Robert McLaws: FunWithCoding.NET

I recently wiped my system and installed a clean copy of Windows XP with Service Pace 2 slipstreamed into the install. I didn't get the chance to check this after the install was done, but there is a DOTNETFX folder in the root of the CD. It's in the SP2 CD that MSDN just shipped me as well. Which leads me to ask the question...

Check it out for yourself. .Text is everywhere. Awesome.

I came across this problem while I was beta testing the XP SP2 release candidates. Every build starting with RC2 and later would not let me reinstall WMP10. It was very frustrating. Well, tonight I came across a solution in the WMP10 Beta Newsgroups. It involves removing specific keys from the registry. The problem is, those keys may vary by name, so a simple registry script will not work. So I whipped up a simple command-line program that will cycle through the proper Registry key, and delete all its subkeys.

Paul van Brenk does not understand the Provider Model that is built into .NET 2.0. I don't think a lot of other people really get it either. His argument against using abstract base classes is a common one for anyone that has been doing COM/COM+/C++ development.

News.com is reporting that XPSP2 has officially RTMed, and the final build is available on the WindowsBeta site for all Windows beta testers. Since it has RTMed, I can finally say that I have been beta testing these builds since LONG before the release candidates, and Microsoft has done an AMAZING job with this pack. Personally, I consider it a new version of Windows.

Neowin is reporting that the final Windows XP Service Pack 2 (or XP2 as I like to call it) will be compiled this evening. The Network Install should be available tomorrow for Microsoft.com users and MSDN subscribers, and will be available via the next version of Windows Update on August 25th.

Hot off the presses: MSNBC is reporting that next week Microsoft will launch a free blogging service in Japan. This service will allow users to update entries from a PC or mobile device. The Reuters report did not mention which back-end engine the service will be using, nor did it mention if the service would be available in the US anytime soon.

I've just sent out the e-mails to all of our ScrollingGrid customers with test copies of ScrollingGrid 2.0. This has been a long time coming, and I'm very excited about reaching this milestone. My partners and I still have a lot of work to do on the Road to RTM, but we're well on our way. This release is private, but it marks that we're almost ready for public release, which should come in about two weeks at this point. That is always subject to change, but I'm pretty confident that we'll get there.