This Week on C9: Free 3D tools, "Mojave", Cool Visualizations, and VS 10

Posted By: Dan Fernandez | Jul 25th, 2008 @ 9:01 AM | 65,724 Views | 15 Comments
This Week on Channel 9, Brian and Dan cover:

- The XNA Team discusses the upcoming release Xbox LIVE Community Games where developers can make money selling games through Xbox LIVE community arcade (0 - 1:25) 
- Windows Home Server releases Power Pack 1 which includes a number of improvements including fixing the data-loss bug. (1:25 - 2:37)
- Caligari's TrueSpace 3D Modeling tools are now available to download for free. You can even export to DirectX or use a converter to convert the models into XAML 3D for WPF. Check out the training videos for more info. (2:38 - 4:32)
- Last week's call for people to vote up the BabySmash feature resulted in a 588% increase and has made adding an MMO to BabySmash the #1 feature request! (4:32 - 5:15)
- The Popfly team's July update includes lots of new features including game asset pre-loading, a high-score service and more. (5:15 - 7:10)
- Effectize: 25 ASP.NET Performance Tuning Resources via DZone (7:10 - 7:54)
- Visual Studio Middle School Power Toy 1.0 released, found via Greg Duncan (7:54 - 9:10)
- Clint Rutkas's To Do App is featured in Lifehacker (9:10 - 10:12)
- .NetMap Codeplex project adds easy and cool visualizations for social networks into Excel (10:12 - 11:40)
-  How to use Microsoft's .NET Framework Cleanup Utility - When uninstalling fails. (11:40 - 12:50)
- 90% of XP users love Windows "Mojave" (which is really just Windows Vista), Steve Clayton shows off a preview of the new ad campaign imagery and mock Folgers crystals campaign by Saturday Night Live (12:50 - 15:05)
- Video clip from Beth Massi with the Visual Basic Design Team talking about their favorite VB features (15:05 - 16:17)
- Give your feedback on new, unreleased Visual Studio 10 features like Call Hierarchy or Searching/Navigating symbols (16:17 - 17:25)
- Brian's Pick of the Week: Video clip of Brian's "High Tech Hiking" video showing Virtual Earth 3D controlled by an Xbox controller (17:25 - 19:50)
- Dan provides some helpful Spanish phrases for Brian's trip to Patagonia (19:50 - 21:18)
- Dan's Pick of the Week: Crayon Cannon a Popfly/Silverlight game built by Adam Nathan (21:18 - 22:56)
Rating:
6
0
#Jul 25th, 2008 @ 11:19 AM
Bas
Bas
It finds lightbulbs.
So, wait. Was that Mojave thing just vanilla Vista, or did it have some sort of interface tweaks? Basically I guess that's just a nicer way of asking if the perceived problems with Vista are remedied with some GUI changes, or if the test subjects were just incredibly dense.
#Jul 25th, 2008 @ 1:41 PM
Dan
Dan

I'm not sure I would classify potential customers as "incredibly dense", but it was just regular Vista. Maybe they changed it to using a new wallpaper with a build number in the corner Smiley

#Jul 25th, 2008 @ 3:38 PM
ZippyV
ZippyV
Fired Up
For VS10 they better make a decent Installation/patch project that uses the Windows Installer technology to it's fullest. Maybe by improving Wix/Votive and integrating it.
#Jul 25th, 2008 @ 4:01 PM
wisemx
wisemx
Live it
Very cool stuff.

Please, pretty please with sugar on it, give VS better local to remote FTP features.
#Jul 25th, 2008 @ 4:49 PM
Dan
Dan

Amen, couldn't agree more, Wix is good if you have the time to learn it, but so many shops are instead using paying for installers (Wise, Installshield, etc)

I'd push the aspiration a bit further and say we should have xcopy installation for Visual Studio (see Eclipse).

I'd also add that if we can add xcopy installation for VS, let's build out the technology/framework/tools so that *anyone* can build xcopy applications (see Apple). 

I'd also throw in that we need a much more flexible way to update software (see Firefox updater).

#Jul 26th, 2008 @ 7:12 AM
ZippyV
ZippyV
Fired Up
Windows Installer has some great features over a xcopy deployment: distribution via Active Directory, patching, self healing and the custom selection of which features you want to install. If the Windows Installer team would bother to add an auto update function this would be a major plus for the next version of Windows. Bring all your applications up to date when checking for updates in the control panel.

On the other hand, there are a lot of stupidities and complexities going on inside an msi package that makes it impossible to create a quick installation package.

Submitted 4 years ago: https://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=114408
#Jul 26th, 2008 @ 9:05 AM
jjesse
jjesse
The laptops being so visible is distracting in this episode.  can we place the laptops some place they don't distract from the crew?
#Jul 26th, 2008 @ 5:48 PM
dllemm
dllemm
I know these shows are meant to be freeform, but "people lost data, waaa"?

Microsoft has a tough job, making a product that works right for millions, but people's data is their baby pictures, email, finances,etc.
Something that should be treated with respect.

-dp
#Jul 26th, 2008 @ 7:06 PM
wisemx
wisemx
Live it
dp is right Dan, it would be best to keep away from comments like that.
el Lobo malo Big Smile
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