Microsoft today announced a new version of VS "for database professionals." It seems that the emphasis is on maintaining database integrity while evolving the data model: a worthy first goal. Perhaps as significant as the release itself is the way in which the SKU has been developed: the team was …

For me, the VS2005 "Extensibility Project"|"Visual Studio Add-In" wizard doesn't produce the expected result -- the add-in doesn't register itself with VS. I've tried this on two machines and it fails on both. Registering an add-in is done via an XML file with a .AddIn extension that (documentation indicates) should …

I get 'em all for free: this is one I pay for out of my own pocket.

::: {.Section1} Via a comment by Gregg Irwin, here's a REBOL-based control language \< ?xml:namespace prefix = o />for Excel by Robert Muench. (Wow, REBOL: There's a blast from the past!). Sample code:

goto cell "B6"  
change to "Testing"  
select "B7"  
set to "=B4 \* B5"  
select "A5:A9"  
change to "=\$B\$5 …

Huw Collingbourne turned me on to Sapphire in Steel, a Ruby programming environment implemented as a VS2005 plug-in: "Ruby In Steel 0.5.12 provides syntax sensitive code colouring and collapsing; a fully integrated interactive console which can be docked within the Visual Studio environment; integrated syntax error handling - click …

Who said I wasn't fond of Delphi? Look: Delphi is a great tool. I wish absolutely nothing but the best for DevCo and the Delphi development community.

[However... ]

I have yet to hear an argument that makes me think that the Delphi language is going to experience a rennaissance in …

I just got off the phone with David Intersimone. My recent SD Times column on "DevCo," (the codename for the spin-off of Borland's languages and database teams) ruffled some feathers, particularly when I described the Delphi language as "well past its peak, and with its Pascal roots ? on the wrong …

Eiffel Software, makers of the Eiffel programming language, have made their IDE EiffelStudio available under a "dual license." Use it for commercial software, pay; use it for OSS, get it for free. Interesting idea and a good opportunity to see why Eiffel is a well-respected language.

Well-respected, but never very …

Is this true? I was under the impression that virtualization technology had gotten to the point where this kind of work was fine. If not, I'll try things out on real hardware.

Update: Trying out the n-queens problem (which I think is probably a pretty close match) with n = 14 …

The short commercial at the beginning of Dr. Dobb's TV made me laugh.