Today was the result declaration day for my 5 year old daughter Simran. She is in Jr. Kg.

During the final examinations she fell sick because of cold and was not able to prepare nicely, hence, I was worried about the result, but when I saw the Grade sheet she had scored 90%, which relived me of all my tensions. Her teacher was also very satisfied with her performance.

I wish her all the best for all her future studies.

Photograph Courtesy : Photos by Dax on his Flickr Profile.

My Life | Simran

3/30/2007 1:29:25 AM (India Standard Time, UTC+05:30)
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When Vista was released or even when it was in Beta stage there were software compatibility issues. Softwares that ran on Windows Xp were incompatible with Windows Vista. Windows Vista is designed to be more secure and softwares to run on Vista require to follow the Vista guidelines. After the release of Windows Vista, most of the Software comapanies have released an update to their products which made it compatible with Windows Vista. Software companies like Corel have released an update to their products.

Adobe on the other hand has asked its customer to pay for new Vista compatible version of many of their products. Actually Adobe has no plans to ensure that its currently shipping products work properly with Vista.

Paul Thurrott in his newsletter "WinInfo Update dated March 21" shows us how the users of Adobe products will have to pay for the updated version to achieve full Vista compatiblity. Actually many of the products cost several hundred dollars a piece.

As further mentioned in the newsletter "Critics are charging Adobe with harming customers as a payback for Micosoft's decision to compete directly with Adobe in various markets."

How can a user be charged for an update of a software to run it on a new OS when he has already purchased the sofware. It clearly shows how Adobe is following Anti-Microsoft policy and as a reason of which its users will have to suffer.

Adobe should remember that a user who pays for a product should get full support and should not suffer.

Whats your say?

Adobe | Software | Windows XP | WindowsVista

3/22/2007 1:46:01 AM (India Standard Time, UTC+05:30)
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I would like to start this article by asking "Will you steal a pizza from a shop?". You must be wondering what kind of question is that and why would anyone steal a Pizza from a shop. I know most of us pay for food we eat or fuel we refill in our vehicle. Then why many of the software users don't buy the software and use it illegally. Whenever I ask a person who is using pirated software. Most of the time I get the same stupid answer "The software company should reduce the price of the sofware".

I would also like to ask "Do you ask the person at the fuel station to reduce the price of the fuel or do you ask the waiter at the eating joint to reduce the price of the dish you ordered. I know you would be embarrased to do so. Then how can you use a pirated software.

Knowingly or unknowlingly software piracy has spread its root in our markets. Actually the funny part is many people are still ignorant that software needs to be purchased. Others who are aware knowingly use pirated software.

A company spends lots of money to develop a software, the software professionls spend so much time on software development. Just because software is a logical item it does not mean that it can be used without paying for it.

Remember Software piracy is stealing and stealing is crime. If you are using a pirated software please purchase it. If you feel the price of a particular software is high, please stop using it but don't justify "piracy" with high price.

MyThoughts | Piracy | Society | Software

3/22/2007 1:28:59 AM (India Standard Time, UTC+05:30)
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Generally its said that Developers don't design and Designers do not code. Is this statement true or false its up to you to decide, but one thing is sure that for productive work Developers and Designers have to work in sync and only then a company, big or small can get productive results. Its easier said then done, well now its easier to be implemented also.

Through years Visual Studio has been the tool for developers with which they love to code. Designers have now got a new tool which has made their work so much easier its Microsoft Expression Blend, actually its helpful to both Developers and Designers.

WPF Technology now makes its easier for developers to work in Visual Studio and Designer to use Microsoft Expression Blend while working on the same project without interfering in each others work. How? Thats the topic that is covered in the Episode#5 of Revoluxions which is called "Designer + Developer Integration". Believe me this episode covers a topic which is very important for Developers and Designers to work together.

Total running time of the show is 12:04 and the file size is 45 MB. This show can be downloaded at Revoluxions website.

Microsoft Expression Blend | revolUXions | WPF | XAML

3/21/2007 1:40:50 AM (India Standard Time, UTC+05:30)
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Microsoft® .NET™ Framework provides a large structure of pre-coded solutions to common program requirements and also manages the execution of the programs which are specifically written for this framework. Runtime required to run applications written in .NET is called Common Language Runtime(CLR).

The main aim of the framework is to make the task of developing applications easier at the same time ensure that the applications work properly with full security.

Programmer through the years have faced many challenges like depending on one programming language which restricted them from using all the good features of different languages and tools. Common framework assures the availability of framework features to all applications written in any languages of that framework, this meant programmer can choose any .NET language but he/she could access all the features of .NET, hence it reduces the complexity and the restrictions of communication between programs even if it is written in different .NET language. Visual Basic and C# support .NET Framework.

Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) is the most important part of .NET framework. The implementation of CLI is called the Common Language Runtime (CLR). In the chart on the left you can see how CLI works.

Development of .NET Framework started in late 90s and the orginial name was the Next Generation Windows Services (NGWS). In late 2000 the first beta version of .NET 1.0 was released.

In this period of six years we have seen different versions of .Net which are as follows :
.NET Framework 1.0,
.Net Framework 1.1,
.NET Framework 2.0
and the latest being .NET 3.0 Framework.

Major changes brought after the release of .Net 1.0 were Built in support for ODBC, earlier it was available as an add-on to .NET 1.0, Built in support for mobile ASP.Net controls, Support for Internet Protocol Version 6. .NET Framework 2.0 was released with Visual Studio .NET 2005. The latest in the framework is .NET Framework 3.0 formely called WinFX.

My next article will contain details about this .NET Framework 3.0 and the way it changes how we design and use applications.

Any comments on the article or on the whole blog are welcome.

.NET Framework | C# | Microsoft | Visual Basic

3/18/2007 2:46:33 PM (India Standard Time, UTC+05:30)
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Do you think you can design sites that really looks cool? do you think you have mastered CSS? well its time to try it out. Remixing the Mix07 home page could be your ticket to Mix07. Create one of the top three designs and you will receive paid registration to the Mix07 conference in vegas, three nights at the Venetian hotel and $1000 towards your travel expenses. Is'nt it hot offer.

This is not all the top 10 designs awarded honorable mentions by the panel of judges will receive Zune.

Mix site is written in CSS. This makes it easier to change the look of the site. You just need to download the Mix07 homepage CSS and remix it and you can be one of the winners. More details of this contest can be found at the Official site Remix Contest. Contest closes on April 10,2007 and the winners will be announced on April 13th.

So guys what are you waiting for, if you think you have it in you, its definately worth giving a try.

To know more about Mix07 Conference click here.

Contest | Microsoft | Zune | Mix

3/17/2007 1:58:37 AM (India Standard Time, UTC+05:30)
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There is a good news for all those using Microsoft Expression Blend. The Release Candidate (RC) of Blend is now available which means its nearing completion.

The user guide has been updated and it includes some new samples which looks cool. The RC is available on the Microsoft Expression Blend Web Site. So what are you waiting for, download it and checkout it out.

Total File Size of Blend RC is 25.5 MB. If you do not have .Net 3.0 which is a prerequisite for Blend then you need to install that too. The Size of it is upto 50 MB.

Download | Microsoft Expression Blend | WPF

3/17/2007 1:46:13 AM (India Standard Time, UTC+05:30)
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Herschelle Gibbs who is know for his classic cricket shots today created history by becoming first batsman in the history of the World Cup to hit six sixes in an over. In the Group A match of South Africa againsta Netherlands he achieved this. Dutch Leg spinner Daan Van Bunge was the bowler whose all the deliveries in 30th over were sent behind boundry lines.

The renowned whisky company Johnnie Walker who is one of the World Cup sponsers had announced that it would make the donation to the choice of the cricketer who hits six sixes in an over in the World Cup. Hence the sponsers will donate US $100000 to the charity.

Van Bunge got the chance to take the revenge as he took the catch that dismissed Gibbs at his personal score of 70 Runs made in 40 balls by hitting 4 boundries and 7 sixes.

South Africa has raised a Mamoth total of 354 in 40 overs against Netherlands. If this match was of 50 overs we would surely would have seen another team world record. Another record created in this match was of most number of sixes in World Cup Match.

World Cup Cricket 2007

3/17/2007 12:53:45 AM (India Standard Time, UTC+05:30)
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I still remember the time I saw Microsoft Windows95 for the first time, I thought it really looks cool. Then came Windows Xp which was even cooler, it made windows experience really richer. I could only say one word for Windows Vista "WoW". No, its not just another version of windows with minor changes, its a big leap in technology and surely in time to come we will feel how important this leap is.

Here I would like to share what I like about windows Vista, since I have been using Windows Vista Ultimate the information below is based on it. First thing you will notice about Vista is the new look. The user interface is so simple to use. Icons are more visually appealing and more realistic. Icons are now scalable in size up to 256x256.

Second most important feature is Instant Search, Search box is given in the start menu, Click on the start button and no need to click in search box as soon as you start typing, windows will start searching and you can easily search for the programs, documents, e-mail, songs you are looking. Generally you will find the search Text box On the Top right corner of other window.

With tools like Windows Defender and User Account Control (UAC) You can be assured that your PC is safe. Self-Healing technology keeps your system running and provides automatic fixes.Surfing Web became more secure with Internet Explorer7. The mutiple tab browsing provides richer web experience.

Defragmentation helps your PC to give its best performanace. Automatic disk defragmentation runs in background and automatically defragments the hard disk as need arises. This new defragmenter no longer needs to completes its work in single session. It can defrag incrementally, whenever your computer is idle. Really a cool feature.

Windows ReadyBoost is one feature which surely is a great concept. You can use nonvolatile flash memory devices like USB Drives, Flash Cards etc to improve performance without having to add addtional memory. The flash memory device serves as an additional memory.

The classic Alt+Tab not only allows you to switch between applications but also see the preview of each windows. One really cool feature of Vista is the Flip 3D effect. When you press [Windows Key]+Tab Key, you will see all the windows cascaded in 3D as shown in the image.

Windows Sidebar is a new panel on the right-hand side of the screen where you can put your gadgets. Gadgets are small applets designed for specific tasks. The standard that comes with Vista are Calculator, Clock, CPU Meter, Currency Conversion, Notes, Weather Watcher etc.

Following applications have been enchanced to serve you better:
Windows Mail, Windows Calender, Windows Contacts, Windows Meeting Space, Sound Recorder, Snipping Tool, Windows Photo Gallery (You can now see a very big preview of your photo in the explorer window itself), Windows Media Player.

Media  Center has been upgraded significantly, including the changes in the user interface.

Like other Microsoft Products Windows Vista is available in various International languages such as French, Arabic etc.

Windows Easy Transfer features helps you easily migrate from your current Windows 2000 or Windows Xp system to Windows Vista. Windows Easy Transfer will automatically transfer things like User Accounts, Files and Folders, Email message, settings and contact, photos, music, Windows Settings, program data files and settings and internet settings. All this can be done through a Easy Transfer Cable.

If you are ready to switch to Windows Vista the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor  can surely help you.

MyThoughts | WindowsVista

3/16/2007 2:10:41 AM (India Standard Time, UTC+05:30)
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If technology is easier to understand and implement and at the same time complex enough to handle heavy tasks it increases it chances of becoming popular. Languages like "C", "C++" are the examples of it. ".Net 2.0" made programming even easier and gave us more control to develop applications which are more complex but easier to design.

.Net 3.0 makes designing of applications even simpler, XAML is the coolest thing to happen in recent times. I wonder its so simple to make a major change in application just by adding a group of simple tags. Microsoft Expression Blend is the tool used to design applications in .NET 3.0. As you design the interface, the XAML is written by the software, though you can also write XAML to make changes.

XAML Code for making a simple button is very simple:

<Button Width="100" Height="40" Content="Button"/>

What makes it even cooler is that we can add subtags to this easily, to enhance the control for eg. in the code above if we add subtags <Button.BitmapEffect> as shown in code below we can use the <DropShadowBitmapEffect> to give shadow to the button

<Button Width="100" Height="40" Content="Button">
    <Button.BitmapEffect>
        <DropShadowBitmapEffect Direction="315" ShadowDepth="2" Softness="1"/>
    </Button.BitmapEffect>
</Button>

.Net 3.0 ships with a feature in the built in dictionary wich provides spell-checking on a textbox or RichTextBox control. Also it allows a context menu for the suggestions of alternatives for the replacement of the misspelt word. Following code shows us how. When the propery "SpellCheck.IsEnabled" is set to True TextBox will mark all misspled words with wavy red line like Mircosoft word.

<StackPanel Margin="20">
   <TextBlock>TextBox</TextBlock>
   <TextBox SpellCheck.IsEnabled="True">
      Speling is wrong and underlined with wavy line
   </TextBox>
</StackPanel>

When you execute this code you will see Textbox with red way line under "speling" which is spelled incorrectly. Right click on it to see the alternatives.

To learn about more cool features and power of XAML and Microsoft Expression Blend watch the screencast Revolutions which is hosted by Dax and Andy.

Microsoft Expression Blend | revolUXions | WPF | XAML

3/15/2007 2:16:27 PM (India Standard Time, UTC+05:30)
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I bet one thing which irritates us all everyday those who use email. No marks for guessing, Yes its four letter word called SPAM or SPAM mails.

Many of my non-technical friends ask me "why these spams get delivered everyday and in such huge numbers, can't it be stopped, so that we get only genuine mails".

spam is usally unwanted, commercial emails sent through email addresses which seem known and subjects of such emails attract the user to have a look at the mail.

I wanted to share some of the interesting facts and figures about spam that I came across. As estimated by MAAWG around 80-85% of mails we receive are "abusive email".

More popular you are, more spam you will receive. According to the Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, Bill Gates receives four million mails per year, most of them being spam, most of these spam mails offer opportunites for debt financing or are about "how to get rich" schemes.

There are many ways of stopping spam, most popular of them is filtering spam emails based on the content. For e.g. emails containing words such as "viagra" gets filtered as spam, but this kind of filtering can create problems when geninue mails get blocked, for e.g. emails containing word "specialist" can get blocked because the word "cialis" is in the blocklist.

spammers have got intelligent and they intentionally misspell a word which is human readable but does not get caught in spam-filter. Spammers write "Viagra" as
"V1agra",
"Via'gra",
"V I A G R A",
"Vaigra" etc.

Using most common variations it is possible to spell "Viagra" in over 1.3 * 10⁴⁵ ways.
 
The spamfilter can be trained regularly to understand the changing trend of spam, but it surely creates headaches for email users.

Another way used by spammers for bypassing Spam filters is image spam where the text of the message is stored as a GIF or JPEG image, this way the email gets easily bypassed from the text based spam filters.

As we can see that spam creates lots of nuisance and can easily spread virus causing us more damage.

We can surely take these basic precautions while checking mails:
- DO NOT open mails which you are not expecting and seems to be from unknown person.
- Chain mails ask you to forward them to your friends so that you get luck, DO NOT forward such chain mails.
- Many mails contain subject about making money fast, DO NOT open such mails.
- Keep updating your anti-spam software database.

Email | SpamFilters

3/13/2007 1:25:27 AM (India Standard Time, UTC+05:30)
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The opening ceremony for the next ICC Cricket World Cup will be on March 11 2007 i.e. in about 18+ hours from now. This event is hosted by West Indies for the first time. There will be total of 51 matches played in this tournament. The Greenfield Stadium, Trelawny, Jamaica will host the Opening Ceremony. The Official Song for this World Cup is "The Game of Love and Unity" by Jamaican-born Shaggy, Barbadian entertainer Rupee and Trinidadian Faye-Ann Lyons.

Contest is between 16 nations divided into four groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group will compete in "S