Issue: 2011 - July/August

Rod Paddock's July/August 2011 Editorial article

Everyone is excited about the cloud! Well, at least that is the theory. Microsoft introduced Azure such a long time ago - how many of us are really using it? SharePoint BPOS is around, but we still run servers in our backyard! So, why now? And why are things different this time around?

Recently, I received an email comment on a blog post I wrote roughly 3 1/2 years ago. I had completely forgotten about writing the post, but as soon as I saw the title I remembered every word of it. It also got me thinking about who the guy was that wrote it... then and now.

So, you’re considering using PHP for a project, but aren’t sure where to start, or maybe even why you should use it? Perhaps you’ve heard all the horror stories about PHP being spaghetti code, bad for your health or that it’ll run slow as molasses. Don’t believe them! It’s not as bad as you think, and with the right approach, can be quite fun (and productive). Honest! Don’t believe me? Read on...

The Entity Framework team at Microsoft has been making several improvements since the launch of v4 with Visual Studio. The biggest of these is the capability to use a Code First or Code Only development model. Previously, if you wanted to work with the Entity Framework, you had to use either a Database First or Model First development model.

Ruby on Rails is an open source web development stack with a large developer base. Last year, Ruby on Rails reached a critical milestone with the release of Ruby on Rails version 3.0. For more information about Ruby on Rails I recommend checking out www.rubyonrails.org. You can find installation information, documentation and links to other resources on this site. This article will demonstrate how to get up and running with Ruby on Rails with help from the RailsInstaller.

As the bedrock to the web, HTML has evolved in many ways from its birth in 1991. While the markup language has had its share of ups and downs, the advent of what’s being called “HTML5” is a welcome and much anticipated addition of new semantic capabilities and valuable APIs.

The Silverlight ListBox is much more than you may think. When most people think of a ListBox they typically think of just a simple control that displays rows of text. However, the Silverlight ListBox is one of the most flexible controls you will find. I tend to think of the ListBox as similar to the ASP.NET Repeater control as it too is very flexible. In this article, I will show you six different ways to display data in a Silverlight ListBox.

Developers of LightSwitch applications are not limited to the set of standard UI controls that come “out of the box.” If your application has specific requirements that are not covered by the standard control set, you can use third-party LightSwitch controls or use regular Silverlight controls (also called “custom controls”) to enhance your UI. In this article I will show you how to get started with custom controls and how to make custom controls and screens work together (interact).

With each new version of SQL Server Reporting Services, Microsoft continues to offer new functionality for reporting. SQL Server 2008 R2, released to manufacturing in mid-2010, represents Microsoft’s fourth major release of Reporting Services in the last 10 years. This fourth release focuses on map generation and various business intelligence/data visualization features. In this article, I’ll demonstrate 13 significant features in SSRS.

July/August Managed Coder by Ted Neward