Few more thoughts on the Enterprise Library

When the Enterprise Library community extened the Application Blocks for more flexibility, they should have also done a couple of things. They should also given us the ability to short-circuit the configuration mechanism they use.

 

Database db = DatabaseFactory.CreateDatabase(..)

is somehing i wouln’t want if i just use SQL Server.

Wouldn’t it be nice if, I can also say

Database db = new SqlDatabase(…);

 

In other words, allow the user to choose the style.

 

Ya I know the former is more flexible, but if we do not need the flexibility why should we incur the performance overhead associated?

 

When Application Blocks became Enterprise Library

I liked the Application blocks of then, for their simpler design.

Positives:

• Flexibility

Negatives:

• Performance
• Interdependencies between application blocks
• Ease of understanding

I still don’t know if i am going to use the Enterprise Library Monster (as it is today). I would have definitely used it a couple of years back.

FISH

I just read Fish, over the weekend.

A short but excellent read on how to enjoy your work.

After all we spend close to 70% of the time (while we are awake) @ the work place doing work.

So we should enjoy what we do and have fun, is the Fish Philosophy.

The book was recommended by my Director.

 

"We do not have a choice about our work, but we have the choice of how to approach it and how to do it."

 

Talking about Provider Pattern

 Prakash is talking about the "Provider Pattern" – One of the most interesting features in ASP.NET 2.0

Quote

Provider Pattern
The pattern itself is exceedingly simple and is given the name "provider" since it provides the functionality for an API. Defined, a provider is simply a contract between an API and the Business Logic/Data Abstraction Layer. The provider is the implementation of the API separate from the API itself. For example, the new Whidbey Membership feature has a static method called Membership.ValidateUser(). The Membership class itself contains no business logic; instead it simply forwards this call to the configured provider. It is the responsibility of the provider class to contain the implementation for that method, calling whatever Business Logic Layer (BLL) or Data Access Layer (DAL) is necessary.

More here…
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnaspnet/html/asp02182004.asp
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnaspnet/html/asp04212004.asp
http://codeverity.com/blogs/tim_weaver/archive/2004/07/06/61.aspx
http://codebetter.com/blogs/jeffrey.palermo/archive/2005/04/04/128601.aspx
http://www.codeproject.com/dotnet/smartjobmanager.asp

Great .NET Books

Kirk Allen Evans a developer evangelist from MS talks about great .NET Books.

http://blogs.msdn.com/kaevans/archive/2006/06/12/628964.aspx

 

It should have been CLR Via C#, since the second edition is out.

Practical .NET 2 and C# 2 by Patrick Smaachia is also a nice book. I have started liking it.

.NET Web Services Architecture and Implemenation by Keith allinger is also a must have if you do Web Service development.

COM and .NET Component Services by Juval is a another gem if you care about COM+ development.

 

World Music Day

Today is World Music Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Music_Day

 

Listen to music, enjoy.

Unlocker

Nice tool, Very useful especially when you are annoyed by the file locking errors.

http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/

 

TechEd 2006 Webcasts

Cool
https://www1.msteched.com/content/webcasts.aspx.

Talking about Excessive Schedule Pressure

Wonderful article

Quote

Excessive Schedule Pressure

Schedule pressure appears to be endemic to software development. Many managers and customers defend their pressure tactics by referring to Parkinson’s Law, which states that work expands to fill the time available . “Give a developer 4 weeks to complete a task and he’ll deliver in 4 weeks, but give him 3 and he’ll deliver in 3.”

If Project Managers can force developers to deliver software 25% faster, shouldn’t we always apply schedule pressure? Shouldn’t this strategy be considered a best practice?

 

http://www.projectmangler.com/content/regular/art20051107.htm