Software GreenHouse - Blue Jab

An exciting new opportunity for mobile developers was launched at the Mobile Developer Conference in Bangalore.

The Software Greenhouse

It's an amazingly interesting opportunity for developers to peak into the innards of how a mobile software is being built. It's a fun application called BlueJab, its a cool and fun utility which takes the social networking concept to a new level. It combines the power of a Windows Mobile device and Bluetooth technology, opening up a completely new way for people to meet, communicate, exchange ideas or maybe even trade.

The entire software development cycle will be exposed to developers so that they have a chance of learning how things are done at each stage of the mobile application development.

There are online forums where the community can discucss the technology and application, there are Webcasts where the team will discuss and showcase finer aspects of the project.

This is if I'm not wrong the first time in India and probably the world where such a unique concept is being explored. This is a new level of reaching out to the developer community. Kudos to Microsoft for this initiaitve.

Check the software greenhouse at http://www.softwaregreenhouse.com

Mobile Developer Conference Bangalore

A major milestone for the Indian Developer community, the first Mobile Developer Conference was held in Bangalore, India from the 9th-11th of Dec 2004. Today is a last day with Hands on Labs being conducted.

It was great fun being at the Mobile developer conference. It had some interesting highlights for me. I got to know I had to do a session on Windows XP embedded at the last moment. Got the slide deck at 12:30 A.M. in the morning and spent some 3 hours after that learning more about it. Unfortunately I couldn't get the tools to load on my machine as I didn't have the software in time. Well anyways it seems a lot of people are interested in Windows XP embedded(XPe). It was good fun a lot of the audience were newbies, as in almost 90% of the audience had not built their own XPe devices or used the tools.

XPe is a compotenized version of XP allowing you to choose and build a custom version of the OS by choosing parts you require and create an OS image. It's a big hit in devices such as Kiosks, Set Top boxes, etc.

The other session I did was on ASP.Net Mobile controls. That covered the new unified control model in Whidbey. In fact I have written about this at Devx.

THE MDC in India had some exciting moments like Software idol. A fun filled evening where the speakers were contestants for the title :-)

For user group members from Bangalore this MDC had a special in terms of a direct meeting with the INTL speakers. This was a exlusive opportunity to have face time with them, and was brought to Bangalore user group members via INETA and local Microsoft.

Overall a very satisfying experience.

Mobile ASP.Net 2.0

I've just written a new article on the new ASP.Net 2.0 mobile capabilities. It's really amazing how Microsoft has advanced this new engine to combine two awesome things 1) The earlier ASP.Net engine + new feature 2) The mobile toolkit or ASP.Net mobile.

Now all of ASP.Net 2.0 is mobile enabled. This should surely bring a smile to many a developer as this now enables all the web based applications you write to be mobile enabled. There are however a number of things which you should be aware off. I've tried to highlight a few of them in my new article on DevX. Check it out Mobile-enable Your Existing Web Apps with ASP.NET 2.0

Back to here

I've been using Mblog.com for some time, but I've finally kicked back in here at blogger as Mblog shut down their free service.

Well I'll be posting my entries out here henceforth.

Outlook /safe

I was amazed to know that outlook has a safe mode. My friend Piyush enlightened me about the benefits of this. Essentially it loads outlook without all the add-ons.

In my case surprisingly no add-ons showed up as being enabled but somehow they were being loaded I guess, cause my Outlook would hang every few minutes. This was a painful experience for months. And finally I have a way of operating Outlook without it hanging up on me.

 Next need to figure out a way to completely remove add-ons :-) in a clean way.

Open Source .Net CF

If you're developing for the .Net CF you might definitely want to check out the open source .Net CF. They've recently released the SmartDevice Framework 1.0 Seems pretty neat.

The .Net CF mobile world is a very limited world from a .Net developers perspective. We need many more such initiatives.
If you've come across any similar initiatives drop in a line.

A SmartPhone Content Aggregator

Found this nifty little application SPRSS v0.0.1 which is a content aggregator for my SmartPhone.
http://www.codent.com/smartphone/

extremely cool!!!

My newest article on Managing Mobile Data on PocketPC/SmartPhones

Thought I'd just mention my latest article on Managing Mobile Data on PocketPC/SmartPhones devices has just been released. You can check it out at http://www.mobilizedsoftware.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=17701459

Blogging tools

I hate it when I have to come online onto the blogger site, yes I do like the convenience if I'm at any location and need the ability to put down my thoughts.
I wonder if there is an ideal blogging tool. I've been searching... if you know any awesome tools let me know.

But frankly I like the idea of an aggregator + a tool which allows me to make posts.
I quite liked Newsgator but didn't like the fact that it chewed up my titles or didn't retain title formatting etc.

But I'm equally surprised that there are no decent free aggregators + post tools.
Another feature I wish I had was the ability to make posts from my SmartPhone. An app which would sit on my SmartPhone and allow me to make posts.

It would be lovely if Outlook itself provide this facility. Now that would be certainly a wonderful feature.

Till then maybe I should really write one, any takers who want to contribute?

Thinking in Visuals

Had an enllightening discussion yesterday for about 2-3 hours with Sanjay Vyas(Guruji) and Raj. Both Raj and myself went thru Guruji's explanation of concept Visualization.

For years I've been using some or the other kind of memory system, essentially followed Harry Loryane's books, recently read a book called the Mind's Eye by Ian Robertson, it really opened my eye and then this talk by Guruji opened it wider. It was extremely interesting to observe how he has expanded on the concept to his training of technology concepts. My mind was on fire literally. All three of us were wondering if there exists a software to help facilitate this further. I showed them both Mind Manager which is a tool I have been using for quite some time. This is surely one of the tools it opens your mind literally, but I figure we need something more to take his idea of concept visualization further. I would actually say it's thinking in moving visuals, like a full fledged movie, with colors action, interaction. Not just static visuals as the word visual portrays. I would highly recommend anyone to go thru this explanation by Guruji himself.

We discussed issues with concept visualization for instance how do you force your mind to follow this in day to day life... well practice is one sure way, but forcing a lazy mind is difficult...
nevertheless this quest on better thinking is forever a pet subject...
If you read this and know more about this idea of thinking in visuals do let me know.

My quest for a better tool to help in this process continues....

Finally!

After years of procastination, I've decided to start learning C++.
I'm looking for all the help I can get on this one, picked up Bruce Eckel's thinking in C++.
Infact I realized that probably this is what I should do pick a new language a year and understand the mechanics of the same.
I wonder if there is a list of all the possible programming languages out there.
Infact started making a list of some of the best technology books available covering different topics too... still building it will post it down the line. I'm looking for contributions to the list, only if you think the books is nothing but the best on a particular topic would I think of including it in the list.

(Incidentally realized Bruce Eckel also has a book called thinking in C# amazingly it's not available on Amazon but on some other online siteshttp://www.bluestonelab.com
And the ebook version costs about 1$. Interestingly it's in the same format as the thinking in C++ book. )

BBC NEWS | Americas | US father names son 'Version 2.0'

BBC NEWS | Americas | US father names son 'Version 2.0'

I was zapped when I read this, now is this whacko or what ?
It just makes me smile. I wonder if someday cloning and all that mumbo jumbo will enable a person to clone everthing about himself and create a better version... hmm now I would like a little less flab in my next version and yeah make him a little less lazy :-)

.Net Bytes 1 - ASP.Net Session.Abandon

Every other day one comes across interesting tit-bits of .Net which one can so easily forget or ignore and which one shouldn't.
I think .Net Bytes is what I would call them. So here goes...
-------------------------------------
ASP.Net Session.Abandon
-------------------------------------

When the Abandon method is called, the current Session object is queued for deletion but is not actually deleted until all of the script commands on the current page have been processed. This means that you can access variables stored in the Session object on the same page as the call to the Abandon method but not in any subsequent Web pages.

It is interesting how the session.Abandon command works, this often leaves many a programmer wondering why session variables on the page are accessible even though a call has been made to abandon the session.

Well I think now you get the picture... if you've got any .Net Bytes (bites ;-) to share let me know. You can email me at sanjayATwirelessstrategist.com (hmm you're wondering why I didn't put this as @ right, to avoid the spammers ;-)

Arggggggggghhhhhhhhhh that’s what I feel NewsGator doesn’t respect my sites settings…

It takes a subject for a message, however no title. I would think it should convert that to Titles L 

Wow now I’ve also set up an RSS feed(oops ATOM feed, duly corrected by Guruji

http://sanjayshetty.blogspot.com/atom.xml

 

I think I’ve now found after a long search the perfect tool NewsGator.

It allows me to check RSS feeds, post to my blog and best of all integrates with outlook. Now isn’t that cool. Still playing with it. This my first test posting from the tool J 

Open Source .Net

I was chatting with Piyush, an old colleague of mine who's kicked off two open source project initiatives on .Net infact using the new Whidbey tools.
It's good to see the no. of open source projects kick up. One of his projects is a

Site Portal (Phase Alpha)
A ready to go site builder which you can use to build a site of more than 100 pages with minimum effort
Infact the alpha build is online with source code (http://groups.msn.com/manasvin/projects.msnw)


Another interesting project which actually kicked me quite a bit is
Forum Alerts (Phase Initiation)
An MSN messenger alert system for users who subscribe to forums & newsgroups.
This is extremely cool as a whole lot of us technology biffs subscribe to various forums. The interesting part is that this idea is going to be built using MSN Alerts SDK. He's currently looking for more people who might want to participate. I think I might contribute to this one. Definitely an interesting idea to pursue :-)

Articles I've written

I recently wrote a couple of articles for DevX and .Net Developer Journal

thought I'd provide the links out here to them:

http://www.devx.com/dotnet/Article/17746 - Super Charge your forms based apps with Advanced Data Binding

http://www.devx.com/wireless/Article/17968 - Develop for the SmartPhone using Techniques you already know

https://www.sys-con.com/dotnet/article.cfm?id=454 - Windows Form controls Tips and Tricks

Smart Client

Buzzword or new application development paradigm?

Simplicity is what I believe will drive smart client development adoption.

Smart Clients have very simple rules:

1. Local Processing
2. Communication via Web Services with the backend
3. Online or offline the application should work
4. Client should auto update

The simplicity of the above rules implemented in any application which you develop can have dramatic effects on your client ensuring client delight.
But are there tools which support this paradigm as yet... my bet is that within the next 2 years one is going to see a whole lot of tool support within the Microsoft tool set. Till that becomes reality I'm sure just application of these simple rules will change how software is developed across the globe.

DevCon 03 Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) The land of the Gods

DevCon 03 Trivandrum (Thiruvanthanam) The land of the Gods

I just didn’t realize the amount of time it would take me to get to Trivandrum. Each of the domestic carriers have just one flight per day and none were available all flights were full. But I had to get there, this was the first time in INDIA that a user group has organized a one day conference, rather than a Microsoft organizing a developer conference.

I had a long drawn route… it began at 5:15 in the morning, with my alarm waking me up. I caught an Indian Airline flight down to Chennai, Chennai I had to change to an international flight which would take me to Trivandrum. The flight attendant mentioned something about a place called Trichi, my sleep muddled brain didn’t quite register. I woke with the flight landing. This same flight was finally going to Sharjah. I promptly picked my bags, and got off the flight… the name written against the tarmac was Tirchipalli ( don’t know whether I got that right)… however I thought maybe Trivandrum is locally called such. I promptly walked out of the airport and a guy in the distance started screaming out… I turned it was an Indian Airline official running upto me. Now what did he want… sleep depravation was taking it’s toll on me, making me irritable. He walked up and asked in broken English… you want to go Trivandrum right… yes I answered… well this is Trichi. The flight stops here and Trivandrum is the next stop… oh! that was all I could utter.

I promptly proceeded to get back onto the flight, after passing thru security checks again… lucky me

Soon we were up in the air and on our way to Trivandrum, I was kind of red inside… what a screw up… but well I got out of waiting in the plane for an hour, atleast my legs had a little exercise

Trivandrum… Truly the land of the Gods… Trees coconut trees all over a few houses interspersed in the middle. So green so clean so refreshing, I loved the sight from the plane just before landing.

The airport was a surprise… suddenly it felt like being in America. There were more white skinned people than Indians. Tourists coming in to enjoy the sun and warmth of Gods own country. They were all queued up at customs while the few of us Indians walked out of the airport.

There were representatives from US Software the sponsors of the event waiting to pick me up. Venkat another Microsoft Regional Director like myself, got into the waiting car to be speeded up to our hotel.

We passed thru the lazy Sunday afternoon across the streets of Trivandrum… I loved this place, people obviously enjoying their afternoon siesta the sun shining down all over this coconut tree city. Beautiful is what I felt.
This was the most relaxed conference I have attended. The organizers had arranged a dinner for us that night at a nearby hotel.

I must say these are the most pleasant hosts, the top management of US software were present we had a rooftop dinner, watching the stars and enjoying the local food.

The next day morning was the conference…

We had a 100+ attendees we started off with a session by Deepak Gulati the local Microsoft community specialist, did a session on localization, followed by a session on Microsoft’s Java implementation. I was next with a session on the SmartPhone, followed by Praveen another Microsoft Regional Director, and then a session on the new features in ASP.Net 2.0 (Whidbey) by Venkat another RD. We also had a session by Nishant an MVP and the user group leader on new features in VC++ in the Whidbey time frame. Deepak gave a last brief overview of Longhorn to complete the day.

We then had a general chat with the audience regarding volunteering for the user group meeting, we had a surprise 15 volunteers in all who said they would help out. I guess that was the largest volunteer turnout I’ve seen in one session.

There were 2 things which left a lasting impression on me 1. the hospitability of the local people and 2 the beauty of this land of the Gods. This is one place I’m surely coming back…