Marc: My Words

Silverlight Toolkit on Web Platform Installer

computerwhisperer.nospam@nospam.live.co.uk (marc) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:54:55 -0500

Just noticed that the WebPI now has the Silverlight Toolkit as an install option (it's the October 2009 version). You can still get it from CodePlex too, but this is a handy option for removing that extra bit of friction.

NerdDinner hosted on Windows Azure and SQL Azure

computerwhisperer.nospam@nospam.live.co.uk (Marc) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:49:00 -0500

I recently got my hands on a Windows Azure and SQL Azure token to try out a little cloud goodness.

The challenge I set myself was to host an ASP.NET MVC application (including data) in the cloud. Hopefully just an hour or so of fiddling about, but as I hadn't really used Azure before, it would also be a bit of a learning experience.

3 steps seemed to be in order:
    1) Create an MVC Application
    2) Move the application data from SQL Server -> SQL Azure
    3) Move the application hosting to Azure

It turns out that everything I needed to do this is already published but I wanted to pull the threads together. As a result, I haven’t gone into particular detail below – you can find everything you need in the Azure Training Kit.

Step 1 - Create an MVC Application

OK, I couldn't be bothered with that to be honest, so instead I downloaded the reference NerdDinner application from CodePlex - relatively trivial and already working.

Got that, unzipped and then a quick F5 in VS2008 proved that all was well with the app.

Step 2 - Move the application data from SQL Server -> SQL Azure

This is where a little bit of work starts. In principle this is a straightforward migration - script the database and run the script elsewhere - in practice we need to configure SQL Azure, connect to it and also check that the script will run (there are differences between SQL Server and SQL Azure in terms of supported capability).

So, assuming you've got a SQL Azure token, then you should activate the account and set-up a new database. I called mine NerdDinner. You also need to add firewall exceptions so that you can access the database from your dev machine.

I then generated the schemas and data from the original DB via VS.

In principle, you can then run this script into SQL Azure, but in practice, there are differences in the support for various bits of SQL Server functionality. Fortunately, there's a handy migration tool on CodePlex which can provide some validation.

Running the script into that tool confirmed it should be valid. So, then I used the SQL command line to run the script into the SQL Azure database.

(At this point I should also set up specific user roles for that DB of course).

You can then grab the connection string to the database from the SQL Azure dashboard and change the connection string config file (Connectionstrings.config) in the NerdDinner project. An F5 later, and the original NerdDinner app is now using the SQL Azure database instead.

This step was surprisingly painless, though depending on the complexity of your database YMMV. Oh, NerdDinner uses Linq-to-SQL, but I also did the same thing with Entity Framework and it worked fine for a trivial example.

Step 3 - Move the application hosting to Azure

Now, it would be wonderful if we could just move the Membership provider databases (et al) to SQL Azure too but we can't as there are certain functions not supported. Fortunately - again - the Azure Training Kit provides some code to enable a Membership provider using Azure Table storage.

At this point then, we need to create the Azure solution (so you need to have installed the VS Tools). This involves:

Creating a new 'Cloud Service' project - just use the ASP.NET Web Role. (There’s no default MVC option).
Deleting the default ASP.NET Web Role.
Adding the existing NerdDinner project to the solution.
Associating the NerdDinner project with the cloud service. (Right click Roles –> Associate With… and choose the NerdDinner MVC Project).

This is well documented in the Azure Training Kit.

Also covered in the kit is how to get the Membership provider working. Essentially, that involves:

Adding two projects that came with the Azure Toolkit to the solution.
Adding a reference to the membership provider from the NerdDinner MVC project.

Ensuring the storage service is running in the development fabric.
Amending the web.config file to take advantage of this provider.

Following this, hitting F5 will fire up the project inside the development fabric - using the new membership provider and still using SQL Azure for application data. There’ll be some messages about creating the storage tables as the solution builds and runs. (We could also remove the redundant membership connection string from ConnectionStrings.config in the MVC project).

So we’re done for tweaking config. At this point, we can move the application to Azure.

Again, presuming you have an account and it is activated, you're going to need a couple of things:

Hosting for the application – I’ve set-up a host called NerdDinnerService.
Storage for the application – mine is called NerdDinnerStorage.
An affinity group for these 2 services so they can interact.

Now, you can publish the NerdDinnerService project, and then upload the package and config file to Azure. We're not done yet though, as we need to tweak the config on the production cloud. If you've followed the instructions on setting up the membership provider, you'll have a config file with the following entries (for use in the development fabric):

So these entries need to be changed for production. Instructions are a bit vague on this, but here's what you need to do:

First of all, the “AccountName” is whatever you said when you set-up the storage service. If you can't remember, it's the first part of the service URLs you can see in the Azure dashboard for the storage service that read http://<AccountName>.table.core.windows.net
Then you need the shared key - you can see that on the storage service page too.
Then you need the URL for the TableStorageEndpoint. You should use https://table.core.windows.net (note the HTTPS which is required if you're NOT allowing Insecure Remote Endpoints as above).

Finish updating the config, save, wait for the package to sort itself out, then run it up and away you go.

You can see my effort at http://mmw.cloudapp.net. DON'T ENTER ANY REAL DATA INTO THE DATABASE (LIKE USERNAMES AND PASSWORDS). I'll take it down in a few days.

I’d like to say “It works on my machine” but then it’s not supposed to. So “It works on my cloud” instead.

I'm hiring evangelists... do you want to know more?

computerwhisperer.nospam@nospam.live.co.uk (marc) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:36:19 -0500

Yes indeed - would you like to join the smartest place to work at Microsoft? Do you know the number for Saul's Fishmarket? Of course you do.

I'm looking for 2 - primarily - web-focused evangelists to complement the existing team with a blend of skills. You can apply from the links below, or you can email Sarah directly. Or, if you'd like to talk a little more about the detail of the role then drop me a line too .

You can find the full job descriptions in the following places:

"Producer": a creative story-teller and citizen journalist. Clips from the ad:

Can you make sense of the complexity of technology in contexts including: industry, competitive landscape, Microsoft and for the individual? Can you translate that into compelling scenarios and solutions for all of those people? Does connecting with friendly and competitive industry experts and engaging in debate and excitement around technology appeal to you?

Individually, you'll be expected to contribute to the delivery of a "Know & Do" editorial tone by being:
An Editor: can you take complex messages about Microsoft or competitive technologies and land them for audiences in a way that equips the audience with what they want and need to know, and that Microsoft wants and needs them to hear?
An Enabler: can you understand the desires and pain points of individuals, of partners, of customers and of industries and act as an enabler for those desires and solutions?
A Connector: can you build and maintain a wide network consisting of representation across the technology industry, audiences and sectors? Do you care about the people involved in creating the future?

"Creative Technologist": a web hero capable of making ideas come to life. Clips from the ad:

Can you make sense of the complexity of technology in contexts including: industry, competitive landscape, Microsoft and for the individual? Can you translate that into compelling scenarios and solutions for all of those people? Does the thought of running alpha software in the middle of a presentation to 2000 people fill you with adrenalin?

Individually, you'll be expected to contribute to the delivery of a "Know & Do" editorial tone by being:
A Creator: can you put a creative twist on technologies and bring them to life for core audiences and beyond? Are you remarkable?
An Enabler: can you understand the desires and pain points of individuals, of partners, of customers and of industries and act as an enabler for those desires and solutions?
A Pathfinder: can you solve problems that others can't?

Microsoft's Many Multitouch Mice

computerwhisperer.nospam@nospam.live.co.uk (marc) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:51:25 -0500

A useful mouse-wheel still impresses me, but it's great to know that there's a whole bunch of research going on to think about the next generation of our favoured input devices.

Excellent video here.

Andrew Sampson, Stephen Fry and Social Media

computerwhisperer.nospam@nospam.live.co.uk (marc) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:01:59 -0500

Over on the MS Advertising site, my friend Mel Carson has a great interview with Andrew Sampson - who discusses social media and his part in the Stephen Fry phenomenon. Interesting interview which covers:

How Andrew was inspired to set Stephen up.
How they identified a social media need.
How to balance content with different audiences.
When to start monetizing and how to approach it.
Being responsible with Social Media.
Building your personal brand online.
The scoop on the Untied Artists Network!
How advertisers should think about targeting social media sites.
Answers to a few of 300 (!) questions we were asked on Twitter.
What it's like working with a national treasure!

Free eBook - Introducing Windows Server 2008 R2

computerwhisperer.nospam@nospam.live.co.uk (marc) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:48:15 -0500

Matt McSpirit has a nice pointer to a free eBook on "Introducing Windows Server 2008"

TOC for this is:

Chapter 1    What's New in Windows Server R2    1
Chapter 2    Installation and Configuration: Adding R2 to Your World    9
Chapter 3    Hyper-V: Scaling and Migrating Virtual Machines    25
Chapter 4    Remote Desktop Services and VDI: Centralizing Desktop and Application Management    47
Chapter 5    Active Directory: Improving and Automating Identity and Access    65
Chapter 6    The File Services Role    91
Chapter 7    IIS 7.5: Improving the Web Application Platform    109
Chapter 8    DirectAccess and Network Policy Server    129
Chapter 9    Other Features and Enhancements    147

Full details over on Matt's blog.

Possible End of the World

computerwhisperer.nospam@nospam.live.co.uk (marc) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:38:44 -0500

It can surely be no coincidence that on the day that the BBC reports that the Large Hadron Collider has had beams of particles injected into it that I came across this worrying statement from Prof. Brian Cox (the Madchester Britpop icon of Particle Physics):

I'm sure it'll all be fine.

Do The Green Thing: Simplifying Green Stuff So Even I Can Understand It

computerwhisperer.nospam@nospam.live.co.uk (marc) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:31:28 -0500

I've spent a bit of time recently with James and the gang from DoTheGreenThing which has been a lot of fun.

Apart from the generally very positive message around, well, doing the green thing, I think they've done a great job of simplifying the - sometimes obscure, or abstract, or contrary - messages into 7 simple steps:

You get from A to B without any C when you Walk The Walk
It's delicious but it causes more CO2 than cars so go Easy On The Meat
Resist the urge to buy the latest and Stick With What You Got
Turn down the central heating and turn up the Human Heat
The art of wasting nothing and using up everything: All-Consuming
Instead of jetting your way around the world, Stay Grounded
Don't leave it on or even put it on, Plug Out

And then the story telling. Much as I loved the latest Glove Love stuff, I'm a sucker for the terrible puns of Ninjin - The Way Of The Vegetable Assassin:

Whitepaper: PHP on Windows

computerwhisperer.nospam@nospam.live.co.uk (marc) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:16:03 -0500

Just saw this today - over at iBuildings, they've published a whitepaper on the options for installing and managing PHP on Windows.

The paper can be found here and the TOC looks like:

Executive Summary
Introduction
Where we came from
Why Windows?
Why PHP over .NET
Web Server Choices
Deploying and Managing PHP
Microsoft Web Platform Installer
Beyond the Install
Conclusion

Some interesting options if you're running PHP but would prefer a Windows infrastructure. Not sure I agree with some of the reasoning for choosing PHP over Windows (Sourceforge is not the only place to find community projects) but the main thrust of the paper is not about that.

My Reflections on Windows 7

computerwhisperer.nospam@nospam.live.co.uk (marc) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:32:32 -0500

In what is going to be a busy day, I thought I'd reflect on 'the story so far' for my personal use of Windows 7. Bear in mind that I've moved from Vista -> Win7. It's a looonnnnggg time since I used XP. Regardless of your thoughts on Vista, there were many things in that OS that represented huge developments from XP, and it's easy to forget that. There are general improvements in things like control panel, personalisation, network connectivity and so on that I see all of the time but forget that people haven't.

The OS is a strange thing as it means so many different things to so many people, but here are the things that have mattered to me:

Boot/hibernate times: Huge improvement over Vista in terms of time, particularly when wandering around with a laptop (and thus closing lid).
Taskbar: Simple and friendly, stays out of the way. Handy additions like media player controls have been useful.
Aero Snap: Docking windows left and right on my widescreen monitors has been an excellent experience, and is the most useful new shell feature for me. In fact, it meant I moved back to one monitor from three at home.
Aero Peek: Also useful on a busy desktop.
Desktop Search: Can't live without it - liked it in Vista, love it in Win7.
Libraries: I only just got to grips with these recently. They've been handy for managing significant amount of documents, videos and so on I typically have floating about without needing to worry too hard about how to find them.
Magic Windows Keys: Win + P, Win + X, Win + +, we're BFFs.
Windows Media Center: Now in use across the the Holmes network at home.
Windows Media Player: great experience and all that 'remote media streaming' goodness (though I confess I'm a Spotify addict).
Bitlocker: just works. As it should be.
Netbook Performance: again, just a great experience.

Stuff that I haven't looked at so much includes: XP Mode (not needed it), Device Stage (not needed it), Homegroup (have started to look at it, just trying to figure out if I need it given my use of Windows Home Server and Mesh). Stuff that I forget about but is also handy includes the Jumplists (quick access to tasks and files which, now that I think about it harder, I use quite a lot), the taskbar customisation (getting rid of dead notifications), and also I _think_ UAC seems a lot less bothersome (at least, I haven't been annoyed by it like I have been in Vista).

Anyway, that's just me as a general user. If you're developing on Windows then there are a bunch of new things you can do - there are a whole load of labs on Channel 9 here.

Finally, there's other stuff that goes hand-in-hand with Win7: particularly IE8 and Live Essentials. This tends to be the first download I do when (re)building a machine.

Overall: great experience. Hope it works out for you too.

Sky News streaming with Silverlight

computerwhisperer.nospam@nospam.live.co.uk (marc) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:47:55 -0500

If you're a Sky subscriber, then you may already have been using the Sky Player service which is built using Silverlight and has been deployed for some time now.

Well, you might be pleased to learn that Sky have been building on the success of that platform and have now begun using the Sky Player to deliver Sky News so everyone can watch it on the main Sky News site.

You can get the official blurb from the Sky press office.

Windows Home Server: Addins and Remote Access

computerwhisperer.nospam@nospam.live.co.uk (marc) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:19:34 -0500

My home server has been a welcome addition to the home network and has been a trusty companion from day one. I must learn to do more with it though. Some useful stuff in the past couple of days from the Windows Blog:

A bunch of Expression/Silverlight Links

computerwhisperer.nospam@nospam.live.co.uk (marc) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:02:13 -0500

I've got a bunch of 'ooh, that looks interesting' links in my reader from the past couple of months. So here they are:

Expression

Big list of example triggers, actions and behaviours for Blend 3 from Peter Blois
An 'explode' behaviour (also from Peter)
Loads of great Blend and Sketchflow stuff at Silverlight Buzz
Bill Reiss commenting on the impact that behaviours have for Silverlight game programming.
Awesome, awesome, awesome physics behaviours from Andy Beaulieu
And then Andy follows up with some "how to" on behaviours.
A 40-minute video from Jose on the power of states in Blend 3.
A game "star field" implementation.
Don Burnett talking about prototyping in Sketchflow.
Katrien's 3mins on Blend 3 series - great Sketchflow examples.
A tutorial on using Sketchflow Map.

Silverlight

Silverlight 3 Multi-touch: The Basics (from Tim - who still hasn't renamed his blog "Heueristics"...)
Animating when Data Changes - parts one and two from Josh Twist.
An out-of-browser install pattern (also from Tim).

Links cleared - hope they help.

MSDN Beginner Developer Center

computerwhisperer.nospam@nospam.live.co.uk (marc) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:13:28 -0500

There are times when I feel like a beginner developer these days, but I suppose I'm not really: more of a lapsed pro (I use the term 'pro' fairly loosely: they used to pay me for it if that counts). Maybe I'm just 'lapsed'. Anyway, if you are a beginner, or you've got friends who want to know how to get started, then pointing them at MSDN might be a little intimidating.

Then I saw this 'Beginning Developer' center which has a bunch of guidance for beginners starting with web or client development. I'll certainly be using, er, passing it to friends for them to use.

The Great(ish) Expression/Sketchflow UI Magnet Giveaway

computerwhisperer.nospam@nospam.live.co.uk (marc) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:55:46 -0500

If you weren't at FOWA last week, then not only did you miss out on understanding the future of web applications, but you also missed the Microsoft crew talking about Web Platform Installer, ASP.NET MVC, and WebsiteSpark. (And The Gu was there. Funnily enough, I also bumped into The Hoff last week too.)

Much more importantly though is that we were giving away some awesome Sketchflow-inspired magnets for building your own UI. Aren't they lovely?

I'm happy to report that I've nabbed a box of them. If you'd like a set then drop me a mail with your mailing details. (UK ONLY FOLKS, AND ON A BEST EFFORTS BASIS).

I'll update this post when I've run out.