Ruslan Trifonov's blog

Running .NET Apps on iPhone

2009-10-13T21:35:00.005+03:00

I missed it somehow, but Novell released MonoTouch (current release is v.1.1.1) , which gives the developers the opportunity to develop iPhone applications using C# and their favorite .NET Framework classes.
Actually, we talk here about static native code generation ( there is no CLR implementation).
It is based on Mono's feature called Full AOT (Ahead of Time Compilation)

MonoTouch supports garbage collection, multi-threading, and many features of .NET 3.5, including C# 3.0 and LINQ, with some exceptions due to the security system in the device. See Limitations for more information about the limitations of MonoTouch.

The following .NET assemblies are part of MonoTouch 1.0:

mscorlib.dll
System.dll
System.Core.dll
System.Xml.dll
System.Xml.Linq.dll

MonoTouch supports BCL, WebServices, Linq and even limited WCF functionality.
There are number of limitations . The main reason is the static code generation process. There is no direct debugging experience and generics support is limited - read more about limitations

Checkout this screencast for a quick Hello World feel. (via www.codesnack.com)

It sound very promising ... just need $400/$1000, Mac, and iPhone Developer Program membership to get hands durty.

Game developers may check out Unity for another C# to XCode compiler. However Unity is dedicated to game development

Links
MonoTouch web site
Limitations of MonoTouch
Debugging support in MonoTouch
Editions and Pricing
Getting started screencast
Full AOT (Ahead of Time Compilation)
Unity web site

iPhone vs Stone

2009-07-21T11:25:00.000+03:00

Microsoft SQL Server 2005: Property Owner is not available for Database xxxxx

2009-07-16T11:37:00.004+03:00

I restored a backup over a fresh MS SQl 2005 instance recently.
I tried to open the properties dialog from the Management Studio/Object Explorer for the restored database and got the following message

Property Owner is not available for Database 'db_name'. This property may not exist for this object, or may not be retrievable due to insufficient access rights. (Microsoft.SqlServer.Smo)

Fortunately, I solved my problem by executing the following query against the restored database:

sp_changedbowner sa

Microsoft Days 2009 pictorial

2009-04-17T14:38:00.007+03:00

This is the last day of Microsoft Days 2009 (Sofia) . I really had a great time during the last 2 days(Dev tracks). There were many great sessions and excellent opportunities for social networking.
The Microsft Surface was the real hit! Only one "big" organizational issue- there was no coffie available after lunch (again), which leads to a massive after-lunch nap effect , despite of the presenters efforts to hold the audience focused. Anyway this was a great event, again!

SOA is great

2009-04-15T10:45:00.004+03:00

I just found some funny "Chuck Norris style" thoughts on SOA (Service Oriented Architecture). Check them out:

SOA is so great 10 facts aren’t enough.
SOA is the only thing Chuck Norris can’t kill.
The first rule of SOA is you do not talk about SOA.
SOA in a Nutshell is 7,351 pages spread over 10 volumes.
SOA is not complex. You are just dumb.
Guns don’t kill people, the SOA WS-* stack kills people.
SOA can write and compile itself.
SOA is the mistress to all CIOs.
SOA is just one letter away from SOB. On purpose.
If a tree falls in the forest, SOA knows about it.
SOA is being used in the developing world to solve hunger. Entire populations will be fed on future business value.
SOA knows what you did last summer, and is disappointed that it wasn’t SOA.
SOA violates the first and third laws of thermodynamics.But not the second, as all energy flows from SOA.
SOA is the secret ingredient that makes the colonel’s chicken so tasty.
Neo didn’t bring down the Matrix. SOA did.
SOA actually stands for Same Old Architecture - whatever your old architecture is.
It has been said that an infinite number of monkeys pressing their buttocks against keyboards for an infinite amount of time will eventually produce the complete works of William Shakespeare. 100 monkeys typing for 10 hours will eventually produce a SOA project plan
With enough SOA in a room, you don’t even NEED developers.
Nothing gets between me and my SOA - except more SOA.

via Zeesjan's Integration Bits

Microsoft Days 2009

2009-03-13T12:46:00.005+02:00

Microsoft Days 2009 will be held on 14-15 April and 16-17 April in Sofia,Bulgaria
I will have 2 sessions in the DEV track:

- Developing mobile applications with Compact Framework 3.5 and Windows Mobile (17.April.2009, 9:00h)
This session will cover the latest tools and products part of the Microsoft mobile development platform

- Windows Azure Storage Services(16.April.2009, 14:45h)
We will talk about the latest hot technology announcement from Microsoft - Windows Azure. We will focus on the varoius facilities intended to give the developer the power to work with data in the cloud

Go to Mcirosoft Days 2009 Registration Web Site

Windows Mobile and .NET Compact Framework Resources

2009-02-26T23:33:00.001+02:00

I’ve collected a short list of resources dedicated to Windows Mobile and .NET Compact Framework Development.
These resources are intended to give more details on the topics covered by the SpecTECHular Days 2009 sessions dedicated to the Windows Mobile Development

Getting Started
Getting started with Windows Mobile 6
Learn Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile Class Library
Windows Mobile Downloads

User Interface
Design Guidelines
Developing User Interface Components
Screen Orientation Modes

Connectivity and communication
Connectivity and communication

Consuming data
Working with Data
Enterprise Data Access with the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework
Data transfer options between mobile devices and Desktop with Compact Framework
Database Development for Windows Powered Pocket PC Phone Edition
Step by Step: Developing a SQL Mobile Application with Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005
Step by Step: Program Microsoft SQL Server CE 2.0 Merge Replication Using .NET Compact Framework
A Technical Comparison of Replication and Remote Data Access Features in SQL Server 2005 Mobile Edition 3.0
Create Compact, Robust Mobile Apps with SQL Server CE 2.0 and the .NET Compact Framework
The Desktop Side of Mobile Computing (RAPI)
SQL Server Compact Books Online Home Page

Performance
.NET Compact Framework 2.0 Data Access Performance
.NET Compact Framework 2.0 Performance and Reflection
Performance Related Resources on my blog
Compact Framework Performance Hints

Security
Understanding the Windows Mobile Security Model
Windows Mobile Security Features
Securing Communications with SSL and the .NET Compact Framework
Application and Network Authentication with the .NET Compact Framework
Step by Step: Understanding Windows Mobile Security Using the Device Security Manager

Deployment
Creating an Installer for Windows Mobile Applications
Packaging Windows Mobile Applications With CAB Wizard
Wceload Tool
Mobile2Market:The Microsoft Certification and Distribution Program for Windows Mobile Applications
Remote Device Configuration with the .NET Compact Framework

Architecture
Architecting Disconnected Mobile Applications Using a Service Oriented Architecture
Mobile Application Architecture Pocket Guide

Resources
Windows Mobile Developer Center
Windows Mobile Developer Wiki
Windows Mobile Hands on Labs
Windows Mobile Virtual Labs
Windows Mobile Team Blog
Windows Mobile Forums and Newsgroups

SpecTECHular Day 2009

2009-02-22T22:50:00.001+02:00

I’m going to have a session dedicated to Visual Studio 2008 and Compact Framework 3.5 on 27.Feb.2009 during the SpecTECHular Day 2009.
27.Feb will be a day of the latest technologies by Microsoft, Cisco, IBM and Java and it is organized by New Horizons Bulgaria.
Details are available on the event’s page

If you are just starting with Compact Framework and Windows Mobile Development, it is the right session for you!
If you are CF geek - just step by and say hi.

See you there!

Links

SpecTECHular Day 2009
New Horizons Bulgaria

Windows 7 gadgets disappear if UAC is disabled

2009-01-29T00:20:00.003+02:00

I’ve upgraded my notebook to Windows 7 Beta ( build 7000), recently.
My experience is mostly positive ‘cause there are no crashes, hangs or blue screens, so far. I’m actually excited about the new UI and the overall stability and performance of the system.
The installation was smooth and quite fast. Windows 7 managed to recognize almost all the hardware(Lenovo T61p), except the Biometric device. There were also some problems with the audio driver, but I quickly solved them by installing the original Vista audio driver.
There is no application compatibility problem so far. I have my full development stack installed, already.

The new gadget system is good enough (I don’t like Vista’s Sidebar) , but there was a little problem. I disabled the User Access Control notifications and my gadgets disappeared. Well I needed some time to realize, that the UAC disabling is the reason.
I tried launching Gadget library – no luck again. So, I had a short google Q&A session and the solution appeared.
There were actually few solutions proposed by other community members. The one I liked the most ( works for me) is:

1. Open RegEdit

2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Sidebar\Settings

3. Find (or create ) AllowElevatedProcess and set AllowElevatedProcess= 1

4. Open the Start menu, write gadget and press ENTER to open the Desktop Gadget Library

Links:
Fix Gadgets Not Working or Showing When UAC Is Set To Not Notify or Disabled in Windows 7 Beta
Disable UAC in Windows 7 With Sidebar and Gadgets Working Properly

Community links

2009-01-19T13:24:00.001+02:00

Following some interesting links from community members:

via Loke

Obama helped me fix my XBOX 360

2008-12-15T15:46:00.006+02:00

I had XBox 360 and it was my home entertainment system(combined with Orb )
I was very satisfied with my game console until the 3 red rings of death appeared.
Unfortunately, there is no official XBox support in Bulgaria (the place where I live) and I had to the buy another one - Elite edition this time.
The reason - I was XBox addicted and really love my XBox experience.

Few weeks ago a friend of mine asked me to borrow him my "bricked" XBox 360.

He spent few days in reading blogs and watching YouTube clips and finally managed to bring the brick , that I gave him, back to live.

See my friend's blog post in the links section bellow for repairing details

Links:
Obama helped me fix my XBOX 360
by Pavel Natov

Mobile sessions during October and November 2008

2008-10-26T21:06:00.004+02:00

PowerPoint files are available for download at the bottom of this post

I'm going to have few public speaches dedicated to the Microsoft's mobile development technology stack.
The first two sessions are part of the Microsoft Day events organized in the local universities.
The last two are part of a free set of sessions dedicated to Visual Studio 2008, Windows Server 2008 and Office Project 2007, sponsored by Microsoft Bulgaria and New Horizons Bulgaria

30.Oct.2008, 15:00h,Varna, University of Economics - Varna
Lap around Windows Mobile

31.Oct.2008, 10:00h,Varna, Technical University - Varna
Mobile development with Visual Strudio 2008 and Compact Framework 3.5

6.Nov.2008, 18:30h ,Sofia, New Horizons Bulgaria
Developing Windows Mobile Applications with Visual Studio 2008

20.Nov.2008, 18:30h,Sofia, New Horizons Bulgaria
Under the hood: Windows Mobile and Visual Studio 2008

All the sessions are free to attend, however the last two require you to sign-up in advance

UPDATE:
PPT File: Developing Windows Mobile Applications with Visual Studio 2008

Managed Library to boost your Compact Framework development productivity

2008-09-05T14:55:00.006+03:00

Here comes a short list of managed classes/libraries developed by the community members , which may speed up your regular dev activities.

Note that some of them are not complete solutions, but they may give you a good idea how to acomplish tasks considered as hard for the regular managed dev.

1. Managed Today Item
by Christopher Fairbairn
http://www.christec.co.nz/blog/archives/281

2. Managed Notification With Soft Keys
by Christopher Fairbairn
http://www.christec.co.nz/blog/archives/150

3. Improved OpenFileDialog
by Christopher Fairbairn
http://www.christec.co.nz/blog/archives/286

4. Managed Services
by Peter Nowak
Actually it isn't possible to create Windows Services for Windows Mobile and Windows Embedded CE in managed code.
Pavel Bánský's shows in his blog post, how Services in Windows Mobile in managed code can be created...
http://blogs.compactframework.de/Peter.Nowak/2008/05/31/Dienste+Mit+Dem+NET+Compact+Framework+Erstellen+Creating+Services+With+The+NET+Compact+Framework.aspx

5. DynamicDNS Library
by Peter Nowak
Library to update dynamic DNS providers like DynDNS.org , NoIP.com and others. Usefull in some "push" scenarios
http://blogs.compactframework.de/Peter.Nowak/2007/11/29/nahtlosmobilde+DynamicDNS+Library+10+Released.aspx

6. PowerShell Windows Mobile Provider
by Oisin Greham
Explore and manipulate your mobile device with Windows PowerShell. Supports PocketPC and SmartPhone devices; WM2002, 2003, 2003SE, 5, 6 and 6.1...
http://www.nivot.org/CategoryView,category,WindowsMobile.aspx

7. AlphaMobileControls
AlphaMobileControls is a .NET Compact Framework 2.0 API offering WinForm Controls for Windows Mobile 5 or 6 able to handle images with alpha channel and alpha blending.
http://www.codeplex.com/alphamobilecontrols

8. P/Invoke Library
by Warren Tang
http://www.cnblogs.com/WarrenTang/archive/2008/08/28/1278853.html

Projects from OpenNETCF

9. Smart Device Framework 2.2 (Community Edition)
Compact Framework developers know that they have a subset of the full framework to work with, and often it can be frustrating and even crippling for a project. Version 2.2 of our award-winning, industry standard libraries for .NET Compact Framework helps bridge the gap between the .NET Compact Framework and the .NET Full Framework...
http://opennetcf.com/Products/SmartDeviceFramework/tabid/65/Default.aspx

10.OpenNETCF Advanced Debugging Toolkit (ADT)
Advanced Debugging Toolkit -- Addins and libraries to enable faster, more efficient debugging of .NET Compact Framework applications...
http://www.opennetcf.com/FreeSoftware/tabid/84/Default.aspx

11.OpenNETCF.Desktop.Communication
The Desktop.Communication Library contains classes used for communicating with a CE device from a PC such as Microsoft's Remote API (RAPI)...
http://www.opennetcf.com/FreeSoftware/tabid/84/Default.aspx

12.OpenNETCF Smart Device Framework v 1.4
Targeting Compact Framework 1.0 and Microsoft Visual Studio 2003
http://www.opennetcf.com/FreeSoftware/tabid/84/Default.aspx

13.Mobile Ink
The Mobile Ink Library is a .NET component that provides support for the new Windows Mobile 6 WISP Lite API in your .NET Compact Framework applications...
http://www.opennetcf.com/FreeSoftware/tabid/84/Default.aspx

14.OpenNETCF QRCode Library for .NET Compact Framework
The OpenNETCF QRCode Library is a .NET Compact Framework component that allows developers to decode QRCode images on a Windows Mobile or Windows CE device...
http://www.opennetcf.com/FreeSoftware/tabid/84/Default.aspx

UPDATE

15. 32feet.Net
by Peter Foot
A shared-source project to make personal area networking technologies such as Bluetooth, Infrared (IrDA) and more, easily accessible from .NET code. Supports desktop, mobile or embedded systems. The project currently consists of the following libraries:-
http://www.codeplex.com/32feet/

YET ANOTHER UPDATE
16. Mobile MVC Framework
by Alex Yakhin's
Model-View-Controller Framework for mobile devices running .NET Compact Framework 3.5.
http://www.codeplex.com/MobileMVC

17.Windows Mobile Unified Sensor API
by Kuosh
The Windows Mobile Unified Sensor API allows developers to easily access the hardware sensors that are available on various phones.
Sensors supported: Light Sensor,Capacitive Touch Pad,Accelerometer
Devices:HTC Touch *,Samsung Omnia/Instinct
http://www.codeplex.com/sensorapi

Did I miss something? Ping me if you know other useful non-comercial third party managed libraries

Interview with Ilya Tumanov

2008-09-03T13:46:00.001+03:00

Christopher Fairbairn published a short interview with Ilya Tumanov:

I am a Software Development Engineer (SDE) within the Developer Division (responsible for development tools like Visual Studio). I have been with the .NET Compact Framework team almost from the start and helped shipped version 1.0 of it.

I used to own numerous portions of the .NET CF base class libraries (BCL), for example ADO.NET and LINQ and was responsible for the .NET CF installation story on both the desktop and device sides.

Recently I’ve moved on to another position and now I’m with Microsoft’s Office Labs. My line of work is around mobile productivity, so I’m still working with NETCF, now as a regular developer.

Read the rest here...

Managed Services and Today Screen Item with .NET Compact Framework

2008-06-10T10:13:00.001+03:00

I'm .NET addicted and never felt comfortable to realize that I can't solve my problem in pure managed manner.
Well, the "native" is a native part of the mobile developer, but anyway I prefer managed.

I was happy to see that some mobile folks here work for my comfort :)

Peter Nowaks has a post about creating Managed Services in Windows Mobile by using .NET Compact Framework. He has created a managed library, hosted in CodePlex. His work is based on article by Pavel Bánský

Christopher Fairbairn also published a very handy library, which may help you creating a managed Today Screen Item.

Great work guys!

Links
Peter Nowaks on Creating Managed Services in Windows Mobile
Pavel Bánský on Creating Managed Services in Windows Mobile
Christopher Fairbairn on Creating Managed Today Screen Item

PowerShell Windows Mobile Provider

2008-06-09T12:30:00.001+03:00

I'm still interested in automating most of my daily dev tasks , because I am always behind the schedule.

A time ago I've publushed a post about a possible way to automate some windows mobile related tasks by using PowerShell and RAPI ( OpenNETCF wrapper implementation)

Oisin Grehan (Microsoft MVP) kindly informed me few days ago about the PowerShell Windows Mobile Provider developed by him. It is hosted in the CodePlex

It provides the following features:

Copy, Move, Delete items between folders on your device (including Storage Card) with standard PowerShell Cmdlets
Move/Copy files to/from your device and your desktop with ConvertTo-WMFile and ConvertFrom-WMFile
Get device information and manipulate and explore the registry with a rich device object returned from Get-WMDevice
Invoke-Item against remote items to or execute or trigger their associated applications
Invoke-Item with -Local switch to attempt to execute a remote file in the context of your local desktop (e.g. office docs or images/videos)
New "Mode" attributes specific to Windows Mobile file attributes: (I)nRom, Rom(M)odule
File/Folder objects' attributes can be modified with .Attributes properties just like FileInfos etc.
Tab completion with MoW's PowerTab

Links

PowerShell Windows Mobile Provider on Oisin Grehan's Blogs
PowerShell Windows Mobile Provider on CodePlex
Neil Cowburn on Windows PowerShell,RAPI and devices's GAC
RAPI and PowerShell on My Blog

My PPT files from Microsoft Days 2008 in Sofia

2008-05-11T22:40:00.000+03:00

I've just uploaded my PowerPoint presentarions files from Microsoft Days 08 in Sofia

The presentations are targeted toward Bulgarian speaking audience.

Links
PowerPoint presentarions files

Microsoft Days 2008

2008-03-08T13:57:00.007+02:00

You may register for the Microsoft Days 2008 in Sofia from the event's web site. It will be held on 24 and 25 April 2008 at the Inter Expo Center. The event is payed this year (again), however you will be able to hear about the latest Microsoft products and technologies for the 2 days of the event. There will be a great prizes this year - check out the detail on the Martin's blog.

If you are in the mobile development check out my sessions or just come and say 'Hi'. My sessions this year will be :

Mobile Development with Visual Studio 2008 and Compact Framework 3.5
I will talk about the latest Microsoft development tools in the mobile area. This includes the new features in CF 3.5 , the tools included in VS2008 and some of the newest SDKs and APIs

Windows Mobile for Developers
I will talk about the various features provided by Windows Mobile 6, which makes it the ultimate mobile platform these days. I will outline the features, which every developer shoud know in order to sqweese the best of it. We will discuss device security, management and provisioning and even more "trivial" features like Today screen, Auto Start, Services,Registry ,etc.

Although the time of the sessions will be limited, you may drop a comment of you like me to cover a particular topic.

Robotic arm may help disabled people

2008-02-23T13:31:00.008+02:00

I'm usually avoiding to blog about robotics on this blog, althought robotics is one of my favourite tech areas.
I have seen a lot of news/articles about robotic arms, but this video just striked me. It shows functional tests of a robotic arm from DEKA (still in development) and it looks pretty amazing.
They called it the Luke's arm, because its creators was inspired by the artificial arm of Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars movie.

Links
Check out the video
Short article about the arm

Visual Studio 2008 Web Dev Hot Fix

2008-02-21T21:13:00.002+02:00

I just noticed there is a hot fix for Visual Studio 2008.
The patch fixes number of issues related to the Web Development.
So if you are unsatisified from the VS2008 HTML Designer poor performance go and get it.

Links
Download link
Info about this hot fix on the ScottGu's Blog
Info about this patch on the Visual Web Developer Team's blog

Sony Ericsson and Windows Mobile

2008-02-20T12:39:00.003+02:00

Sony Ericsson announced a Windows Mobile based device, called XPERIA X1.

Quote from the official press release:

Sony Ericsson XPERIATM X1 – energised communication, the premium experience.

Convergence of multimedia entertainment and mobile Web communication

Unique arc slider with wide pitch easy-to-use QWERTY keyboard

XPERIA™ panels - arrange as you want for easy access

Enjoy multimedia entertainment on bright wide VGA display

Windows Mobile® capabilities

XPERIA™ panel interface – experiences just the way you want themEnjoy access to different experiences – Web, multimedia, applications – from your desktop. Navigate with the tip of your finger. Configure and have your XPERIA™ panels just the way you want them.

Multiple navigation – the choice is yoursXPERIA™ X1 lets you interact with yourphone in different ways. Touch, full QWERTY keyboard, 4-way key and optical joystick navigation. Switch seamlessly between operation modes.

Arc slider design – makes it stand outThe arc design gives a distinct and unique feel. Slide the screen upwards to reveal the wide pitch QWERTY keyboard. Ample distance between keys makes writing fast and easy.

Ultimate mobile experience – performance on the moveWith Windows Mobile®, the highest data transfer rate (HSDPA/HSUPA) and WiFi™ support, you can enjoy your favourite entertainment and work efficiently on the move. Mobile access to everything that is important to you. aGPS gives you the freedom to explore the world. XPERIA™ X1 is a premium mobile experience.

Via Jason Langridge's blog

Links
Official press release
XPERIA X1 web page

My Top 10 Posts for 2007

2008-02-19T16:39:00.004+02:00

I had to do this summary long ago and finally found some spare time:

Following are my top(by number of visits) ten posts:
1.Resolved: Explorer crash on Vista
2.CCR(Concurrency and Coordination Runtime) samples
3.Sql Server 2005: Change schema for all tables
4.“How to” Series: Automating Windows Mobile with Windows PowerShell
5.Visual Studio Toolbox Icons Mess
6.Configuring Symbol MK1100 Micro-Kiosk
7.NET Compact Framework: Mutex vs Critical Section
8.Visual Studio 2008: Device Security Manager
9.Windows Mobile Device Management
10."How To" Series: Retrieving IMSI and IMEI on Windows Mobile

Obviously my most visited posts are not related to the mobile development - May be it's time to change my focus...

Sofia. NET Group Monthly Meeting (Nov 2007)

2007-11-28T10:17:00.001+02:00

We will have our regular monthly meeting on 29.Nov.2007(Thursday) at 18:30 in the local Microsoft office.
Galin Ilivev will talk about IIS7 and will cover the following topics:

1. New tools in IIS7 as well as new administration options
2. New tracing and diagnostics options
3. New integration pipeline
4. Deep example that:

use custom IIS module written in C#
extend IIS configuration schema
extend IIS Manager by adding UI component>

See you there!

When Compact Framework fails to make HttpWebRequest ...

2007-11-28T10:10:00.000+02:00

Andrew Arnott has an interesting post about a bug found in CF.NET . It may fail to call some web servers with the following error:
System.Net.WebException: Unable to read data from the transport connection.

Want to know why? See the details here...

(via .NET Compact Framework Team's blog)

Microsoft Days in the universities

2007-11-03T13:15:00.000+02:00

A series of "Microsoft Days" events will be held in the local(Sofia) universities as follows:
5 Nov 2007 : Technical University, Sofia , 10:00h, hall 2140, block 2
see the agenda
6 Nov 2007 : Colledge of Telecommunications and Posts
see the agenda
18 Nov 2007: University if Sofia,The Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics
see the agenda

I will talk about the newest additions in the Microsoft's mobile technology stack. The session is called "Mobile Development with .NET Compact Framework 3.5". Be there if you're starving to see what to expect from Visual Studio 2008 when dealing with mobile applications