really important to secure the data even when it is being processed.

The SecureString object is just like the String object. Except that the value of the SecureString object is automatically encrypted when it is in the memory. Also unlike the String or any other .Net class, the SecureString object can be deleted from the computer memory either by the application using it or the .Net framework garbage collector.

The SecureString object is encrypted when it is stored in the memory and decrypted only when it is accessed. It uses DPAPI for doing this and hence cannot be available on Win 98, ME and anything less than Win 2000 SP3.

Where is Tim Hibbard?

Sanket Bakshi — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 23:01:21 GMT

With a stunning combination of the GPS technology with ASP.net, AJAX and map services, EnGraph has come up with this really cool project.

Its basically about locating people where they are by using a GPS link and then updating it real time on a web site.

The demo tracks Tim Hibbard from Kansas to ~~Florida~~ (A correction - it was South Kansas.) and also offers some other cool features like Getting his current whether information, getting the directions to reach him.

Check it out for yourself here - http://www.timhibbard.com/wherestim/

Some real good description of the technology follows here.

Developer Community site for .Net 3.0

Sanket Bakshi — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 09:11:00 GMT

Just on the heels of renaming Winfx to .Net 3.0, a new developer community site has been created for the technology.

Find it at - http://www.netfx3.com/default.aspx

Going forward, this is going to be a key channel to build the excitement around the .Net 3.0.
The site will contain downloads, code snippets, docs and lot more stuff to get you started and keep you hooked onto the thing.

--Sanket Bakshi

Winfx now becomes .Net 3.0

Sanket Bakshi — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 14:06:00 GMT

The most talked about platform - the Winfx that encompassed the major breakthroughs including the Communication Foundation, Presentation Foundation and the Workflow Foundation has now been renamed to .Net 3.0.

Much unlike the Vista story, this remains a change ONLY in the name. So Winfx buddies can obviously be relaxed as it does not change the features as well as the product ship date.

Well, then why the change? Basically to answer the much asked question - "Winfx is cool, but what about .Net?". Interestingly, the CLR will be the same as that of the .Net 2.0.

The news broke out with Somasager disclosing it on his blog -
http://blogs.msdn.com/somasegar/archive/2006/06/09/624300.aspx

--Sanket