Channel 9 - Discussions by JDanielSmith

Coffeehouse - What should Microsoft do with podcasting/wikis/blogs/videoblogs?

JDanielSmith — Thu, 30 Jun 2005 18:16:14 GMT

Walt,

Good thoughts. I too would like to see Microsoft to get everybody on the same page and create the Internet application of tomorrow...not the next version of IE, but the next IE. The ubiquitous appliation that everybody uses.

Of course, they should use "standards" for the plumbing, but it should be one AWESOME Windows client built using .NET/VS2005.

Coffeehouse - What should Microsoft do with podcasting/wikis/blogs/videoblogs?

JDanielSmith — Thu, 30 Jun 2005 17:13:22 GMT

I posted some thoughts on this a while ago in the context of MSN Spaces; see
http://spaces.msn.com/members/jdanielsmith/Blog/cns!1pRjebUoVh0bNLSJvrecmAEg!174.entry

releasing MSN spaces w/o even a Beta vesion of an API is unconscionable when there are already so many Blog APIs available.

sure MOOL looks cool, but $45+/year seems a little pricy. And I'm not really sure if I need it; you need to come up with a way to get people "hooked" on it like WebDAV access.

MSN should be the best ASP.NET hosting site in the world! For around $20/month I'd get to host my domain name, Hotmail/MOOL (or IMAP), blogging, plus all of the other stuff you current get for $9.95/mo. Be sure to become a registrar too so that there is "one stop shopping".

Become a showcase for all the cool new Microsoft technology and "best practices". For example, there's no spell-checker as I'm typing this in...put some of the MSDN articles into production.

Why isn't MSN built on WSS/Sharepoint?

Between WSS/Sharepoint, Outlook/MOOL, Desktop Search, Office, and MSN Messenger, you should really be able to show the world all the advantages of "smart clients" (XP SP2 & .NET). Instead, it seems that MSN mostly plays catch-up with things done elsewhere. As just one example, integrate MSN Spaces with Outlook & Word -- do something with the LAME "Outlook Today" page.

Coffeehouse - Whats wrong with Hotmail?

JDanielSmith — Thu, 24 Feb 2005 18:59:08 GMT

It looks like once again Hotmail is having problems: http://news.com.com/Hotmail+outage+peeves+some+e-mail+users/2100-1038_3-5587906.html?tag=nefd.top. I paid them $20 for Hotmail Extra - they should put us on different servers or something!

After submitting a support email, I got a really lame response from MSN which basically said "we know, we're working on it", but no ETA. "Please remain confident that Hotmail is in control of the situation and is committed to serve you better."

They could have at least told me in advance about the problem rather than waiting until I sent an email message.

Coffeehouse - In which language microsoft is developing longhorn?

JDanielSmith — Wed, 23 Feb 2005 05:03:33 GMT

Beer28 wrote:

msemack wrote:
[...]
The kernel-mode bits of Windows are mostly written in C. There is a little bit of x86 assembly language for some platform-specific things.
[...]

I think it has a fair amount of C, but is mostly in asm.

I don't think there is anything in modern Windows that is "mostly asm".

Windows NT ran on the MIPS and Alpha chips, that got rid of most of the assembly. More recently we have 64-bit Windows running on various 64-bit chips.

Optimizaiton technology is to the point such that both C and C++ can be compiled into very efficient code.

Coffeehouse - C# is convincing me...

JDanielSmith — Wed, 23 Feb 2005 04:44:28 GMT

androidi wrote:

JDanielSmith wrote: Instead of C#, why not learn C++/CLI instead..

Certainly, if you are into writing drivers or other close to kernel code. But if you do not care about the raw metal, I think it's enough if you can read C/C++ and be proficient in C#. Knowing a bit about how the machine works is always good, but I would not [...]

My point (here and on my blog) is that if you're happy with VB.NET, learning C# isn't going to get you much more than a different syntax. VB.NET and C# are pretty much interchangeable as far as features/functionality; syntax is the biggest reason to prefer one over the other.

The biggest downside I see to C++/CLI instead of C# is less protection from yourself--it's easier to shoot yourself in the foot with C++/CLI than C#.

Notice I'm careful to always say C++/CLI - I'm talking about writing 100% managed code. With managed code, you're no closer to the "raw metal" in C++/CLI than you are with C# or VB.NET. And if you need to go there, IJW in C++ is even easier than interop, p-invoke or unsafe.

Coffeehouse - C# is convincing me...

JDanielSmith — Wed, 23 Feb 2005 03:56:10 GMT

Instead of C#, why not learn C++/CLI instead:
http://spaces.msn.com/members/jdanielsmith/Blog/cns!1pRjebUoVh0bNLSJvrecmAEg!147.entry

Coffeehouse - In which language microsoft is developing longhorn?

JDanielSmith — Tue, 22 Feb 2005 22:14:49 GMT

Beer28 wrote:

I don't know of any operating system besides lookingglass3d window manager, which isn't really an operating system but a window manager and X server variation, that is partly written in managed code.

All OS's that I know of are C with some C++ and a very small part of platform specific stuff in asm

I believe the entire "10 foot" UI of XP Media Center Edition is written in managed code (C# would be my guess as MC++ is so gnarly).

Given that one of the persistent rumors is that Longhorn will merge all the XP variants (MCE, Tablet, 64bit, etc.), it's likely at least a portion of the OS will be managed.

But it really depends on how you define "Operating System". It it (most) everything that comes on the Windows CD (probalby DVD for Longhorn)? Is it whatever comes from Microsoft that is pre-installed on a new computer? Or is it just the absolute bare essentials required to support the Win32 API? If you go with the strict CS definition, then even if the Shell probably wouldn't count.

I'd bet lots of good money that Microsoft will ship managed code as part of the Longhorn deliverable. If nothing else, I'm sure the .NET framework will be installed with the OS and not be an optional component.

Coffeehouse - Google: let's make /everything/ beta

JDanielSmith — Mon, 07 Feb 2005 19:26:12 GMT

And Google News has been almost unchanged since it was introduced - where are the RSS/Atom feeds?

(I understand that they are probably concerned about running afoul of copyright law if they do too much with the screen-scraped results...)

Don't forget about Gmail, although there is (currently) no link from the Google home page.

Coffeehouse - Paid Outlook + MSN/hotmail = $59 a year

JDanielSmith — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 16:45:06 GMT

I paid the $20 to get "MSN Hotmail Plus" so that I could continue to read my Hotmail from Outlook.

For me, it would be very nice to be able to sync Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, etc. Spending another $29 (or $39) for that does seem a bit high though...

Right now, I have my personal contacts (and calendar entires) stored on the company's exchange server which I don't like. Putting them in a local PST file means I can only get at them from one machine...maybe not all bad, considering I have a laptop, but...

Coffeehouse - What's been going on with WMVHD?

JDanielSmith — Mon, 25 Oct 2004 15:49:36 GMT

There were supposed to be stand-alone consumer DVD players which supported WMV playback (HighMAT/video) out by now too. But I have yet to see any at BestBuy.

Coffeehouse - Google's OS coming along nicely

JDanielSmith — Thu, 14 Oct 2004 16:45:04 GMT

This is SO lame for a brand new piece of software: "To install or run Google Desktop Search you need administrator access o this computer. Please try installing again once you have administrator access."

No problem...switch to an admin account and install. Now try to run GoogleDesktop.exe: "Google Desktop Search can only run when the user who installed it is logged in."

Coffeehouse - The WISE Choice

JDanielSmith — Fri, 03 Sep 2004 17:33:43 GMT

WISE has a long history at Microsoft; at one time it stood for "Windows Interface Source Environment", although I don't think you'll find that on a .microsoft.com website anymore. See http://hyper.sunjapan.com.cn/~hz/win32/wise.htm

Coffeehouse - Is Longhorn still a "must have" upgrade in 2006?

JDanielSmith — Tue, 31 Aug 2004 19:25:55 GMT

More speculation, but...

* New version of IE/OE (RSS support)

* New version of WMM, burn to DVD/VCD

* Much improved support for a host of new devices such as HD-DVD

* the off-shoot OSes (MCE, Tablet) all rolled together

Coffeehouse - Channel 9 - What works, what sucks?

JDanielSmith — Fri, 06 Aug 2004 18:27:38 GMT

*PLEASE* give us transcripts of the videos.

I haven't watched a single one (and some of the looked very interesting) because I'm at the office and don't want to bother cubible-mates with the audio (and I don't like wearing headphones).

Coffeehouse - Linux violates patents again

JDanielSmith — Mon, 02 Aug 2004 21:42:30 GMT

As I already said, US patent law strongly discourages people from "mak[ing] sure [they] don't violate others' IP". When you write software, you pretty much have to ignore patents and deal with any resulting consequences should they materialize.

Your house analogy implies that Linux (and/or Linus) knowingly stole code (lumber) from somebody (SCO). The validity of that claim is for the courts to sort out, but in any case it is not the same as unknowingly infringing on patent(s).

Coffeehouse - Linux violates patents again

JDanielSmith — Mon, 02 Aug 2004 19:43:14 GMT

Debating philosophical/legal issues/questions does not in-and-of-itself imply any level of disrespect/disregard for the existing laws.

Perhaps "linux zealots" do think that the only protection that should be afforded software is that provided by the GPL. But advocating such a position is a far cry from knowingly violating IP laws which was the implicit accusation in your original statement.

Coffeehouse - Linux violates patents again

JDanielSmith — Mon, 02 Aug 2004 18:59:32 GMT

There is no "disrespect for the intellectual property" by "linux zealots".

US patent law actually encourages this type behavior. By not actively searching for patents, developers can claim they didn't know a patent existed. While this doesn't free them from an infringement judgment, it does free them from 3x penalties associated with knowingly infringing.

Coffeehouse - The next version will fix things, we promise

JDanielSmith — Fri, 11 Jun 2004 20:12:50 GMT

From a VB6/VC++ 6.0 perspective, this isn't far off.

Visual Studio 2002 and 2003 were versions #1 and 2 (yes, I know Marketing didn't call them that). Visual Studio 2005 is where things will really "work".

Generics, decent MC++, ease-of-use in VB.NET, CLR in SQL, etc. All stuff that "should" have been in the first release.

There will probably be a lot of people going from VB6/VC++ 6.0 straight to Visual Studio 2005, skipping 2002 and 2003.

Coffeehouse - Outlook for the whole family.

JDanielSmith — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 17:13:19 GMT

The protocol for Sharepoint is documented; see http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/spptsdk/html/tsstsync.asp

A sample application is at http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/odc_ol2003_ta/html/odc_OLOutlookCalendar.asp

Coffeehouse - Does anyone actually watch the videos?

JDanielSmith — Thu, 29 Apr 2004 13:47:11 GMT

No. I don't think I've watched any of the MSDN ones either.

The problem is that I don't like wearing headphones at work, and playing the audio through the speakers would disturb cubicle neighbors.

If the videos were closed captioned, I might watch them. Of course, then it would also be easy to post a transcript of the video too.

Coffeehouse - Channel9 format to replace NNTP newsgroups

JDanielSmith — Wed, 28 Apr 2004 15:41:29 GMT

My comments were intended to be about RSS and/or/versus NNTP in general, not Channel9 specifically.

You're doing a fine job with Channel9; keep it up.

Coffeehouse - Outlook for the whole family.

JDanielSmith — Wed, 28 Apr 2004 14:47:52 GMT

Here http://shareoutlook.4team.biz/ is something that was just posted at http://www.slipstick.com/rssnews/rssnews.aspx. It allows you to sync PST files through email messages.

Coffeehouse - Channel9 format to replace NNTP newsgroups

JDanielSmith — Wed, 28 Apr 2004 14:03:11 GMT

I just tried RSS Bandit...the one feature of LOVE from SharpReader is being able to double-click on an item and have the view link automatically open.

Coffeehouse - Channel9 format to replace NNTP newsgroups

JDanielSmith — Tue, 27 Apr 2004 19:13:35 GMT

One of the "problems" I have with RSS is that it seems to be a lot harder to watch a thread. Perhaps this is mostly a client issue (I use SharpReader), but I think it also has to do with the different comment schemes and what really constitues a change.

NNTP is also valuable in that has mechanisms to efficiently distribute content (everybody doesn't have to hit your website). Not to mention that NNTP is better defined than all these different versions of RSS.

Maybe ATOM will be the "grand unification"...

Coffeehouse - Outlook for the whole family.

JDanielSmith — Tue, 20 Apr 2004 17:44:33 GMT

A "mini Exchange" is probably too much. Do you really want Public Folders at home? And are you going to schedule family events by creating a new Meeting Request?

I suspect HTTP mail (Hotmail) and SharePoint-like contacts/events are probably close to sufficient. All three of these can (in theory) be run from a home box with IIS. Somebody just has to reverse-engineer the protocols...or get Microsoft to document them...