RJ Dudley

I'm sure Rally Software or Axosoft might beg to differ about the "world's first" claim, but there's another contender in the SCM/Hosted SCM arena:

Today we are pleased to announce the release of Dynamsoft SCM Anywhere Hosted, the world's first hosted Software Configuration Management solution.

With integrated version control, issue tracking & build automation, SCM Anywhere Hosted is specifically designed for teams looking for an integrated Software as a Service (SaaS) solution to manage the entire software development life cycle.

With SCM Anywhere Hosted, development teams can achieve great benefit from the simplified IT infrastructure, the lowered cost of ownership, the high availability with anywhere/anytime access, the uncompromised security, and also the excellence of other features.

For more information about SCM Anywhere, please visit:
http://www.scmsoftwareconfigurationmanagement.com/
A 10-minute introduction video can be found at:
http://www.dynamsoft.com/Products/WebinarVideo/SCMHWebinar.aspx

Features of note are CruiseControl.NET and ANT integration (even in the hosted version), source control with SourceAnywhere, and three users free (hosted; installed=1 user).

I've used Dynamsoft SourceAnywhere for a while now, and it's really nice.  The Visual Studio integration is almost perfect, and the workflows are up to part with Subversion.  If the SCM compares to SA, expect good things.

A few years ago, I was looking for a version control system that would be easy to implement and not cost a fortune.  I was splitting my time between my laptop and my desktop, and was always forgetting my thumb drive somewhere else.  I did not have a separate NAS device at the time, so that was out of the question.  I was paying for shared hosting, and was greatly underutilizing my disk space allotment.

Enter FtpVC, a version control system that works via FTP.  It was perfect for my needs!  I installed the client on both machines, configured it to use a folder on my hosting account, and got back to work.  Setup was very easy, and the shared hosting space was accessible to either machine, and offsite.  At $50, it was not a budget breaker, either.  All the usual version control features are there, including history and comparisons.  If you're a lone ranger picking up the odd client job, or a small development shop, FtpVC could be a great solution for you.

There's a new version out, and their announcement e-mail reminded me I should blog about it.  No relation other than happy customer.  As a matter of fact, I've since moved on to another solution, but I still recommend FtpVC as a lightweight and inexpensive way to get into version control.

Mark your calendars--the launch date for Visual Studio 2008 (Orcas), SQL Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 (Longhorn) has been announced.

February 27, 2008.

In LA, but expect regional events as well, probably filled with free goodies as before.

More story at http://www.sqlmag.com/Article/ArticleID/96591/sql_server_96591.html.

Ankh is in RC1, but the concept of running both Tortise and Ankh--two Subversion clients--at the same time offends the sensibilities of some.  You can configure a custom toolbar in Visual Studio as a Tortise toolbar, and use Tortise for Subversion source control.  Full story at http://vorpal.cc/blog/development/tortoisesvn-in-visual-studio.

(hat tip: Mike Gunderloy)

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Recently, a question came up in the ASP.NET security forums about the lack of a remote membership/role configuration tool in ASP.NET 2.0.  Being able to remotely manage users is important in pretty much any site where you have users.  Fortunately, QualityData has stepped in and developed that plus a little more in their Membership Manager Control.  Apparently works in AJAX and exposes an API as well.  At $59, it's pretty darn cheap, too.

If you need a free license (beyond the trial version) for your needs, they also have a link-for-license program.  Add a link like Asp.Net Server Controls by Quality Data, and let them know.

I dislike how VS 2005 handles solutions, but I thought it was just me.  Victor Garcia Aprea has a good commentary on the subject:

Of course, I still think Visual Studio is totally messing up the Project and Solution terms, and that such core concepts should deserve a bit more of attention; here goes my view on it so you can take a look and make your own mind

Glad to know I'm not alone.

Hot off the presses, teh Visual Studio Express Editions will be permanently free: http://forums.asp.net/thread/1262185.aspx

This is great news for programmers of all stripes.  Even better news are some of the cool starter kits:

Beta: Skype Wrapper for .NET Starter Kit

The Beta of the Skype Wrapper for .NET Starter Kit is a managed code wrapper with samples that enables to programmatically connect and consume Skype services from Visual Basic, Visual C#, Visual J#, or Visual C++ Express.

Teacher Starter Kit

The Teacher Starter Kit is a rich client application for keeping track of students, course rosters, and assessments or grades using Visual Basic or Visual C# Express.

Maker Faire Demo: Skype Home Automation

The Skype Home Automation extends the Skype Starter Kit to show how you can use an instant messaging application to communicate with a home server for the purposes of automation and monitoring, like checking if the lights are on, or even play your favorite music.

 

My latest ASP Alliance article has been published:

ASP.NET 2.0 brought about a number of improvements in the way configuration settings are stored and accessed. Several new configuration sections have been added to the web.config schema, settings can be updated via code, and can be more easily encrypted and decrypted than before. In this article, Richard examines these new features with the help of code samples.

Read it at http://aspalliance.com/820.

The launch videos asked if we were ready to be rocked, and I know one person who was totally rocked by The Launch.

A little background: one of my consulting clients wants to upgrade their website, with multiple branding based on URL used to access the site.  At my suggestion, they waited on the upgrade until the .NET 2.0 was launched, since I felt the versatility of Master Pages and other new additions would make our lives a tremendous amount easier.  They didn’t want to buy new software, so I told them to register for the “Best Of” event in Pittsburgh, which was held Thursday (12/1), and they’d get a copy of VS 2005 for free.  Their guy attended both the SQL Server and VS sessions, and the MS Events folks can claim “Mission Accomplished” with at least one person.

At the SQL Server 2005 session, my client saw for the first time SQL Server Integration Services and Reporting Services.  The company uses an old Oracle-based ERP system that doesn’t provide much in the way of business intelligence, which hurts their competitiveness in today’s environment.  All morning, visions of a new data warehouse with a reporting front end danced through my client’s mind.  Knowing they just added a new Windows 2003 file server, I suggested they look into Windows Sharepoint Services as an intranet, and explained a little of the integration with reporting services and WSS.

Once he saw Master Pages in action, he felt my recommendation to take advantage of technology was very sound, and wondered when could we get started.

My client walked away from one day’s events with a whole new outlook on how to make use of his company’s data, and the tools to provide a proof-of-concept to the decision makers.  He was rocked.

tags: Visual Studio 2005 : SQL Server 2005 : Rock The Launch

Now playing: Povertyneck Hillbillies - One Night In New Orleans

During today's regional UG leaders conference call, Stan Spotts announced that Philly will be hosting one of the 10 VS 2005 kick-off events on December 13 at the convention center.  More details as they come available.