Here are two interesting articles. The first is 37Signals founder Jason Fried talking about the work culture at the company. I've suggested this type of culture, in discussions with colleagues. In my view, many companies would benefit by moving from an hours-based culture to a project-based one. More on that another time. Here's my favorite quote.
The second article is Lance Ulanoff discussing Google Dashboard. I found this to be surprisingly thoughtful. Here's a sample.
I don't believe in the 40-hour work week, so we cut all that BS about being somewhere for a certain number of hours. I have no idea how many hours my employees work—I just know they get the work done.
The second article is Lance Ulanoff discussing Google Dashboard. I found this to be surprisingly thoughtful. Here's a sample.
What will Google do with my years of search data, information about YouTube uploads and subscriptions, lists of products, image and maps searches, and the rest of the data when I'm dead? There's so much rich information, would Google preserve it and offer it to my family?
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I wasted a couple of hours today due to unexpected behaviors when running the default Windows Service project in Visual Studio 2008.
I wanted to test replacing the default contract interface (IService1.cs) and service (Service1.svc). So, here are the simple steps that made me crazy.
1. Create a new C# WCF Service Application project.
2. Run the project. You'll see the metadata page. Stop running.
3. Delete Service1.svc and IService1.cs.
4. Right-click the solution, Add > New Item, choose WCF Service. Name it Service1.
5. Select the Solution in the Solution Explorer. (that's your first clue.) Run the project. You'll see a directory listing.
You can accuse me of being dense, or not thinking, but when I saw this different behavior, I assumed the service wasn't working right. Now add these factors.
* Sometimes, if I edited web.config at all, the directory listing would appear.
* Sometimes, if I edited the .svc file (using Open With > Text Editor), the metadata page would appear.
* Sometimes, I'd get an error "Unable to start program 'http://localhost:3571/Service1.svc'"
I kept trying things, including folder/file compares of a new project to a non-working one. (It turns out this would have led me to the answer eventually).
Finally, searching on "debug mode wfc service "directory listing", I found this site, and this sentence:
I ran the project showing a directory listing, clicked on Service1.svc, and sure enough got the metadata page. Then, the light bulb went on.
The WCF Service Application project automatically sets the project's default page to Service1.svc. When I deleted that page, the project reset to Current Page.
So, what about those behaviors where sometimes it showed the metadata page? Well, when I was editing the web.config file, it would show the directory listing. When I was editing the Service1.svc file, it would show the metadata, because that was the current page.
What a fucking waste of my time.
I wanted to test replacing the default contract interface (IService1.cs) and service (Service1.svc). So, here are the simple steps that made me crazy.
1. Create a new C# WCF Service Application project.
2. Run the project. You'll see the metadata page. Stop running.
3. Delete Service1.svc and IService1.cs.
4. Right-click the solution, Add > New Item, choose WCF Service. Name it Service1.
5. Select the Solution in the Solution Explorer. (that's your first clue.) Run the project. You'll see a directory listing.
You can accuse me of being dense, or not thinking, but when I saw this different behavior, I assumed the service wasn't working right. Now add these factors.
* Sometimes, if I edited web.config at all, the directory listing would appear.
* Sometimes, if I edited the .svc file (using Open With > Text Editor), the metadata page would appear.
* Sometimes, I'd get an error "Unable to start program 'http://localhost:3571/Service1.svc'"
I kept trying things, including folder/file compares of a new project to a non-working one. (It turns out this would have led me to the answer eventually).
Finally, searching on "debug mode wfc service "directory listing", I found this site, and this sentence:
At this point, if you browse to the location http://localhost/ExchangeService using Internet Explorer, you'll be able to see a directory listing (as long as the settings are like those in the previous figure). If you click on the Service.svc, you are then brought to the default help screen generated by System.ServiceModel.Activiation.HttpHandler for *.svc extensions.
I ran the project showing a directory listing, clicked on Service1.svc, and sure enough got the metadata page. Then, the light bulb went on.
The WCF Service Application project automatically sets the project's default page to Service1.svc. When I deleted that page, the project reset to Current Page.
So, what about those behaviors where sometimes it showed the metadata page? Well, when I was editing the web.config file, it would show the directory listing. When I was editing the Service1.svc file, it would show the metadata, because that was the current page.
What a fucking waste of my time.
I just read a reasonably good review of Windows 7. But, there was one comment (stated better by John Dvorak) that showed a real non-understanding of computer software.
Right. Just drop it.
I agree that the registry is an obstacle, and I further agree that programs should be self-contained. But the notion of just "dropping" the registry is worse than ridiculous, it's inane.
Most software, and certainly almost all high-end, expensive, business-oriented software, relies on the registry to store dozens, even hundreds, of settings. Would the above article's authors ask Microsoft to render almost all of a user's software incompatible, and require almost all software makers to recode their applications to be Windows 7 compliant?
The registry can't just be dropped. That would be like dropping access to RAM, or dropping support for C++.
However, Microsoft might be able to ease programmers into a new direction.
Microsoft could change the API call so that it instead writes to an xml file located in the application's folder. This would mean that, on program un-installation, all registry entries would be removed along with the folder.
I admit, that would make me happy.
I still wish Windows 7 had dropped the System Registry, which slows down systems over time.
Right. Just drop it.
I agree that the registry is an obstacle, and I further agree that programs should be self-contained. But the notion of just "dropping" the registry is worse than ridiculous, it's inane.
Most software, and certainly almost all high-end, expensive, business-oriented software, relies on the registry to store dozens, even hundreds, of settings. Would the above article's authors ask Microsoft to render almost all of a user's software incompatible, and require almost all software makers to recode their applications to be Windows 7 compliant?
The registry can't just be dropped. That would be like dropping access to RAM, or dropping support for C++.
However, Microsoft might be able to ease programmers into a new direction.
Microsoft could change the API call so that it instead writes to an xml file located in the application's folder. This would mean that, on program un-installation, all registry entries would be removed along with the folder.
I admit, that would make me happy.
A replacement for email? Finally? Google seems to be on track to reinventing not only email, but the complete web-based communication experience.
http://wave.google.com/
Oh, and for all you Firefly fans, notice that Google is appropriating the show's nomenclature of "sending a wave".
http://wave.google.com/
Oh, and for all you Firefly fans, notice that Google is appropriating the show's nomenclature of "sending a wave".
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