SQL Server 2008 Express RC0

I'm blogging about SQL Server Express? Oh my! Smile

Truth is I would have never done this before...SQL Server 2008 Express
This new version is, in a word, Sweet!
http://blogs.msdn.com/sqlexpress/archive/2008/06/10/sql-server-2008-express-rc0.aspx

This is by far the best Express version yet.
My favorite feature by far is the added ability to Import and Export data to and from Local and Remote SQL Servers.
Just like big brother SQL Server has been able to do all along, but the Express versions had to work with scripts.
Well no longer, you now get total control and I can hardly believe it.

Today I installed SQL Server 2008 Express on my XP Pro SP3 machine to give it a spin.
I'm already using SQL Server 2008 on my Vista box for my Developer Evangelism. (With SQL Server 2005)

Let me warn you, well, let me make a quick note about the requirements on XP if you want to install this.
You will need the latest .NET Framework v3.5, but not the older FX version, the new SP1 3.5 version is what you'll need.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=8c36aca4-e947-4760-9b05-93cac04c6f87

You'll also need to install Windows Installer 4.5, don't even try to install SQL 2008 Express without this, won't work.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=5a58b56f-60b6-4412-95b9-54d056d6f9f4

Finally you'll need to install Windows PowerShell 1.0, odd but true, SQL Server 2008 Express needs it, even on XP.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/technologies/management/powershell/download.mspx

If you get stuck please try the forums:
http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowForum.aspx?ForumID=1621&SiteID=1

Everything has changed in SQL Server 2008 and the Express version installs just like big brother.
With the exception of the Product ID, the Express setup will enter an Express FREE PID for you. Nice.

When you get to the User credentials section of the Install process for the Engine you may get stuck, it's all new and a bit confusing.
On Vista you can type "N" in each edit box and you'll be given choices to pick from.
For XP I had to use the dropdown option for each editbox, but it still allowed me to choose the account I wanted to use. Handy

If you have trouble with the .NET Framework on XP I'd recommend un-installing v3.0 and v3.5 then reinstalling from the link above.
This version of SQL Express is very large, over 500MB. (For the advanced features version.)
Allow yourself a few hours to get this downloaded and installed.
In the end you'll be very happy with the best SQL Express yet.

UPDATE: Received a little feedback from Mike Wachal on the SQL Server Express team:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey Mark,
  Great post and great to see that you're happy with SQL Express.
I'm forwarding your comments to the team that did the work to put Input/Export into Express so they feel the love!
I notice from the size you mention that you're using SQL Express with Advanced Services.
It might be worth pointing out to the home viewers that there are actually two editions of Express: SQL Express and SQL Express with Advanced Services.
The core SQL Express is smaller and doesn't require PowerShell before installing, but it also doesn't have Management Stuido, BIDS or Reporting Services.
(It does have the I/E Wizard though)
If all you need is the core db engine - this is a smaller alternative.

Thanks for the kind words,
  Mike Wachal
  SQL Express team
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks Mike! Big Smile


Note: DiscountASP.NET is testing SQL Server 2008 and will be adding it for Developer accounts soon.

If your ready to try IIS7 / Windows Server 2008 and need an honest incentive...
Go to https://www.discountasp.net/signup
Use this promotion code: WISEMX
(You'll get an entire year for the price of just 6 months.)
I promise to help you with whatever is needed, I'll be there for ya. Wink
  Salute,
    Mark Wisecarver
    Technical Evangelist for http://DiscountASP.NET

Star Note: I am not paid for my endorsements or for my Developer Evangelism.

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SQL Server 2008 rocks!

Goodies from Dan the man, of Channel 9 fame, my favorite person to pick on for using the word "so", even by itself. Big Smile

 
SQL Server 2008 
SQL Server 2008 RC0 is now available for download!

What's new in SQL Server 2008
If you're not familiar with what's new for developers in SQL Server 2008, check out this video with Christian Kleinerman showing off new T-SQL statements, SQL IntelliSense, Geo-location, File stream support, and more.  SQL Server Books Online has also been updated and it shows the most up-to-date and comprehensive information on new features in SQL Server 2008.

Upgrade Advisor
Make sure to run the SQL Server 2008 Upgrade Advisor that analyzes your SQL 2000 and SQL 2005 database instances to identify any issues which would require feature or configuration changes.

Download Links

Visual Studio 2008 Service Pack 1 Beta Required
Note: SQL Server 2008 RC0 requires that you install Visual Studio 2008 SP1 to work.

SQL Server 2008 RC0 Feature Pack
In addition to the product bits, the SQL Server team has also released a Feature Pack that includes a set of redistributable components and additional features like Command-Line utilities, SQL Server Compact 3.5 SP1, Add-ins for Microsoft Office 2007 and Reporting Services for Sharepoint, SQL Server CLR Types, and more. 

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Windows Search 4.0 released!

Great news from Brandon!!!

Windows Search 4.0 released!


Windows Search 4.0 was released this afternoon.  This release focuses on performance and reliability improvements.  Here are some highlights:

  • Faster queries, often several times faster
  • Faster indexing / reduced resource usage
  • Support for EFS (encrypted folders)
  • Support for indexing delegate mailboxes
  • Fixes for all the top reported Watson crashes / errors
  • New group policy options

 

This release also adds the following Vista / Server 2008 features to Windows XP / Server 2003 systems:

  • Remote query support (using the server’s indexed when querying a network share)
  • Support for Vista-style preview handlers (Office 2007 documents, etc)

 

Read the KB article here for more details and complete feature list.

Download Links

Vista / 2008                    32-bit    |    64-bit

XP                                   32-bit    |    64-bit

2003 / WHS                    32-bit    |    64-bit

Vista users - don’t forget to grab the indexer status gadget!
http://brandonlive.com/2008/06/03/windows-search-40-released/

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Using Detailed Errors in IIS 7.0

Using IIS 7.0 yet?
If you'd like to see more about just how awesome it really is please let me know and I'll mix up some goodies.
Some of the things I'm currently working on are IIS 7.0 videos for features like the new IIS Manager.

OK, let's get to the point of this blog post. (I just get a bit excited at times....)

The IIS Team has released an article on How to Use HTTP Detailed Errors in IIS 7.0:
Every Web-Site Administrator or Web Developer has seen "404 - File not found" , "401 - Unauthorized" or "500 - Server Error" messages in his browser. This article helps you understand how and why IIS 7.0 generates these errors and how they can be configured.

Many might think that generating error messages does not seem to justify a full article. But there is more to errors than meets the eye. Error messages are a sensitive topic, because every error reveals more about your web-site than you might want revealed. The more information someone can gather about your site, the likelier it is that you will be hacked. A search for "google hacking" or "cross-site scripting" reveals a wealth of information on this topic.

However, error messages are also a valuable tool to troubleshoot problems. Developers and Web-Site Administrators require as much detail as possible when an error occurs. Ideally the error message gives recommendations on how to fix the problem. Here is how IIS 7.0 addresses these fundamentally opposed goals.

http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/267/how-to-use-http-detailed-errors-in-iis7/

You may notice the Featured IIS 7.0 Web Host is the award winning http://DiscountASP.NET

IIS 7.0 Web Hosting is Here!

  • Starting at $10/mo
  • IIS7 on Windows 2008 Servers
  • MS IIS7 Manager Access
  • Trust Level Control
  • Pipeline Mode Selector Tool
  • ASP.NET 3.5/2.0
  • LINQ, AJAX, PHP5

Ready to try IIS 7.0 / Windows Server 2008?
Want an honest incentive?
Well, how about 6 months free?
Go to https://www.discountasp.net/signup
Use this promotion code: WISEMX
(You'll get an entire year for the price of just 6 months.)
And I promise to help you with whatever is needed, I'm there for ya. Wink
  Salute,
    Mark Wisecarver
    Technical Evangelist for http://DiscountASP.NET

Star Note: I am not paid for my endorsements or for my Developer Evangelism.

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Memorial Day 2008

Notes from a Patriot...

To all the Men and Women who have fought and died for Freedom.
Thank you!

To every Military Man and Woman of Valor, Integrity and Honor.
Thank you!

Men and Women of every nation, fighting for what is right.
Thank you!

To the Men and Women of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Salute! (with Honors)
   Mark Wisecarver
   -= Patriot Guard =-


Note: We were 1,600 Bikers strong at the Veterans Overlook yesterday. Ooh Rah!
Ride began on the Sevierville TN County Courthouse Steps, to the Veterans Overlook.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/may/24/remembering-the-veterans/

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Scott Guthrie's May 20th kicks for .NET developers

Scott's roundup of links for ASP.NET, ASP.NET AJAX, .NET, Visual Studio, Silverlight and WPF.

I haven't pinged his links back before but this one is definitely worth checking out. Wink

Note from Scott:
Apologies for the sparseness of my posting the last few weeks - work and life have been busy here lately.  Below is a new post in my link-listing series to help kick things up a little.  Also check out my ASP.NET Tips, Tricks and Tutorials page and Silverlight Tutorials page for links to popular articles I've done myself in the past.
http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2008/05/20/may-20th-links-asp-net-asp-net-ajax-net-visual-studio-silverlight-wpf.aspx

  Salute,
    Mark Wisecarver
    Technical Evangelist for DiscountASP.NET

Ready to try IIS7 / Windows Server 2008?
Want an honest incentive?
Have you been following the news about the award winning services at http://DiscountASP.NET ?

Well, how about 6 months free with an award winning Host?
Go to https://www.discountasp.net/signup
Use this promotion code: WISEMX
(You'll get an entire year for the price of just 6 months.)
And I promise to help you with whatever is needed, I'm there for ya. Wink

Star Note: I am not paid for my endorsements or for my Developer Evangelism.

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Telerik Sitefinity and DiscountASP.NET Provide for .NET User Groups

This is an exciting partnership. Big Smile

Sitefinity and DiscountASP.NET Partner to Provide a Free Website for .NET User Groups
May 20, 2008. Newton, MA - Telerik, the publisher of the Sitefinity CMS and a leading vendor of UI components for .NET, and DiscountASP.NET, a Microsoft gold certified shared hosting provider, announced today the two companies have partnered to extend a unique offer to the INETA User Group (UG) community.

http://www.sitefinity.com/corporate/news/b1013P-cdt.aspx

User groups will receive a free Sitefinity Standard edition license (worth $899) and free Windows hosting (worth $240/year). By leveraging the special, custom-built DNUG website template, integrated into Sitefinity, UG members are empowered to organize events, share files and photos, participate in forums and polls, write blogs or news, publish presentations, create job or sponsor listings, etc.

Wow Yes

Ready to try IIS7 / Windows Server 2008?
Want an honest incentive?
Have you been following the news about the award winning services at http://DiscountASP.NET ?

Well, how about 6 months free with an award winning Host?
Go to https://www.discountasp.net/signup
Use this promotion code: WISEMX
(You'll get an entire year for the price of just 6 months.)
And I promise to help you with whatever is needed, I'm there for ya. Wink
  Salute,
    Mark Wisecarver
    Technical Evangelist for http://DiscountASP.NET

Star Note: I am not paid for my endorsements or for my Developer Evangelism. 

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SQL Management Studio Shows All Databases

Looks like I'm not the only one. Wink

Jason N. Gaylord Blogged about something today that has bugged me for a long time.
It's also something I get asked all the time in the DiscountASP.NET forums.
We do our best there to provide helpful answers and solutions while remaining 100% faithful to Microsoft.

From Jason:
SQL Management Studio Shows All Databases
This has "bugged" me for awhile. When you log into any version of SQL (2000, 2005, and even 2008) as a user with restricted access to just a single database (or even a few databases), you can still see a complete list of all the databases on that server. There have been times when I needed to share a database with a customer or have accessed a shared database at a host such as DiscountASP.net or GoDaddy and can see all of the customers on that one box. It's more of a nuisance than a real threat but I really wish it was changed. It has been confirmed as a bug. Please vote for it at http://tinyurl.com/6pk74q

http://weblogs.asp.net/jgaylord/archive/2008/05/21/sql-management-studio-shows-all-databases.aspx

Thanks Jason Yes

Yes, to everyone on the SQL team at Microsoft...Thanks for all you do.
I started working with SQL Server 7 for ASP commerce back in the late 90's.
Before that I used Borland Paradox for business and Access/Excel at home.
SQL Server 2005 was so vastly improved I started using it at home for just about everything, including Outlook 2007, sweet. Wink
I can't hand out any secrets but you can rest assured that we will be bringing the best of SQL Server 2008 to DiscountASP.NET
(I'm very excited about that.)

  Salute,
    Mark Wisecarver

Ready to try IIS7 / Windows Server 2008?
How about an honest incentive?
Have you been following the news about the award winning services at http://DiscountASP.NET ?

Well, how about 6 months of award winning hosting for free?
Go to https://www.discountasp.net/signup
Use this promotion code: WISEMX
(You'll get an entire year for the price of just 6 months.)
And I promise to help you with whatever is needed, I'm there for ya. Wink
  Salute,
    Mark Wisecarver
    Technical Evangelist for http://DiscountASP.NET

Star Note: I am not paid for my endorsements or for my Developer Evangelism.

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Overview of New Features in VS2008

Just finished watching Zain's WebCast on some of the new features for Web developers in Visual Studio 2008.
Wow!

I'm already using VS2008 Pro but haven't had time to dive into what's new, yet.
I do love some of the new features that I have already become dependant on, like the new CSS support/features.

In this WebCast Zain went over the new features like a live wire...He was on fire!
Excellent job Zain. Wink

If you missed it the WebCast will be posted soon, probably by the time you read this.
You can watch, or Download, it at your convenience.

Find all the resources on his blog:
http://blogs.msdn.com/zainnab/default.aspx
(Including Web links, source files, etc.)
http://blogs.msdn.com/zainnab/archive/2008/05/20/overview-of-new-features-for-web-application-in-visual-studio-2008.aspx

Zain really does a great job at these WebCasts.
His previous LING WebCast, which included an overview of SQLMetal, was my favorite of all time. Yes
Please have a look, I'm sure you'll agree.

Remember. .  .
If you're ready to try IIS7 / Windows Server 2008 and you need an incentive...
How about 6 months free with an award winning Host?
Go to https://www.discountasp.net/signup
Use this promotion code: WISEMX
(You'll get an entire year for the price of just 6 months.)
And I promise to help you with whatever is needed, I'm there for ya. Wink
  Salute,
    Mark Wisecarver
    Technical Evangelist for http://DiscountASP.NET

Star Note: I am not paid for my endorsements or for my Developer Evangelism.

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Visual Studio SP1 Beta delima

(Insert pain and suffering)

Working with betas is risky, indeed.
It's something I've referred to as reaching into the Lion's cage to grab candy. Smile

When SP1 Beta for VS2008 was released last week I blogged about it.
After running into some odd behavior trying to install it on Vista with VS2008 Pro I removed my blog post.
I didn't want to share my grief with anyone.

Today I found a very interesting Blog post by Mike Taulty and felt the need to share it along with my own discoveries.

I'm not suggesting you should install SP1 Beta but if you try please refer to these links first:

VS 2008 Service Pack 1 - Docs and Installation
by Mike Taulty
http://mtaulty.com/CommunityServer/blogs/mike_taultys_blog/archive/2008/05/18/10418.aspx

Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 Beta
(Please read the comments!)
by Scott Guthrie
http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2008/05/12/visual-studio-2008-and-net-framework-3-5-service-pack-1-beta.aspx

Error occurs installing Visual Studio 2008 SP1 Beta if KB944899 is installed.
http://blogs.msdn.com/webdevtools/archive/2008/05/15/remove-kb945140-before-installing-visual-studio-2008-sp1-beta.aspx

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Debunking 15 Myths About Microsoft

From ChannelWeb
http://www.crn.com/it-channel/207501463

Debunking 15 Myths About Microsoft

1) Windows Vista Is A Bird That Can't Fly.
2) Microsoft Licensing Is A Nightmare.
3) Anyone Can Make Money Selling SharePoint.
4) Steve Ballmer Is A Wild Man.
5) Vista-To-XP Downgrades Are Embarrassing To Microsoft.
6) Microsoft and Cisco Will Play Nice In Unified Communications.
7) Microsoft Is The Virtualization Turtle To VMware's Hare.
8) Microsoft Isn't Innovative.
9) Microsoft Is Clueless About Security.
10) Microsoft's Online Services Will Erode Partner Business.
11) Silverlight Is Designed To Lock People Into Microsoft Products.
12) Microsoft Doesn't Care About My Business.
13) Microsoft's Products Aren't Ready For The Enterprise.
14) Microsoft Doesn't Discount Its Software.
15) Windows Home Server Isn't Reliable For Data Storage.

By the way, have you seen the ChannelWeb Tools?
http://www.crn.com/tools/index.jhtml



Star From the IIS team...

The IIS Process Model Features
On-Demand Activation, Idle-timeout, Health Monitoring, Startup Limit, Shutdown Limit, CPU affinity, User Profile, etc.
http://blogs.iis.net/thomad/archive/2008/05/07/the-iis-process-model-features.aspx

StarI'm currently creating IIS7 videos and discovered a lot of confusion exists over this:
Clarifying the Confusion: IIS 7 Manager vs. IIS 7 Web Server
http://blogs.iis.net/rlucero/archive/2008/04/30/clarifying-the-confusion-iis-7-manager-vs-iis-7-web-server.aspx

And yes, even on Windows XP. Wink
Remote Manager for Windows 2003, XP and Vista SP1
http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/390/remote-manager-for-windows-2003-xp-and-vista-sp1/

Ready to try IIS7 / Windows Server 2008?
Need an incentive?
Have you been following the news about the award winning services at http://DiscountASP.NET ?

How about 6 months free?
Go to https://www.discountasp.net/signup
Use this promotion code: WISEMX
(You'll get an entire year for the price of just 6 months.)
And I promise to help you with whatever is needed, I'm there for ya. Wink
  Salute,
    Mark Wisecarver
    Technical Evangelist for http://DiscountASP.NET

Star I am not paid for my endorsements or for my Developer Evangelism.

 

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Links for Shutdown day.

Posting these links on Shutdown day is just a coincidence.
I'm not a person who is unfriendly to the environment.
http://www.shutdownday.org/

Fact: In our house my lovely Brazilian wife, Leticia, and myself do all we can to teach our three children to be conservative.
We do not waste any food, we recycle everything and we make it a point to have near zero trash at the end of each week.
This has turned into a family activity that we all enjoy.
I've added a photo of the kids to my Photos page.

And now our regularly scheduled program... Smile

Steve Schofield posted some very important information about IIS7 and Access DBs.
If you're working with Classic ASP or ASP.NET on IIS7 please take a look at these helpful posts.

IIS 7.0, Access 2007 and ASP.NET 2.0
http://weblogs.asp.net/steveschofield/archive/2008/05/03/iis-7-0-access-2007-and-asp-net-2-0.aspx

IIS 7.0, Classic ASP and Access 2007
http://weblogs.asp.net/steveschofield/archive/2008/05/03/iis-7-0-classic-asp-and-access-2007.aspx

The Microsoft EDUFun blog team points out the benefits of the new Popfly Game Creator:
http://blogs.msdn.com/edufun/archive/2008/05/03/popfly-game-creator-the-popfly-family-just-got-a-little-bigger.aspx

By the way, keep an eye on the EDUFun blog for some exciting stuff:
http://blogs.msdn.com/edufun/archive/2008/05/02/edufun-making-education-fun-for-kids-of-all-ages-through-innovative-use-of-technology.aspx

Jamie Rodriguez is very excited about the changes to IE "Click to Activate" and Installing Silverlight without a re-start:
http://blogs.msdn.com/jaimer/archive/2008/05/02/installing-silverlight-no-longer-requires-a-browser-re-start-woohoo.aspx

Automatically Start Silverlight on Install
http://blogs.msdn.com/piotrp/archive/2008/05/02/automatically-start-silverlight-on-install.aspx

John Mullinax shares "Why RoboChamps has something for you"
http://blogs.msdn.com/johnmullinax/archive/2008/05/03/why-robochamps-has-something-for-you.aspx

Some of you know I donated all of my Valve projects and code to the George Brown College of Game Arts in Canada.
Including one of my sites and the domains: http://sdknuts.net/
Point being, while I'm done with anything related to Valve/Steam I would definitely jump into RoboChamps. Yes
It looks very cool.

The IIS7 team talks about how IPv6 stacks up on IIS7.
http://blogs.iis.net/nazim/archive/2008/05/03/using-ipv6-with-iis7.aspx

I absolutely love the changes in Windows Server 2008, Vista SP1 and IIS7.
Lately I've been doing a lot of research on the IIS7 Manager.
While the DiscountASP.NET crew was working on some new addons it was killing me to keep this secret. Angel
Once the IIS7 team found out they got very excited:
http://blogs.iis.net/mailant/archive/2008/05/02/discountasp-net-iis-manager-ui-extensions.aspx

Ready to try Windows Server 2008?
Need an incentive? Gift
Have you been following the news about the award winning services at http://DiscountASP.NET ?

How about 6 months free?
Go to https://www.discountasp.net/signup
Use this promotion code: WISEMX
(You'll get an entire year for the price of just 6 months.)
And I promise to help you with whatever is needed, I'm there for ya. Wink
  Salute,
    Mark Wisecarver
    Technical Evangelist for http://DiscountASP.NET

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Query a web site with LINQ to XML.

More LINQ goodness. Big Smile

From the Microsoft Coding4Fun site:
Scrape that screen with LINQ
http://blogs.msdn.com/coding4fun/archive/2008/04/29/8439727.aspx

You have to admit Beth Massi is really kicking it. Yes
http://blogs.msdn.com/bethmassi/

Microsoft just asked me to pass this great news on to everyone. . .
The new 2008 Express products are Ready, Willing and Able:
http://www.microsoft.com/express/interest/

Take a look at the new Visual Web Developer 2008:
http://www.microsoft.com/express/webdevelopment/Default.aspx

Lots of new features with very nice CSS designer tools.
Both VWD 2008 and the new Expression Web have exceptional CSS editing capabilities.

Ready to try Windows Server 2008?
Need an incentive?
Have you been following the news about the award winning services at http://DiscountASP.NET ?

How about 6 months free?
Go to https://www.discountasp.net/signup
Use this promotion code: WISEMX
(You'll get an entire year for the price of just 6 months.)
And I promise to help you with whatever is needed, I'm there for ya. Wink
  Salute,
    Mark Wisecarver
    Technical Evangelist for http://DiscountASP.NET

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Great Espresso on the job

No tricks, this Blog post is about making really good Espresso at work.
I've been a developer for several companies where an Espresso machine was not allowed.
That always made sense to me, from a safety standpoint, I didn't mind.

But what if you can create a really great cup of Espresso at work safely, in less than 10 minutes?

First of all you absolutely must start with good water.
Do all you can to filter your water at work or bring in your own clean water for this.
Something I did was to use those handy pitcher filters from Brita.

Next you need a good source of fresh beans and a grinder.
You do not need an expensive burr grinder for this, we're going to grind course.
At home you will always benefit from a good quality burr grinder, one that can create a consistent fine ground.

As you may have seen in one of my previous posts I prefer the Code Brown blend from http://www.coffeeemergency.com/espresso.php

OK, now that you have your fresh water, beans and a grinder...
How are we going to get this all together at work with only a Microwave oven to cook with?

The answer is the AeroPress!
http://www.amazon.com/AeroPress-Coffee-and-Espresso-Maker/dp/B000GXZ2GS/

I guarantee it will be the best $25 you've spent at work.
The instructions included are easy to follow.

For great Espresso while traveling or when at work it can't be beat.

Note: I'm not getting any sort of kickback for mentioning these products.
In all honesty I'm simply sharing a great tip for you Espresso lovers, for when you're away from your machines.

Please let me know if you try the things I mentioned, I'd love to hear from you.
  Salute,
    Mark Wisecarver
    Microsoft Technical Evangelist for http://DiscountASP.NET

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Beth Massi brings LINQ to the VB Gladiators

Continuing my Microsoft LINQ alerts...

This time LINQ to SQL for VB developers.
I'm a big fan of the way Beth Massi presents these technical articles and videos.
Thanks for all you do for the community Beth. Wink

LINQ to SQL N-Tier Smart Client - Part 1 Building the Middle-Tier
http://blogs.msdn.com/bethmassi/archive/2008/04/12/linq-to-sql-n-tier-smart-client.aspx

LINQ to SQL N-Tier Smart Client - Part 2 Building the Client
http://blogs.msdn.com/bethmassi/archive/2008/04/14/linq-to-sql-n-tier-smart-client-part-2-building-the-client.aspx
 

That's all for today but I am working on a distraction for this blog.
People are contacting me asking more about how to make "good Espresso".
Gosh, I'm more than happy to share the labor of my love.
In a few days I'll be posting an article for Developers who want to make really great Espresso at work.
Yes, I've done that working on-site at several companies and know how difficult it can be.
  Salute,
    Mark Wisecarver
    Microsoft Technical Evangelist for http://DiscountASP.NET

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ASP.NET Dynamic Data Preview

Oh man! This bit of news Rocks!

Scott Guthrie just announced today that the ASP.NET team has released an updated ASP.NET Dynamic Data Preview.
http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2008/04/10/asp-net-dynamic-data-preview-available.aspx

Read about the changes, and download the releases:
http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/dynamicdata

My favorite improvements are for LINQ and the awesome ListView component.
Something that will probably excite a lot of developers is the Dynamic Data Website Wizard.

Notice in the bottom section of Scott's article he has posted links to Screen Casts and other helpful resources.
A good place to get help all day long is the ASP.NET Dynamic Data Forum:
http://forums.asp.net/1145.aspx

There are Dynamic Data samples on MSDN:
http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/dynamicdata/Wiki/View.aspx?title=Samples%20Page&referringTitle=Home

Silverlight Screen Cast of the Dynamic Data Wizard:
http://silverlight.services.live.com/invoke/63271/DynamicDataWebsiteWizardScreencast/iframe.html

These are exciting times. Wink
  Salute,
    Mark Wisecarver
    Microsoft Technical Evangelist for http://DiscountASP.NET

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SharePoint SUSHI

Codeplex rocks! Wink

SharePoint SUSHI – It’s not raw fish!

A Good Clink and a Link about a neat little open source SharePoint Utility out on CodePlex.com.

I highly recommend you take a look at this FREE tool and even the source code to get a better understanding of SharePoint Innards. Run from your SharePoint Server and it will do most of the work for you around sites, users, reports.

“SUSHI is a powerful, user-friendly SharePoint application enabling you to accomplish common SharePoint administrative and development tasks. You can think of SUSHI as a Swiss army knife for SharePoint.
What does the name SUSHI stand for?
SUSHI = SharePoint Utility with a Smart, Helpful Interface”
http://blogs.msdn.com/tadd/archive/2008/04/07/sharepoint-sushi-it-s-not-raw-fish.aspx

 

btw...
Visual C++ 2008 Feature Pack Released
http://blogs.msdn.com/usisvde/archive/2008/04/07/visual-c-2008-feature-pack-released.aspx

  Salute,
    Mark
    Microsoft Technical Evangelist for http://DiscountASP.NET

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Remotely Monitoring Web 2.0 Applications

Microsoft Research members Emre Kiciman, Ben Livshits and Himanshu Sharma have released a handy project...

Ajax View
The goal of the Ajax View project is to improve developer's visibility into and control over their web applications' behaviors on end-user's desktops.http://research.microsoft.com/projects/ajaxview/

*If Ben Livshits rings a bell it may be because of his Stanford projects:
http://suif.stanford.edu/~livshits/work.html
Which will be moving here soon:
http://research.microsoft.com/~livshits/

Emre has some very interesting Web 2.0 research papers you may be interested in:
http://research.microsoft.com/~emrek/#papers

 

My final entry today is not related to the "goodness" above...
Shaan has published an article many of you SharePoint developers will enjoy:

Downloading data from SharePoint List to Database in 27 lines
http://blogs.msdn.com/shaan/archive/2008/04/07/downloading-data-from-sharepoint-list-to-database-in-27-lines.aspx

 Salute,
   Mark Wisecarver
   Microsoft Technical Evangelist for http://DiscountASP.NET

 

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