- TrIpLeZoNe -

I posted some screenshots of my newly installed Windows Vista Beta 1 on my virtual machine. And yes, it can work, and it's running quite smoothly, much faster and smoother than the previous builds. I haven't tried alot of things yet, but I'm in the process of writing a short review on it. More photos will be up as I play more with Windows Vista. Here is the link.

Windows Vista Beta 1 Screenshots

Note:
I'm not too sure whether I can put these screenshots up, and I've asked around already and nobody can give me an answer. So I smudged the build number just in case. But yes it's authenticate Windows Vista Beta 1 Build 5112 screenshots taken directly from my virtual machine.

JavaScript doesn't have anything to get back the querystring from the url, so here's a source code that works perfectly to get the querystring.

"javascript">
//This is the script to take querystrings from the URL and convert them 
//into a Javascript array. "?search=whatever" becomes querystring["search"] 

//this loads the portion of the url containing the querystring, and also
//decodes any special character codes  
var que = unescape(location.search)  ;

//remove the ? from the beginning of the string
var que = que.substring(1, que.length);

//detects multiple values and splits them into an array que[0], que[1] etc
var que = que.split("&");

// creates the querystring array
var querystring = new Array();

//(for some strange reason the "for/next" loop wasn't working)
var loop = 0;

//This loop takes each value in the que array then seperates the "names" 
//from the "values" by splitting it into "inter" arrays. the name becomes
// "inter3" and the value becomes "inter2". querystring then loads the 
// "inter2" value into a slot called "inter3"
while (loop "=");
   var inter2 = inter[1];
   var inter3 = inter[0]
   que[loop] = inter2;
   querystring[inter3] = inter2
   loop = loop + 1;
 } ;
//(C) Samuel Loy
// --!>

The beta is out! I've finally GOT into the Microsoft Connect website (it's the new betaplace website) to be able to download Longhorn. I don't know whether I'm allowed to show this, but what the heck. Here's the files they uploaded and the different Longhorns available for testing.

• Windows Longhorn Server Core Beta 1 for x86 - x86 Server Core
• Windows Longhorn Server Core Beta 1 for x64 - x64 fre Server Core
• Windows Vista Beta 1 for x86 - x86 fre
• Windows Vista Beta 1 for x64 (64 bit) - x64
• Windows Longhorn Server Beta 1 for x86 - x86
• Windows Longhorn Server Beta 1 for x64 (64 Bit) - x64
• Windows Vista Beta 1 for x86 (Checked Debug Version for Developers Only) - x86
• Windows Vista Beta 1 for x64 (Checked Debug Version for Developers Only) - x64
• Windows Longhorn Server Beta 1 for x86 (Checked Debug Version for Developers Only) - x86 chk
• Windows Longhorn Server Beta 1 for x64 (Checked Debug Version for Developers Only) - x64 chk
• Tablet PC recognition functionality for Longhorn Beta 1.
• WDK - For developing device drivers - WDK
• Internet Explorer 7 Beta 1 for Windows XP

Pretty cool huh! Can anyone tell me what "fre" stands for?

Let's review. Windows Vista Beta 1 is obviously the XP OS track, which serves for clients. But here's something interesting. What is this Windows Longhorn Server? Is it the Server edition which is the Server OS track for servers, or is it just the old Vista name? I suspect it's the Longhorn Server which is said NOT to be able to release together with the Client OS. Were they able to deliver the Server edition too? And will they be able to do deliver at the same time with Vista?

Another thing that's there is the Windows Longhorn Server Core. What is that? I've no idea, but I intend to explore it.

I won't be able to test the TabletPC recognition functionality because I don't have a TabletPC, so that's out.

And look at here! Internet Explorer 7 Beta 1 for Windows XP! Should I test it out and crash my system? *hehe*

So that's all folks! More news on WinVI (short for Windows Vista or Windows 6.0) soon! I'm downloading it now.

I have an upcoming project that involves generating different charts from reports/data, and found a pretty good charting control.

ASPChart.NET - Data Chart Generation Library
Don't let the ASP in the name fool you. You can use it for WinForms too, as it generates images, instead of html. It's a pretty comprehensive charting library that reads the data off an xml file.

FormChart.NET - Design Time Support
This is more suited for WinForms with design time support. It uses the same data chart library from ASPChart.NET but just encapsulates it around a user control for design time manipulation.

By the way, did I mention they are free?

Do you have any other charting controls or libraries for .NET? Please comment and send me the link. :)

Internet Communications Engine, or Ice, modern alternative to object middleware such as CORBA™ or COM/DCOM/COM+, with support for C++, Java, Python, PHP, C#, and Visual Basic.

I was reading an interview with Miguel de Icaza on Mono and he mentioned about Ice, which is what Indigo is and more. He quotes:

"So when people ask me about Indigo I say well, you can get Ice today. Ice has everything you can dream of. You can try it out for free, for free applications, or you can buy a commercial license. Ice is fantastic, and people deserve to know more about it."

So I went to find out about Ice, and it's currently being used by alot of massively multi-player online games. It's originally focused on creating a middle-ware that's lightweight to support massive connections and high-performance games requiring little or no lag at all.

It's pretty cool, and I think it's something you can get now, and work with and the confidence that it's a working technology/product. Take a look at it.

Aspect-Oriented Programming Enables Better Code Encapsulation and Reuse
Here's a fantastic article that I have yet to read that explains what Aspect-Oriented Programming is, and how to do it in .NET, though it's pretty tough to do it in .NET. But nevertheless, there is an Aspect engine for C# called AspectSharp. I might give more insight in AOP when I actually learn it.

WinBeta reveals Microsoft codename 'Longhorn' beta 1 to be released tomorrow
Well, as announced by WinBeta, all those in the beta testing (including me) will get the announcement tomorrow (Wednesday in Longhorn time) of the new Beta 1 Build 5112 of Windows Vista (Longhorn). So I'm getting ready my cable bandwidth to download Beta 1.

P.S.
For those who *ahem*, please feel free to email me. :) I hope you get my meaning.

Seems like Microsoft is having a lot of time on their hands. :) It's pretty silly and stupid, but pretty true indeed. Chuckles. Imagine men in tights and weird costumes in a 1.5 minutes video clips making fun of the problems we developers face.

Escape From Yesterworld

Well, I finally got down writing the synopsis for the presentation coming up. Basically I'm going to cover just enough to give the idea that it's really difficult to delve into Game Development, but it's quite exciting and fun for those who are keen and willing to learn.

For those who already should know, game development is going to be the next big thing in Singapore (hopefully), and many people have started communities and initiatives and such, but nobody has actually become an expert yet. I'm not that expert, *yet*.

Beginning Game Programming with Managed DirectX using Visual C# Express

The gaming industry is a young growing sector which requires many different skills just to create a game, and much like Hollywood, they require many different concepts and people from different areas to put everything together into a game.

The game programmer is just but 1 of the types of people required to create a game. But being a game programmer/developer, you're required to know many different areas to be able to put everything together. You'll need to know physics, mathematics, computer graphics, artificial intelligence, architecture, etc. and it covers pretty much a wide variety in the computer field.

In this presentation, it will introduce how to start game programming and what skill sets you need to pick up to go into this field. It will also give a gentle introduction to using Managed DirectX with Visual C# Express, and provide a few resources on how to continue after this presentation.

Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Office Beta 2 IntelliSense Code Snippets
This is a rather interesting download, which makes use of IntelliSense Code Snippets. Not so much that it's for VSTO development, but more of the concept/idea of providing code snippets together with your libraries and frameworks. One of the good improvements I think that Paladin can do is creating code snippets for common ways of using Paladin.

Here's an accompanying article for VSTO Intellisense Code Snippets. MSDN Article: Overview of Code Snippets using Visual Studio Tools for Office, Version 2005

Another good article on Intellisense Code Snippets is this. Creating and Using IntelliSense Code Snippets. Pretty interesting, and I'll probably read this when I help out with Paladin.

Sample Code Generator
Use the XSD Object Generator Tool to generate sample Microsoft Visual C# and Visual Basic classes from an XSD schema.

The Sample Code Generator (XSDObjectGen) tool takes an XSD schema as input and generates sample code showing how to mark up C# and VB.Net classes so that when serialized with the XML serializer, the resulting XML will be valid according to the original schema.

This looks like a pretty good for generating sample code, much like CodeSmith, but I think CodeSmith is more powerful and better. Take a look at that.

Free E-Learning Clinics for Visual Studio 2005 & Free E-Learning Clinics for Sql Server 2005
Here's a link to some free e-learning courses on Visual Studio 2005 and Sql Server 2005 from Microsoft. The drawback is that you only have access to it for 90 days, and this offer ends on the 8th November, when Visual Studio 2005 and Sql Server 2005 is released. Hurry up and sign up and learn!

This issue of Codebreakers-Journal is another valuable as its previous issues. This issue, personally the good articles that are worth reading would be the "CRC and how to Reverse it" and "Cracking with Loaders: Theory, General Approach and a Framework" for those who are interested in how those "cracking" loaders work for those not-so-legal *ahem*. :) I hope you enjoy this issue. I did.

--

Vol. 2, No. 2 (2005) of CodeBreakers-Journal has now been published online at http://www.codebreakers-journal.com//viewissue.php?id=4

Reverse Code Engineering
----------------------------------------
CRC and how to Reverse it
Anarchriz,
http://www.codebreakers-journal.com//viewarticle.php?id=27

Software Engineering
----------------------------------------
Low Cost Embedded x86 Teaching Tool
Mappatutu Salihun Darmawan,
http://www.codebreakers-journal.com//viewarticle.php?id=62

Reverse Code Engineering
----------------------------------------
Cracking with Loaders: Theory, General Approach and a Framework
Shub Nigurrath,
http://www.codebreakers-journal.com//viewarticle.php?id=65

Advanced Award BIOS v4.51PG Hacking Tutorial
Mappatutu Salihun Darmawan,
http://www.codebreakers-journal.com//viewarticle.php?id=59

Adding functions to any program using a DLL
Dracon,
http://www.codebreakers-journal.com//viewarticle.php?id=26

----------------------------------------
CodeBreakers-Journal
http://www.codebreakers-journal.com//

That's 14 posts today, a record high after a dry period of 9 days. What have I been doing the past 9 days, and why wasn't there any post? Mostly because of work, and the much needed rest which I finally achieved last weekend, sleeping a total of 22 hours on Saturday, and a total of 15 hours on Sunday. I'm fully energised and ready to start working on my other extra-curricular activities like blogging, reading my news, my feeds, and many other stuff. A few updates on my end.

TechEd is coming soon, and it has been giving me headaches over and over again, but it's time for me to start taking a stand and make things move.

Application of my University and courses are half way there. I've confirmed my courses I'm taking for this coming semester. I've sent over a few hundred dollars sending express mails through FedEx and TNT, and man that's expensive. My plane ticket is confirmed to fly off on the 2nd (Friday) September 2005 at 6am in the morning, and I'll have to be there by 3am. So if anyone wants to see me off, it's from 3am onwards, but who in the right mind will want to send me off at such ungodly hours? I'll reach Toronto's Lester B Pearson International airport by 2nd September 2005 at 6pm (that's a whole 24 hours plane ride with 2 transits). The only thing left for me is to get my money and my student visa and my bank account, and I'm all ready to go. I'm so excited! I've been chatting with quite a few people that's going to University of Waterloo, and I'm pretty excited in meeting them. I want to thank everyone who is helping me with my transition over there, and you know who you are! :) You are a big help.

My next presentation on Beginning Game Programming with DirectX will be next week, and I just found out that Virtual PC doesn't like DirectX. :) Hence I have to install C# Express Edition on my laptop. GROANS!!! Btw, I'll be introducing the new C# Express also. It's a 1 hour presentation, and it's my last presentation in Singapore, so I'm hoping it'll go in a bang. I'll be putting up the synopsis tonight when I set down in deciding what to do for that presentation. To make it a technical presentation, or a show-and-tell, and more of an introductory to the Game development world.

Things at work are slowing down recently with the recent slowdown in new requirements and massive influx of bug-fixing which I personally killed at least 5-10 bugs a day last week.

*crunches his knuckles* And I still haven't done anything that I'm planning to refocus my energies on!! That's not good, is it.

Spec#: Extension to C#
There's a new langauge in town. First it was COmega, then Polyphonic C#, then it's F#, now it's Spec#. What is all these languages popping up, which are variants of C#? Is COmega going to be incorporated into C# 3.0? Or maybe F# even? Well, I do not know, and the C# team has been very hush hush about the new C# 3.0 that even the C# MVPs have no idea what's going to be in it, but nevertheless, I'll entice you with Spec#.

The Spec# programming system is a new attempt at a more cost effective way to develop and maintain high-quality software.  Spec# is pronounced "Spec sharp" and can be written (and searched for) as the "specsharp" or "Spec# programming system". [...] A unique feature of the Spec# programming system is its guarantee of maintaining invariants in object-oriented programs in the presence of callbacks, threads, and inter-object relationships.