This is the story of a s/w engineer who had seen dreams to buy 2 Bed
room flat in India. Please go through this. You can find valuable things.
ONE BEDROOM FLAT… WRITTEN BY AN INDIAN SOFTWARE *ENGINEER *

As the dream of most parents I had acquired a degree in Software
Engineer and joined a company based in USA, the land of braves and
opportunity.
When I arrived in the USA, it was as if a dream had come true.

Here at last I was in the place where I want to be. I decided I would be
staying in this country for about Five years in which time I would have
earned enough money to settle down in India.

My father was a government employee and after his retirement, the only
asset he could acquire was a decent one bedroom flat.

I wanted to do some thing more than him. I started feeling homesick and
lonely as the time passed. I used to call home and speak to my parents
every week using cheap international phone cards. Two years passed, two
years of Burgers at McDonald’s and pizzas and discos and 2 years
watching the foreign exchange rate getting happy whenever the Rupee
value went down.

Finally I decided to get married. Told my parents that I have only 10
days of holidays and everything must be done within these 10 days. I got
my ticket booked in the cheapest flight. Was jubilant and was actually
enjoying hopping for gifts for all my friends back home. If I miss
anyone then there will be talks. After reaching home I spent home one
week going through all the photographs of girls and as the time was
getting shorter I was forced to select one candidate.

In-laws told me, to my surprise, that I would have to get married in
2-3
days, as I will not get anymore holidays. After the marriage, it was
time to return to USA, after giving some money to my parents and telling
the neighbours to look after them, we returned to USA.

My wife enjoyed this country for about two months and then she started
feeling lonely. The frequency of calling India increased to twice in a
week sometimes 3 times a week. Our savings started diminishing.
After two more
years we started to have kids. Two lovely kids, a boy and a girl, were
gifted to us by the almighty. Every time I spoke to my parents, they
asked me to come to India so that they can see their grand-children.

Every year I decide to go to India. But part work part monetary
conditions prevented it. Years went by and visiting India was a distant
dream. Then suddenly one day I got a message that my parents were
seriously sick. I tried but I couldn’t get any holidays and thus could
not go to India. The next message I got was my parents had passed away
and as there was no one to do the last rights the society members had
done whatever they could. I was depressed. My parents had passed away
without seeing their grand children.

After couple more years passed away, much to my children’s dislike and
my wife’s joy we returned to India to settle down. I started to look for
a suitable property, but to my dismay my savings were short and the
property prices had gone up during all these years. I had to return to
the USA.

My wife refused to come back with me and my children refused to stay in
India. My 2 children and I returned to USA after promising my wife I
would be back for good after two years.

Time passed by, my daughter decided to get married to an American and my
son was happy living in USA. I decided that had enough and wound-up
every thing and returned to India. I had just enough money to buy a
decent 02 bedroom flat in a well-developed locality.

Now I am 60 years old and the only time I go out of the flat is for the
routine visit to the nearby temple. My faithful wife has also left me
and gone to the holy abode.

Sometimes I wondered was it worth all this? My father, even after
staying in India, had a house to his name and I too have the same
nothing more.
**
I lost my parents and children for just ONE EXTRA BEDROOM. **

Looking out from the window I see a lot of children dancing.
This damned cable TV has spoiled our new generation and these children
are losing their values and culture because of it. I get occasional
cards from my children asking I am alright. Well at least they remember
me.

Now perhaps after I die it will be the neighbours again who will be
performing my last rights, God Bless them. ** But the question still
remains ‘was all this worth it?’
I am still searching for an answer…………….!!!!*

Thanks & Regards,
One s/w Engineer
(who had seen dreams)

You can find more information about the project as well as contribute towards it by visiting the following link:

http://www.codeplex.com/vsipfactory

Please contact Pablo Galiano (pga@clariusconsulting.net) if you are interested in helping out with this project.

Link:  http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1698

This was an interview with Ray Ozzie. When Groove Networks was acquired by Microsoft in April 2005, Ozzie joined Microsoft as a chief technical officer. On June 15, 2006, Ozzie was given the title formerly held by Microsoft founder Bill Gates of chief software architect. Gates remains Microsoft’s chairman.

Enjoy the article

This release of Enterprise Library includes two new application blocks (the Validation Application Block and the Policy Injection Application Block), two guidance packages, and a configuration editor that is integrated with Visual Studio. There are also additions in functionality to the Data Access Application Block and to the Logging Application Block. The highlights of the new release include:

• Validation Application Block. Allows you to centrally define validation rules using configuration or attributes, and easily validate data from anywhere in your application, including deep integration with Windows Forms, ASP.NET and WCF.       
• Policy Injection Application Block. Provides an approach for separating cross-cutting concerns from business logic using declarative policies that are attached at runtime to methods on your objects. The block includes handlers that can call other Enterprise Library application blocks from policies, implementing functionality such as validation, authorization, exception handling, logging and caching. 
• Application Block Software Factory. Dramatically simplifies the process of building application blocks and providers through the magic of guidance automation. 
• Visual Studio-integrated Configuration Editor. Edit Enterprise Library configuration files directly within Visual Studio.
• Environmental Overrides. Use the configuration tool to specify configuration settings that are common or different across multiple deployment environments, and merge this information into configuration files to be deployed with your applications.
• WCF Integration. Easily integrate the Logging, Exception Handling and Validation Application Blocks into service interfaces built using Windows Communication Foundation.
• Pre-compiled, strong-named binaries. No need to compile and strong name the code unless you want to manage and evolve the code yourself.

Enterprise Library 3.0 – April 2007 deliverable is available on MSDN at: http://msdn.microsoft.com/entlib

Phase Out Schedule
The GotDotNet phase out will be carried out in phases according the following timetable:

MS is phasing out GotDotNet for the following reasons:

• Microsoft wants to eliminate redundant functionality between GotDotNet and other community resources provided by Microsoft
• Traffic and usage of GotDotNet features has significantly decreased over the last six months
• Microsoft wants to reinvest the resources currently used for GotDotNet in new and better community features for our customers

The Windows Workflow Foundation Web Workflow Approvals Starter Kit is a Visual Studio 2005 project that demonstrates using Windows Workflow Foundation for simple task oriented workflow in an ASP.NET web application in a minimal number of lines of code. A workflow model is used to automate work order requests at a small example company. It includes three pre-defined roles which each play a part in the work orders creation, approval and monitoring. The starter kit may be modified for other workflow models to suit other small web based task management systems.

This starter kit can be downloaded from MSDN here. Once installed you can create a new project from the template and press F5 to start the application. This is a great way to try out workflow enabled applications yourself.

In the first week of March 2007, Microsoft released the Visual Studio codename “Orcas” March 2007 CTP and this is the first time that features from .NET Framework 3.5 have been included.

Brief on .NET Framework 3.5

Many ISV’s, enterprises and even Microsoft product teams are successfully building on the new features WF, WCF, WPF and CardSpace in the .NET Framework 3.0. Microsoft plans to continue to invest in the .NET Framework developer platform and in support of existing users the .NET Framework 3.5 has no serious breaking changes so existing applications built for .NET Framework 2.0 or .NET Framework 3.0 will continue to execute. The .NET Framework 3.5 adds new features in several major technology areas.

1. Integration of Language Integrated Query (LINQ) and data awareness
2. Support for Web 2.0 AJAX style applications and services in ASP.NET and WCF
3. Full tooling support for WF, WCF and WPF including the new workflow-enabled services technology
4. New classes in the base class library (BCL) for the .NET Framework 3.5 address the most common customer requests

.NET Framework 3.5 will ship with Visual Studio codename ”Orcas” and will be available for separate download from MSDN.

Just The Server Side (WF and WCF)

Here’s some detail of the new things to look for from WF and WCF.

• Workflow enabled services – process and messaging together
• Web 2.0 AJAX friendly (works with ASP.NET AJAX Client) and REST enabled WCF services
• New project templates and other new features in Visual Studio for WF and WCF
• More WS-* Standards Support including WS-AtomicTransaction, WS-ReliableMessaging, WS-SecureConversation and WS-Coordination
• RSS and ATOM Syndication Support in WCF
• Partial Trust for WCF applications deployed through click-once
• Rules Data Improvements

 You get the Team Suite-Only VPC to review the new features in .NET Framework 3.5.

Three passions have governed my life:
The longings for love, the search for knowledge,
And unbearable pity for the suffering of [humankind].

Love brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness.
In the union of love I have seen
In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision
Of the heavens that saints and poets have imagined.

With equal passion I have sought knowledge.
I have wished to understand the hearts of [people].
I have wished to know why the stars shine.

Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens,
But always pity brought me back to earth;
Cries of pain reverberated in my heart
Of children in famine, of victims tortured
And of old people left helpless.
I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot,
And I too suffer.

This has been my life; I found it worth living.

(adapted)

Cheers!!!

This article summarizes the updates and tools that Microsoft is developing for its customers to address the DST change.