DragonStyle

I'm just testing a Google map

If you'd like to see something slick, go ahead and double click on this map, or drag around using the mouse. It's interactive! Pretty sweet.

View Larger Map

 

Technorati Tags: Windows Live Writer,Google Maps

FTW

This might be Bonnie's first time being referred to as a Rogue Ninja, but this is my third. I can't talk about the other two, though. 

This weekend? Ninja BBQ

Technorati Tags: Ninja, Writer

.Net LinkLabel LinkArea Problem in Thai

I've been troubleshooting this problem we have with a link label- on some computers the link area of the link label appear in the incorrect location. Turns out that the difference between machines reproducing the problem and machines that weren't reproducing the problem was simply what version of .Net our app was being run under. .Net 1.1 looked fine, .Net 2.0 was incorrect. To simply the scenario, I wrote a little test app that displays the string in question in a LinkLabel control, then used a config file to run the application in .Net 1.1, or .Net 2.0. Here is the result of my test:

That sucks, and I have absolutely no idea what would account for the difference (remember I literally ran exactly the same code:

linkLabel.Text = "ในการเปิดใช้งานปลั๊กอินนี้ โปรด ดาวน์โหลด และติดตั้ง 
		.NET Framework 2.0 จากนั้นเริ่มการทำงานของ Windows Live Writer ใหม่";
linkLabel.LinkArea = new LinkArea(32,9);

If anyone out there can explain the difference, I would love to understand what is really going on here. In the meantime, I'll be looking for some other creative solution.

Technorati Tags: Culture, Dotnet, Internationalization

Inch by Inch

So I'm reading a back post from Joel on Software and I stumble upon a quote from Dave Winer that I believe (without any reservation) hits the nail on the head.

So when I say "inch by inch" -- that's what I mean. To create a usable piece of software, you have to fight for every fix, every feature, every little accommodation that will get one more person up the curve. There are no shortcuts. Luck is involved, but you don't win by being lucky, it happens because you fought for every inch.  

Once you know the truth of the above, there almost nothing more depressing than watching software get created by people who aren't fighting for every inch.

Bravo!

Technorati Tags: Usability, Sofware Development

Focus and Keyboard Mnemonic Behavior

A tester has pointed out some inconsistency in Writer's behavior when the user presses the alt key to activate a control. It seems that some of the time, the activated control, though selected and accepting input, doesn't actually look focused- it doesn't display the focus rectangle that we're used to seeing.

I mentioned this to Spike, and he said that the rules governing the display of focus vs. mnemonics were complicated, but in essence, the two aren't always shown together.

With that clue in hand, I set out to see if I could figure out what the expected behavior should be. I started with some searching using popular search engines, but after 20 or so minutes decided to simply build a small test app and see if I could just figure it out. 15 minutes later, I think I'm done.

Article on some of the new goodness in the WLW API

Scott Lovegrove (I'm pretty sure a 0 belongs in there somewhere) wrote a nice article that includes a change that even I'd forgotten was in Windows Live Writer Beta 2 - plug-ins now have access to the content that is selected in the browser. This is a tiny change that should unlock a world of possibility- plug-ins can now interact and modify the user's selection!

Thanks for reminding me about that, Scott! Thanks for the 'I'm feeling Lucky' plug-in too!

LiveSide - Developer Blog : Windows Live Writer's New APIs, Deployment Methods And A Hidden Extra

Technorati Tags: Windows Live Writer, SDK, Plug-ins

Thanks, Typepad

When I opened Writer at home tonight- this lovely site greeted me-

It's awesome to see the Typepad Writer integration. Thanks Typepad!

Technorati tags: Windows Live Writer, Typepad

Hurt

Technorati Tags: Johnny Cash, Hurt

Careful with ISmartContent.AddFile

We found a problem in the Windows Live Writer SDK that could affect anyone developing smart content objects that use ISmartContent.AddFile. Please read this before you use this call!

More...

Technorati tags: Windows Live Writer, Windows Live Writer SDK, Bug

Some Great Groups

Onfolio Ski Trip

A couple years ago, most of the Onfolio crew skipped out on work and hit Loon for a great day on the slopes. Pictured are Joe, Spike, Mike, Charisma, and myself. The weather was excellent and we had a full day of good times (though as I recall, there were some New Hampshire speeding tickets on the way there).

ColdFusion MX Team Tours the Harbor

After a long and arduous release, the ColdFusion MX team blew off some steam as we toured the Boston Harbor on a yacht. It was a well deserved break, even though the weather was a bit cool and cloudy. Here's a photo of just a small group from the trip.

The Future

Well now I'm a part of a new team, one that sure seems like its already doing and going to continue to do some great things. Soon enough, I should have another collection of memories and photos, this time not from Allaire, Macromedia, or Onfolio, but instead, from Microsoft!