I love this book.

If I were going to teach a course on ASP.NET Development with VB - THIS is the book I would teach it from !

Get a a copy !

Murach's Description

There is no faster or better way to learn ASP.NET web programming using Microsoft’s Visual Studio .NET than to use "Murach’s ASP.NET web programming with VB.NET." To get you off to a fast start, the first 5 chapters show you how to use Microsoft Visual Studio to design, code, and test multi-page web applications that use view state, session state, cookies, database data, and code-behind files.

From there, you learn even faster as you master the core professional skills like HTML, server controls, validation controls, state management, and user controls. Then, you learn how to use the best ADO.NET features for working with a database in a web application including: connection pooling, data commands, parameterized queries, caching, data views, command builders, and the Repeater, DataList, and DataGrid controls.

Last, you learn how to apply the finishing touches to a web application: security, web services, custom server controls, reports generated by Crystal Reports, email, and deployment. "No other book teaches so much, so fast, or so thoroughly."

Amazon Product Description

"This book is by far the best computer programming book I have ever bought. You can go into my upstairs closet and find 20-30 books that I have purchased since the days of VB6.... All together, they could not add up to as much information as you have given me in the first 11 chapters of this book." (A developer's comment on the previous edition of Murach's ASP.NET)
Already know how to code Visual Basic 2008 desktop applications? Then, you're ready to master web programming with the 3.5 edition of this best-selling ASP.NET book from Murach Books.

It covers the 3.5 features that provide new functionality...like the ListView and DataPager data controls, LINQ data sources, new CSS-related tools, and ASP.NET AJAX...while it teaches you how to develop web applications from scratch. And it does that using all the same features that have made earlier editions such favorites among professional developers:

It's concise, practical, and crystal-clear in telling you what you need to know

It shows you how to get the most from Visual Studio 2008 as you code, test, debug, and deploy ASP.NET web applications

It gives you a 7-chapter section on database programming...2 more chapters than in the previous edition because .NET continues to deliver new, powerful tools for this critical component of business applications

It gives you solid training in the essential skills that you'll use every day, including data validation...state management...improving the user experience with easy site navigation and a standard look and feel...boosting user response time with ASP.NET AJAX...handling security...developing reusable controls...working with database data using SQL, object, and LINQ data sources...and more

It gives you real-world application examples that guide you in applying what you're learning as you develop your own websites (you can download the applications for free from the Murach website)

Its paired pages presentation makes for fast reading, instant reinforcement, and time-saving reference (to see how the paired pages work, you can download free chapters from the Murach website)

Meet my friend Armin He's the handsome your Iranian dude wearing the MSDN Event Would Tour Tee-Shirt shown here at Kandovan in a city called Trabriz.

Armin and I have been pen-pals for a couple of years now. We met when Armin emailed me to ask a programming question.

Now a senior in High School he is starting to pick up programming projects and planing for University.

Over time we have come to discuss much more than programming. We mail about life in our respective countries, family, freedom, and the meaning of it all.

It's been great for me to learn about the Iranian people from someone that is NOT The American press.

And a great reminder that governments and "people" are two completely different things !

Moer proof that Code CAN solve everything !!!

I go to ALOT of developer events.

Usually, they are work - meaning I probably wouldn't go if I were a retired Millionaire.

DevLink was AWESOME. It was kind of link that perfect summer back in school when all the right people were in the right place and the right mood and the sun was shining and the VIBE was just happening.

The basics were all there, Tennessee was very sunny but not too hot, the people are very nice, the MTSU campus is super (and the Sororities were pledging while we were there).

John Kellar (DevLnk Chairman) and all the folks with the DevLink organization did a simply AMAZING job and because the event is SO cool the speaker pool is a "WHo's Who".

I went to some great session like Sara Ford's session on Open Source at Microsoft and Todd Anglin's session Silverlight (who thought 3 a three hour session would seem too SHORT.)

There was some fun interpersonal stuff too.

I spent most of the event sparing with Ted Somebody :)

Actually I'm talking about Ted Neward - who's not only really smart but also really fun. (Thanks Ted for being a good sport and for giving as good as you get. I hope they don't have you do the closing keynote next year, I'd have to wear a helmet.)

And, like many of us, we spend the event waiting for Sara Ford to do something REALLY outrageous. (We're STILL waiting :)

I got to be a guest on Deep Fried Bytes, which will be available soon. (http://deepfriedbytes.com/)

GRATUITOUS PLUG - DeepFriedBytes is just getting up too speed and they need sponsors. Have a look and see if you can help them out !

Of course, Carl Franklin and Richard Campbell were there and they event did a DNR episode from the after-party.

[ Click HERE to listen to the show. ]

But the HIGHLIGHT for me was the OpenSpaces.

Alan Stevens organized ad managed the OpenSaces and they were OFF the hook. (Thanks Alan for an AMAZING job).

I'd been to OpenSpaces before and had a less than great experience. Alan did a GREAT job of facilitating without controlling the flow.

And if you were an attendee.....

$50

Next year - I'm going to fly out and take the BUS !!!! (http://netcave.org/GetOnTheBusYrsquoall.aspx)

Also, I declare a contest for next year - who can come from the farthest distance away.

It's a real gem of a weekend !! Hope to see you at the next one

Data Structures and Algorithms: Annotated Reference with Examples

This book written by Granville Barnett and Luca Del Tongo is part of an effort to provide all developers with a core understanding of algorithms that operate on various common, and uncommon data structures.

Data Structures and Algorithms: Annotated Reference with Examples is completely free!

[ CILICK HERE ]

I was chatting with Billy Hollis about how we often use new technology to do the same old thing and how I was seeing lots of folks doing this with WPF and Silverlight.

He mentioned that he had done a video in UI Design with WPF.

Check it out, its great for WPF and SIlverlight aficionados.

DNR-TV Show #115 | 6/20/2008

Billy Hollis on Getting Smart with WPF

Billy Hollis shows us some clever ways to make a clean, efficient user interface in Windows Presentation Foundation.

Since the free license for .NET User Groups was very successful, we decided to release a Free Edition of Kentico CMS for everyone!

It can be used for both personal and commercial projects. It’s intended for smaller corporate sites, on-line communities and personal sites (it also supports blogging).

The Free Edition supports:

- WYSIWYG editing

- Rapid web site development without complex programming

- SEO-friendly URLs

- Open API and detailed documentation

- Flexible menu controls

- News

- Blogs

- RSS feeds

- Forums

- Polls

- On-line forms

- Product catalog with shopping cart and PayPal support

- Image gallery

... and it comes with 3 starter sites – Corporate Site, E-commerce Site and Personal Site.

The Free Edition is limited to 1 administrator, 1 editor, 1000 pages and 100 site members, plus there are some limits for particular modules (http://www.kentico.com/cms-asp-net-features/Feature-Matrix.aspx) and a requirement to keep Powered by Kentico logo on the web site.

The Free Edition can be downloaded at http://www.kentico.com/Download/Free-edition.aspx.

Visit us at PDC

Kentico will be exhibiting at this year’s PDC in L.A, please be sure to stop by at booth #419!

Here are some site using Kentico !

http://chennaiitpro.net

http://www.acsug.co.nz

http://www.FLPSUG.com

http://www.madnug.net

http://www.chadnug.com

http://mankatodotnet.com

http://www.dotnetbuzzdelhi.com

A couple of folks have emailed me because that haven't been able to reconstitute the Video Database I've been using in the Data Access video tutorials.

Here is a .zip file.  http://www.misfitgeek.com/downloads/SQLDATA_VideoDirectory.zip

It contains a .mdf as well as a .sql script and the data exported to an Excel file.

Hope it helps.

The Slackers have been busy !

Check out the Open Source project on CodePlex.

http://www.codeplex.com/AjaxDataControls/

Not only is there a controls library and all the source code for the controls but a RICH set of demos that illustrate utilization.

I'm now using them in my own projects.

Check 'em out !

There is a reason they call me the Misfit Geek :)

I've been doing PHP work for almost 10 years and I've worked at Microsoft for 7 of them.

When I talk about Open Source, it's not form a "religions" perspective. I'm interested in the applications, the people and the business model.

A PHP friend, Wez Furlong,  share a passion for making things that were necessarily designed to work together do exactly that. Wez is a pretty big figure in the PHP world and we did a panel together a few years ago at MIX in which Wez brilliantly described Open Source as "Itch Driven Development".

The point is, it's the community need that drive the success of an Open Source project, no matter what the underlying technology.

This one died.

Check out my next blog post for a not on a COOL project that is alive and well !

Yesterday my wife and my children left the house and my 6 year old asked where they were going.

When Jill told Mia they were going to the mall, Mia said "Good, I wanna get my ears pierced."

She went through with it with no crying and only a few tears and was excited to come home and tell me.

So what does that have to do with Software Development.

Well, it was a reminder to "go for it" !

A while ago I was asked to speak at a conference about something I didn't know if I could make work :)

I've been dragging my feet getting down to working out the implementation details.

So today, I'm going to solve some tricky interop problems !

60 Free controls are available from DevExpress.

Some for ASP.NET and some for Windows Forms.

Check them out at ......

http://www.devexpress.com/Products/Free/WebRegistration60/

The first three videos are live.

#1 | Data Access Layers in ASP.NET Applications

#2 | How to Manually Bind a Dataset to a Datagrid

#3 | How to Work with Datasets and Filters from an ASP Application

More coming soon.

[ Get them here. ]

#8 | Changing Membership Settings in the Default Membership Schema

#9 | Configuring SQL To Work with Membership Schemas

#10 | Understanding ASP.NET Memberships

[ Get them here ]