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Looking for feedback on future content

18-Jul-11

Yeah, yeah. I know this will probably show up as an empty promise since I always have the best intentions to post more, but I have some blog posts and samples in the works (some were literally ready to post and then a change came out and I have to make adjustments). My goal is to get at least one of them out by the end of July. If anyone has feedback on what they’d like to see first, please comment.

On deck, in no particular order :

  • A detailed post (with code and a Templify template to get you started) on a generic repository pattern for ASP.NET MVC 3 and Entity Framework 4.1 along with a unit tests that utilize SQL Compact edition that automatically create a new SQL Compact file upon starting tests, populates the schema with sample data, and then subsequently deletes the file after tests are complete. Dependency injection is done via Ninject, which is my IoC of choice for MVC3.
  • A post on consuming portable areas in MVC 3 for a plugin-like architecture. Think “modules” that can be dynamically loaded.
  • A post on the MVC lifecycle and when and why to use the various filter interfaces provided by ASP.NET MVC3.
  • A post on Node.js from a .NET developers perspective and how to get started with hosting, the current state of node on Windows and so-on.
  • A post on custom HtmlHelpers for MVC3 showing various techniques to keep those views nice and DRY.
  • A post on running JetBrains TeamCity 6.5 in the cloud using Amazon’s EC2 “micro” instance and automatically bringing up build agents and terminating them after the build. The post would be aimed at .NET development.
If you have any feedback on what you’d like to see, please comment.
Filed in asp.net mvc, asp.net mvc3, blogging, c#, continuous integration, development, dot net, mvc, mvcscaffolding, node.js, nuget, razor, tdd, teamcity, templify, unit testing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (5) »

Co-admin weirdness in the Windows Azure dashboard

27-Jun-11

I’ve been basically living in the Windows Azure Dashboard for the past month while working on a client project. Despite the new(er) Silverlight dashboard being a substantial improvement over the old approach of different management interfaces for the various facets of Azure, there are still some odd issues that baffle me.

The biggest one is the confusion (or possibly my lack of understanding) related to the whole “service administrator” situation. The team I worked with setup a new Azure account with a generic Live ID and I added myself and my teammates as co-admins in the panel. That all makes sense and all seemed to be well. We can all log in and see our roles and so-on. Then it starts getting inconsistent. For example, logged in as myself (with co-admin status), I can bring up new roles, storage accounts, and CDNs but cannot create a new SQL Azure instance, AppFabric features, and some other items. I must login with the primary admin id to perform or even view those features (such as AppFabric cache isntances).

I can understand the Azure team wanting to prevent co-admins from incurring more costs and maybe restricting some features, but that isn’t the case since I theoretically could prop up a multi-instance role as a co-admin. But when it comes to simply viewing my AppFabric cache information to setup my config file for caching, I must login as a the primary account owner to do so.

Has anyone else experienced this or have any feedback on something I may be doing wrong?

Filed in azure appfabric, microsoft, sql azure, web role, windows azure, worker role | Tagged , , | Comments (2) »

Off to Michigan

22-May-11

Well, the bags are packed and I take off tonight for my first 19-day chunk of this new project in metro-Detroit. Hoping my red-eye flight doesn’t leave me in too much of a zombie-like state for my first day on the job tomorrow, but it was the only option I had without sacrificing more time away from my kids.

Can’t wait to get started on this project. Looking forward to working with a lot of new Windows Azure features and some really deep dives into guts of MVC3, which I’ve not been able to do in some time.

I will see you valley folks sometime after June 17th. Don’t have too much fun while I’m gone!

Filed in 2011, arizona, asp.net mvc3, detroit, dot net, michigan, phoenix, projects, windows azure | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1) »

Time for a new chapter in my career

10-May-11

I’ve spent the past four years primarily consulting for a large public utility in Phoenix, Arizona and love living in the valley. Having said that, it is time for a change.

A combination of burn-out and the realization that I am in a situation where I cannot impact greater change in the organization has led me to take a four-week contract in Metro-Detroit starting May 23 and running through June 17th. I will be working on an exciting R&D project involving Windows Azure (SQL Azure, Azure Table Storage, and Azure AppFabric) for a web-based ERP company I was involved with from 1999 through late 2004.

So, I’m pleased to say that I will be in the Detroit area for a few weeks starting very soon, which is where I’m originally from. If anyone out there wants to grab coffee or lunch and discuss .NET, Azure, nodejs, NoSQL, or whatver; feel free to drop me a line on twitter.

After this Detroit project is complete, I will be back in the valley and open-minded about future opportunities. I may even consider a move to a different career path within the tech world. At this point, I’m leaving my options open. It’s a risk and it worries me at times, but after 14 years of doing pretty much the same thing, I think a jolt of fear and uncertainty could spark me to do many things I’m capable of, but have been either too busy or too scared to try. Nothing comes easy, and when I am put under a little pressure, that’s often when most of my best work or ideas emerge. Let’s hope this scenario continues that trend.

Again, I’m not moving back to Michigan, but will be traveling there for about four weeks.

Filed in 2011, arizona, asp.net mvc3, azure appfabric, azure table storage, career, detroit, fear, life, michigan, phoenix, projects, sql azure, taking risks, windows azure | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (2) »

Desert Code Camp Session Resources – Part One

03-Apr-11

I will be making a number of posts over the next few days in regards to content I glossed over during my two technical sessions at Desert Code Camp 2011.1 on April 2nd, 2011. This is the first of many and focused on the Templify tool, the template I used, and some links to scaffolding/t4 templates. These topics have generated the most interest/emails/tweets since yesterday. Keep checking back for more content, though.

* If you attended any of my sessions, please rate them for me. The feedback helps. I understand a lot of things were skipped due to time constraints, but I’d appreciate any constructive criticism as this was my first time speaking in a short one hour format. I learned, the hard way, topics need to be extremely concise!

Tools

  • Templify – http://opensource.endjin.com/templify/
    • The Templify template I used to start my MVC project during my 11:30am session can be found here (in zip format).
    • I intend, when I have time, to put the template project on GitHub and add a build task to generate the template automatically. Until then:
      • To install the template, unzip the file. You should see a *.pkg file.
      • Copy the pkg file to your AppData\Roaming\Endjin\Templify\repo (as an example, on Win7, mine is C:\Users\amokan\AppData\Roaming\Endjin\Templify\repo)
      • You should then be able to make a new folder in Windows Explorer, right click on it and say “Templify Here”.
      • Enjoy my weird project conventions, find gaping issues with my template, make your own, or just downright loathe the whole situation.

Web Links/Bundles

That’s it for tonight. More coming soon along with code on GitHub!

Filed in asp.net mvc, asp.net mvc3, c#, desert code camp 2011.1, development, dot net, mvc, nuget, powershell, presentations, razor, templify | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0) »