Not Necessarily Dot Net

Real World Dojo part 5: Custom Components

2008-10-28T21:47:00Z

Dojo has its own built-in system for creating your own server-side controls. It's (arguably) better to use that than, say, creating a .NET user control....(read more)

Real World Dojo part Four: User Feedback

2008-10-23T22:13:00Z

You have to let the user know what's going on. That's one of the main points, isn't it?...(read more)

Real World Dojo part Three: AJAX

2008-10-23T21:19:00Z

I've avoided this as long as possible. It's time to bite the bullet and do some AJAX....(read more)

Real World Dojo part Two: File Upload

2008-10-15T06:05:00Z

The basics of using the new file uploader...(read more)

Real World Dojo part One: Form Validation

2008-10-14T22:18:00Z

Real World Dojo, part One (Basic Validation) The Scenario: I’ve kind of been nibbling around the edges of Dojo for a while, but I’m at a place in this project where I really need to buckle down and learn it. Since I’m having so much trouble finding real-life examples of the basics, I figured I’d share what I’m coming across. I have a very simple proof-of-concept form that shows the basics of the one that forced me to buckle down. It looks like this: <head> <title>Validation Test (raw...(read more)

Manipulating the DOM with Dojo

2008-10-08T12:46:00Z

This is the area where jQuery rules the roost. Or so everything I've read tells me. So, how does Dojo stack up? Still running this in parallel with Kyle's series: Setting the contents of an element // Convenience function to hide query details var element = dojo.byId('whatever'); element.innerHTML = "Change to this"; Or you could chain it jQuery style: dojo.byId('whatever').innerHTML = "Change to this"; Really just a matter of personal preference and what...(read more)

Selectors in Dojo

2008-10-06T20:09:00Z

I'm still going back and forth in my mind about dojo vs. jquery. So far, I've been able to table that question, but it's getting to a point where I won't be able to much longer. Kyle's recent posts made me think about writing up something similar about dojo, so I could have something a little more concrete to compare side-by-side....(read more)

VB.NET vs C#

2008-08-03T19:07:00Z

On the Google App Engine mailing list (of all places...in case you don't know, that's a python-only platform), I ran across this exchange recently: > > VB.NET is inelegant. > yeah I know I have C# it's more advanced, Now, this is one of those common stereotypes that irritate me. So I figured it was time to take a stick to that dead horse again....(read more)

Net Neutrality

2008-07-21T21:20:00Z

I'm on an unrelated mailing list with several non-technical people. Every once in a while, the topics swirl around to Net Neutrality. Most people don't have enough background knowledge to even begin to understand the issues involved. This is my attempt to explain by analogy. This article isn't technical enough to be here, but it it's *way* too technical for that list. So it winds up here....(read more)

Some Open Source Ajax Frameworks

2008-07-19T22:17:00Z

I finally got another excuse to look at Open Source AJAX frameworks. Nothing in-depth, just skimming the surface and deciding what I want to look at in-depth....(read more)

Linq to SQL Designer Weirdness

2008-06-24T15:01:00Z

The Linq to SQL designer that's built into Visual Studio 2008 is pretty, and a huge improvement over what Microsoft's provided before, in terms of data modelling. I haven't used enough other OR/M's to really have an opinion about how it measures up to other products. But it does have its issues. For one thing, it seems to magically cache its schema somewhere internal. So you better have your database design pretty much set in stone before you start actually doing any data access....(read more)

Linq to SQL with multiple databases

2008-06-18T20:49:00Z

I think I've mentioned that I'm working on a project that dips its fingers into databases all over the place. Its main goal is to eliminate all the systems we have around that are also doing this. If it has to be done at all (and, really, it does), it should only happen once. One of the biggest issues I've run across while doing this is that Linq to SQL just does not play nice with multiple data contexts. If you're working with 3 different databases, that's 3 different connections...(read more)

Some Initial Thoughts on Google App Engine

2008-06-06T01:19:00Z

More like observations, really. There's nothing here that's new or interesting, if you've been following it at all. But, if you've been mildly curious and haven't taken the time to really read anything at all, this may be worth your time. I was really excited about the app engine beta. But that's mainly because I like messing around with new tools and technologies. And, unlike a lot of people I know, I consider it valuable to branch out into areas which most likely won't...(read more)

First Impressions of Web2py

2008-05-14T01:51:00Z

It kicks ass. There's a video that demonstrates web2py and Google appengine that pretty much says it all. If you're like me, and you'd rather read a set of step-by-step instructions than watch a video, this is for you. (OK, this is actually for me when I start a new project 6 months down the road and have forgotten how to do this stuff). Go to the Google SDK Download page . Get the Linux/Other Platforms one. Doesn't matter what platform you're actually running. I've seen weird...(read more)

Initial Thoughts on Google App Engine

2008-05-09T00:03:00Z

If you haven't heard of Google App Engine by now, you've probably been living under a rock. I won't try to explain it, or even include any links. Go check out what google has to say about it: it's intriguing, at the very worst. It's really the first step toward the distributed web as a viable application platform. Sure, the web's been an application platform for years now. I ran across an article (sorry, I don't have a link to it) about a year back that predicted 3 phases...(read more)