The Daily Grind 500

I've been doing these things for for just about 21 months now (one of the first entries was about Scott Guthrie launching a weblog), and I'm still having fun. I guess I must be, or I wouldn't keep them up, even if I have slowed down to a weekdays-only schedule. I'm seeing around 5,000 distinct IPs hitting the site each week. Of course, the Internet being what it is, that might just be four of you with lots of proxy servers. Still, I feel like I have readers, and that's what keeps me going! So, stick around, 'cause I'm sure there are plenty more links to come.

Software

• Scott's List of Ultimate Visual Studio.NET AddIns - Another excellent set of pointers from Scott Hanselman.
• Resource Editor 1.2 for VS.Net - Gaston Milano upgrades this free integrated editor with some new abilities, including views of different icon sizes.
• MDAC Utility: Component Checker - This diagnostic for the Microsoft Data Access Components has been revised and upgraded again, now with "XML support" (though it's not clear to me why it needed XML in the first place).
• DotGNU Portable.NET - This .NET clone is now up to version 0.6 and still chugging along. (via TheServerSide.NET)
• Form Maximizer for .NET - Add calculated fields, focus formatting, required fields, and other useful properties for data entry forms in .NET. (via Thomas Wagner)

Information

• Usable Help - Excellent weblog of thoughts and links on writing good help and documentation for software and products. (via Software Marketing Resource Blog)
• Will dragging a file result in a move or a copy? - Raymond Chen explains one of the worst design decisions in Windows history (worst because it's nearly completely undiscoverable).

Hardware

• USB Glowing Snowman - OK, yeah, there are already too many silly things that plug into USB ports (and that are only using the port as a high-tech electrical outlet). I might have to get one of these to entertain the kids anyhow.

Community

• Stupid Security - Wide-ranging collection of stories about security and stupidity (mostly real-world rather than computer). Complete with RSS feed in case you want stupidity delivered to your desk.
• Trust, Contracts, and UDDI - Phil Wainewright rants a bit about standards bodies and pompously overblown unusable standards. (via Adam Gaffin)

Contest

• After 500 issues, I really feel like I ought to give something away. So, here's a challenge for Daily Grind readers: you know the sort of thing I link to. What have I missed? E-mail me up to five links that you think would look good in a future issue of The Daily Grind. I'll give the top three submitters (in my own completely subjective opinion) each a copy of any one of my books that I have in stock (which is most of them, including Coder To Developer as well as plenty of others), Deadline for entries is November 26.

Mike Gunderloy is the lead developer for Larkware and author of numerous books and articles on programming topics.

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