It’s been an exciting first few months of 2011 and we’ve already seen several technology and tools releases from Microsoft.
Here is a collection of links related to these releases:
ASP.NET MVC 2 is now available for VS 2008/Visual Web Developer 2008 Express with ASP.NET 3.5.
Check out the following document to discover what’s new in ASP.NET MVC 2.
http://www.asp.net/learn/whitepapers/what-is-new-in-aspnet-mvc/
You can download ASP.NET MVC 2 using Microsoft Web Platform Installer or from the Download Center.
Note that the final release of VS 2010 and Visual Web Developer 2010 will have ASP.NET MVC 2 built-in; there’s no need for an additional install.
VS 2010 and .NET 4 release candidate is now available. You can download the RC from here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/dd582936.aspx
Initial feedback from the Twitter community seems to suggest that the RC is substantially faster.
Give it a go now!
Media Release
Mike
Murach & Associates has just published a new book entitled Murach’s JavaScript
and DOM Scripting.
This book is written for developers who want to know how to use JavaScript and DOM scripting to create websites that deliver the fast response times, dynamic user interfaces, and special effects that today’s users expect. Here are some highlights:
#1: Two books in one, it covers both JavaScript and DOM scripting
Most books cover either JavaScript or DOM scripting. But to create user-responsive
sites, you need to know both.
So the first half of this book is a course in JavaScript essentials. Then, the second half is a course in applied JavaScript, showing how to use DOM scripting to build applications that run slide shows, use drop-down menus, rotate headlines, sort tables, and provide animation.
As a result, web developers can gain basic to expert skills using a single book.
#2: It provides a fast start
Section 1 is a crash course in JavaScript. In fact, by the end of chapter 3, developers
will know how to code, test, and debug applications that include elementary DOM scripting.
Then, the rest of the book builds on those skills to cover all the JavaScript and
DOM scripting essentials.
#3: It shows how to create and use event-handling libraries for browser compatibility
One of the headaches of web programming is ensuring that the JavaScript code will
work with all the popular browsers.
So this book shows web developers how to create their own event-handling libraries of browser-compatible code. That training also enables them to appreciate...and profit from...the extensive libraries of tested code that are included in the downloadable applications for the book.
#4: It shows 20 complete applications that can be used as models for new apps
The key to mastering client-side web development is to have plenty of applications
that show how the features interact and what problems might occur in building a website.
So this book shows complete code for 20 professional applications, ranging from forms
validation to revolving slide shows.
These can be downloaded for free from the Murach website, so developers can experiment with them on their own.
#5: The paired-pages format lets developers set their own pace
Murach books have a distinctive format. Each two-page spread presents a single topic:
the lefthand page explains the topic, while the righthand page shows the critical
details, using syntax, code, screen shots, and how-to notes. Both beginning and experienced
developers find that this format makes it easy to focus on the information they need,
whether they’re using the book for training or reference.
Murach’s JavaScript and DOM Scripting is available directly from the publisher at www.murach.com and from all major retail outlets.
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Media Release
Mike
Murach & Associates has just published a new, C# edition of their popular ADO.NET
book.
Entitled Murach’s ADO.NET 3.5, LINQ, and the Entity Framework with C# 2008, it covers what today’s C# developer needs to know to create database applications the way the best professionals do. Here are some highlights:
#1: For rapid application development and prototyping...
This book shows how to use the ADO.NET tools, like data sources and the DataGridView
control, that enable developers to create working database applications in a minimum
of time, with a minimum of coding.
#2: For serious production applications...
This book shows how to go beyond the RAD tools, using heavy-duty ADO.NET coding and
object data sources to build 3-layer applications that consist of presentation, business,
and database classes.
#3: For incorporating LINQ into Windows and web applications...
This book has a 6-chapter section that’s a short course in LINQ, the .NET 3.5 feature
that provides a consistent way to query different types of data. This section covers
LINQ to Objects, LINQ to DataSet, LINQ to SQL, LINQ data source controls for web applications,
and LINQ to XML.
#4: For database programming with the Entity Framework...
This book gets developers going with the Entity Framework, the .NET 3.5 feature that
may change the way you do database programming. EF provides a flexible model for mapping
the business objects in an application to database objects, and it generates a lot
of the code that has to be written from scratch otherwise. A 4-chapter section shows
how to create an Entity Data Model and work with it using LINQ to Entities, Entity
SQL, and Entity data source controls for web applications.
#5: For training and reference: The “paired-pages” format...
This book uses Murach's standard format to present the content in 2-page spreads,
pairing a page of explanation with an illustrative page of syntax, screen shots, coding
examples, and bulleted guidelines. Developers report that this lets them read less
to get information faster, whether they use the book for training or reference.
Murach’s ADO.NET 3.5, LINQ, and the Entity Framework with C# 2008 is available directly from the publisher at www.murach.com and from all major retail outlets
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Media Release
Mike
Murach & Associates has just published a new edition of their popular ADO.NET
book.
Now entitled Murach’s ADO.NET 3.5, LINQ, and the Entity Framework with VB 2008, it covers what today’s Visual Basic developer needs to know to create database applications the way the best professionals do. Here are some highlights:
#1: For rapid application development and prototyping...
This book shows how to use the ADO.NET tools, like data sources and the DataGridView
control, that enable developers to create working database applications in a minimum
of time, with a minimum of coding.
#2: For serious production applications...
This book shows how to go beyond the RAD tools, using heavy-duty ADO.NET coding and
object data sources to build 3-layer applications that consist of presentation, business,
and database classes.
#3: For incorporating LINQ into Windows and web applications...
This book has a 6-chapter section that’s a short course in LINQ, the .NET 3.5 feature
that provides a consistent way to query different types of data. This section covers
LINQ to Objects, LINQ to DataSet, LINQ to SQL, LINQ data source controls for web applications,
and LINQ to XML.
#4: For database programming with the Entity Framework...
This book gets developers going with the Entity Framework, the .NET 3.5 feature that
may change the way you do database programming. EF provides a flexible model for mapping
the business objects in an application to database objects, and it generates a lot
of the code that has to be written from scratch otherwise. A 4-chapter section shows
how to create an Entity Data Model and work with it using LINQ to Entities, Entity
SQL, and Entity data source controls for web applications.
#5: For training and reference: The “paired-pages” format...
This book uses Murach's standard format to present the content in 2-page spreads,
pairing a page of explanation with an illustrative page of syntax, screen shots, coding
examples, and bulleted guidelines. Developers report that this lets them read less
to get information faster, whether they use the book for training or reference.
Murach’s ADO.NET 3.5, LINQ, and the Entity Framework with VB 2008 is available directly from the publisher at www.murach.com and from all major retail outlets.
###
ASP.NET MVC 1.0 has gone RTM!
The RTM release (which is not a great departure from the last RC release) now features the latest jQuery library (version 1.3.2).
As
the beta days of ASP.NET MVC are coming to end, Scott Guthrie has announced a
free end-to-end ASP.NET MVC tutorial in ebook form. The ebook is the first chapter
of a yet-to-be-released ASP.NET MVC book by Wrox. Scott Guthrie wrote the first
chapter of the book. The other contributors of the book are Scott Hanselman,
Rob Conery, and Phil Haack.
The ebook gives a nice end-to-end walkthrough in building a small, but complete ASP.NET MVC application from scratch. In particular, the application the tutorial builds is called “NerdDinner”. Download the source code and unit tests of the completed application at CodePlex.
Thanks Scott, for working so hard to make the chapter available for free to the community. As the other Scott (Scott Hanselman) said:
…the real applause goes to ScottGu who closed down Starbucks a number of times, working late into the night….
Media Release
Mike Murach and Associates has just published a 2008 edition of their bestselling SQL book, now entitled Murach’s SQL Server 2008 for Developers. It teaches how to create SQL queries and take advantage of powerful DBMS features (like views, stored procedures, functions, triggers, and cursors) the way the best professionals do.
This includes coverage of 2008 features like FILESTREAM storage, the MERGE statement, new date/time data types, the user-defined table type, the SPARSE attribute, filtered indexes, and more. But beyond that, this book has several features that make it different from most other SQL Server books.
#1: It’s written for application developers
Most developers squeak by with minimal SQL skills, not realizing all the time and
work they’d save by mastering SQL. Part of the reason for that is that many SQL books
are written for database administrators (DBAs), so developers pass them by. But this
book focuses on showing application developers the SQL that they need to harness the
power of the database.
#2: It starts off with how to query a database, not how to design one
Many SQL books start off with database design and performance. But if you’re an application
developer, the first thing you need to know is how to write queries. So that’s the
focus of the first 8 chapters in this book. It starts with simple queries, then moves
on to complex inner and outer joins, summary queries, and subqueries that do more
of the database processing so that your applications can do less.
#3: It lets developers expand into database design as they want to
After the thorough course in querying, this book shows how to create and implement
a database. This material is helpful for developers who have to set up small systems
on their own. And it provides a solid introduction to DBA skills for those interested
in that career path.
#4: It teaches the advanced features that top developers need
To complete the developer’s mastery of SQL, this book covers powerful DBMS features
like views, scripts, stored procedures, functions, triggers, cursors, transactions,
locking, and security. It teaches SQL features for handling XML and BLOB values. And
it shows how to use CLR integration to create database objects in applications using
C# or VB code.
#5: Coding examples provide models for a wide range of SQL jobs
One key to mastering SQL is to have plenty of coding examples that show how the features
work and what problems may occur as they’re used in everyday applications. And these
examples become more crucial as the code becomes more complex.
So besides showing sample code for all types of queries, this book also provides code for database maintenance jobs, for stored procedures, for handling XML and BLOB data, and for using CLR integration. This code can be downloaded for free from the Murach website.
#6: The paired-pages format lets developers set their own pace
Murach books have a distinctive format. Each two-page spread presents a single topic:
the lefthand page explains the topic, while the righthand page shows the critical
details, using syntax, code, screen shots, and how-to notes. Both beginning and experienced
developers find that this format makes it easy to focus on the information they need,
whether they’re using the book for training or reference.
Murach’s SQL Server 2008 for Developers is available directly from the publisher at www.murach.com and from all major retail outlets.
###
Microsoft has recently released a new free ASP.NET server control that can be used with ASP.NET 3.5! The controls can be used in both WebForms and MVC-based pages. Note that there are also WinForms equivalents for the charting control.
For download links and more information about the charting control, check out Scott Guthrie's blog.
