Where is the Secret of Life?

When I read the post by Somasegar about the availability (I should say lack of it) VS.NET 2005 SP1 and their support for Vista, I was quite pissed (you can read my comments here ). Come on guys, why are you acting like a 5-person development shop who just started does not know how to make software? ...

This is the screen shot from Windows Media Player in Vista Build 5728 - I guess there is still work to be done by Microsoft.

CNNMoney has an interesting read on Google and how they operate in Chaos by design . It also lays out the challenges for Google on with a 2nd act - right now it is a one-trick pony (albeit a very good trick one). The author for Competing on the Edge: Strategy as Structured Chaos , works for Google as a Sr. VP of Business Operations. I have not heard of her or this book, but it seems interesting. Has anyone else read it? What are your thoughts on it? ...

How to Overcome Writer's Block

IE7 is still new and while there are many sites it will just work without any issues there are many that it will just not work and you will get a “I don’t know what the heck that browser is” error. (There are a few who handle this quite gracefully - e.g. I am on the Yahoo Mail Beta and they say they don’t support it, but if you want to give it a shot - go ahead). ...

Vista Build 5728 (which is of course after RC1) can be downloaded from here for a limited time. As per Microsoft, this build has improvements from RC1 but has not gone through the same regression testing as a RC or Beta, and it might not work in some situations. Furthermore, Microsoft also highlights: This build may not have the same level of support or servicing via Windows Update, and you may not be able to upgrade to the final version of Windows Vista. ...

After my initial feedback and having using Windows Live Writer more I have found a critical bug. I have not kept an eye on the groups to see if someone else has reported this (or if there is a work around), but I wanted to capture it here. ...

I am Mario. I like to jump around, and would lead a fairly serene and aimless existence if it weren't for my friends always getting into trouble. I love to help out, even when it puts me at risk. I seem to make friends with people who just can't stay out of trouble. What Video Game Character Are You? (via Lap’s distraction ) ...

Update: Microsoft has now publicly released the Beta 3 version of WMDC which you can get from here and you do not need to use the hack detailed below in this post. This beta 3 also supports Windows Mobile 2003! WMDC (Windows Mobile Device Centre), is the new software in Vista that replaces ActiveSync and you cannot even install ActiveSync on Vista. ...

MS has released the Second Edition Beta of VSTO 2007 which works with VS.NET 2005. This is updated to be in sync with Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh. This can be installed on VS.NET 2005 Professional, Team System or Tools for Office System edition only. Here are the highlights quoted from MS: Application-level add-in projects for six applications in the 2007 Microsoft Office system: Microsoft Office Excel 2007, Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007, Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007, Microsoft Office Visio 2007, and Microsoft Office Word 2007. Support for the new Ribbon user interface extensibility model. Support for the new application-level customizable task pane. Support for managed code behind InfoPath 2007 forms, which enables the InfoPath 2007 design environment to appear inside Visual Studio 2005 for an integrated experience across your Visual Studio projects. You can use it to design forms with or without managed code. Support for Outlook custom form regions. Application-level add-in projects for five Microsoft Office 2003 applications: Microsoft Office Excel 2003, Microsoft Office Outlook 2003, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003, Microsoft Office Visio 2003, and Microsoft Office Word 2003. ...

If you have been trying to use Mobile 5.0 SDK on Vista and have been having some issues, then check out Fernando’s tips on how to get around these issues on Vista.

Which one is better, between a PC and a Mac? Well, why don’t you decide on your own .

My colleague Stuart Stocking pointed out this wiki which has a list of RC1 compatible software – quite helpful if you are in doubt, or if you need to find something that will work.

Office 2007 Beta 2 TR is available here . Irrespective of the sizes of the download, this is an update and you still need to have the Beta 2 bits already installed.

I am sure you must have come across Microsoft Max and it is a shame that Max cannot run on a Vista at this point of time - I mean come on guys, you certainly can do better? However, there is a work around (till Microsoft fixes this), if you want to get Max to run on Vista. The only downside is that you need to have a Win XP machine handy - which might be an issue for some people out there. Basically there are two things you need to do, to get this working on Vista - fudge the registry and use xcopy. ...

There are some new TFS Power Toys available - check them out.

If you are a keyboard man (or woman) like me, then check out the list of keyb shortcuts for Vista . Most of these will work in Windows XP as well - some of the new start ones are interesting.

You can now download the Vista RC1 build including both the 32 and 64 editions.If you registered for Beta 2, then the same key will work for this as well.

I stumbled across this very cool site called VistaBase which helps you track all the various products, betas, RC’s, etc coming from Microsoft. I am quite surprised, I have not heard of them before - but as they say, better late than never. Check them out when you get the time. The best part being the one-stop shop for all the drivers that work with Vista for your graphics cards. ...

Just a few days after releasing Vista Pre-RC1 (hey don’t ask me about he naming conventions that MS is following - I gave up caring after the .NET 3.0 debacle), Vista RC1 is available on the connect website . I don’t have access to that so I cannot download it - but some of my colleagues who do are getting it as we speak. ...

[Update 1: Added the link for the Smartphone bits that you can download] [Update 2: Added a Bug and Troubleshooting section at the end of this post] [Update 3: Fixed a few small typos] One of the things that has bugged me for a bit is the lack of integration between the phone numbers in Outlook contacts and a smart device (such as a Pocket PC or a Smartphone) connected to the computer when it comes to making phone calls. ...

I am not really a TV junkie (with the exception of Tom and Jerry and Discovery Channel), but I recently saw a few episodes of a new drama called Numb3rs , which is all about a genius mathematician who uses Maths and helps solve crimes with the FBI. It is pretty cool (and g33ky of course ), check it out if you are into maths - you usually learn something in each episode. ...

Well, Gartner is saying that Vista will be the last of its kind, as for any future versions using a modular architecture as the current integrated architecture is unsustainable. I don’t think this in itself is anything new (most other companies have been doing it for a while). But in practice this is more difficult than it sounds. It will be quite difficult to break the Windows team and the way they do builds, code branches, etc. Also, what will happen to Longhorn then? However, I do hope Microsoft moves to this model as the existing ones will just keep getting more painful. (go this via osnews.com ) ...

Google’s 3D Warehouse is a collection of 3D objects that were created for use with Sketchup and are meant to be used with Google Earth . You can see one of London’s most famous attractions the Big Ben or India’s world famous Taj Mahal . ...