DevBlog

Developers love to steal other people's code. After all, the problem I'm trying to solve right now has probably already been solved by someone else. Why can't I just get their code and plug it in, maybe with some minor changes? If that code has a copyright on it, I can't do that. There are many web sites where people post sample code that you can use. Microsoft has just opened theirs. It's called Code Gallery. I browsed through the gallery. There's already quite a bit there and you can add to it.

After a long wait, Microsoft has released the Sedna components for Visual FoxPro. Sedna is a collection of libraries, samples and add-ons to Visual FoxPro 9.0 SP2. It contains six components: VistaDialogs4COM, Upsizing Wizard, Data Explorer, NET4COM and MY for VFP and DDEX for VFP. Full source code is also included.

You can download Sedna here.

The release of Sedna completes announced work on VFP from Microsoft. However, there are a number of issues with SP2 and lots of requests from the community for an SP3. Hopefully Microsoft will listen.

VisionPace is holding another VFP Boot Camp! If you're just getting into VFP, this is a great place to get going quickly. While I've never attended one, I've heard good things about it.

The next VFP Boot Camp will be in Kansas City, Missouri, February
25-27, 2008

Registration ends on February 6, 2008 for the highly-acclaimed VFP
Boot Camp. This event delivers three jam-packed days of solid,
hands-on learning. From the fundamentals of VFP development through
the very latest VFP 9.0 features, this boot camp is designed to
quickly get your VFP skills up to speed. Attendees will receive a 500
page manual in both print and electronic format.

For more information visit
http://visionpace.com/developereducation.html or email
info@visionpace.com. To register call 888-904-7900.

Last month, Rich Schummer blogged about a new FoxPro magazine called FoxRockx that will begin publishing this quarter. I thought I'd add a bit of trivia about where the name came from.

As you may know, FoxPro history has several tools that were enhancements to existing ones, and each tool added an X to the name, Genscrn became GenscrnX, GenMenu became GenMenuX, Builder became BuilderX. Even the community run VFPX on CodePlex uses this name ends in X concept.

But that's not where FoxRockx came from. It was a typo, an accident. While at the German DevCon in November, Rainer approached several speakers to discuss the idea of starting a new magazine. We were sitting in the lobby of the conference hotel, brainstorming names and I was typing them into a search engine to see what URLs were available. I meant to type FoxRocks, but hit the X by accident. Just about all of us agreed that it was the perfect name, considering the history of ending things in X.

Voila...a magazine title is born.

Microsoft is gearing up to launch Visual Studio 2008, SQL Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008. The official world wide launch is February 27 in Los Angeles, but local launch events will be happening through May. For Salt Lake City, the launch event will be May 20 at the downtown Radisson. Register here.

If you're in the Salt Lake City area this Thursday, we'll be doing a Visual Studio Installfest for the .Net User Group. We have a VERY limited number of copies of Visual Studio 2008 Professional that we're giving away. Bring your laptop and sit down to start installing. Watch www.utahdnug.org for details.