This post discusses Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) and why companies like Microsoft and Google are embracing them. While PWAs offer instant access to content and cross-device compatibility, a key concern is their isolated nature, making it difficult for them to share data and resources. This contradicts the core principles of the web, which should be linkable and interoperable. The increasing isolation of PWAs, along with the broken functionalities of basic web operations like copy/paste and drag/drop, contributes to the creation of unintended data silos on the modern web.
My review of "Microsoft XNA Unleashed" by Chad Carter. XNA is Microsoft's game development platform for Windows and Xbox 360. This book provides a great introduction to game development with XNA, covering key concepts like componentization and game components/services. It also touches upon physics and AI. While the book is light on visuals and the AI chapter could be more substantial, it's a good starting point for C# programmers wanting to explore game development using XNA. It's less suited for experienced graphics programmers or those unfamiliar with C#. The release of XNA v2 might make some parts of the book outdated.
I've been exploring Windows Live Writer plugins and hit a snag: the API doesn't let plugins access the post's text. This severely limits plugin functionality, preventing things like automated tagging or microformat integration. I've raised this issue on the Windows Live Writer forum and with Microsoft's Joe Cheng, emphasizing the need for text access to enable a wider range of plugins. I encourage other developers to voice similar concerns to Microsoft.
I previously doubted the possibility of C# on Xbox 360 and a hobbyist homebrew version. I was wrong! Microsoft announced the release of Visual Studio 2005 Express for Xbox 360 content creation on August 30, 2006. The $99/year dev kit allows non-commercial game development and sharing among hobbyists (no network support yet). I'm excited to get an Xbox 360, Xbox Live account, and the developer account! Check out these resources: XNA Team Blog, Microsoft XNA homepage, XNA FAQ, Game Studio, News Report, another Blog Post.
Just tested the blogging feature from Microsoft Word 2007 and it's pretty cool if it works as expected. I'm loving the new interfaces for Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, especially the ribbon. Visio, however, seems a bit stale. Smart Art looks promising, like CSS taken to the next level. I might just switch to Word 2007 for good!
This post agrees with Kirk Allen Evans's argument that .NET 3.0 should be named something closer to 2.5 due to its reliance on the 2.0 framework and compilers. The additive nature of the release doesn't warrant a full version number increment.
Microsoft has renamed WinFX to .NET Framework 3.0. This new version will include the existing .NET Framework 2.0 components (ASP.NET, WinForms, ADO.NET, additional base class libraries, and the CLR) along with new technologies like WPF, WCF, WF, and WCS. However, there's no mention of C# 3.0 being included, and the author finds this renaming confusing and unnecessary.
I'm highlighting a comment from Mike Champion, XLinq's program manager at Microsoft, addressing the issue of querying large XML files with XLinq. He discusses their current investigation into this problem and seeks feedback on how large XML documents are typically structured. Specifically, he asks about the structure of my 900MB XML file to better understand user needs and design appropriate solutions within XLinq. He mentions exploring options like a LINQ-queryable XmlReader or a lazy evaluation approach similar to XStreamingElement, while aiming for simplicity and avoiding dependencies on schemas or XPath. He's open to further discussion via his blog's contact form.
I've reinstalled the latest WPF and WCF beta versions and I'm planning to write some blog posts about it very soon. I'm ready to dive back into WPF and share new insights.
I'm excited to share (even though it's old news) that all Visual Studio 2005 Express Editions (Visual Basic, Visual C#, Visual J#, Visual C++, and Visual Web Developer Express) are now permanently free! This is a game-changer for aspiring developers, opening up access to powerful tools for Windows and ASP.Net development. While there are some limitations (like only one project per solution), the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. Check out the official announcement and some cool new tools!
Microsoft plans to upgrade the Xbox 360's CPU in early 2007. The new CPU is expected to generate less heat and consume less power. While some consumers are threatening returns, this upgrade is a standard practice in the console industry and will likely result in a cooler, quieter console rather than a faster one. Sony, for example, made similar upgrades to the PS2 after its initial release.
Microsoft is bringing a subset of the .NET Framework, including C# and VB.NET support, to the Mac platform via WPF/E. This goes beyond the JavaScript engine also included with WPF/E, allowing for richer and more complex applications.
I'm excited about the newly announced XNA Framework from Microsoft! It's supposed to make game development for Windows and Xbox 360 easier by unifying the class libraries. Imagine the code and asset reuse possibilities! They even showed off some demos at GDC running managed code on the Xbox 360. Sadly, I doubt they'll let homebrew developers like me use it, which is a bummer. Think of the cool Xbox Live content we could make!
I'm not as impressed by Project Origami as others seem to be. While the idea of an ultra-mobile PC is appealing, and I'd like to own one, it feels like a somewhat predictable development in technology.
In this post, I share my support for Internet Explorer 7's decision to enable ClearType by default. Bill Hill's blog post on the topic highlights research demonstrating ClearType's positive impact on reading, IE's primary use case. Personally, I've found ClearType enhances readability and focus, though IE7 Beta 2 has presented rendering issues on platforms like Blogger.
I've just downloaded Beta 2 of the IE Developer Toolbar and while it's incredibly useful for diagnosing web page issues, there are still some bugs that need fixing. The element outlining in frames and scrollable divs is completely off, and re-enabling CSS after disabling it doesn't render the page correctly. If these issues are resolved, it has the potential to be one of the best developer tools out there.
IE7 Beta 2 fixes a rendering issue present in IE6 where select boxes would always appear as the topmost element, overlapping other elements like menus. This fix improves the visual presentation of web pages with select boxes. For more details, refer to the provided MSDN blog link. Further testing with CSS styles is pending.
I've been testing Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 and noticed a significant improvement in font rendering, likely due to ClearType. The difference is subtle but noticeable, especially when comparing the BBC News website between Beta 1 and Beta 2. More info on IE7 changes can be found on the IE Blog.
I'm puzzled why Microsoft's new Feed Manager API is COM-based instead of a managed API. Given their push for managed code in Vista and .NET's excellent XML handling, a managed API for RSS (which is XML-based) seems logical. It's frustrating to need interop to use this new feature.
I'm exploring Microsoft's Simple List Extensions for RSS and looking for real-world examples of their implementation. I'm particularly interested in seeing how these extensions can be effectively utilized and would appreciate any insights or examples.
I've previously blogged about IE7 Beta releases, and now it's time for another update! Beta 2 of Internet Explorer 7 is now available for download. Check out the IEBlog post for more details, and stay tuned for my upcoming impressions.
This post addresses the numerous Google searches related to ".NET framework" and "Xbox 360." Despite the search traffic, I currently have no information on this topic. It seems unlikely that .NET Framework would be available on the Xbox 360 due to the console's different chip architecture and the recent introduction of x86 64-bit support in .NET 2.0. However, I remain open to the possibility.
I'm excited to announce the release of the IE Developer Toolbar, a free tool for exploring HTML documents in both IE6 and IE7. It offers features like DOM exploration, disabling IE settings, viewing element information, outlining, image control, resizing, a ruler for pixel-perfect measurements, and standards validation with links to W3C specs. Download it now and share your feedback and bug reports!
Microsoft's Start.com has launched a new developer API, possibly using the ATLAS framework (precursor to ASP.NET AJAX). It seems to focus on creating JavaScript-based "Gadgets," similar to RSS consumers, that need to be hosted on a server. The API also requires enabling cross-domain data sources in Internet Explorer, a topic I've discussed previously.
MSN is launching APIs on Tuesday, September 13th, allowing developers to access their search results. More information will be available on the MSN developer site. I plan to explore these APIs and discuss my findings on this blog and on tagger.kinlan.co.uk. I hope they offer innovative features beyond basic search result access, similar to Yahoo's related searches, contextual searches, and term extraction.
I'm a big fan of Channel 9, a Microsoft website showcasing developer insights. Their recent redesign is fantastic! They've moved from a traditional blog layout to a more concise "Most Recent" section, putting important content front and center. The new comment section design is also visually appealing, with a unique element that seems to break free from traditional HTML constraints. The addition of a tagging section, similar to Technorati, is a valuable feature, allowing users to easily see popular topics and gauge community interest. Overall, two thumbs up for the Channel 9 redesign – excellent work!
I haven't been updating the list of feeds that don't work in IE7 lately. I've been in contact with Sean Lyndersay, a Lead Program Manager on the RSS team at Microsoft, about this. He confirmed that the feeds I listed should work in IE7 Beta 1 and suggested there might be a bug in the RSS rendering code. I've also noticed all feeds seem to be broken for me in IE7, which he thinks could be a configuration issue on my end. Sean said the RSS rendering code has been completely rewritten for Beta 2 and is hoping that fixes the issue. I am also looking forward to IE7 Beta 2. Thanks Sean!
I've been exploring how Microsoft's Start.com retrieves data from external web feeds. It appears they use a server-side script to tunnel requests to the remote server, effectively acting as a proxy. This workaround is necessary due to browser security restrictions that prevent cross-domain data fetching in Firefox and certain Internet Explorer configurations. Consequently, my AJAX application will need to handle the additional bandwidth required for retrieving data from Yahoo and Technorati directly, as redirecting XMLHttpRequest calls isn't a viable option.
IE7 Beta 1 now has a feed auto-discovery feature, but it's a bit picky. It only recognizes RSS feeds (no Atom yet) and requires a specific HTML snippet with the correct rel, type, and title attributes. Direct feed links won't trigger the notification, and using text/xml instead of application/rss+xml won't work either. I've updated my blog to comply, but the feed, converted by 2RSS.com and containing ads, still isn't displaying correctly in IE7.
This post lists RSS feeds that aren't displaying correctly in the IE7 feed viewer. Specifically, they don't render in IE7's new format. I'm trying to understand why these feeds aren't working, and I've provided links to a few examples, including the IE7 blog, Channel 9, Scoble's blog, and my own blog. I've since updated this post with more information after speaking with Microsoft's RSS Product Manager (see the link at the top).
IE7 finds the RSS feed on channel9.msdn.com but doesn't display it correctly, only showing the raw XML. I'm looking for other examples of feeds that IE7 can't render properly to compile a list and see if there's a pattern or bug. If you know of any, please email me!
I've been trying out IE7 Beta 1 and have some mixed feelings. While I like the tabbed browsing and the new tab placement, I'm not sure it's the ideal UI. It makes it difficult to compare sites side-by-side and to see open pages in the taskbar like I could with separate windows. A hybrid approach, like Office's per-document window or better taskbar tooltips, might be a good compromise. Also, my ATOM feed isn't being auto-discovered, and I'd like to know how IE7 handles feed discovery in general. I'm looking forward to the improved CSS support in Beta 2, although some rendering bugs are already fixed in this build.
I've been experimenting with the Microsoft Avalon CTP (Community Technology Preview) Framework and wanted to share a simple XAML menu example. This example demonstrates how to create a custom style for menu items to make them look like GelButtons. Initially, I tried using a ControlTemplate but later realized a HeaderTemplate within the style was the correct approach. The XAML code provided creates a menu with styled menu items, showcasing how to customize the appearance and behavior of menu items in Avalon.
Visual Studio 2005 Beta 2 is now available for download to MSDN Universal subscribers. I'm excited about this release and will be posting examples soon. Check out the product page and the uninstallation instructions for previous versions if you plan to upgrade.
I'm excited about the new MSDN .NET Framework Developer Center on designing class libraries! It looks like a promising series based on internal Microsoft training, with a focus on API design best practices. Brad Abrams is presenting, and the content is being released weekly. Check out the introductory article!
