learn .NET

Read the 5th chapter of Juval Löwy Progr. .NET Components today on versioning.

Covering both build and runtime (.net config) handling of versions of both components and framework in some detail. But also a well written section on the global assembly cache.

However I need more to be able to know when not to use the CopyLocal setting.

Read the 4th chapter of Juval Lowy Progr. .NET Components today on allocation/de-allocation of objects.

Good stuff about the managed heap, and he gives some hints about when the automatic garbage collection might not be correct to use.

There’s code examples in this chapter on finalize/dispose methods. And a general template that im for now placing in the looking to much backward critisim that i seen a few reviews mention.

With my limited experience of .NET the chapther its just to keep in mind that if I have a need to dispose of allocated resources myself its possible to do.

Read 3rd chapter of Juval Lowy Progr. .NET Components today on Interfaces. I have used implements in VB against external systems but havent written any interfaces myself.

He really likes them. I feel that I need some more arguments on why/when interfaces should be used.

A hard chapter, if I didnt have some knowledge/experience with C++ alongside with VB it would have been near to useless.

Did just browse the part about generics in this chapter.

Löwy is not quite consistent in this chapter not all examples are given with both C# and VB examples (some only C#). Also Microsoft is not as consistent in their implementation of inheritance syntax (abstract vs MustInHerit) and interface IDE-features in VB.NET that they could have been.

Took the skill assesment test
Introduction to Microsoft .NET for Developers: Microsoft Visual Basic® .NET
at
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/assessment/ind/default.asp

Got 63% (19 out of 30 questions), but most is 1 out of 5 choices some was lucky, did score lower on windows application section that I thought I would and there were several questions on .net remoting that I still know nothing about.

Did it back in mid-2005 and got 40% then, improvment was most noticable in web service section wich we have been doing a few off at work since then and in basic framework knowledge wich I have been reading up on.

Watched the demo and closing of the webcast with Jay Roxe today.
The demo was about 15 minutes I think and focused on click-once deployment, it wasnt worth the time. The closing however did give a link to the site hosted by Jay: VBRun: The Visual Basic 6.0 Resource Center http://msdn.microsoft.com/vbrun/

The resources i found most intresting the was a few free ebooks all seem to have been around a couple of years the ones from Apress didnt seem useful to me, but there were some from Microsoft Press also. I have downloaded the books

Introducing Visual Basic 2005 for Developers
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/books/073561587X/026-3544394-9303626

Upgrading Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 to Microsoft Visual Basic .NET
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/073561587X/026-3544394-9303626

The reviews of the first one seems divided, some think its an ok intro some think its just to microsoft-y. I will focus on the first chapter on the framework.

The second one I will browse,not for general upgrade info, but most interesting chapter is the ado to ado.net one.

Watched the first part of the
MSDN Webcast: A Tour of Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition [58:13 in total] tonight, it was presented by Jay Roxe a former developer that is now product manager for visual basic at microsoft.

Although I will probably use the pro version, it does contain a healthy perpective on what advantages there might be in starting with starting out the expressway and good information of new features for VB.NET2005 and it also contains a demo of some length (yet to be watched).

http://www.microsoft.com/events/developer.mspx

Read 2nd chapter of Juval Lowy Progr. .NET Components today, Some basics about CLR some I already knew. Very good stuff about namespaces and just-in-time compilation and he keeps a consistent line of comparing to old school com/dll that I do like.

I also made a mind note that intellisense is based on reflection

Using the Programming .NET Components (2nd edition with 2.0) by Juval Lowy to read in on some theory. Read 1st chapter today about component development benefits and changes since COM.

The book have excellent reviews at amazon and it looks like a good book for me.

For a intro to the .net framework i could recommend
the (for now) free microsoft e-learning course;
Course 4336: Upgrading from Microsoft® Visual Basic® 6.0: Introduction to the Microsoft .NET Framework
http://www.microsoftelearning.com/visualstudio2005/

I started off with watching a webcast with the keynote speech from the launch event last year.

Steve Ballmer, keynote speech from nov 7, 2005. [webcast 88 min]
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/applicationplatform/launch2005/default.mspx

Mainly an marketing show, but did show some features from the team system edition and a giggly girl using a web developer starter kit.

I have been working as a developer since 12 years back. In later year focus has been more on project/team-management, and I havent more than touched on .net development as an experience of my own.

I will make mondays my study day.