The Task: Async and Await in a Windows Runtime World

In my last blog post, I covered how to wrap your arms around the Task class and its relationship to the new async and await keywords. I mentioned that the post was focused on the .NET Framework only because the Windows Runtime handles these operations differently. In this post, I’ll cover what those differences are.…

Sample Applications from Designing Silverlight Business Applications

I’ve received a few emails regarding the book that the code files are not available from the publisher website. I’ve spoken with the publisher about this and they are working to correct it, but I wanted to provide a link for those of you who have been patiently waiting. As a backup to the main…

Using NuGet PowerShell to Replace Missing Macros in Dev 11

When I first heard that macros were being dropped from Dev 11 I was gobsmacked. (I just love that world!) While the macro story up to Visual Studio 2010 wasn’t great because we couldn’t write macros in our .NET language of choice, I expected the situation would start getting better and was saddened when the…

.NET and Metro: The Windows Runtime and the CLR on Windows 8

Many developers tend to look at Windows 8 as a completely new platform and even question whether it heralded the imminent demise of managed code. After spending many months digging into the Windows Runtime (WinRT), Metro style or “tailored” applications, and exploring how they related to the .NET Framework, I’ve come to the conclusion that…

What’s New in SOS for .NET 4.5?

One of these days Microsoft will release a version of .NET where we don’t have to worry about memory. HA! Who am I kidding!? All you worry about in a .NET application is the memory. Naturally, I personally never want Microsoft to come out with the memory worry free .NET because I’d be out of…

Windows 8 Icons: Segoe UI Symbol

Here’s a quick and easy tip for developing Windows 8 Metro applications. Are you looking for decent icons to use in your Application Bar? Windows 8 makes it incredibly easy by using the built-in Segoe UI Symbol font. There are tons of icons embedded in the font that are perfect for using in your applications.…

Fixing Stuck/Hung Build in TFS Preview and Dev 11 Beta Build Server

Realizing I hadn’t updated my build server that ran against TFS Preview to the Beta Dev 11 TFS, I upgraded the machine and ran into a problem. The first queued build stuck and could not be canceled or deleted from the queue, thus blocking all builds. With an on premises TFS you can go into…

Windows 8 Consumer Preview 101

It’s finally here! Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you have heard the buzz around the Windows 8 Consumer Preview. If you haven’t had the opportunity to grab it and install it, I suggest you browser over to this link now and download your copy! There are many exciting new features, and this post…

Programmatically uninstalling Silverlight Out-Of-Browser Application

Every once in a while there comes a need to provide a mechanism to uninstall your application programmatically.   For Silverlight Out-Of-Browser applications , there seemed to be no way to accomplish it.  Fortunately, there’s a work-around that trusted OOB applications running in Windows can use. Silverlight OOB applications are launched via the “sllauncher.exe” command.  And…

Windows 8: The Facts about ARM, Metro, and the Blue Stack

Many eyes will be focused on Barcelona on February 29, 2012 when Microsoft releases the Windows 8 Consumer Preview or what many are calling the beta version of the new platform. You’ve probably heard quite a bit about the Metro interface. It has design roots in Zune, Windows Media Center, and Windows Phone. It presents…