Scott on Writing

June's Toolbox Column Online

My Toolbox column in the June 2008 issue of MSDN Magazine is avaiable online. The June issue examines:

• Browser Compatibility Testing Tools - testing the myriad of browser versions, operating systems, color depth/screen resolution combinations, and existence of plugins like Flash make thorough browser testing a difficult process. It's especially difficult for smaller developer shops to maintain the IT infrastructure to test against all of these permutations. Fortunately, there are a couple of online services that assist in this endeavor. This review looks at two: BrowserShots (a free service) and BrowserCam (a pay-per-month service).
• Typemock Isolator - one common challenge in writing unit tests is modeling external dependencies like databases, configuration file, and remote services. It can be difficult and/or time consuming to setup the external dependency for a test, configure its state, and then return the external dependency to its original state after the test. Rather than working directly with such dependencies, one option is to use mocks, which are local, in-memory objects that 'play the part' of the external dependency. You might hear a mock object say, 'No, I'm not a database, but I play one in unit tests.' Typemock Isolator is a tool for creating and using mock objects within your unit tests.
• Blogs of Note - The Old New Thing. In his blog, Microsoftie Raymond Chen pulls back the curtain and explains some of the reasons why Windows and other Microsoft software and tools are the way they are. From why you have to click the Start button to shut down your computer, to why the registry is called a 'hive,' Raymond's blog is a fun, witty journey through the private history of Microsoft software.
• The Bookshelf - Pro ASP.NET 3.5 in C# 2008 by Matthew MacDonald and Mario Szpuszta. Here is an excerpt from the book review:

Since the .NET Framework 2.0, subsequent versions have added new features while keeping the core functionality in place. This poses a dilemma for authors writing books on post-2.0 versions of the .NET Framework: do you focus on just the new features or do you create a book that covers the new features plus the stuff that's been around since version 2.0? At nearly 1,500 pages, it's eminently clear that Matthew MacDonald and Mario Szpuszta, coauthors of Pro ASP.NET 3.5 in C# 2008 (Apress, 2007), chose the latter. The book's 33 chapters cover it all, from creating the simplest Web Forms to using cutting- edge features like AJAX and Silverlight™.

Enjoy! - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc546581.aspx

As always, if you have any suggestions for products or books to review for the Toolbox column, please send them into toolsmm@microsoft.com.

posted on Sunday, June 01, 2008 1:56 PM