If you’ve got to serialize some data, especially in a binary format, it’s common to output the length of the data. This is useful for versioning, random access, knowing when you’re done reading the records, among other reasons. Therefore, you need to know the size of the data you’re going to serialize. There are a [...]

To celebrate how well C# 4.0 How-To is doing, I’m going to give away two free copies of the book! Here’s how it’s going to work: 1. Leave a comment on this post describing a project you’d like to build with C# 4. 2. I’ll pick two people from those comments at random. (Make sure [...]

InformIT has just published an interview with me where they asked me a bunch of questions related to C# 4.0 How-To. We got into the multicore future, Internet versus books, why C# programmers need to know about UAC, and a lot more. Check it out!

Well, it’s finally out! Amazon no longer lists the book as available for pre-sale, and it should be shipping to purchasers today or tomorrow. If you’re a B&N shopper, you can also order it there, or grab it in stores within a few days. From the product description: Real Solutions for C# 4.0 Programmers Need [...]

I’ve recently been learning WPF. This is a huge topic that is uncontainable by any single book, tutorial, or web-site. The complexity and breadth of this framework is nearly oppressive, but the results are incredible. Or rather, I should say, potentially incredible. My first book, C# 4.0 How-To is now shipping! If you like tips [...]

NDepend is a tool I’d heard about for years, but had yet to really dive into recently. Thanks to the good folks developing it, I was able to try out a copy and have been analyzing my own projects with it. Here’s a brief run-down of my initial experience with it. Installation There is no [...]

I’ve been having a great time at Microsoft over the last couple of months, but the ramp to full productivity is very steep. Recently, I’ve been working on an important improvement to some monitoring software, which requires a fairly good understanding of part of the system. It can be a little overwhelming trying to design [...]

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the kind of technology and scientific understanding that would need to go into a computer like the one on the Enterprise in Star Trek, and specifically its interaction with people. It’s a computer that can respond to questions in context—that is, you don’t have to restart in every [...]

I had been planning on writing a blog entry on the apparently sad state of our CS industry these days, and the complete lack of qualified American resumes that come across my desk, when we actually got a decent one today. Still, there is much to be said about the poor quality of education. At [...]

My last post was well and good (definitely read the comments), but I think I should be serious about my new employer because I really am excited to work there. Here are some reasons why: The opportunity to work with people smarter than me. The chance to meet some of the people I admire in [...]