Well, not really a new job as such but there will be a change from being a contractor to be permanent working at Shoprite, the place I've been working the last two years. On the one side it might be an improvement - don't have to worry when the contract ends, pasy will stay the same each month even if I get sick or so, possibility of paid training (with strings attached argh) but on the other side it does mean a couple of bad things as well. Less flexibility in some respects and a whole lot of red tape (which I absolutely hate!)
Well, wish me luck.
I have to advise and help some other developers on BT 2004 issues but I don't know the product that well (came from a BT2002 background). Anyone else with some experience? The product seems much more comprehensive and I'd like to get more into it but its also so huge and 'undocumented' (typical) that its impossible to easily understand it.
Fot those not aware of it yet Microsoft has lauched a Smart Client Developer Center.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/smartclient/
I think I'll be spending some time there (if I can find any time to spend between all my other activities)
In recent years Windows has become much more stable than before. Generally you don't get things like the blue screen of death anymore or system crashes.
There is one big exception though. If something is screwy with your display card and/or drivers you are 'screwed'. My wife's machine (my previous one) keeps on freezing itself to death every now and then. Its like in dead, soos 'n mossie, does not even allow crtl-alt-del anymore. The only way to get is started again is a hard reset. So now I guess I'm bitching a bit about it.
It was running Windows 2000 Pro until this morning but I've decided that its time for a reinstall anyway so we might as well go XP. Lets hope XP can handle the 'crashes' better.
The video card is a MSI Geforce 2 MX400. Not a bad little card but obviously not the latest or greatest. The main problem with it is that the motherboard only supports AGP 2x and thus it is not running in full working mode(card supports 4x). Perhaps thats what causing the problem. If XP turns out not to be able to handle this combination as well then either the graphics card need to go or motherboard. Perhaps someone have or know of an older Slot1/socket 370 m/b (PIII) which supports AGP 4x) that I can take over at a very low fee (yeh right...)
Oh yes, and today I had to take off sick due to the stomach bug visiting....
I posted a new set of articles on our SADeveloper.net site. The second is just waiting for approval.
See the first one here
I got myself a new not - the Canon A80 digital camera!
Quess what I'll be doing this weekend :-D
A second article of mine got published in the MSDN flash of 31 May 2004. The article Threading in .NET basics was created more than two weeks ago.
Man! Seems people are starting to notice my 'stuff'.
Cool
What has become of this world. CPU's aint what they use to be. Heatsinks as well. Look at this monster of a heatsink!!
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=16247
Soon your motherboard would have the power to take off itself and fly around. Terminator here we come....