The Daily Grind 837

My apologies to anyone who wrote to my GMail account and had mail disappear into a black hole. I think the problem has now been corrected, but MikeG1@larkfarm.com is still the best address to use for me.

Software

• Visual Build Professional 6.1 - New release includes Virtual PC and VMware support, new actions and samples including continuous integration support. Trial download is here, pricing from $295.
• NS Basic/Desktop 2.1 - This easy Windows programming system now comes with SQLite support. 30-day demo version is here, pricing from $99.95.
• HandPortal 1.0 - OK, this is the first UMPC application I've seen announced - an app to provide easy access to the functionality of your UMPC. Sign up for their newsletter to be entered in a drawing to win a UMPC.
• MING Chat Monitor - Sold as a stealth tool to keep an eye on your out-of-control teens, this looks like it might actually be a useful archiving tool for those of us who spend time on too many chat networks.
• DBxtra 2005.0.3 - New features for this cross-database query tool include direct connections to Informix and scheduled e-mail report attachments as zip files. Trial download is here, pricing from $299.
• wwHoverPanel AJAX Control for ASP.NET - A free base AJAX control to get you started on spiffing up your Web pages.
• UrlRewriter.Net - Free open-source URL rewriting for ASP.NET 1.1 and 2.0. XML configuration and plenty of features.

Information

• Continuous Integration using an LCD-TV - Next step up from red and green lamps: display the face of the developer who broke the build. (via Erik Jarvi)
• ZEB (Zero Email Bounce) and a new Outlook Rule - Scott Hanselman talks about managing e-mail. I start every year at ZEB and then it slowly creeps up again. Right now my inbox is a depressing rats' nest again.
• What does it mean to sell online access to my book? - If you're a publisher, Google is now letting you sell online rights via Google Book Search. This isn't going to make the authors suing them any happier, I think. (via Google Blogoscoped)
• NHibernate Best Practices with ASP.NET and Generics - One of these days I need to figure out what really are the best practices for OR/M and ASP.NET. This looks like a good starting point.

Community

• Visual Studio 2005... Uggh. - Brendan Tompkins rants.
• The Eventual Death of Developer Magazines - Eric Sink contemplates the declining importance of print in our business. I cancelled all my print subscriptions about two years back, and I don't miss them at all. Scrapbooking magazines, though, I'm happy to see remaining healthy; they help fuel one of my wife's ventures.
• Go Flock Yourself - If I'm not nasty enough about Web 2.0 for your liking, these guys can help. I'll bet they shoot fish in a barrel on their off-hours, though.

Sponsor

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

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