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.
Spam & Gmail
I just dropped by to check my Gmail account (which is almost never used, and the address has never been published anywhere), and found quite a surprise. The spam box currently has 7,026 spam messages! Keeping in mind that spam is deleted after 30 days, that means I’m getting 7,000 spam messages a month to an unknown, unpublished account! All of my other email accounts use two layers of filtering, one at the server, the other in the client.
Read more…Buying a Car
I recently took a trip down to the local VW dealership to see what the ‘07 Jetta‘s look like. I was rather impressed. The new Jetta is a very sharp, very sporty car; a rather impressive ride. I had no intention of buying, I just wanted to take one for a test drive. That is, until I saw a black Wolfsburg edition. As soon as I saw the car, I knew it was true: love at first sight is real.
Read more…Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Service Pack 1
I must have missed the memo on this, but it seems the first service pack for Visual Studio 2005 has been released (release notes). This release should add a lot of stability to the IDE and resolve of number of issues (such as the frequent VB compiler crashes). It’s a rather large download, approximately 450 MB, and is rather slow to install, but it promises to be well worth it.
Read more…Things You Shouldn’t Worry About
I’ve been a fan of Patrick’s blog for some time now, and one of his recent articles, Things You Shouldn’t Worry About, really shines. While I can’t agree with everything, most of the points really make sense. If you run an ISV, or are thinking about starting one, I highly recommend that you read this, it’s well worth it.
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.