Peter Bromberg's UnBlog

I’ve seen some discussion threads about doing things like putting VistaDb (a 100% managed code database) into a Silverlight app. Most of this was wishful thinking, IMHO. If you are going to put a database into a Silverlight app, obviously the data file(s) need to go in IsolatedStorage. So that’s one hurdle – handling file access. And VistaDb is kind of on the large side for inclusion in a Silverlight app that’s designed to download into the browser. I took a look at SharpHsql , which a much simpler managed – code database effort that has had its ups and downs since being ported from the JAVA implementation.  I tried ripping out the Provider (which depends on System.Data – not present in Silverlight Framework) and thought I was making progress, but then I saw that there were still too many other dependencies on stuff from the full Framework that just isn’t there in Silverlight, so I gave up for now. However, I still think this is an idea that has merit. Think of a notetaking app...

Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate. – Thomas Jones I’ve downloaded some very simple “one page” zipped or rar-ed Silverlight demos that were 1MB and larger. If you remove all the .dll and .pdb files from such a solution, you save about 2.5 MB before you compress it. If you use tools like Resharper, and you remove all the Resharper – related files, you’ll save even more.  Remember, not everybody uses Resharper! The last one I downloaded was a one -pager Silverlight .rar that weighed in at nearly 1 MB. It also had the Resharper files in it. After I did the above cleanups and re-rared it, it was only 43Kb! D00ds! Almost 1 MB vs only 43K after cleanup! When you load and build one of these  “cleaned up” demo or tutorial solutions like this, all of the assemblies and pdb files will be regenerated perfectly. You do not need to distribute all this baggage with your demo! Computers run on electricity. And electricity comes from coal, oil, or gas (and sometimes the hot ...

The "bottom line" (you can read all the gory details after this): 1) I DO NOT recommend installing Visual Studio 2008 SP1 Beta and / or .NET Framework 3.5 SP1. There are simply too many issues and fragile fixes. Just wait until all this stuff gets fixed and save yourself a lot of headaches and lost time. 2) I DO recommend installing Silverlight 2 Beta 2, the Tools, the documentation, and Blend June 2008 Preview. Just be very careful about the ServiceProxy assembly issue mentioned at the end of this post, as it seems to be able to occur whether or not you choose to try the Service Pack route. Well, 2 out of 3 ain’t so bad! I got SL2B2, the Visual Studio Tools and Blend June Preview on 2 out of 3 PCs and everything is working beautifully. On the third PC (the one at the office, which of course had to wait until Monday June 9, unless you stayed very late Friday night) however, I ran into the below issue: Method 'SelectSilverlightProject' in type 'Microsoft.VisuaS...

NOTE: Since this post has been a "work in progress", updated links are found starting at the nota bene number 2. You want "Silverlight_Chainer.exe". Jeesh! I don’t know why they seem to make this stuff so hard to find. Here they are, more later ( go to the bottom for more recent links, including the "chainer")   Silverlight 2 Beta 2 Download (4.66 MB) Silverlight 2 Beta 2 Documentation (50.3 MB) Have fun!   At this point I haven’t been able to locate links for the Silverlight 2 Beta 2 Visual Studio Tools, or the June Preview of Expression Blend.  You would think what with Tech Ed and all that Microsoft would be scrambling to get these links up on the Silverlight.net site, but – hey, that’s progress, huh? if you happen to be reading this and you find the Tools or other links before I do and update this post, leave a comment with the hyperlink  so we can do a service to the .NET Developer community. N.B. – The latest from MS at the Silverlight.net...

Yesterday, the Senate began what is expected to be a week-long, contentious debate over legislation to combat global warming by mandatory reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. You can read up on my post re the World Bank’s experiments with carbon credit trading to see how this is likely to pan out. President Bush said that the measure amounted to "a huge spending bill fueled by tax increases" and that it "would impose roughly $6 trillion in new costs on the American economy." It isn’t just that the alarmists are trumpeting climate model results that we know must be wrong. It is that they are predicting catastrophes that couldn’t happen even if the models were right, in order to justify costly policies to try to prevent global warming. The average person conflates alarmism with science – the Senate and House of Representatives being no exception. The results can be tremendously misguided and dangerous legislation. Meanwhile, a U.N. FAO repor...

Cows (livestock) produce 18 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions, more than all the cars and trucks on earth. -- U.N. report I've been watching the buzz around Silverlight 2 Beta 1 since it came out, and there's a new beta that will be out this week (yes, I was the guy that asked Scott Guthrie when it would be released at the MVP Summit conference).  If you look at my "Playground" short url site with a Silverlight tag query, IttyUrl.net , you'll see hundreds of new Silverlight - related links, as developers and pundits post their creations, articles, and streaming videos to show what they've learned and to share their techniques. The underlying Silverlight technologies (XAML/WPF/WCF and .NET) are encouraging client-side Windows developers to think beyond boring forms apps and get into the promising world of vector graphics with 3D, streaming HD media and "animated everything". Microsoft is simply extending existing proven technology to  enc...