Crash Course in WPF
Looking to get a good start in the latest Microsoft technology? Rob Eisenberg has written what appears to be a rather interesting, and quite useful, crash course in WPF. If you’re looking for a quick way to get up to speed, this looks like a good place to start.
IE Developer Toolbar
For those that do any web development, you’ll be interested to know that the IE Team has released beta 3 of the IE Developer Toolbar. From what I’ve seen, this looks like an impressive release. This is well worth the download and has saved me a fair bit of time in the past.
Microsoft PageRank?
I’m sure there’s nothing to this, but I have to point it out: a Microsoft employee publicly seeking information on Google PageRank. Roberto D’Angelo, in How Google PageRank(tm) works (the post has been removed, here is a PDF version of the original), discusses how the PageRank algorithm works as well as asks for others to provide additional information. Anybody find this a bit odd? I’m not trying to knock Roberto, or Microsoft, it just strikes me as odd that a Microsoft employee would be publicly seeking information on a proprietary feature of a competitor’s product.
Read more…WordPress 2.0.6
Time once again, for a WordPress update, the software that powers this site. This is primary a security update, fixing a few nasty issues as well as cleaning up some other things (here’s the breakdown). If you are running a WordPress blog, I’d recommend going for the update. It’s a painless update, and so far seems quite stable.
Building a Windows PowerToy
Brandon Paddock is writing what promises to to an interesting series on creating a Windows PowerToy on the Windows Shell Team blog. This series promises to provide an interesting insight into the process of developing my favorite part of Windows: PowerToys. I’ve always looked forward to seeing the next generation of Power Toys after a new version of Windows is released; seeing the process of one being developed will be a real treat.
Read more…IIf() May Get a Dose of Legitimacy
Paul Vick announced a possible change for VB 9.0, this change would give the IIF method the legitimacy it has long deserved. The issue with IIf is that it’s not a short-circuit operator, which can severely limits its usefulness. Take the following example, that will throw an exception if obj is Nothing: IIf(obj IsNot Nothing, obj.Property1, String.Empty) Since IIf() is just a normal method, all parameters will be evaluated, regardless of weather obj is Nothing.
Read more…Assertiveness for Software Developers
Here is a quick read from Jeff Atwood that all developers should read: Assertiveness for Software Developers. Jeff brings up a great point, developers aren’t assertive enough; and that ends up biting us later (I know it’s bitten me a few times). This is well worth reading, and well worth some serious thought for next time your manager hands you an impossible deadline.
Holiday Schwag
The Valleyschwag crew has released their 5th package, a holiday package no less. I ordered mine a few days ago, and it arrived today. While I believe the guys behind Valleyschwag made a real mistake, it’s nice to see that they are still hard at it. This is a nice package, with goodies from Guba, mingle and WebShots (along with a few others). All in all, a rather nice package.
OpenID: ID of The Future?
After reading Simon Willison’s excellent article on the topic I spent a couple of hours last night looking at the current OpenID specification, and after a fair bit of thought found the ideas behind OpenID clever, but not what’s needed for the ID of the future. What’s Right OpenID has some really good ideas behind it. Here are a few that really stand out in my eyes. If you have a LiveJournal account for example, it just works, no extra sign-up, no additional work.
Read more…Starting in WPF?
If you are looking to get started working with WPF, then Tim Sneath has a great guide for where to start: Building a Perfect WPF Developer Workstation. This guide includes links to all the software you need, sample projects, and even where to go with questions. If you’re new to WPF, or want to take your WPF skills to the next level, this is a great place to start.
About Me
Security researcher, engineer and software developer with more than 20 years of experience.
Work: I primarily focus on application security, usable security, secure communications, and cryptography. I build and lead strong and dynamic teams, who cover all facets of security and privacy.
Writing: I write about my research, security in general, development and software design, and leadership through my blog, essays, and various publications. I also engage in some creating writing when I can.
Photography: I am a purist fine art photographer, working primarily in black & white, and focused on sharing new perspectives of the world. Limited edition prints of my work are available on my online gallery. I also have a background in photojournalism, and volunteer in this field when I can.