Visio 2010 Beta Download

The advanced diagramming tools of Visio 2010 help you simplify complexity with dynamic, data-driven visuals and new ways to share on the Web in real-time.

Start by building your diagram with professional-looking templates and modern, pre-drawn shapes. Then, easily link your diagram to popular data sources (such as Excel). You’ll see data automatically refresh right within your diagram, reflected in vibrant visuals such as icons, symbols, colors, and bar graphs. Finally, with just a few clicks, publish your data-linked diagram to SharePoint, and provide access to others on the Web, even if they don’t have Visio.

Together, simplicity, data-driven shapes, and Web sharing make Visio 2010 one of the most powerful ways to see and understand important information.

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Also Top 10 benefits of Visio 2010

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Getting a Job with the Skills Nobody's Paid You For

I've gone through the article and want you to read it too...following is an excerpt from the article:
If you've picked up a language or development skill on your own time, it can be hard to sell that expertise to an employer. Here's two ways to do it.
This is an old question, but it's one that comes up at least once in every developer's career: How do I get a job using the skills or tools I want to use, if my current employer doesn't give me an opportunity to use them? I just found a variation on the question on a developer's discussion forum (edited slightly for clarity):

"I'm looking for work and am considering doing a sample website. What should I put in it to be appealing to prospective employers? Should it just be a content management website? I want to do the site in C#.NET to show I can, because my work experience is with VB.NET. I've been thinking about using modules from 'BeerHouse' done in ASP.NET 2.0, and dress it up in different CSS, but maybe that's trite."

 If you want to demonstrate your non-résumé skills to a prospective employer, the writer has two suggestions.

Read the entire article...

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Free Silverlight Controls And Tools For Brighter Websites

Silverlight, which is used in more websites everyday, has several beautiful free controls, components & tools that will help you develop websites faster & better.
They are not very easy to find as they are hidden inside the blogs of Silverlight developers or .NET products websites & there are still not so many resources where you can read about Silverlight.
WebResourcesDepot have collected these free Silverlight controls, components & tools to help making your websites brighter.

GOA WinForms

Use the standard System.Windows.Form .NET library for both Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight. It allows .NET developers to write standard WinForms applications that will run on these two RIA platforms.

AgDataGrid Suite – Free Silverlight Grid Control

This free grid control has data grouping, data sorting, row editing, multi-row selection features & many more.
It is a feature-rich & very professional grid solution.

Visifire – Silverlight Charts

Visifire (see WRD post) is one of the most powerful & well-documented open source chart solution that can be found in the net.
It can be used with ASP, ASP.Net, PHP, JSP, ColdFusion, Ruby on Rails or just simple HTML. Animated 2D-3D column charts, bar charts, pie charts & more can be created with it.

SvLite Effects – Silverlight Dynamic Animations

This Silverlight effects library is currently in beta (& can be paid in the future).
It has carousel panel, slide show, advanced wipe animations, fade animations and more. Animations can be easily configured & support chaining.

Silverlight.FX – Silverlight Effects Library

Effects / transitions in this library are: resize, move, spin, fade, highlight, colorFill, shake, pulsate, crossFade, blinds, slide, and flip.
The download package can be found within the post & there are examples to show you its capabilities.

Silverlight Contrib – Free Silverlight Controls

A collection of Silverlight Controls built by the Silverlight developer community.
Current control in the package are:

• Color picker
• Menu
• Gauge
• Star selector

Controls From Vectorlight

Vectorlight presents many free Silverlight controls including:

• Calendar
• Upload
• Date picker
• Progress Bar
• Treeview & more..

Silverlight Nuggets – Free Silverlight Controls

Lots of free controls that are Silverlight 2 compatible including border, calendar, canvas, checkbox & more..

ComboBox – Free Silverlight Combobox Control

A combobox control that includes templating, data binding, and auto complete functionality.

Silverlight 2 Video Player

A re-sizeable video player with no custom controls. Some features are:

• Supports streaming media
• Ability to autostart & show a thumbnail
• Full screen playback
• TimeLine marker support

Slide.Show (With Flickr Support)

This slideshow can be embedded to any webpage & configures via JavaScript or XML easily.
It can display album and slide data provided by XML, Flickr, or JavaScript & has auto-playback with multiple transitions (e.g. fade, shape, slide, wipe, etc.) support.

Video.Show – Video Community Application

This is a beautiful Silverlight application that enables anyone to create a video community.
All video is hosted at Silverlight Streaming for free, which gives you 4GB storage and 700 Kbps bandwidth via Microsoft’s worldwide Content Delivery Network.
The application has time-based comments, broad media support & many other features that will show the features of Silverlight from the most basic to the advanced level via the downloadable source code of it.

Silverlight Slideshow

A lightweight image slideshow built with Silverlight 1.0.
It supports several transitions effects, has smart image scaling & full screen mode.
Images are defined in a XML file & here is an example of Flickr integration.
Source code is hosted at CodePlex & can be found here.

PageTurn – Silverlight Page Flip

A magazine like page flip effect that works very nice.
Images can be flipped with mouse or browsed via the thumbnails.

photoGallery – Silverlight Photo Gallery

This photo gallery displays upto 12 images & gallery can be configured easilt from an array in a JavaScript file.

agTweener – Silverlight Tweening Engine (Tweener ported)

This Silverlight tweening library is a ported version of Tweener (Flash tween library).
Although it does no have all the features of Tweener, agTweener is still very promising.

Silverglobe – Silverlight Globe Map Control

This open source Silverlight control renders a global map onto a vector based 3D globe.
The globe can be freely rotated in all directions and geographical locations can be added and selected.

Silverlight Examples With Source By Vectorform

The examples below are produced by Vectorform and all of them can be reached from here. You can find demos for each of them & download the source codes.

Silverlight Carousel

A Silverlight image carousel which rotates when clicked on left or right and displays the big image of the thumbnail clicked.

Silverlight Video Player

This video player has very simple controls like the play/pause button, sound & the process. It can display full-size videos & can scale to the browser size.

Silverlight Media Viewer

This media viewer can show videos, photos & content from RSS feeds.

Silverlight Slide Viewer

An easy to navigate slide viewer with the arrows on the sides. It shows you which slide you’re viewing & slides are presented with a reflection effect.

Navigation With Silverlight

A nice menu with a depth that has a mouse-over effect for every item. And items are presented with a Web 2.0 like reflection effect.

Silverlight Twitter Widget

This user interface accesses the Twitter API, parses the loaded XML and displays the latest tweets. It also incorporates a custom skinned scrollbar.

Silverlight Tools

These are some free Silverlight tools that will help you develop faster or add a twist to your applications.

Desklighter – Create Exe From Silverlight Apps.

Desklighter is a windows utility that will create a standalone exe application that renders Silverlight content that is easily portable and accessible.

Silverlight Spy – Detailed XAML Inspection

Silverlight Spy provides detailed inspection of any Silverlight application.
Use the built-in browser to navigate to a web page. Silverlight Spy will automatically pick up any Silverlight application embedded in the page and display the structure of the application in the Explorer.

Moonlight – Silverlight For Unix

An open source implementation of Silverlight for Unix systems.

Kaxaml – Free XAML Editor

A XAML editor that supports Silverlight & has a snippet gallery. It gives you a "split view" so you can see both your XAML and your endered content.
Do you know any other free Silverlight controls, components or tools? Please share them in the comments.
Thanks to and taken from...

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Optimize your Website for Search

Over the period we are learning on how to optimize our websites to make the SEO friendly.
The FREE SEO Toolkit from Microsoft helps you improve the volume and quality of traffic to your Website from search engines like Bing and Google.
I’ve been surprised by how many people either have never heard of the tool, or have not yet had a chance to run it against their websites. This blog post by Scott Gu provides a quick summary about why anyone doing web-development should check it out.
The SEO Toolkit helps you improve your Website’s relevance in search results by recommending how to make your new or existing site content and structure more search engine-friendly. It works on any Website on the Web. Best of all - it’s a small, lightweight free download!

Detailed route analysis to see how search engines reach your content	Discover common problems in site content and structure.
Works on both local and external public facing Websites.	Fully customizable with a powerful query engine
Control how search engines access and display Web content	Edit and manage Robot, Sitemap and Site Index files.

 Download and install it today with the Microsoft Web Platform Installer.

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100th Post

Well this is my 100th post to this blog. I tried to share anything that I thought added me in my endeavor to learning.
The material is currently taken from different sites--codeproject.com, microsoft.com, iclarified.com are to name a few.
I thank you all for spending some time here. This is great pleasure if you learned something new or reminded of something that was missed.
I request you to post some comments to make my efforts better.

JazakAllah khair.

--muneeb

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Urban Definition of Weven

And we all thought it meant Windows 7...
(see definition #2) Urban Dictionary's Definition

But does this mean that Vista is Weven?

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MS WebsiteSpark Program

Microsoft is has launched a rather, new programm namely WebsiteSpark.
WebsiteSpark is designed for independent web developers and web development companies that build web applications and web sites on behalf of others.  It enables you to get software, support and business resources from Microsoft at no cost for three years, and enables you to expand your business and build great web solutions using ASP.NET, Silverlight, SharePoint and PHP, and the open source applications built on top of them.
This program is somewhat reminiscent of MS Action Pack. It's free to sign up for 3 years, but there's a $100 "exit fee," so you can essentially figure your cost to be not free, but a deferred payment of $100. By signing up, you get licenses to the following:

• 3 licenses of Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition.
• 1 license of Expression Studio 3 (includes Expression Blend, Sketchflow, and Web).
• 2 licenses of Expression Web 3.
• 4 processor licenses of Windows Web Server 2008 R2.
• 4 processor licenses of SQL Server 2008 Web Edition.
• DotNetPanel control panel.

An entry from September on Scott Guthrie's blog says that you'll be able to download the latest versions of the tools and that this will eventually include VS 2010. Not sure why it's currently 2008, but remember, this program operates in the massive bureaucracy of MS.

Anyway, seems to be a good deal for those who want the non Express tools and / or are looking for an inexpensive upgrade path to future versions.

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CNIC verification via SMS

NADRA Pakistan have recently started CNIC verification via simple SMS. 

How it works ? 

One have to  send an SMS to 7000 containing the CNIC number. i.e Write CNIC Number without dashes and send it to 7000. In response you will get name and father’s name for that particular CNIC search query. 

This service is charged at 10 RS per SMS without tax. 

Three telecoms companies namely Warid, Telenor and Mobilink have joined this so far and Ufone and Zong will be hooked up soon. In addition to 7000 there is another short code 7001 for security forces to obtain more detailed information.

Read more: http://www.pakpoint.com/nadra-cnic-verification-through-sms/9166/#ixzz0YX6W3dKb

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Backup & Recovery 10 Free Edition

Here I found Backup and Recovery 10 Free Edition whiz simply the most powerful FREE backup solution!
It enables you to take complete control of your PC’s safety. Based on solid commercial backup and recovery software from Paragon, the new Backup and Recovery 10 Free Edition will give you a rich set of features that you can trust.
Read more and download...

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28 Questions You Wish You Asked the Manager During the Job Interview

What should a developer say when the prospective big-boss asks, "Do you have any questions for me?" Here are several suggestions, from management style to company finances.
Plenty has been written about the questions that developers should ask one another [1] during a job interview, from "How would you solve this programming problem?" to "Why are manhole covers round?" I've written about the subject myself, a time or two, such as my 2006 article, "The Best and Worst Tech Interview Questions." [2]
But those are tuned for techies. At some point, a manager will want to chat with the prospective hire, even if only to feel that she participated in the process. If the manager isn't (or is no longer) technical, that means the questions won't be about system internals or coding techniques, and she won't participate in any hands-on coding which the candidate's asked to do. And, since every job (or contract) interview is two-way (though I'm always surprised when people see that as a revelation), developers should be ready when the manager inevitably asks, "Do you have any questions for me?" What should those questions be?
This is your opportunity to learn how the company works and what it values (at least based on what trickles down from the top). Don't dismiss it. The answers will tell you whether you'd enjoy the job, not just the work you're assigned to do — and they may let you know that this is a job you truly don't want under any circumstances [3]. Among the things you're looking for is the manager's management style; the freedom that you'll have to perform; the manager's ambition to grow, because you cannot grow unless she does; and a clue about how she (and upper management) will respond during tough situations.
I asked dozens of experienced developers to share the questions they asked (or wish they asked) the non-technical manager during a job interview. Here's several suggestions about what — and why — to ask. You probably don't need or want to ask all these questions, certainly not in a single meeting. But they should calibrate your brain for quizzing the person who may sign your paycheck.

About the Team
1. Who is my line manager or the project leader to whom I will report? Can I meet him? (Some companies only let candidates meet the managers. Go figure.)
2. Before I accept the job, can we do a lunch with the whole team to get to know each other?
3. What is the demographic of the team? or Why are there so few women in senior positions here? (Diversity matters.)
4. What sort of team environment do you promote? How do teams interact with one another?
About the manager
5. How much time do you spend in one-on-one meetings versus the time in team meetings?
6. Give an example of something unexpected and how it was handled.
7. How do you measure success? Where does that measurement stand now? What actions are you taking to change the measurement(s) (in the right direction)? What have those actions done to the measurement(s)?
8. How does your manager measure your success?
9. What is your preferred method of communication? Phone calls, e-mail, informally, in meetings, only when necessary? How much contact will I have with you?
10. Why do people typically leave your team? (The best answer probably is that they were promoted, but if they're leaving the company or seeking internal transfers you may have an opportunity to drill down and find out why. This is also a subtle way to ask how long the manager has been managing people.)
About the work environment
11. Can you show me where I'll be working? Can we walk around the office? (As you walk around, listen.)
12. Are the tools I'll be using cutting edge or totally ancient? What is the specification of the developer machines that you provide?
13. What sort of training and development mechanisms are there for professional development? How about conference attendance? (Factor in the answer when you begin negotiating. Plus you want to know if the company is interested in investing in people.)
14. Are there opportunities to explore my skills at different business areas through the course of my tenure? (Can you grow in different areas, and move into a new one? For examples, can testers with a bend towards coding become developers?)
15. I'm not a morning person. Will I have flexibility to work when I am most productive, barring things like mandatory meetings?
16. What is our mission? What will be my role in the mission?
17. How many positions am I actually covering?
18. What will I be expected to accomplish the first three months?
19. What projects will I work on? How will I be transitioned to new projects after existing projects are over?
20. How much overtime has this team been doing in the last three months? What's typical? What's acceptable? How does the company respond after a time-crunch is over? (If you ask directly, "Do you encourage work/life balance?" naturally they'll respond "Sure!" Instead, ask a specific question to find out if that "Sure!" matches reality.)
The company
21. What is your company vision? How do you reflect it in your daily work? (Most start-ups have big ideas but few conduct themselves in a way that will help them reach their goals.)
22. How do benefits compare to sector averages?
23. Could you explain the pay review system? Also, the performance review system?
24. How comfortable are you with your company's financials? How has the current economic climate impacted business?
25. When did the company have its last layoff? (What you really want to know, of course, is "How long until the most recently hired get laid off?")
The open-ended questions
26. What one thing would you change about working here? You can ask this of anyone on the team. The answer tells you a lot about the workplace, as well as the values of the person you're talking to.
27. What's the best thing about working here? What's the worst thing about working here? Expect that the "best" things will be unremarkable, however nice to hear (such as "so many smart people!"). Listen carefully to the undertone in the worst-things.
28. In six months, what will I love about working for you? What will I hate? (I learned this question during researching the aforementioned DevSource article, and it's been amazingly useful. Warning: if the manager says, "You won't hate anything! I'm a nice guy!" run away. Either he has poor self-assessment skills, or he has demonstrated that he'll never give you a straight and honest answer.)

What shouldn't you ask? According to one manager, these items all could be an immediate interview failure:

• Candidate has done no homework on the company, the product and the job. If the candidate cannot spend thirty minutes preparing for an interview, he does not deserve the job.
• Starts negotiating during the interview. This is not a deal breaker but is not the way to start a relationship (and an interview is the beginning of a professional relationship).
• Says inappropriate things about their previous company or the people they worked with. This could include passing on confidential information or saying negative things about people.
• Not asking any questions when given the opportunity to do so.

Naturally, these aren't the only questions you could ask. And I'm sure some will disagree with a few; that's fine, because each of us only has to ensure the job makes us happy. But maybe I've left out a few. Chime in, and tell me what question you wished you asked during a job or contract interview.

Links:
[1] http://www.noop.nl/2009/01/100-interview-questions-for-software-developers.html
[2] http://www.devsource.com/c/a/Techniques/The-Best-and-Worst-Tech-Interview-Questions/
[3] http://www.javaworld.com/community/node/2614
[4] http://www.javaworld.com/community/user/21332
[5] http://www.javaworld.com/community/user/21334
[6] http://www.javaworld.com
[7] http://www.articlesdirectories.com/

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