Greetings once again, folks! I've realized that while a lot of you can go and quickly look up code snippets and watch tutorials on different technologies, there are some aspects of development that you can't get without living it first-this is also a...

Microsoft has not so suddenly introduced the Metro style user interface (UI) to the masses via the Windows Phone, updated Xbox menu navigation and the soon to be released Windows 8 CTP (the developer preview is available here). ... read more

Cirrus clouds are certainly beautiful but “the cloud” within technology is truly a wonderful thing. It offers so much versatility and almost limitless possibility that it’s now become a focal point when talking about development (new...

Being in the ADM role, or any role in Microsoft for that matter, requires some knowledge of the different technologies that Microsoft offers. I've recently been studying a lot to better serve my customers, and one piece of technology that has captured...

Some think certifications are just revenue generating schemes created by companies to push more of their product. Others think no certification in the world can replace years of experience “in the trenches” business acumen. While both of these...

It’s no surprise that I’m a big proponent of Microsoft’s Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) toolset which means that I’m always on the lookout for great content be it video, podcasts, hands on labs, virtual machines, etc. Therefore...

Internet applications using ASP.Net recently had an update (MS11-100) pushed out of band back in December that set a limit of 1000 items to be accepted by a web form. While this is not the only limit imposed, it is the one that some applications are hitting...

I’ve recently embarked on a somewhat new endeavor as a trainer albeit it's only temporary. I’m certainly not new to this type of role as I’m always evangelizing Microsoft technology and helping customers understand and use these products...

The ALM Summit in November 2011 reaffirmed Microsoft’s position of thought leadership in Application Lifecycle Management and Agile Practices. Luminaries from across the software industry presented, covering the evolution of practices across both...

Creating an architecture review has many benefits not only to an enterprise application but also to the multiple levels of people within an organization. This can be seen by decomposing the design into 3 general areas which ultimately reduces the failure...

Using Windows Server AppFabric makes it easier to build, scale and manage Web and composite applications that run on IIS but when it comes to error logging, tracing and performance analysis, things can get a bit tricky. Therefore let’s discuss how...

Even though TFS is still a preview I’ve been thoroughly impressed with the work that’s been done to migrate what the server product offers to the cloud. Recently there was an update to this service and while not a major overhaul there’s...

For years the Enterprise Library application blocks have helped developers address the typical cross-cutting concerns of enterprise development (such as diagnostic logging, data validation, and exception handing). With over 3.5 million downloads , they...

Using the code analysis feature that comes with Visual Studio (VS) 2010 is definitely beneficial as it improves application and code quality by providing the ability to discover potential issues in your code, such as non-secure data access, usage violations...

Training is paramount when you’re either creating or implementing software. This is precisely why I like Microsoft Virtual Labs so much because it offers training on multiple technologies and what's better than training that's free, can be done...

A long time ago I remember a tester telling me that “one of the best tests of a system is when I’m not following a script per say but just ‘playing around’ with it.” I think that statement resonates to a lot of testers and...

After becoming blurry eyed and looking for two aspirin after reading through mounds of documentation and links on how to enable tracing for TFS 2010, I thought it might be helpful to have one concise blog post to reference. Therefore, while some aspects...

Having a WP7.5 phone (ala mango) I wanted to start development on an idea I had for a new phone application. Seems simple enough but there’s always a catch (more on that later). First off, in order to conduct any mobile development for a Windows...

Having been indoctrinated in the use of Agile principles a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, it was about time that I became Scrum certified. To that end, I just finished attending a week long class which was delivered by Rod Claar (from RippleRock...

I’ve wrote quite a few blog posts about Anders Hejlsberg (i.e. Visual Studio Asynchronous Programming , Visual Studio 11) and deserving so as he’s one of those people that once you meet him you soon realize just how much knowledge he has to...

I’ve mentioned Premier Support for Developers (PSfD) before but when I saw this video I thought it bore mentioning again. While it lists the Technical Account Manager (TAM) as the point of contact as opposed to the Application Development Manager...

Now that the Developer Preview has been released I’m sure you’ve been on an exploration expedition to see all the features and capabilities it has to offer. While many things will undoubtedly change, there are some constants in the mix. ....

Now that a preview of the Team Foundation Service is available, let’s start talking about how to take your Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) to the cloud with it. While the service doesn’t currently offer everything that the typical server...

Trying to convey to developers or other IT related staff a new concept or how to accomplish a certain task via KB articles, MSDN code samples, conference calls, etc. is sometimes a daunting task. This is why I’ve always been under the impression...

If you’re currently using Team Foundation Server (TFS) then you already know about the standard reports that come with a specific template (e.g. Scrum, MSF for Agile, etc.). If these canned reports (or even a customized work item query) retrieve...