Scott On Writing.NET

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Leo Tolstoy for Developers
04 March 09 07:52 AM | Scott Mitchell | with no comments

All successful software projects resemble one another; each failed project fails in its own way.

Filed under: Miscellaneous, Blogs

Keyboard Thoughts
09 February 09 07:05 PM | Scott Mitchell | with no comments

Jeff Atwood recently replaced his keyboard , a Microsoft Natural Keyboard 4000 , with... a new Microsoft Natural Keyboard 4000. I mentioned my beloved Microsoft Natural Keyboard 4000, which is pretty much the holy grail of keyboards to me. Some people...

Filed under: Miscellaneous

Building a BabyCam
27 January 09 10:46 AM | Scott Mitchell | with no comments

My wife and I are in the midst of 'sleep training' our daughter , trying our best to get her accustomed to taking adequate naps during the day. This usually involves going through the daytime nap routine, moving her to her crib, and then leaving the room...

Filed under: Miscellaneous

What Would You Be Doing If Computers Didn't Exist?
04 December 08 01:45 PM | Scott Mitchell | with no comments

Over Thanksgiving weekend Fredrik Normen asked an interesting hypothetical question: What would you be doing today if computers didn't exist? I've been programming since age 10 when my family procured its first personal computer and my dad showed me how...

Filed under: Miscellaneous

Visual Studio Keyboard Shortcut Tip: Ctrl+-
24 November 08 10:17 AM | Scott Mitchell | with no comments

I learned this Visual Studio keyboard shortcut from a client a couple of months ago. I use it several times a day now. Typing the Ctrl key and - (the minus key) returns you to the previous cursor location, be it in the same file or in a different, open...

Filed under: Miscellaneous

A Twist on the Monty Hall Problem
26 September 08 09:56 PM | Scott Mitchell | with no comments

Steve Smith has posted a couple of interesting probability problem solvers on his blog recently. His most recent one is a twist on the Monty Hall problem . I mentioned the Monty Hall problem and its solution in an earlier blog entry of mine, For Some...

Filed under: Miscellaneous

Transferring Large Files
19 September 08 01:29 PM | Scott Mitchell | with no comments

Every couple of weeks or so I seem to have a need to transfer (or receive) a relatively large file to another colleague or client. It might be a database zipped up into a 50 MB file, artwork totalling hundreds of megabytes, or various DLLs and source...

Filed under: Miscellaneous

Three's Company, Too
09 September 08 10:24 PM | Scott Mitchell | with no comments

I try to keep this blog tightly focused on technical issues, but I wanted to share this happy bit of news: on September 1st my wife gave birth to our daughter, Alice Mitchell . Mom & baby are healthy and happy. If you'd care to read a bit more about...

Filed under: Miscellaneous

How Do You Configure the Visual Studio IDE?
29 August 08 10:00 AM | Scott Mitchell | with no comments

I don't know about you, but when it comes to programming I am very particular about whitespace. When updating old code originally written by someone else, the first thing I do is “clean up” the code, injecting whitespace, tabs, and whatnot in the positions...

Filed under: Miscellaneous, Blogs

Download CopySourceAsHtml
25 August 08 09:50 AM | Scott Mitchell | with no comments

CopySourceAsHtml (CSAH) is a free Visual Studio Add-In created by Colin Coller that turns Visual Studio code - with its indentation, color coding, and line numbers - into corresponding HTML with a few points and clicks of the mouse. This Add-In is great...

Filed under: Miscellaneous

The Cast is Off! I've Got Two Functional Hands Again!
18 August 08 05:25 PM | Scott Mitchell | with no comments

On July 15th I broke my right hand playing basketball, which resulted in a cast that severely limited the mobility and dexterity of my right hand and fingers. Today the cast came off! I am back to having all ten fingers available for typing, writing,...

Filed under: Miscellaneous

Problems Installing SQL Server 2008 After Installing Visual Studio 2008 SP1? Make Sure You've Updated or Uninstalled Visual Web Developer!
15 August 08 04:09 PM | Scott Mitchell | with no comments

Certain features of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 require Visual Studio 2008 SP1. If VS 2008 SP1 is not installed the SQL Server installation will abort with the following error message: "A previous release of Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 is installed on...

Filed under: Miscellaneous

Losing Tab and Esc Key Functionality in Microsoft Virtual PC 2007
26 July 08 10:04 PM | Scott Mitchell | with no comments

I've been using Microsoft Virtual PC product for many years, posting separate VPCs for each client's work and for test beds for installing beta software or trying out products for my Toolbox column . A couple of months ago I started noticing that when...

Filed under: Miscellaneous

Installing Dragon Naturally Speaking (DNS) on Vista / Windows Server 2008 64-Bit
19 July 08 08:11 PM | Scott Mitchell | with no comments

Earlier this week I bought Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 9.5 . It took me close to an hour to get the software install and configured properly on my system, primarily because I am using a 64-bit operating system. Dragon NaturallySpeaking does not support...

Filed under: Miscellaneous

Using Dragon NaturallySpeaking
19 July 08 07:49 PM | Scott Mitchell | with no comments

Earlier this week I broke my right hand playing basketball . I currently have a splint on, which renders my right hand useless. I can wiggle the tips of my fingers but I lack the control to use a mouse or type with this lame hand. I'm getting proficient...

Filed under: Miscellaneous

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