This is one tool i really forgot to mention about on my blog. This is an evolving tool, but really helpful for a .Net architect and a developer. So what is Guidance Explorer? Well, every .Net application architect and developer has this question in mind when they start off work on a .Net application – What are the security and performance proven practices for .NET applications? The Guidance Explorer, as the name suggests, is a tool to help you find and use relevant patterns & practices guidance.
Guidance Explorer installs with a guidance library including performance and security topics for .NET and ASP.NET applications. The guidance library contains checklists and guidelines covering design, implementation and deployment topics. The tool and the library will evolve over time to include additional types of guidance.
I am sure that this tool is something each and everyone of you working on the .Net platform would like to check out.
Guidance Explorer Home
WikiMapia is a project to describe the whole planet Earth. Just move the map to find interesting places, click on rectangles. To add an interesting place or object use Add New link on the right hand side menu bar. Wikimapia was created by Alexandre Koriakine and Evgeniy Saveliev, inspired by Google maps and Wikipedia. Go ahead and tag your favourite places – your office, your home, your favourite restaurant etc. 
Check out WikiMapia
SCSF provides an integrated set of guidance that assists architects and developers in creating composite smart client applications. With the Smart Client Software Factory, architects and developers can quickly incorporate many of the proven practices and patterns of building composite smart client applications. These practices and patterns have been identified during the development of many smart client applications and their components.
Visit the Smart Client Software Factory Community Home.
The Smart Client Software Factory provides an integrated set of guidance that assists architects and developers in creating composite smart client applications. These applications have one or more of the following characteristics:
- They have a rich user interface that takes advantage of the power of the Microsoft Windows desktop.
- They connect to multiple back-end systems to exchange data with them.
- They present information coming from multiple and diverse sources through an integrated user interface, so the data looks as if it came from one back-end system.
- They take advantage of local storage and processing resources to enable operation during periods of no network connectivity or intermittent network connectivity.
- They are easily deployed and configured.
The Smart Client Software Factory – June 2006 CTP is available for download.
The News is that Microsoft and Yahoo have followed through on a promise made nine months ago to enable interoperability between the companies’ instant messaging networks.
What this means to you and me is that, from the new Yahoo! Messenger with Voice, you can see when your Windows Live™ (MSN) Messenger contacts are online and send them instant messages. Keep all your friends in one place and IM with them anytime, right from Yahoo! Messenger.
Similarly you can send messages from a Windows Live Messenger account to someone on Yahoo! Messenger.
Now how cool is that?
Download Windows Live Messenger
Download Yahoo! Messenger with Voice Beta ( version 8 )
