So, eWeek decides to post a headline article today entitled, "Microsoft .Net Framework 2.0 Breaks Apps."  Hmm.  The article itself isn't that bad, carefully note that between the blazing headline and the closing quote from "one developer familiar with breaking changes related to the rollout of Windows XP SP2, who asked not to be identified", there are lots of good points about the successes our customers have had and how we're being as thorough and careful as possible to keep developers informed and aware. Yes, there have been a few unavoidable compatibility issues, but that headline seems woefully wrong based upon my own experience with 2.0 adopters.  We've had millions upon millions of lines of code migrated already by our early adopters, and we've responded as quickly as possible to issues that come up.  We've also thoroughly documented places where impacts can happen.

In the past, we (Microsoft) might have groused about such a poorly-titled headline and moved on, but blogging allows anybody inside Microsoft to have a voice.  In this particular case, S. Somasegar, the VP of the Developer Division here, decided to respond to the article. 

Kinda like this.

Ok, not that extreme, but interviews at Microsoft, even internal ones, can be pretty exhausting.

(Don't ask.  I'll give details later.  Stay tuned.)

I was tinkering this weekend with the new C++ compiler and wanted to try out the samples from the DirectX SDK April 2005 Sample Browser.  Of course, the April 2005 SDK wasn't written for Visual Studio 2005, so here's a couple of simple steps to make things work:

1. Add correct references for your headers/libraries:
• Select Tools-> Options->Projects and Solutions-> VC++ Diretories
• In the "Show directories for:" dropdown, pick "Include files"
• You will see a list of directories there.  Verify that "$(DXSDK_DIR)include" is in the list.  If not, add it (click on the little "Folder" icon to add a new entry)
• Now, in the "Show directories for:" dropdown, pick "Library files"
• You will see a list of directories there.  Verify that "$(DXSDK_DIR)lib\x86" is in the list.  If not, add it (click on the little "Folder" icon to add a new entry)
2. Pick the sample you want to install (I tried this on EmptyProject, Blobs, and CustomUI)
3. After installing the project from the DirectX Sample Browser, double click  the <Project>_2003.sln file to launch Visual Studio and run the conversion wizard.
4. You should have a successful build and be ready to roll, but you might also encounter fatal linker errors (CVT1100 and LNK1123).  If you get these messages, remove the .manifest and .rc files from your "Resource Files" project directory and try again.

Have fun!

My next door neighbor at work, Robert Scoble, has posted the full text of Steve Ballmer's reversal of position regarding the Washington State anti-discrimination bill.

I'm greatly relieved that Microsoft will be supporting this bill, because it is a fundamental acknowledgement of the fact that Microsoft does support diversity.  These last couple weeks have left many people, including myself, doing some inward soul-searching.  Our neutral stance on the bill bothered me, because I felt it was backpedaling away from what we consider to be core company values.

I've said enough now.  I'm sure others will have a LOT more to say about this.

Tom Miller finally states the last word on the subject of game loops in Managed DirectX code.  Now that I'm starting the 2nd editions of my book, I'll be incorporating this into the code. 

And while I'm talking about game programming... check out Grant Palmer's Physics for Game Programmers.  Yeah, yeah, I know there's about a billion books on Physics for game programming already (well, it seems like it), and I also readily acknowledge that Grant's publisher is Apress, who happens to be my publisher.  But....but...Grant's book is FUN!  First, you can get the source code directly from Apress' website (I'm glad to see Grant chose this option, just like I did -- it keeps publishing prices down).  Second, although this book throws massive volumes of brain-cramping formulae at you, the implementations (and most explanations) are in simple terms.  And he's no language bigot either -- you can get the samples in C#, Java, and C (the text samples are in Java).  Third, and this is the fun part, his book is full of semi-useless trivia about physics that are just plain fun to read.  Chapter 13, on explosions, gives you an interesting, but brief, outline of the composition and uses of popular explosives like TNT, dynamite, and C4.  About the only downside to his book is that he doesn't dig into some stuff as deeply as I'd have liked.  However, I think his book perfectly hits his target.

Speaking of exploding things, my favorite director, Kevin Smith (Clerks, Dogma, Chasing Amy, etc), has written a thorough review of the new Star Wars movie, "Revenge Of The Sith"  Before you click on the link, I am giving you fair warning...this review has TONS of spoilers!!!!  If you don't want to know what happens, do NOT read this review.  (Can't say I didn't warn ya ).  Thanks to Doug Purdy for pointing me to this link.

Oh, and I finish my weight loss program tomorrow....6 months later....60 pounds lighter.  Woot!  10 more to lose on my own to hit my target weight.