I'll be speaking at DevTeach Toronto that will take place May 12-16 2008.

Here's my topic:

Visual Studio 2008 IDE : Grand tour of the new features
In this session, Guy Barrette will take you to a grand tour of some of the coolest new features found in Visual Studio 2008 IDE. Be advised that this session will focus on the IDE and the tooling and that Windows and Web development will be covered. So what are some of the new Visual Studio 2008 cool features? Project compatibility with VS 2005; targeting a specific .NET Framework version; WF, WCF and WPF integrated designers; workflow enabled services; SQL Server Compact Edition integration; local database cache; enhanced CSS support; enhanced JavaScript support and debugging.

OMG! Check out the awesome speakers list:

Kevin McNeish
Markus Egger
Jim Duffy
Rod Paddock
Val Matison
Kate Gregory
Yair Alan Griver
Cathi Gero
Roman Rehak
Julia Lerman
Don Kiely
Scott Bellware
Ted Neward
Mario Cardinal
Beth Massi
Rushabh Mehta
Richard Campbell
Ed Musters
Rob Windsor
Joel Semeniuk
Derek Hatchard
Barry Gervin
Rick Heiges
Etienne Tremblay
Randy Dyess
Peter DeBetta
Adam Machanic
William R. Vaughn
Medhat Elmasry
Jean-Luc David
Joe Webb
Paul Nielsen
Jean-Paul Boodhoo
Damir Bersinic
James Kovacs
Donald Belcham
Roy Osherove
Oren Eini
Mark Arteaga
Klaus Aschenbrenner
Michael Lato
Mike Diehl
Colin Bowern
Brad M. McGehee
Erik Renaud
Francois Tanguay
Owen Rogers
Benjamin Day
Tim Huckaby
David Laribee
Paul D. Sheriff
Anil Desai
Jeffrey Palermo
Aaron Marten
Justin Lee
Mauro Sant’Anna
Reza Alirezaei
Bruce Johnson
Peter Madziak
Paul Scarlett
Matt Meleski
Jessica Moss

I had a strange problem today with my Windows 2003 64-bit server: it rebooted itself!  After it rebooted, I logged in and bang: BSOD!  Again and again.

I tried booting in safe mode and I noticed that the system was taking a few seconds to load ACPITABL.DAT.  Having no idea what that file is, I did a little search and didn't found answers to my exact problem but found enough info to tell me that it was some kind of hard disk/drivers issue.

I have a couple of external USB drives connected to that server for backup purposes so I decided to turn them off and then restarted the server.  Bingo!  I was then able to log without problems.  I then turned on the external drives again, without problems and no files damaged.

I was able to fix the problem but I have no idea what was the problem or what caused it.  Go figure!

In this previous post, I explained how I was able to solve a problem where Outlook was eating way too much CPU.

http://guy.dotnet-expertise.com/PermaLink,guid,1de55d2c-317b-4906-ba17-72f5d6daf3f1.aspx

Well guess what, the problem reappeared.  This time two processes were eating CPU like crazy: Outlook.exe and MsMpEng.exe.  The later being the Live One Care anti virus engine.  As soon as I was closing Outlook, CPU usage dropped to 2%.  As soon as I restarted Outlook, CPU usage went to 30-40%!!! 

In One Care, I excluded the folder where the PST files are located and it solved the problem.

1. In OneCare, slick Change Settings.
2. Click Viruses & Spyware tab.
3. Click on the Exclusions button.
4. Click on the Add Folder button.
5. Navigate to the specific folder that contains the PST files (usually: C:\Users\xxxxxxx\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook)
6. Click OK to finish.

Fun, fun, fun

 

My good buddies at ObjectSharp in Toronto are organizing a half day seminar on Visual Studio 2008.  If you're in the Toronto area, make sure you register for this event with these VS2008 ninjas.

http://www.objectsharp.com/vs2008.aspx

Looks like the O# designer is having fun with the movies theme 

A certification for Home Theater using Vista and Home Server!  How cool is that?

Exam 70-625
TS: Windows Vista Connected Experience: Home Theater for Technologists
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/exams/70-625.mspx

The exam is currently in Beta 'til Feb 15th.Using the beta code PAGHT, the exam should be free.  Register at http://www.register.prometric.com/ClientInformation.asp

Just found out about these NET Framework 3.5 Beta Exams.

1. 71-502 TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 - Windows Presentation Foundation
2. Extended through 1/24/08
3. Exam beta code - 502B1
4. Prep guide can be found here:  http://www.microsoft.com/learning/exams/70-502.mspx

1. 71-503 TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 - Windows Communication Foundation
2. Extended through 1/25/08
3. Exam beta code - 503B1
4. Prep guide can be found here:  http://www.microsoft.com/learning/exams/70-503.mspx

1. 71-504 TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 – Windows Workflow Foundation
2. Extended through 1/25/08
3. Exam beta code 504B1
4. Prep guide can be found here:  http://www.microsoft.com/learning/exams/70-504.mspx

Register for these exams by visiting,  http://www.register.prometric.com/ClientInformation.asp
Using the provided beta codes, the exams are free.

Good luck!

Marc Filion: SharePoint et le développement d’application Web

Nous discutons avec Marc Filion du développement d’application Web avec la plateforme SharePoint. Entre autres, nous discutons des stratégies pour simplifier la promotion du code des environnements de tests vers les serveurs de production.

Marc Filion est un consultant indépendant qui se spécialise dans les applications Web avec SharePoint. Précédemment, il a travaillé chez MGA Concept. Marc participe fréquemment aux activités de la communauté des développeurs .NET et des groupes d'utilisateurs de Montréal.

Télécharger l'émission

Si vous désirez un accès direct au fichier audio en format MP3 ou Windows Media (WMA), nous vous invitons à télécharger le fichier en utilisant un des boutons ci-dessous.

     

Si vous désirez utiliser le feed RSS pour télécharger l'émission, nous vous invitons à vous abonnez en utilisant le bouton ci-dessous.

Si vous désirez utiliser le répertoire iTunes Podcast pour télécharger l'émission, nous vous encourageons à vous abonnez en utilisant le bouton ci-dessous.

Registration is now open for the Canadian launch 2008.  Toronto and Vancouver are tagged has "launch events" (read bigger and larger), the other cities are in the usual MSDN tours format.  If you're interested in how you can change/upgrade your career, make sure to register for the Community Connection event also.

http://www.microsoft.com/canada/heroeshappenhere/register/default.mspx

Launch & Technical Readiness Events Date City February 27 Toronto, ON Register now March 4 Vancouver, BC Register now March 11 Calgary, AB Register now March 13 Edmonton, AB Register now March 26 Winnipeg, MB Register now April 8 Montréal, QC Register now April 10 Ottawa, ON Register now April 17 Quebec, QC Register now

Community Connection Events Date City February 26 Toronto, ON Register now March 3 Vancouver, BC Register now March 5 Victoria, BC Register now March 10 Calgary, AB Register now March 12 Edmonton, AB Register now March 18 Regina, SK Register now March 19 Saskatoon, SK Register now March 25 Winnipeg, MB Register now April 2 Kitchener/Waterloo, ON Register now     April 3 London, ON Register now   April 7 Montreal, QC Register now     April 9 Ottawa, ON Register now     April 15 Halifax, NS Register now     April 16 Quebec, QC Register now

This Visual Studio 2008 feature is now available.  Check ScottGu's blog for more info:

http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2008/01/16/net-framework-library-source-code-now-available.aspx

I don't know why but Derek Hatchard didn't want to return to the magnificent Imperial Palace hotel for Mix08 this year.  Yep the Imperial Palace is cheap but it feels like a 70's hotel in desperate need of a refresh.  One thing for sure, I won't stay at the Venetian.  Even with the conference discounted price, it's still $269/night.  Derek found a good deal at the Treasure Island hotel @ $119/night and that hotel is located accross the street facing the Venetian.  Nice!

He also suggested that the T.I. would be the unofficial offsite hotel for the Canadians attending Mix.

I don't know if it's because of Mix but the Treasure Island even has a show called "Sirens of I.T." 

In my previous post, I explained how to set the Exchange Server 2007 anti-spam content filters and how you can quarantine emails likelly to be spam but how can you verify if they are really spam?

Using OWA, login in the mailbox where you send the quarantined emails.  You can see the emails with the SMTP headers but not the content.

To see the content, click on forward.  Then you'll be able to double click on the attachment and see the email content.

 

Recently, I was asked by someone how to configure Exchange Server 2007 to get rid of the spam.  I gave that person a few hints and bingo!  No more spam in the Inbox.  So I thought I would post these here for the benefit of everyone.

Warning: I am not an Exchange expert so if you find something cheesy here, make sure to post a comment.  I sure don't want to mislead anyone.

First thing, make sure that Exchange Anti-spam Update service is up and running.  Ant-spam updates will be pushed via Windows update so make sure you update your server on a regular basis.

Next, in the Server Configuration section, click on Hub Transport and make sure that you see Disable Anti-Spam Updates in the server section in the right of the screen.  If it's disabled, it will say Enable.

Next, in the Organization Configuration section, click on Hub Transport and on the Anti-Spam tab.  You should see the various agents.  Make sure they are enabled.  If you don't see them, run the install-AntiSpamAgents script in the Exchange Management Shell.

Double click on the Content Filtering agent, click on the Action tab and set the actions for your needs.  These settings worked for me so far:

Delete : 9
Reject: 7
Quarantine: 4

That's it, you should see the number of spam diminish drastically.  A bit of a warning, you might play it safe by setting higher settings first and see the results.  You don't want to reject valid emails 

 

In our private discussion list, a few Regional Directors were raving about about a third party information Management system tool for Outlook called ClearContext.  In desperate need of help for managing my Inbox, I decided to give it a try.

After a couple of weeks it, I can say that ClearContext helped me tamed my Inbox.  Basically, it worked for me (your mileage may vary).  So what it is?

• It is an Outlook add-in that is not a CPU hog (see my previous post)
• It makes it easy to tag and file emails
• It color code emails based on priorities
• It can easily turn emails into tasks and appointments
• It can defer emails so you can take action at a later time
• It can be remind you if someone hasn't replied in a certain time
• It has a Vista Gadget that displays your prioritized emails

So far, what really worked for me is how easy it is to tag and file the emails.

Here's the toolbar where you can tag and file and email or an entire thread by selecting a folder from the dropdown menu:

Contacts are automatically assigned a priority by ClearContext after analyzing your Inbox but you can change it yourself:

The Vista Gadget displays your unread message prioritized by color the same way you can display them in your Inbox:

Here's a Flash video demoing the product:

At $90US, it is not cheap but it works as advertized.  You can download a 30 day trial here:

I was having some performance issues with Outlook 2007.  When running idle, it was consuming around 20-30% CPU.  I know that Outlook is no small app but 20-30% CPU when idle, c'mon!

Trying to figure out what was wrong, I made sure I downloaded all the performance patches and I applied Office SP1 but still experienced a high CPU usage.

One day, I had the idea to disable all the non essential add-ins.  Looks like with every software application comes with an Outlook add-in.  Why do I need a SnagIt add-ins in Outlook?  Why do I need a MindManager add-in?  Nuisance if you ask me.

Guess what?  After disabling these add-ins, Outlook CPU usage dropped to 0% with peaks at 2-4%!!!

So how do you disable Outlook add-ins?  In the Tools menu, select Trust Center.

Click on the Add-ins tab on the left of the screen and in the lower portion, select Com Add-ins from the drop down and click Go.

You can then uncheck non essential add-ins.

Newsgator announced that their newsreaders are now available for free.

http://www.newsgator.com/

 

Here you'll find a series of 8 presentations that were recorded at an event called Silverlight Fire Starter. 

http://www.visitmix.com/University/silverlight/firestarter/

What can I say?  So funny!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEWMC4usElM

One of the members of the GUVSM is on the front cover of the January issue of SQL Server Magazine!

Congrats to Maurice Pelchat who won an Innovators award!

SQL Server Innovators Solve Business Problems with Style
Ingenuity and solid database skills meet in the 2007 Innovators award-winning solutions
By:  Anne Grubb

The fifth annual SQL Server Magazine Innovators Awards recognize SQL Server professionals--DBAs and database developers--have used their technical skills to devise inventive solutions to business problems using Microsoft SQL Server technologies. The winning solutions feature a T-SQL program that uses SQL Server tables and set operations to do the math for a video poker game, a solution that uses stored procedures to centrally maintain applications' data, a database maintenance tool for technical and nontechnical users, and a disaster recovery solution that ensures high availability of crucial surgical information for a hospital.

For more info: www.guvsm.net

Prochaine assemblée

Lundi 7 janvier 2008, 18h15

Conférenciers: Étienne Tremblay, EDS
Sujet: Dix nouveautés dans Team System et Team Foundation Server 2008

Joignez-vous à moi pour une excitante session de démos sur mes dix nouveautés préférées dans Team System et Team Foundation Server 2008. Nous allons voir des fonctionnalités comme Annotate, Comparaison de répertoires, l’intégration continue, les fils d’attentes pour les constructions de logiciels, les points névralgique d’exécution lors des sessions de performance et plus encore. Que vous soyez novice ou que vous utilisez Team System depuis un certain temps, venez voir les nouveautés de la version 2008.

Étienne Tremblay est un architecte sénior chez EDS Canada avec plus de 15 ans d'expérience en développement d'applications d'entreprises. Il a travaillé dans les industries minières et manufacturières et récemment, la gestion de configuration et outillage de développement. Il a développé un système pour surveiller la qualité dans la fabrication de voitures, un système de gestion de réclamations, un système d’opération et de surveillance de mines et un système de gestion de d'itinéraires en utilisant des modèles d'application n tiers. Tout au long de ces années il est devenu un expert en matière d'outillage de cycle de vie de développement de logiciels et a été l'un des architectes de la solution corporative Visual Studio Team System chez EDS. Cette initiative l’a amené à voyager autour du monde pour donner de la formation adaptée aux développeurs .NET d'EDS. Il a été un conférencier lors de plusieurs conférences internationales en 2005, 2006 et 2007 sur Visual Studio. Il a aussi donné une conférence virtuelle pour MSDN sur « comment adopté Visual Studio Team System ». Il représente EDS sur le Conseil Consultatif de Microsoft pour Team System. Il a été attribué le statut de MVP Team System en 2006 et 2007 et a été choisi comme juge pour la compétition internationale de Design de Logiciel de l’Imagine Cup 2007 en Corée du Sud.

I did some content review for a refresh of this free online clinic: Developing Rich Experiences with Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 and Visual Studio 2005.

https://www.microsoftelearning.com/eLearning/offerDetail.aspx?offerPriceId=138162

It provides a quick overview of WPF, WF and WCF for someone who never saw these technologies.

Collection 5134: Developing Rich Experiences with Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.0 and Visual Studio® 2005
 
This collection of 3 2-hour premium clinics teaches about the new capabilities provided by the .NET Framework 3.0. These clinics are for experienced Developers and Software Architects who are looking to adopt Microsoft's next generation technology within their solutions.

Topics covered within the collection include:
Windows Presentation Foundation
Windows Workflow Foundation
Windows Communication Foundation 
 
This offer includes the following E-Learning:
 
Clinic 5135: Introduction to Developing with Windows® Presentation Foundation and Visual Studio® 2005
Clinic 5136: Introduction to Developing with Windows® Workflow Foundation and Visual Studio® 2005
Clinic 5137: Introduction to Developing with Windows® Communication Foundation and Visual Studio® 2005

I'm very excited to announce that I've been selected to speak at the next Patterns & Practices Summit that will take place in Quebec City, May 6-8 2008.  That will be great because Quebec City is celebrating it's 400th anniversary in 2008.

Here's my topic:
Revisiting the Data Layer
Let’s face it, most if not all the enterprise applications you’re architecting involve retrieving some kind of data stored in a relational database. For years we’ve been designing our applications into logical layers, one being the data access layer where the data access code is located. That layer was supposed to shield the application developers from the changes occurring at the database level but the reality is that we usually create strong coupling and dependencies between our layers. In this talk, we will see how to design a better decoupled data access layer. We will also look at some exciting new advancements in data access technologies and see where it make sense to use them.

Thanks so much to Joel Quimper and Keith Pleas.

My good friend Mario Cardinal was also selected.  Here's his topic:
Decrease Coupling and Raise Cohesion
This presentation presents simple but well proven design principles that simplify managing dependencies between elements composing a .Net program. During this presentation you will understand why architects worry so much about coupling and cohesion. We will terminate the presentation with a discussion about a static code analysis tool that enables architects as well as developers to easily identify problems with coupling and cohesion.

This might be interesting to get a quick overview on some of the new SQL Server 2008 features...

Collection 6187: What's New in Microsoft SQL Server 2008
 
In this 3 hour online collection, IT Professionals will learn about the new features in SQL Server 2008. Topics covered within these clinics include:

What's New in SQL Server 2008 for Enterprise Data Platform
What's New in SQL Server 2008 for Business Intelligence
What's New in SQL Server 2008 for Database Development

https://www.microsoftelearning.com/eLearning/offerDetail.aspx?offerPriceId=139087

Laurent Duveau, another MVP ASP.NET from Montreal, updated his Vista Gadget countdown to the MVP Summit.

Download it here:
http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=c36fa782-4ab9-4383-aaff-81b1b2a27314&bt=1&pl=1

 

Well, the Red Lights of Death finally paid a visit  :-(

 

I finally got my hand on a HTC Touch.  Yes, it's not an iPhone but I the iPhone is not available in Canada yet and I absolutely need to sync from Exchange.

I also switched from Rogers to Bell Mobility because of the outrageous cost of Internet access at Rogers (and most Canadian carriers).  Bell is now offering unlimited Internet access for a mere $7/month!

Yes, Bell is CDMA not GSM and that sucks but from by good friend Barry Gervin recommendation, if I go to Europe, I'll just bring with me an old GSM phone and I'll buy a cheap pay as you go GSM card.

One nice thing about the unit offered by Bell is that the processor runs at 400Mhz instead of 200Mhz.  What's sucks is that it doesn't have WiFi but with unlimited Internet access, who needs WiFi 

I was also amazed at how easy it is to set Direct Push from Exchange...well, there's nothing to do if you already have OWA configured.  Nice!

Bell was also including for free a set of Altec Lansing T515 BlueTooth speakers/headset and a 2GB microSD card.  Good deal!

In a previous post, I wrote about the Collectorz.com cataloging software and bar code scanner.  I mentioned that a serial to USB adapter wasn't included altought the Website says so.  Well, a few days ago, I received the promised adaptor.  Looks like it was out of stock when they shipped the scanner.  I guess that a brief note in the first shipment saying that it was backordered would have helped 

http://guy.dotnet-expertise.com/PermaLink,guid,847f89d3-4b9e-43be-9322-5b271a10e595.aspx

I'm happy that another fellow Montrealer and user group organizer Dominic Sévigny was awarded MVP in the ASP.NET competency.

Check his Website here: www.runatserver.com
and blog here: http://blogs.runatserver.com/dsevigny

Bravo et félicitations Dominic!

I'm so excited because I was renewed as a Microsoft Regional Director for another 2 years term.  What's an RD?

Regional Directors aren't Microsoft employees--they're independent developers, architects, trainers, and other professionals who provide a vital link between Microsoft and the developer community.

These technical experts can give you the insight and informed perspective you need to start developing .NET-connected software today--whether you need help learning about the .NET Framework, training developers, or implementing all aspects of a solution. Contact a Microsoft-endorsed Regional Director to kick off your project today.

If you don't know "The Region", the RD Website, check it out at www.theregion.com and be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed

Welcome to The Region, global hub for the 140 software architects, developers, trainers and other professionals selected by Microsoft as Regional Directors. The first thing to know is that, while we’re officially recognized by Microsoft and often receive inside information about forthcoming technologies, we are completely independent. We are not Microsoft employees. As to The Region, it’s designed to help us circulate insights, information, inspiration and inquiries among RD’s and among the broader developer community. And it's an experiment. We hope you find it useful. We hope we find it useful, too.