PDC goals & expectations
On the road..
Monday, September 12, 2005 by Frogboy | Discussion: PDC 2005
I'm on my way to PDC. This is the first time I've gone there. I'm only 34 and yet feel like a bit of an old-fogey in that I'm not as up on the latest .NET techniques as I probably should be. I'm less a developer these days and more of a technologist. I want to see what technologies Microsoft is working on and see what is going to be beneficial to our company and our customers and which parts we can take a pass on.
I'm on the plane looking through blogs that I've archived with Blog Navigator and I've enjoyed reading Scoble's in particular. He works at Microsoft so his rallying up for Microsoft is understandable (just as I tend to be pretty jazzed about Stardock's latest stuff). Half the "good stuff" apparently is after-hours. The parties and such. I'm known enough in the industry to be aware of most of the good parties but not important enough to be necessarily invited to some (such as the PDC "Influencers" party). Going to a show like this is humbling. I feel like the Comic book guy who is king of his little comic book store but is powerless beyond its confines "I shall return to my store where I dispense insults rather than absorb them..."
Last PDC I sent our lead R&D developer there and he came back with a lot of useful feedback. At the time, the Longhorn side-bar was a big thing but our developer said it was quite hacky in its implementation. The side-bar disappeared for awhile and recently resurfaced. Perhaps it's better implemented now.
What I'm going to be interested in learning (and talking to those in the know) is just how far Microsoft intends to take "managed code". The overall preferred Windows Vista API is called WinFX which is essentially the name of a group of managed code APIs. Managed code lets traditional developers get a lot done very fast but makes it harder for developers who are doing things that the OS vendor didn't think of to actually do. Desktop enhancement software requires techniques such as API hooking and message hooking and all kinds of ways to get into a process to extend the base OS feature set. When a program like WindowBlinds works, it actually gets inside a given process and directs its paint calls to WindowBlinds to take care of it. In this way, we can extend the feature set of the Windows drawing routines. But managed code is a layer on top of all those APIs. You can't really "hook" them.
I'm not so much worried about Microsoft breaking our stuff (Microsoft, nVidia, ATI, Nintendo, Alienware, Good Year, GE, Dell, and countless other large companies use our technologies). What I want to make sure is that the new goodies in Windows Vista are going to be extensible. And by extensible I mean..actually extensible and not marketing extensible (i.e. marketing extensible is where some marketing guy at Microsoft says how extensible their system is but really what it means is that they allow developers to change the configuration to a number of pre-set definitions).
For example, could I get into the Explorer process and make use of the new graphical capabilities to have different folders in explorer windows be different sized based on how much "stuff" is in them? I'm not saying we want to do that, but it's a good litmus test. On Windows Vista, there are so much more potential to do neat things than there was on Windows XP. I am not looking for Microsoft to put in APIs that make it trivial to jump in and do things, I just want to make sure it's reasonably possible. After all, Stardock essentially acts as a free R&D lab for Microsoft anyway (as any long-time user of Object Desktop can tell you). We're willing to invest in trying cool new things with all the engines but we have to be able to do things that Microsoft hasn't necessarily thought of. Hence, the need to jump in there and extend (and sometimes replace) painting routines, APIs, etc.
I'm heading there with my Windows XP Thinkpad equipped with the WindowBlinds 5 beta. Amongst its other capabilities, WindowBlinds can do semi-transparent window frames ala Aero -- but on Windows XP. I know for certain that Microsoft never thought that was possible, especially at the speed we have it running (i.e. on a decent machine it shouldn't affect performance). So one can imagine the kinds of things that could be possible to do with Windows Vista as long as Microsoft doesn't close the door. API hooking and getting in process allow developers to gain the same benefits as a developer of an open source OS.
Windows Vista, PDC build, first shots.
Monday, September 12, 2005 by Frogboy | Discussion: PDC 2005
UXEvolutions.com has some early screenshots of the new build of Windows Vista that's being shown at PDC.
It looks like the side-bar is back.
WinFX API Primer
Just the facts, ma'am.
Sunday, September 11, 2005 by Frogboy | Discussion: PDC 2005
There's so many technologies floating out of Microsoft these days that it's really difficult to fixate on what is and isn't important. This series of guides is designed to provide you with a nuts and bolts overview of what developers should be paying attention to in Windows Vista.
Since 1994, Microsoft has been pushing a single overall API known as Win32. Starting with Windows Vista, the new API is WinFX. That doesn't mean Win32 is going away, it's still there. But WinFX is going to be the one that Microsoft is going to focus most of its attention on for most developers.
.NET
.NET is a rich sets of APIs Microsoft has been making available as a separate download for some time. .NET 1.1 is the current official release but 2.0 is in beta. While some will cringe at the comparison, .NET is kind of a much much better implementation of Microsoft's old MFC libraries. The problem today with .NET is that it requires a separate download. But in Windows Vista, it'll be part of the OS. We've used .NET internally and it is very nice. When used with C# or VB.net, you can create things much faster and much cleaner. The main downside is that it's managed code which isn't really bad for most developers but if you want to get more low level, you still need Win32. But very few people write code that wouldn't be better handled by .NET. If you're a software developer, start learning more about .NET.
AVALON
This is officially called Windows Presentation Foundation. It's the new graphics subsystem in Windows Vista. In some ways, it is similar to the various GDI implementations but has a very rich API. Its functions can be accessed from .NET languages such as C# but it also includes a mark-up language for making visual applications very easily called XAML. If you plan to create programs that are visual in nature, learn about AVALON.
INDIGO
This is officially called the Windows Communication Foundation. I can tell you from experience that writing network aware applications can be a real pain in the butt. INDIGO makes it much easier to create network programs. If you write code that talks to other computers (over a LAN or the Net) you'll want to learn about INDIGO.
These APIs put together are called WinFX. The other technologies in Windows Vista are interesting but for most developers, these are the key 3 that you will want to keep an eye on.
From a developer's point of view, Windows Vista is going to be nice because WinFX is part of the OS. On Windows XP, we don't tend to make use of .NET, even though it is so nice, because we don't want to require our users to have to download extra "stuff". Developers who know these technologies will have a significant productivity advantage in developing software for Vista over those who stick to Win32 for general application development.
Cable broad-band internet...why can't we have different pkgs
Saturday, September 10, 2005 by terpfan1980 | Discussion: Internet
Where I live, I'm left with basically no choice of providers. The phone lines are old and brittle, the distance to the CO (Central Office) is too far, and DSL is not an option. Satellite based internet -- at least two way satellite internet -- is an option, but it includes an inherent delay because of transmission times, and as such, it's useless if you want to play any online games, use it for VOIP services, or anything else that needs "real time." FIOS hasn't made it to where I live, and lord knows when, or if it will.
Verizon is advertising a wireless "hi-speed" option that would be an option I guess, but it's cost for the service is really no different than what I pay for cable internet through Comcast, and Comcast does deliver 4 - 5 megabit service for that price.
I really long for choice here. I'd like to get the type of prices a friend gets -- $29 - $39 a month for Verizon DSL. He combines with his phone service, gets a discount on the package, and enjoys speeds that really aren't that different than what I see. (Granted, if we ran some speed tests, or if I was a person that downloaded huge piles of files, I might see the difference in speeds, but I don't so I don't, and I'd rather save some money!!)
I saw news not long back that Comcast was going to up the speed again, apparently preferring to enter into a speed battle against Verizon. That would be all fine, well, and good, if I actually needed more speed.
Why is it that Comcast doesn't seem to get the little light bulb over their head(s) and come up with some plan that would offer say 2 megabit service for half the current price, 4 megabit for the current price, and (as hinted at in the article I read) a higher speed "premium" service at a higher price. Sort of like walking into Starbucks and having a choice between Tall (small), Grande (medium) and Venti (large) { don't get me started on Starbucks labelling of sizes, that is a rant for another day.... }
I really wish somebody at Comcast would figure this out and offer the type of options I'm desiring. I really don't need more speed. 2 megabit or faster is plenty fast. Give me some speed throttled service at that price, and we might get somewhere. Help save me money, and I might even spend it on other "options" (like Comcast's own VOIP services).
Come on Comcast, think of the possibilities (without me having to be concerned about whether some other provider ever strings their own cables on the wires, though I guess I can hold out hope that at some point down the road my power company will offer some form of broadband over power lines that might actually be a competitor to Comcast).
Supporting Jark in a real way
The Save the alien campaign
Monday, September 5, 2005 by Istari | Discussion: Virtual Communities
After my article, somebody else posted a link to a leaked email http://probingthetruth.blogspot.com/2005/08/subject-truth-about-deviantart.html that gives rise to some serious questions as to the motivation of why Jarkoff was fired. Scott was asking some tough questions and even though he's a stock holder, he didn't seem to be receiving the company financials. There was also some dispute over the percentages of ownership.
As an outsider, I know there's two sides to every story. But every indication seems to be that this is a text book case of one group trying to push out another. DeviantArt is a very popular website today. It is worth a lot of money. In the leaked email contained this passage:
| During a conversation between you, Angelo and myself in August 2004, I expressed extreme dissatisfaction with my vesting schedule and part-time status. My signature on the founder's agreement was based on a promise between you, Angelo and myself that if I were to work full-time hours then the agreement would be amended as such. |
Vesting schedule. This is where we, at outsiders, move into pure speculation. But if Scott Jarkoff (Jark) was on a stock vesting schedule, what happens to that schedule when he was fired? Would his shares suddenly be all vested? Or, more likely, would those shares cease vesting? Looked at in another way, was Scott Jarkoff fired in order to prevent his shares from vesting? If so, then Scott being fired isn't just a matter of principle. It is also a matter of money. A lot of money.
Late last week, Frogboy made an announcement that Angelo Sotira (Spyed) had made some statements that seemed to imply that they were trying to give Jark the respect he had earned http://spyed.deviantart.com/journal/6378620/. But does that mean that this respect translates into anything beyond nice words?
The answer to that seems to come from Jark's new "Save the Alien Campaign". The campaign gives so-called deviants an opportunity to put their money where their mouth is. Users can donate money to Jark's legal defense fund. Since Spyed says that Jark was instrumental to DeviantArt's founding, then he should also share, in an instrumental way, in any financial windfall that DeviantArt receives if it were ever to go public or be purchased by another company. But, if they fired Jark and that just so happens to mean his stock vesting ends and he receives no new shares of stock, that could mean that the guy who actually founded the site could be left out in the cold. I don't know, I am just speculating but if Jark is preparing a legal case, then it is probably safe to assume that there is a lot more than just pride at stake here.
I for one will be very interested and watching to see how much support Jark really gets. The undying devotion that people claim to have towards Jark will now be put to the ultimate test.
Coming to a tube near you...
Monday, September 5, 2005 by LifeIs42 | Discussion: Personal Computing
so keep your calendar free for next 13 weeks and yes, dont touch that remote....
Under The Skin: (Episode 2) Show Notes.
Meet Kris Kwilas (Nakor)
Wednesday, August 31, 2005 by mormegil | Discussion: OS Customization
| Under The Skin: (Episode 2)
|
|
| This week on Under the Skin we do our first interview on the development side of skinning. We interview perhaps one of the most unknown, yet most important people in the skinning development world: Kris Kwilas (Nakor). We ask about Object Desktop, its history and its future. | |
|
Show Notes: Host: Paul Boyer Last, I will be doing several panels at DragonCon this weekend. So if you are in Atlanta, stop by and say hello. | |
Support Under The Skin by subscribing at:  and  | |
| Under The Skin thanks Stardock.com for their support, and more importantly their bandwidth. Visit www.stardock.com for all the latest skinning software. Thanks to Wincustomize.com for hosting my blog, which I am abusing by hosting our show notes and the Under The Skin, index. If you have any questions comments or suggestions please email us at undertheskin@gmail.com | |
WinCustomize Magazine: September 2005
WindowBlinds, IconX, and more!
Tuesday, August 30, 2005 by Frogboy | Discussion: Community
 |
September 2005 |
Get your own free blog site.. |
Cheers! 
WinCustomize.com - 15090 Beck Rd. Plymouth MI 48170
Technical Writer Needed
Multiplicity Manual
Tuesday, August 30, 2005 by KarmaGirl | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
Stardock has a contract job open for a technical writer. The work would consist of writing a very straight forward user manual for Multiplicity Pro. This Manual will be about 16 printed pages, and will need to be written for the "common user" to understand. The work is currently only for the manual, but there may be more work available in the future, which will be done on a per project basis.
If anyone is interested in this position, please send a technical writing sample to: jobs@stardock.com