This refers to a problem that arose when converting a Microsoft Visual Studio 2003 solution to a Visual Studio 2005 solution using the Conversion Wizard.

Background: We have several samples that we are shipping with our upcoming CTP. Because the outputted binary is included as part of the integration build I included it in the project so that I could check the whole set in at the same time without having to find the files in Windows Explorer (I use the Ankh VS plugin for SVN). This has worked fine up until now.

Problem: Yesterday QA came back to me with an odd bug: When one of the samples that I recently created was opened on a machine with only VS2005 installed and the project (which is shipped as a VS03 project) was run through the conversion wizard, it failed to build with the following error:

Error 1 Unable to copy file "C:\Documents and Settings\redfive\Desktop\Samples\Smart Stock\bin\Debug\SmartStock.exe" to "bin\Debug\bin\Debug\SmartStock.exe". Could not find file 'C:\Documents and Settings\redfive\Desktop\Samples\Smart Stock\bin\Debug\SmartStock.exe'. SmartStock

Strange.

Issue: It turns out that problem was the above mentioned inclusion of the output binaries in the solution file. When the Conversion Wizard ran it added the property "Copy if newer" to SmartStock.exe. This caused the build to fail.

Resolution: Remove the reference to the exe in the project. This shortcut works fine if your solution is going to only be used in VS03 or VS05 but as described above it will fail on conversion.

(this posted so that anyone googling the same problem will get a hit, unlike I did!)

Willy-Peter blogged about the upcoming SAF on the 3rd April here in JHB (2nd April in Durbs and 30th March in CT). Here are some other pertinent links:

1. What Wikipedia has to say about SaaS
2. SaaS predictions from around the Web
3. Microsoft's official SaaS site
4. Jürgen Pfeifer's (the main speaker) blog
5. Jürgen's slides for the event
6. Kevin Sangwell's blog (the second speaker)

So what is SaaS? And where did SOA, last years Golden Child, go? Brian Lyttle from SourceFoundy.co.uk sums it up thusly:

"Software as a Service is not a new concept or term. There is a lot of serious research material on the subject. See http://www.service-oriented.com/publications/index.html. My undergraduate dissertation was supervised by members of that academic group.

SaaS is the academic terminology for SOA, which is in turn the use of web services to loosely couple components and applications. SOA was slow to take off since the vendors - Microsoft, IBM, BEA etc forgot to include some useful things like security before releasing the first round of tools. Marketing want to use a new term for future releases to distinguish themselves from previous efforts.

The problem with all this is that SaaS is an abstract software research term that involves until now, theoretical items such as software agents through to orchestration (BPELWS/BizTalk).

Most of this is beyond the comprehension of many Web developers and designers, since it’s operating system level complexity with associated power at the Internet level. Microsoft just make tools, like Indigo (Windows Communication Foundation) that make this stuff usable for normal people.

That said, I think a lot of this stuff is looking for an application, rather than solving the problems that 80% of people experience. Most people can get by integrating apps with some simple XML over HTTP."

Personally, I would recommend going to the SAF. It should be interesting to see the Microsoft take on things, and I am sure there will be lots of interesting people there to meet and chat to. Just don't buy into marketing and don't change your current direction because some really smart guy from Microsoft told you to. SaaS may be exactly what you have been searching for all these years - if it is let me know, I am currently available as a SaaS Consultant ;)