Would you call this a hack...?

Look at this piece of code...

Select *
into #Constant
from SCM3DConstant
WHERE 0=1

Would you call this piece of code a hack...? Think about the intent of this piece of code and leave comments...

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 RC1 Vs. Shipping Vista

Another one of those referral posts... I don't like these... But I need to post this one... Just for the record...

I have heard some bitching about the Vista that it is slower than the XP too and that if you look at it from the sheer performance perspective, XP is better...

Had to post this to put things into the right perspective... and to lay their tall claims with some statistical data...

http://gizmodo.com/337768/battlemodo-windows-vista-service-pack-1-rc1-vs-shipping-vista

Of course there isn't too much improvement from the performance perspective, but Vista comes with loads of other features... and it is not compromising on performance to the extent that it becomes slower than the previous versions... Check it out...

Do it Smart: Navigating between Windows

We all know how to navigate between windows... it is Alt + Tab... and we also know how to navigate between internal files inside Studio... Ctrl + Tab... but hey... how about navigating between the tool box and the solutions explorer... or choosing one of those handy windows...

Try  Shift + F7. This enables you to alternate between two handy windows. Ok you want to try something cooler...?? Well Try Alt + F7... this allows you to choose the handy windows like the solution explorer, property window, tool bar, Find Results, etc and get there... quickly...!!!

Another cool one... Go to the Window menu on Studio and click Windows. This gives you the option to select all the windows and perform an action on them simultaneously. Like save all the windows or close all the windows. It also lets you bring the required window into focus...

Pretty cool huh...!!

Some nice things can be done by right clicking on the area where the tabs of the documents appear inside Studio environment. Well I leave this to you... Check it out...

Do it smart: Some Interesting Shortcut Keys

Help Shortcut Keys

1. Ctrl + Alt + F1 displays the content window for the documentation contained in MSDN.
2. Ctrl + Alt + F2 displays the Index window for the documentation contained in MSDN.
3. Ctrl + Alt + F3 displays the Search window for the documentation contained in MSDN.
4. Ctrl + F1 displays "How do I?"

Debug Shortcut Keys

1. Ctrl + Alt + E displays the exceptions dialog box
2. Shift + F9 displays quick watch window
3. Ctrl + F10 runs to cursor
4. Shift + F11 Step out
5. Ctrl + Alt + P Attach to process

Refactoring Shortcut Keys

1. Ctrl + R + R Rename
2. Ctrl + R + O Reorder Parameters
3. Ctrl + R + V Remove parameters
4. Ctrl + R + M Extract method

Code Snippet Shortcut Keys

1. Ctrl + K + X Displays the code snippet picker that inserts snippet at cursor
2. Ctrl + K + S Displays the code snippet picker that wraps selected text with snippet

 

Of course these are not all the shortcut keys that Studio 2008 has. These are just the dainty ones that we make work much faster and that we don't usually use for the nastiest reasons...

Microsoft... The beauty that "She" is...

Are you an idealist...? Do you believe in idealistic bullshit...? What is idealistic bullshit...? Do you believe in stuff like Scrum, Test Driven Development, Agile or any new concept that you think can change the software development process...? Make things easier and improve delivery...? Or are you just an old school developer who thinks delivery is hard work and discipline and more hard work... and more discipline and working late hours and weekends...

Well if you do believe in all the software development idealistic bullshit...? You are going to love "Her"... "She" is going to love you...

Are you passionate about Microsoft and Microsoft Technologies...? Or are you here just to elevate your career or use Microsoft's name to push your career...? Or are you just here for the money...? Do you want to do  amazing work...? Or do you care more about the financial returns... the dough... If you find software development intriguing and want to work on really smart applications, you are going to love "Her" and "She" is going to love you...

There are people who have joined Microsoft as college interns and have worked here for over 23 years... They have never wanted to leave the company... The moment you start to burn out... you don't have to go look for another job... you can jump on to something that you find interesting... a new role... a new challenge... a new line of business...

There are so many avenues here so many challenges... so many products... and the more innovative you are the more "she" is going to love you...

Oh Microsoft... The beauty that "She" is...

Fastest way of opening command prompt in elevated mode

I have to keep switching from a static IP to a dynamic IP every day and back. Dynamic IP at work and Static IP for my broadband at home. So being a developer the first thing I thought was to automate it. Home.bat for home IP Setting and office.bat for work IP settings.

Now to do this I would require elevated permissions on the command prompt (Thanks to super secure Windows Vista). And being lazy, I don't want to do the right click on the shortcut to command prompt and then click on "Run as administrator". And then click on Continue when prompted. Because that would call for me moving my hand away from the keyboard and go to the mouse pad on my laptop which is like an inch away from the keyboard... Or worse go all the way to the mouse which is a whole foot or so away from the keyboard... dang... that's a lot of hard work, having to go for the mouse and back to the keyboard twice a day... nyah i ain't doing that...

So I read and research and find out the fastest way of starting the command prompt in the elevated mode without leaving the keyboard. Create a shortcut on the quick launch bar. Right Click the shortcut go to properties and check the checkbox that says "Run as Administrator". Now to fire up the Command prompt all you have to do is Windows + (num) replace the Num with the num on which your shortcut is on the quick launch bar. so it if it 3rd from the left you do a Windows + 3. But wait... there is the prompt... so you can either click Alt + C to press Continue or go for Left Arrow Key and Enter. Personally I find both equally ergonomic because one takes a little extra effort, but you only have to move one hand and the other takes little lesser effort on both hands.

Ah...! I feel so relieved...!!

Engineering is a Quantitative discipline

I was reading some stuff on performance and came to Rico's blog. Rico Mariani is a Software Architect at Microsoft and is known as a performance expert. I usually don't post referrals too much and try to write my own reflections. But this I just have to post. He talks about Performance Signatures.

Essence of humanity - to become bigger, smarter, stronger every single day

We talk about so many things like automated testing and test first development, but there are so many issues with them… Like how do we do automated testing in the web environment.

How do I prove my prowess as a good developer? In such an environment. By writing code the same way that everyone does?

What is a good developer anyway? Intellectual skills? Presence of mind? IQ? More long term and short term Memory? Discipline? Knowledge? Attitude to learn and implement? Willing to run that extra mile to make things better holistically?

Perhaps a good developer is the one who under all the constraints, like a slow VPC environment, lack of enough memory, lack of an automated testing framework, traditional approach towards development, lack of a modern and open outlook on the part of developers, etc, makes the best of the situation by using everything that was mentioned above.

When you go to meetings, you should be able to say yes to most of the things. Like, " Yes that can be done", "Yes we can change that", "Yes that's an easy thing to be done"

I also think it is very important for a developer to stick to one project for some time. The initial part of the project he learns. About the project, about the environment, about the performance, architecture, design and about the team members' attitudes. Once he has gained that knowledge, he becomes a subject matter expert. And by subject I mean all the things mentioned above and not some tool or technology. Then he can really start thinking as to how he can make things better.

Once the developer has added enough value to the project, he can decide to move on into a different domain or project.

And that he must… because we as developers, I think, should build our careers more like huge Pyramids rather than tall and slender towers.

Something to live for...

When I joined Microsoft, a very long ambition was achieved. To a certain extent I felt like there was a lack of targets. Of course there is this target to grow, in the organization. Choose newer paths of knowledge, become smarter and better in whatever we are at. But besides that there is no shining star... Like Microsoft used to be before I joined.

Then I came up with the idea of writing a book. Which looked quite daunting... initially... because I didn't quite know what to write about. Well after some pondering I thought I should write about Engineering Excellence... and set myself a deadline that I should be done with the Table of Contents for the book by February... And should be able to get it ready for publishing before the end of 2008

After I decided this, my entire perspective while reading books changed... Previously I used to read them to learn a technology or a methodology... Now when I read them I also focus on the flow of the writing, the original intent of the writer, the language, etc... and it seems that it is going to take perhaps a little longer for me to finish this book than I originally thought...

And as Charles Petzold quotes about the do's and don't's of book writing, I think I will have to extend the deadline... I will perhaps start writing the book around end of December next year... I will need some preparation before I start off... Who's going to read my book if nobody really knows me... So let me grow technically, gain maturity and its fair that I give myself a chance to prove myself in this field before I take up something so challenging.

Besides I have a long long life... And Engineering Excellence isn't a subject that will die out soon...