Category Archives: Just Rambling

VS Express SKUs and how they define VB/C#

Just Rambling

Bill McCarthy pointed out something I hadn’t noticed before.

On the VSExpress product highlights page, it kinda rubs it in our noses.

On the other hand, to the right of the images, VB & C# are treated equally

Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition is the ideal tool for productively building object-oriented applications for Windows on the .NET Framework.
 
Visual C# 2008 Express Edition is the ideal tool for productively building object-oriented
applications for Windows on the .NET Framework.

Bill is a devout champion of VB when it comes to how Microsoft itself, positions the language.

Crystal REports 2008 Service Pack provides integration with VS2008

Just Rambling

In my article, What Visual Studio Developer Should Know about Crystal Reports 2008, for ASPAlliance, I pointed out the fact that CR2008 integrates with VS2003 and VS2005 but NOT VS2008 and that this would be eventually be rectified with a Service Pack.

Thanks to Guy Barrette’s blog post “Will the real Crystal Reports 2008 stand up?“, (and because I still can’t figure out how to subscribe to the Crystal Reports team blog), I learned that the service pack that fixes this is out.

The Crystal Report’s blog post about the service pack [Crystal Reports 2008 Service Pack 0] details the changes. Those related to Flash integration and Business Objects Enterprise connectivity aren’t of interest to me, per se, but the VS2008 integration definitely is. It also says that CR2008 now runs on Windows 64 bit O/S.

The blog also points out that “It is also now available through the Update Service.  Use Help > Check for Updates within Crystal Reports 2008 to update your version. “ but since my 30 day trial ran out I didn’t realize this. Now it’s time for me to see if the other showstopper problem for me has been resolved.

I’ll report back.

Dave and Al no more (sniff sniff)

Just Rambling

I think the appropriate mourning period is over.

Last week when Alex Homer and I were discussion the Data Access track at the upcoming DevConnections conference, he told me that he’s going to work for THE MAN. He’s taken a job on the Patterns and Practices Team for whom he has been contracting for a few years.

The next day there was a post on his blog called “Selling my soul“.

It’s not like I’ve been reading Dave & Al’s books since I was in diapers or anything (I believe Dave is younger than me anyway) but it’s definitely a huge deal for them and for anyone who has known them as Dave and AL or Al and Dave for such a long time. Sniff sniff.

It’s not a drama or anything so don’t’ watch for it to show up in the next issue of Soap Opera Digest. Just a big change for both of them who have teamed up for years.

Dave follows up on this blog post, The End of an Era.

My biggest worry is not being able to count on hanging out with Alex at future DevCOnnections. This has always been a problem when friends who I see at conferences go to work for Microsoft. They aren’t free to travel about quite as much. But at least I’ll still have Dave.

They’ll always be Dave and Al, to me.

Okay I have to get back to the kleenex now. 😉