Gabriel Mongeon

At the end of last year, I had published that Microsoft Research was working on a prototype electronic platform running on NETMF named Gadgeteer. Well, it now seems that it has moved out of the research phase to “commercialize” this platform: Microsoft .NET Gadgeteer.

GHI Electronics has released the first Gadgeteer kit named GHI FEZ Spider Starter Kit. This kit allows you to code your own electronic module using your favorite language (and I am talking about C# ;) ) without knowing the basics of electronics. In fact, it is a hardware abstraction to allow budding hobbyists to start without learning how to solder or connect various electronic components.

Here is the next generation of Windows, Windows 8, ideal for tablets and if you have a Windows Phone, you will easily find your way around:

Building “Windows 8” - Video #1

When is the release?

To learn more: http://bit.ly/iCTxY6

Context

You are developing a SharePoint 2010 application using Visual Studio 2010 on a Windows 2008 64-bit server. You want to run a post-deployment script (PowerShell for example) for debugging:

The Problem

When you add a script, for example: powershell $(ProjectDir)\PowerShellScript\MySuperPowerShellScript.ps1

You always get an error when running the script:

Error occurred in deployment step ‘Run Post-Deployment Command’: The command "powershell $(ProjectDir)\PowerShellScript\MySuperPowerShellScript.ps1" exited with error code: 1.

This error is due to the fact that VS2010 runs in 32-bit mode, as well as its post-deployment scripts, and the SharePoint 2010 APIs run in 64-bit mode. This creates errors when executing the script.

Microsoft has just published the User Experience Design Guidelines for Windows Phone for Mango (Windows Phone OS 7.1). For anyone developing for WP7, it is a must to create pleasant applications for your users, as some miss the mark!

Here is an example from the guide:

Happy developing!

In my last post, I suggested a substitute for .Net Reflector. Since then, I came across the beta version of JustDecompile by Telerik. The tool seems efficient and well-designed. The interest in this kind of tool is evident, as replacements did not take long to appear!

Happy decompiling!

If you are like me, you have already used .Net Reflector to decompile some .Net classes. The product has been owned by Red Gate for a few years now, and they have kindly eliminated the free version to make it paid. I came across this article by Corey Roth where he mentions that even the latest version of Reflector contains a Time Bomb, meaning you would be forced to upgrade to the paid version starting June 1st.

As I mentioned previously, SharePoint Overflow has now reached the beta stage. So you can find the Stack Overflow environment you know but specialized in everything related to SharePoint.

Go consult the experts!

I finally received my Fez Panda II, running on NETMF of course, from Ghi Electronics after spending a gift certificate I had won on TinyClr.com!

I also ordered a 128x64 pixel backlit LCD screen, connected here via my Fez Panda II:

Well, I’m going back to play with my toys.

Happy coding!

If you develop/configure for SharePoint and also use Stack Overflow (if not, go check it out!), support the cause of SharePoint Overflow: Happy supporting!

While looking at prototyping tools for my Fez Domino, I came across Fritzing, a software that allows you to easily diagram your electrical circuit! Here is a summary:

• Open source, so free
• A community of enthusiasts
• Dozens and dozens of components, and the community continues to increase the available quantity
• A shop for manufacturing your PCBs. (Coming soon)
• Multiplatform
• Multilingual
• A really great visual, both of the software and the circuits!