So I was finally getting back around to reading a few of the blogs that I do.  One of the blogs I check out semi-frequently is Brad Abrams.  I regret it has been so long because he has a few entries that are must reads.  The first is Framework Design Guidelines for LINQ and the second is about some Great New Silverlight Control Skins.

Also if you haven’t checked it out, go read up on the DropThings Project.

So that is it for my keeping up today.  Got some code to write so back in it.

I’ve never had to actually utilize the custom extension build provider or http handler in .NET since way way back pre-2.0.  Well that came up again and I went to messing with it and came to the conclusion that it is slightly different now.  What I had to do to get HTML pages to build and render as HTML just like ASPX is below.  Kind of funny trying to get build-able HTML to render HTML?  There is some type of paradox or something there.  doh!

First I added the httpHandler below with the buildProvider.  That was it, nothing else to configure really.  When deploying make sure the server (IIS) handles this correctly.  Other than that, to create *.aspx pages out of *.html pages this is it.

  <compilation debug=”true”>           <add extension=”.html” type=”System.Web.Compilation.PageBuildProvider” />       </compilation>       <add verb=”\*” path=”\*.html” type=”System.Web.UI.PageHandlerFactory” /> Now when you’re creating these HTML / ASPX pages there are a few tricks to simplify things.  First off, don’t select HTML out of the menu of templates when you are creating new pages.  Instead create the \*.aspx pages just like you normally would, the difference is, you just rename the file.  That way all of the properly placed markup is in the file for you already, and if you want to select a custom master page you can do so and not have to worry about the markup either. With some of the things I’m doing with ASP.NET MVC I think this would be a grand idea also, as the restful services, clean paths, and other things are used, developers should also nix the \*.aspx extension and just run the things as \*.html.  Since really, that is the way it was meant to be, and that is what it’s all about! del.icio.us Tags: [PageBuildProvider](http://del.icio.us/popular/PageBuildProvider),[PageHandlerFactory](http://del.icio.us/popular/PageHandlerFactory),[buildProvider](http://del.icio.us/popular/buildProvider),[httpHandlers](http://del.icio.us/popular/httpHandlers),[aspx](http://del.icio.us/popular/aspx),[html](http://del.icio.us/popular/html),[compilation](http://del.icio.us/popular/compilation),[ASP.NET](http://del.icio.us/popular/ASP.NET) Technorati Tags: [PageBuildProvider](http://technorati.com/tags/PageBuildProvider),[PageHandlerFactory](http://technorati.com/tags/PageHandlerFactory),[buildProvider](http://technorati.com/tags/buildProvider),[httpHandlers](http://technorati.com/tags/httpHandlers),[aspx](http://technorati.com/tags/aspx),[html](http://technorati.com/tags/html),[compilation](http://technorati.com/tags/compilation),[ASP.NET](http://technorati.com/tags/ASP.NET)

I got to thinking about my work patterns and what I’ve been getting accomplished.  It far exceeds what I thought I would be remotely doing 10 years ago, even 5 years ago I’ve blown away my wildest “reasonable” expectations of the future.  In some cases I’ve clean knocked down my “dream scenarios” of what I wanted to be doing in 5 years.  The only problem now as I move forward at light speed is, what’s up for the next 2 years, 5 years, and beyond.  It always helps to live in the here and now if I know which here and now I want to live in, and to know that one needs to know which direction they’re going.  The irony of rockers always saying, “ya gotta live in the here and now!”  What a paradox.

Currently I’m working diligently on Web Analytics at my current employer WebTrends, and I might add they’re doing a great job and I’m having a blast working on the various projects I’m contributing to.  I’m also working on several side projects, as anyone that speaks to me outside of work knows, and they’ve gotten to a place were I’m actually focused again and not under the gun.  For the last few weeks, WebTrends, life, side projects, and the lack of getting a single beer to just slow down and unwind was about to leave me unwound.  It seems, when it rains it pours, is definitely a truism.

finally though, things have wound down a little bit and I’ve taken today and tomorrow as a vacation day.  My plans are to get things straightened out and see what direction I’m heading on a few of my side projects, think about my heading for WebTrends, and just things in general.  I’m also intending to get that beer and just unwind Friday night with the regular crew of .NETters and other PDXers that I normally chill with.  So if you’re reading this, drag yourself downtown to Berbatti’s or Bailey’s this Friday night and come and have a beer or three and let’s talk.

Other than that, the remainder of this entry is just collections of rambling thoughts and odd conversations here and there.

My WebTrends Strategies

First off, I’m going to have a ton more blog entries based upon my work from a technical aspect at WebTrends.  I’ll also probably write more about the directions the various teams and I will push forward technologies for implementation for existing and new customers.  With the momentum we’re building these days we’re going to have some huge, and awe inspiring projects in the very near term.

One of the projects that I’m working on is checking out various partnerships and how we can integrate even better.  One of the things I’m really stoked about is working with SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services) and prospectively more work with SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services).  On that note I’m starting to check out what is going to be coming down the pipe with SQL Server 2008 and how we can build things that currently work with SQL Server 2005 but will easily migrate to 2008.  Most reporting services and integration services work seems like it will be a fairly straight migration path.

In addition to this I have a brown bag lunch team that I meet with and we’re working on some secret stuff.  Hopefully we’ll be able to release it to the world in about 1-2 months.  That you’ll just have to stay tuned for.

Personal Projects or Coterie

The groups of people I’ve been working with and organizing in my spare time is growing.  Hopefully we’ll be a truly full fledged team that can develop at the drop of a dime (figuratively).  We’re definitely getting stronger and the more connections I’m making the easier it is to put together full fledged projects in extremely short order.  It is truly amazing what can be done with multiple, extremely high level, competent people.  We’re not missing any of our John Galt Persons (Yeah, it IS an Atlas Shrugged reference).

Code Projects and Efforts

The other thing that I’ve actually wedged a little time back into my day for is the ASP.NET MVC.  I do believe this can definitely take a ton of projects by storm and allow for a massively more maintainable and prospectively easier to scale web applications.  But we’ll see as time moves forward, so far, things seem to be pointing in the direction I’m thinking they’ll head.

I’m done rambling on now, I’ll be back with topical content soon enough, but for now all I wanted to do was just to sit and reflect for a few and get a bearing.

[RANT ON]

Open Letter to Microsoft…

I am thoroughly pissed at how ineffectively IE7 handles standard CSS, HTML, and ECMA Compliant JavaScript.  It is absolutely atrocious.  I recently put together a site that is compliant (it works in EVERY other browser out, Firefox, Safari, Opera, and even Konquerer) to these standards and now am stuck with IE7’s mystical “it doesn’t work” problems.  It places invisible “somethings” over things on certain web forms that won’t allow them to function because one can’t click on them.

In addition to that, on sites that REQUIRE IE, such as SharePoint and other Microsoft related sites Internet Explorer routinely just crashes.  No flash, no active x, just regular old CSS, HTML, and Javascript.  BWAM! CRASH! THUD! KUPLUNK!  Even Visual Studio 2008 produces tons of compliant CSS and HTML, and even Javascript, that IE7 doesn’t particularly work well with but Firefox, Opera, and Safari work spectacularly with.  What gives?

Please Microsoft.  You dev tools are top notch, the languages (C#, F#) are great, even the OSs are ok, and the usability on many tools is definitely pretty good (re: Office 07) – but PLEASE fix the blasted browser already.  I, along with thousands of other developers around the world, are sick and tired of this non-sensible mess.  It’s easy, just fix it.  There are thousands of MS employees, SOMEBODY should be able to fix these problems.

Thanks,

[RANT OFF]

So I’ve been going nuts lately, literally not having even a moment in the afternoon for a beer after work.  Next week though I’m going to have a beer after work for sure!  The insanity of tons of work is ebbing finally.

The next big things I have going on that I’ll definitely be blogging about (the second the excess work subsides a bit) is WebTrends Analytics, definitely some of the ASP.NET MVC, and some other unit testing topics.  It has been too long since I’ve been able to sit back and actually concentrate on some of the current tech coming out and working more with some of the design patterns I’ve wanted to play around with.  In the coming days though I’ll definitely have that coming right here to this loosely coupled mess of a blog.

I’ll also have a few rants coming down the pipe soon, based mainly on Demming (the statistician) and how to and not to run a software project.