Support to our dead Windows XP

Intended for: all kind of users

Windows XP maybe will be the best accepted and extended Microsoft's operating system. It's simplicity, easyness and good work if you look to its parents (we all remember the disgusting Millenium Edition...) make XP OS for several guvernamental institutions and for home users a reference for others.

A recent issue that made bleed its home users is that Microsoft announce officially the past 8 if April of 2014 that they won't bring no longer support for it, that means  that from that moment, all XP users are "totally abandoned". The decision is understandable: it's first release was in 25 October of 2001, 13 years ago... and Microsoft brings it's best to support this: it's time to update.

Companies still receiving support (of course, paid), and there's a version of Windows XP that stills having support. That updates are meant to be compatible with the rest of Windows XP versions so... There are people that discovered how to still having support. The source of this is a webpage that I'm a good fan of it NeoTeo (article for trick in Spanish).

Based on my knowledge of it, here you can download a .reg file that is intended to update this value of the Windows Registry and still receiving support for your old Windows XP without advanced knoledges: Windows XP support period extender.

As always, be aware of:

• The fix is totally for free and you can't pay or be paid for it
• You can put it on any web site always if you don't forget to put the source of the information (this blog and post) and you don't change the content inside the .reg file inside my web.
• You're using this under YOUR OWN RESPONSIBILITY
• I am free of all responsibility for any problem that you would have using it: no viruses, no errors of it's application, no human errors, NOTHING!
• It's possible that Microsoft changes this in some way, or any of that updates hurts your PC: I'm not responsible of this too.

If you're not agree with the previous, please don't download it and don't use it. To be clear: is not my problem. I bring you this like a gift, my work and my effort and I bring it to you "AS IS". Of course, I will do my best to make my applications free of fails, but we all know that computing science have lots of historical failures that make loose millions of dollars to big companies: obviously a free app can have fails too. If you see error and want to report them, please comment right here.

To use it is enough that you download it to your PC and make double click over the file. It will ask you if you want to add to registry the new entries, click over Yes and restart your PC. With that must be enough to receive again automatic updates.

I hope it will be helpfull for you too!

Windows

We are in Facebook

We create a facebook page in Spanish and English to keep you updated in real time...

You can access there following the next link:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Los-vericuetos-NET/537146749667471

Info

How important are comments in source code

Intended for: C# Developers

Comments

Comments are vital in our daily job, because as far as we can see create code for yourself is easy; read code from other developer and understand it is often a hell. Moreover, the added value of the XML comments that Visual Studio provides us: are shown in IntelliSense and help other developers to understand what certain methods do, why you crate some properties, ...

Please, take comments in count before start coding. Often we make confusing things (because of a lack of analisys, or because it's the only way out) which is mandatory to comment it intended for other one, even yourself in a few time, will understand it.

For it we have one line comments...
public void CorkBreadMethod(bool entry)

{
     if (entry)
     {
          //Code if entry is true

     }
}

…useful to bring a fast description of what we want to do.

We can use multiple line comments…

public void CorkBreadMethod(bool entry)
{
     if (entry)
     {
     /* Code if entry is true and loren ipsum when the sun goes
     * down and the moon is dark */
     }
}

… they are usefull when the line is too large and is totally neccesary all the text that we introduced. It is very important take this in account, text must be really neccesary; if not we're making dirty code for the next code reader. Watch section about line lenght.

XML Comments

XML comments are very important because they'll be the best help for the user to undestand better our classes and methods. For use them, Visual Studio provides us an automation: before the class, property or method (over the previous line) declaration we will write three times the slash character /// and automatically will be created the neccesary headers for the XML comment:

/// <summary>
/// Class in charge of beign an example
/// </summary>
class CorkBreadClass
{

}

Previously is an example on how to identificate one class using an XML comment. After do it, outside that class you will see as follows:

/// <summary>
/// Method inside CorkBreadClass
/// </summary>
/// <param name="entry">A boolean that represents the entry</param>
/// <returns>5 if entry is true, 0 elsewhere...</returns>
public int CorkBreadMethod(bool entry)
{
     return entry ? 5 : 0;
}

With previous XML comments we have the following results:

As we can see in previous capture, we get back all the previous information inside XML comments, so we gain that people that don't know too much our code or not have access to the source can understand what happend inside.

C# and Developing

Developing Challenge #1

Intended for: C# Developers

Today I want to share with you a piece of code that in a common inspection of a current proyect in which I'm involved.

Is true: everyone makes mistakes, and I'm the first one; this fail is so hard that I think that must be here as a post-challenge inside my blog.

I explain you the context: current function brings us the HTML code of a webpage that previously have been automatized.

Now the challenge itself: What makes the following code snippet? Which value returns the function?

Please, give your answers inside the comments place in the blog.

Thank you very much!

C# and Developing

Mainlines about usability and application UI design

Intended for: all platform developers

Usability and application UI design is a factor that we use to leave to the end of a project, it's because developers often think that is not an important part of our daily job (this is not my). Due to current times, most spaniard companies (my country, I don't know outside) analyst/developers are: architects (senior and junior people), designers of our own application and test people, all in one.


In 90's this was revolutionary... but now...

Is not common in big companies where have departments for all this project areas, but in small and medium ones we have to fight with all of these by ourselves; is what it is. For testing is commonly accepted that the developer can't make good tests over their own creations because you'll never accept your own mistakes until other one tells you. If this is always the same ... Why don't we understand the same concept when we made user interfaces?

Is a real fact that developers have a straight tendency to make horrible interfaces that only we understand. We have to break that rule and start to make things right, as final users desire to be: this is the key to success. We can make an application with a huge performance, that optimizes the results of other companie's  software a 80% better that do the same: if user don't understand it or if he doesn't feel comfortable using it... the application will be a total fail.


User's anger must be present in our daily job


Now I'm going to explain the dogmas that must be present before making a correct user interface, in web or in desktop:

1. You always have to be in the final user's seat. For this task we can't make a general rule, because it depends on the user for that application: is not the same a defense environment, a bank environment or intended for developer users as we can be. Do you think in Visual Studio designed in the same way of a banking system? I can imagine that and... what a mess!
2. Make an effort in our application understanbility, mainly because everything is outside our environment (because our business is every business). Understand this is very important. Everyone outside computing science doesn't have the knowledge about operating systems and more important: they don't have to have it. Our applications must be used by the people intended to be used: storage staff, secretaries, bank staff, army men, etc.... and there will be people there with advanced computing knowledge but mainly not!
3. Have a criteria for designing on-screen controls: use logic for placing things, maintain this through application. If we not follow that criteria, fails during its use will be a big set; that leaves users to say something like: - This is a big sh*t! - or something else.
4. The last one in this set of basic concepts, but not the less important one: an elegant and functional design. Is not good to have a well-functional application if its design not reflects that is it true. Technology is evolutive and application user interfaces evolutionate with them: interfaces such as Windows 3.11 are completely obsolete...

Here I bring you the basic principles were I use to work over user interfaces. In next articles I will explain some of my secrets to make good-look applications to be used by any kind of user. My experience in this field have been usefull for any company were I have worked; I hope this will be the same usefull for you.

C# and Developing