I had one hell of a time finding this page, all of the help pages, KB pages, etc. pointed to an outdated link on Microsoft's page.  But if you are having the same problem here is a direct link to the download.  This fixes all known issues with Visual Studio 2005 and Windows Vista, also this is not the Beta service pack that was released prior.  This is the full blown released Service Pack 1 Update for Windows Vista.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=90e2942d-3ad1-4873-a2ee-4acc0aace5b6&DisplayLang=en

Have Fun!!

Well since I have started getting involved with writing gadgets I have been looking for a nice free javascript ide to use, and I finally found one.  It's called Aptana and while it has it's issues with Vista it is a great IDE, in fact I can't believe its free its so great.  I would highly recommend checking it out, however if you plan to use it with Vista there are a couple of things worth mentioning.

You can download it here: http://www.aptana.com

Installing

---

1. Right click the installer executable "Aptana_IDE_Setup.exe" and go to the compatibility tab.
2. Check "Run this program in compatibility mode for: Windows XP (Service Pack 2)
3. Check "Disable desktop composition"
4. Check "Run this program as an administrator"

-OR-

1. Double click the installer but cancel the install.
2. Vista 'should' prompt you and ask if the program installed correctly, choose no and Vista will do the above for you but it doesn't always ask so this is kinda flaky.

Running

---

1. Right click the "Aptana" shortcut and select properties and go to the compatibility tab.
2. Check "Run this program in compatibility mode for: Windows XP (Service Pack 2)
3. Check "Disable desktop composition"
4. Check "Run this program as an administrator"

Everything should work perfectly fine after you perform those actions and I have not noticed anything that has not worked properly.  It does use Java which it will install for you so just beware that it will be a tad bit slower than a native application, but its not very noticeable.

Well if you use Vista and you did not notice the horrible state of video drivers than you are either in denial or you don't use Vista enough.  So the long anticipated release from NVidia is finally here, this release fixes the majority of the major bug complains so far with the flickering issue when UAC pops up or CTRL-ALT-DEL is used in particular.  You can view more info about the driver on their site below.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/vista_driver_news_030207.html

I use the 64 bit version of Vista and was getting blue screens while watching movies, so far this has not reoccured with these drivers and hopefully it wont.  I still think they have a ways to go I mean XP's drivers have been tuned over a course of several years and Vista has only been tuned for a a couple of months now, so in due time I expect Vista to outperform XP.  I especially expect DirectX 10 to be a very jaw dropping experience, from the previews I have seen DirectX 10 is leaps and bounds above anything OpenGL could muster up so I cant wait till the latest releases of games hit the shelves using this amazing technology.

I bought the GeForce 8800 GTX about 1 month ago and I forgot to take picturs of it to post up here on my blog in my haste to install it and test it out.  But everyone knows what it looks like, I will take a couple shots with it in my computer and post them up here later for the curious.  I plan to rebuild my machine with some new components soon anyways, its not old its only 1 year old but I like bleeding edge and ever since purchasing my own home its harder to keep that edge with the pocket a little less empty.

Anyways enjoy the drivers!!

As I mentioned in my previous post I would add some polish to the Wikipedia gadget I have been using.  It's kind of funny that it took me twice (maybe three times) more time to make it look good than it did to code it.  I plan to add multiple based color themes as well as settings, and full multi-lingual support to the gadget in upcoming releases.

Wikipedia.gadget (49.37 KB)

Enjoy,
Eric Malamisura

I have been using Vista for quit some time now, ever since the early Beta stages and I have grown quit fond of the sidebar.  I use a multi-monitor setup and I put all my widgets on the second monitor so I can just glance over and get all my nifty tools at ease.  Well today I decided to test out my Widget development expertise, and I have to say its pretty easy to develop these things.  So I have created a Wikipedia Widget, with the help of some Javascript code I borrowed from the OS X wikipedia gadget, and yes I read the copyright and yes I am allowed to use the code.

So far its pretty freaking ugly, but then again I am a developer not a designer but I do have design skills they are just ultra slow so when I get time I will polish this baby up for all you guys.  It works quit well actually, this is a pre-release as I want to incorporate all the multilingual features that the OS X gadget also has in it. 

But here it is for your download pleasure, and remember its pre-release so it still has zero polish!

Wikipedia.gadget (17.63 KB)

Feel free to leave me comments, thanks!

So I stumbled on this new software application yesterday called Joost, its a P2P Streaming TV application.  Basically it lets you watch tv over the internet for comletely free by using P2P technology.  Its being developed by the guys who brought us the well known Skype application, so how cool is that?

Here is a quote from their site explaining exactly what Joost has to offer:

"Joost™ is a new way to watch TV, free of the schedules and restrictions that come with traditional television. Combining the best of TV with the best of the internet, Joost™ gives you more control and freedom than ever before - control over what you watch, and freedom to watch it whenever you like. We're providing a platform for the best television content on the planet - a platform that will bring you the biggest and best shows from the TV studios, as well as the specialist programs created by professionals and enthusiasts. It's all overlaid with a raft of nifty features that help you find the shows you love, watch and chat with friends, and even create your own TV channels."

So go check it out now and sign up for the beta at www.joost.com and have fun! :)

Been a while since I have updated this thing, still not sure why I even maintain it but I guess someone will use the information some day thats on this blog.  So anyways the old version of dasBlog I was using kept hanging so I had to upgrade to the new version.  It seems to be working again so everything fixed.

 

The Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta client has been released for download.  You can read more about it here, all I hope is that it doesnt freeze up anymore when you first launch it.  I always found that annoying with the Live Messenger, and it happens on every machine I have, heres a brief summary of the new features:

• Redesigned, smarter contact cards give you more data about and easier access to your friends
• Your display name, status and personalization roam with you to any computer
• Try PC-to-phone calling with two free calls to virtually any phone in the world*
• Better server performance
• Automatic updates
• Improved sign-in performance

So based on the last bullet I believe they fixed the sign in issue.  I am currently at work and havent downloaded it yet to test it but go give it a try.

So upon reading Scott Hanslemans blog, one of my favorite blog contributors for .NET and technology alike, I noticed he is trying out some "dark" settings in Visual Studio.  Now let me say I have had some serious issues at work where I would get into a zone and be staring at the screen non-stop for 5-8 hours non-stop only to get up and realize my eyes are burning like crazy.  So last week I changed my Visual Studio settings at work.  Today I switched my home computers over to the darkside after enjoying it quit a bit at work.  Other than the occasional comment from my fellow employee wondering what the hell I got going on with my Visual Studio, its a pretty enjoyable experience. 

So posted below is an example image capture of my settings, along with the Visual Studio 2005 settings application.  Note that I am using the Consolas font from Microsoft which only looks good on ClearType enabled systems.  If you have Visual Studio 2005 I would highly recommend that font, I use it in Visual Studio 2003, just copy the fonts from your font directory once you install it and you can pretty much use them anywhere!  I keep them on a handy USB thumb drive. :)

ElucidWeb-TheDarkside.vssettings.xml (39.04 KB) (Fixed problem with first upload)

I went through every single setting tediously and made sure everything looked proper, if I missed something that looks a bit off shoot me a comment or email your settings file and I will try it out.  Enjoy!!

Eric