My Toolbox column in the June 2009 issue of MSDN Magazine is available online and includes the following reviews:
- ProjectLocker - ProjectLocker lets you outsource source control, defect tracking, and other common project management tasks to the cloud. Unlike open source hosting sites like CodePlex and Google Code, ProjectLocker is designed for closed source applications. Create a project, define which users have access, and, voila, you have a collaborative, online source control repository and defect tracking system. Monly prices range from free to hundreds of dollars per month, depending on the needed disk space, number of users, and installed features.
- Blogs of Note: The Morning Brew and Morning Dew - it's amazing how much technical content is available online, from blogs to community sites to newsgroups, we are swimming in a wealth of information. Finding the most interesting content can be a time consuming task. Fortunately, there are a number of blogs available whose sole purpose is to find and share the best technical content online. Two such blogs are The Morning Brew and Morning Dew, which are maintained by Chris Alcock and Alvin Ashcraft, respectively. Subscribe to these two blogs to find new blogs or just to get a taste of the latest technical content each day.
- Quince - Quince is a User Experience pattern browser, created by the folks at Infragistics. Each pattern includes a description of the problem being solved, provides a solution, the context of the problem, the rationale behind the solution, and steps for implementing the pattern. There are also several examples from real computer applications and websites. Next time you're working on designing the user experience, head over to Quince for guidance and advice.
This issue reviewed The C# Programming Language, by Anders Hejlsberg et al. An exerpt from my review follows:
At 754 pages, The C# Programming Language is a dense, technical, and very thorough examination of C# 3.0's syntax and semantics. The first three chapters provide an overview of the language's key features, including types and variables, classes and objects, arrays, interfaces, and events. There's also an overview of C# grammar. ... The writing style in The C# Programming Language is formal and dry. There are no figures or screen shots; the code samples given are terse. The book reads like a technical specification. However, there are several annotations throughout the book from the authors and other prominent C# software engineers both from within Microsoft and from the wider developer community. Some annotations offer a real-world example to complement the material discussed. Others include pearls of wisdom or point out common pitfalls that may surface when working with a particular feature. These annotations are written in a more conversational voice and help add context to the material. ... This book is best suited for intermediate to advanced developers who want to explore the nitty-gritty details of C# and gain a deeper understanding of the language's syntax and semantics.
Enjoy! - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/dd882511.aspx
As always, if you have any suggestions for products, blogs, or books to review for the Toolbox column, please send them to toolsmm@microsoft.com.