irasmith

Robby, I am using this link to see what exams to take. The way I am reading the chart, the Core Exams: Web or Windows Application Development (1 Exam Required) I would take the 70-315 which is what I am presently studying for. The Core Exams: XML Web Services and Server Components Development (1 Exam Required) I would take the 70-320. The Elective Exams (1 Exam Required) I would take 70-229 for the database design knowledge. I do see the note in the Elective Exams area that reads Is this note in the electives area where you indicate taking the 70-316 C# Windows-based exam? I see how it could be done that way, but I would like to initially emphasize the web area, tacking on the database portion to help learn and show that I do know the back end side of a web application. I think this should fulfill the requirements, but if you see something wrong with my plans please let me know.

I presently do not have a donate button on my site, but I do plan to put one on it after I complete work on some further benefits/features that a user could attain when visiting my site. I look at the donate button in this manner. I know it won't make me rich or anything like that. I personally feel it would provide a way for those who truly appreciate and benefit from the work on my site to show their thanks in their own way. I feel you have to really enjoy what you do, the time you put into creating a site and its features, and derive your joy from the satisfaction of knowing you have done a good job. The donations, if any, would just be icing on the cake so to speak. :)

J# is the one Java tool that MS has provided for the .NET environment. It is meant more than anything to provide a bridge to those who were using the MS J++ language (their version of Java) a way to get into the .NET arena. Both Java and C# improve upon the C++ language by taking away the hassles of keeping up with such things as pointers, which if you did not do properly in C++ then your program spang memory leaks and became one of those applications that would eventually bogg a machine down and force a re-boot if you ran it long enough. I never worked with C++, just did limited work with C some years ago. If any of you have dabbled in these languages then you can appreciate the improvements Java and C# offer by having string classes rather than having to define arrays of characters to handle strings. While in syntax Java and C# might be similiar, the emphasis on .NET is somewhat different. MS is providing the ability for any language that is CLI compliant to be able to run code alongside code written in other CLI compliant languages. I don't really know how big of a sales point this will be to people, but I do take heart somewhat in knowing that I as a developer can create libraries using C# and they can be used by coders who prefer to work in VB.NET. This allows me to focus on what I want to use, what I like to use, and it still be useable by those who prefer a different language. Hope this helps out.

Thanks for the update on about how much it weighs. Some friends of mine were just giving me grief I think, but I can handle that. :cool: The set has been on my amazon wish list for a bit of time now. I haven't had the pleasure of having any one of the volumes in hand to go through with my own eyes, but I am going on the belief that it is a very good reference set. I'm actually thinking about acquiring it as a secondary source to the material I already have, and the material I am planning to get, for preparing for the exam(s). Good luck to you in your efforts and I am sure we'll be running into each other here ont he forums more as we both prepare for our tests.

Great on the fast shipping. You order them from Amazon? That is the big heavy set of books right? (some of my friends have ribbed me a bit when I talk about wanting to get them, they refer to the set as a boat anchor due to it being so heavy :) )

Do you think this set of tests would also work for the MCAD: 70-315 70-320 70-229 (as the elective) Then use this set of tests for the MCSD: 70-316 70-300 Just starting to work on the 70-315 as my first exam in the process.

The ones mentioned so far are excellent in my opinion as I have some of them and others I have put on my wish list to eventually buy and read. One book that I am very happy with is MCAD/MCSD Developing And Implementing Web Applications With Visual C# I am still fairly in the early parts of the book, but I like the authors method for explaining the material, the hands on excercises, and the questions that are included in each chapter. I am just getting started working on my MCAD certification and I thought I'd take the plunge with this one first. I am excited and learning all sorts of great things about .NET at this time :)

Good day one and all, Does anyone know where I could find templates or examples for functional requirements forms or enhancement forms that can serve to be filled out to request new features? At this point I am just searching out sources so if you know of a book that has templates or a website that has suggestions or documentation on it, I would appreciate them as I am open to all suggestions at this time. :)

When I first started looking at .NET I rather had the same question as you did. Over the past bit while looking into things this is how I have come to view things. VB.NET has an appeal to those who used VB before .NET. C#.NET has an appeal to those who have used C/C++. C#.NET was written from the ground up as a new language for the .NET environment. VB.NET is really VB written for the .NET environment. Personally I won't attempt to make a statement claiming one is superior over another or anything like that as I am not sure it is ever possible to defend that type of statement. Each language has some things the other doesn't but that doesn't make one superior over another. What the folks have been saying is true, go with the one you are most comfortable with depending on what your prior background is. I'm in the process of learning C# but I'll most likely also pick up VB.NET as well, just depending on how some projects go for me. I've not programmed in VB before, but I've done basic, business basic, even bbx coding. I've also worked in c/C++ so I don't mind learning both C# and VB.NET as they are just some of the many languages I have had to work with over time.

I am not sure there will ever be a 'virus free' operating system. It seems the need or desire by some to do harm is such that they will always be out there trying to find a way to create a new virus for something. For those of us who try to do good, well, we just need to be careful and keep our anti-virus software sets updated.

Sounds like you are just about ready to go then. Yes, I had heard about the initial Macromedia statement to bring certain parts to WINE with the possible intent on making a port of their full suite for Linux itself. I don't have the news article bookmarked but I do recall reading their head fellow making a statement something like "We have been waiting for the right time and now that time seems to have arrived." This is a good time to be in the computing field. There is so many new things being developed, so many new technologies to work with, and so much that you can do with it all. I really enjoy working in this field. :)

You might be right regarding the no spaces allowed in file names. I can't say for certain as I haven't worked in Linux yet. My background has been SCO Unix, IBM AIX, and the Windows world in terms of servers starting with NT3.5 on up. My home setup consists of a Win XP Pro box and a SCO Open Server box (yes I bought my own copy of SCO Unix several years back ;) ) The only Linux experience I have is working with it remotely for my web site as my hosting provider where my Post Nuke webiste is located at runs Linux. While I have learned some that way it is not the same thing as having my own box and working with it as the actual admin and such. I am wanting to take the Linux plunge, the timing of it will just depend on the status of cash on hand and what I need to allocate out to a few necessary things that must be taken care of before that. What has appealed to me to want to try Linux out is the Mono project and the thought that my .NET work would be useable under both MS and Linux. I looked at the SCO offerings and couldn't find a thing about any type of work they were doing to provide .NET useability with their system so that has been the main reason I may not stay with SCO myself. You are correct, at least from my view, that Mono should be able to do the rest and we just code. At least that is my impression of what they are aiming for as I review the information on their site.

If all goes well on the Mono side, then you yourself will not have to worry about learning how to program in Linux. You can use MS and the VS.NET IDE to program and compile in. You can then take the compiled files and users can install them on MS or Linux. Right now the only real thing I wold think a person would need to learn is how to package their programs up for deployment on Linux. You might not have to even worry about deployment if somehow they come up with a way of doing �universal� packaging like some systems for Java do. I can't say with certainity since I haven't worked with Mono yet but it will be interesting to see how things progress :)

Actually, Mono is going to have both elements incorporated into it. It is/will be a compiler so developers can use it to write code and compile it down to IL, and it has/will have the .NET framework for it so that the IL can be executed under the Linux environment. At least this is my understanding of things as I look at what is on the site about it. I can see the 'why' to this so that a developer who seeks to work in a Linux environment can develop in that environment and their work be runable in the MS environment.

Thanks for the link on the news story about the Corel-Microsoft deal. I noticed that it was dated October 2000 and the story indicated the deal would be good for three years. I haven't heard anything from Microsoft or Corel on the matter and wonder what is up. Perhaps the Mono project is what is going to be used instead of the Corel-Microsoft deal. I'll keep watching as I wade further into .NET and see what happens.

dragon4spy, do you have any information or sources to the refernece you made ? It's not that I doubt you or think you are wrong. I think this is great news and I was just courious as to the source of the information so I can read it myself and watch the source for future information about it. As a developer I was hoping that something would happen to allow .NET programs to run in other environments other than MS. If this actually does happen then I can program away with confidence and not have to watch/wonder or try to hedge my bets on which environemnt I would have to cater to in order to get my application(s) sold to the broadest market base. I do agree with you, I would rather wait for either a free tool to be made available or for it to drop in price some as I personally can't afford the so far discussed prices to attempt to have mass distribution of the things I would write.

I am finding Professional C# to be a great resource. But I am also getting to the point where it's clicking that a lot of things are the same among languages, it's just the syntax that is somewhat different. What I am quickly discovering is how vast and useful a resource msdn is. I realize it will take me a while yet to make the shift from bound books to electronic format, but it is getting easier as I work with it. :)

No, didn't mean to imply Linux was "free" per say. Only meant to convey what I had found while researching potential .NET hosting sites. Also doesn't mean 'MS' is bad as I understand the pricing differences and only meant to convey that I'd rather have free use of this board and it reamin on Linux/Unix than have some other structure if moved to a MS environment. To one and all have a great day :)

Well, just a thought but one might wonder if the use of Mono might be an option. Given that it is the Open Source version of .NET for Linux. Personally I haven't attempted using it yet so I can't speak from first hand experience, but from the looks of the site looks like you should be able to run ASP.NET, C#.NET, and VB.NET on it. Personally I don't have any problem with this forum being on Linux/Unix and written in PHP. I have gained some good knowledge from the folks and postings here. Given the choice, I would rather it remain just as is knowing it was free of charge. I know Windows hosting is expensive. I run a Post Nuke site with a hosting provider on Linux using PHP. I am working toward another site to showcase .NET stuff I do. I won't name names or prices as I am not trying to advertise, but to get the same amount of space web wise and database wise, the .NET hosting provider will be charging 5 times what the PHP hosting provider for my Post Nuke site is.

How true indeed. I am contemplating working on some side projects and placing them on my webiste for sale. For my non-Microsoft Site have even acquired a program that is geared for electronic downloads. For my future-to-be Microsoft site, looking at either doing my own electronic download program or perhaps using a shopping cart solution one of the potential hosting providers I am looking at provides. But in terms of when the sales are out of your hands, well that brings a different light on things. In that instance I suppose does good to partner with someone you can really trust and count on. Might get sticky, but possibly insist an audit be done if you are willing to pay for an accountant to do it or have an accounting buddy do it at a 'friendly rate'. Of course that is just the accountant in me coming out as I used to be one until the programming bug bit me quite a few years back :eek:

I'll be fine with paying a small fee to upgrade, especially if there are a lot of extras that come with the upgrade. Just don't want it to be too costly after the hefty initial investment ;)

What I am hoping for is a cheap upgrade path from VS.NET 2003. I just purchsed VS.NET 2003 in January of this year as I work on learning .NET. When paying for it out of your own pocket the upgrade won't be too appealing if they don't price it cheap given what I had to shell out in January to get started with VS. So lets all hope they do a small upgrade fee and leave it at that.:)

Hummhhhh...... When I first took the plunge to learn .NET with Visual Studio, I had not given full website development a thought. I knew .NET was something good, I need Visual Studio was something good, and now I am learning from you all that there are even more goodies that can be done with the two. Quite suddenly I feel like a child on early Christmas morning, so many goodies, so little time :)

I also agree in that doesn't matter if something has been done before. You still learn from doing it yourself and that knowledge you can always retain for later use in other projects. Also, given we are each unique in our own way, chances are that some of that "uniqueness" will carry over to the program and therefore in its own small way still be somewhat different than all the others out there. :)

There is a reason I LOVE to shop on line ;) I think every job no matter what the profession has its stressful moments. For me, the stress is all worth it as when all is said and done I just like helping people out. I am always amazed at what "we" programmers can do, making something out of thin air by taking code and molding it into programs that do one thing or another. Just amazing to me how it all can work :)