VISUAL STUDIO 2005 & 2008 - DIFFERENCES

mAJOR DIFFERENCES ARE

• Linq ( LANGUAGE INTEGRATED QUERY )
• AJAX ( ASYNCRONOUS JAVA AND XML )
• EXPRESSION SUPPORT USED FOR JAVA SCRIPT
• WPF ( WEB PRESENTATION FOUNDATION ) USED FOR 2D & 3D ENTITIES
• BUILT IN SILVERLIGHT LIBRARIES
  

LET'S SEE IN DETAILS

1. LINQ Support

LINQ essentially is the composition of many standard query operators that allow you to work with data in a more intuitive way regardless.

LINQ

The benefits of using LINQ are significant – Compile time checking C# language queries, and the ability to debug step by step through queries.

2. Expression Blend Support

Expression blend is XAML generator tool for silverlight applications. You can install Expression blend as an embedded plug-in to Visual Studio 2008. By this you can get extensive web designer and JavaScript tool.

3. Windows Presentation Foundation

WPF provides you an extensive graphic functionality you never seen these before. Visual Studio 2008 contains plenty of WPF Windows Presentation Foundation Library templates. By this a visual developer who is new to .NET, C# and VB.NET can easily develop the 2D and 3D graphic applications.

Visual Studio 2008 provides free game development library kits for games developers. currently this game development kits are available for C++ and also 2D/3D Dark Matter one image and sounds sets.

4. VS 2008 Multi-Targeting Support

Earlier you were not able to working with .NET 1.1 applications directly in visual studio 2005. Now in Visual studio 2008 you are able to create, run, debug the .NET 2.0, .NET 3.0 and .NET 3.5 applications. You can also deploy .NET 2.0 applications in the machines which contains only .NET 2.0 not .NET 3.x.

5. AJAX support for ASP.NET

AJAX

Previously developer has to install AJAX control library separately that does not come from VS, but now if you install Visual Studio 2008, you can built-in AJAX control library. This Ajax Library contains plenty of rich AJAX controls like Menu, TreeView, webparts and also these components support JSON and VS 2008 contains in built ASP.NET AJAX Control Extenders.

6. JavaScript Debugging Support

Since starting of web development all the developers got frustration with solving javascript errors. Debugging the error in javascript is very difficult. Now Visual Studio 2008 makes it is simpler with javascript debugging. You can set break points and run the javaScript step by step and you can watch the local variables when you were debugging the javascript and solution explorer provides javascript document navigation support.

7. Nested Master Page Support

Already Visual Studio 2005 supports nested master pages concept with .NET 2.0, but the problem with this Visual Studio 2005 that pages based on nested masters can't be edited using WYSIWYG web designer. But now in VS 2008 you can even edit the nested master pages.

8. LINQ Intellisense and Javascript Intellisense support for silverlight applications

javascriptintellisense

Most happy part for .NET developers is Visual Studio 2008 contains intellisense support for javascript. Javascript Intellisense makes developers life easy when writing client side validation, AJAX applications and also when writing Silverlight applications

Intellisense Support: When we are writing the LINQ Query VS provides LINQ query syntax as tool tips.

9. Organize Imports or Usings: We have Organize Imports feature already in Eclipse. SInce many days I have been waiting for this feature even in VS. Now VS contains Organize Imports feature which removes unnecessary namespaces which you have imported. You can select all the namespaces and right click on it, then you can get context menu with Organize imports options like "Remove Unused Usings", "Sort Usings", "Remove and Sort". Refactoring support for new .NET 3.x features like Anonymous types, Extension Methods, Lambda Expressions.

10. Intellisense Filtering: Earlier in VS 2005 when we were typing with intellisense box all the items were being displayed. For example If we type the letter 'K' then intellisense takes you to the items starts with 'K' but also all other items will be presented in intellisense box. Now in VS 2008 if you press 'K' only the items starts with 'K' will be filtered and displayed.

11. Intellisense Box display position

javascriptintellisense

Earlier in some cases when you were typing the an object name and pressing . (period) then intellisense was being displayed in the position of the object which you have typed. Here the code which we type will go back to the dropdown, in this case sometimes programmer may disturb to what he was typing. Now in VS 2008 If you hold the Ctrl key while the intellisense is dropping down then intellisense box will become semi-transparent mode.

12. Visual Studio 2008 Split View

spit

VS 205 has a feature show both design and source code in single window. but both the windows tiles horizontally. In VS 2008 we can configure this split view feature to vertically, this allows developers to use maximum screen on laptops and wide-screen monitors.

Here one of the good feature is if you select any HTML or ASP markup text in source window automatically corresponding item will be selected in design window.

13. HTML JavaScript warnings, not as errors: VS 2005 mixes HTML errors and C# and VB.NET errors and shows in one window. Now VS 2008 separates this and shows javascript and HTML errors as warnings. But this is configurable feature.

14. Debugging .NET Framework Library Source Code:

Now in VS 2008 you can debug the source code of .NET Framework Library methods. Lets say If you want to debug the DataBind() method of DataGrid control you can place a debugging point over there and continue with debug the source code of DataBind() method.

15. In built Silverlight Library

silverlight

Earlier we used to install silverlight SDK separately, Now in VS 2008 it is inbuilt, with this you can create, debug and deploy the silverlight applications.

16. Visual Studio LINQ Designer

LINQ

Already you know in VS 2005 we have inbuilt SQL Server IDE feature. by this you no need to use any other tools like SQL Server Query Analyzer and SQL Server Enterprise Manger. You have directly database explorer by this you can create connections to your database and you can view the tables and stored procedures in VS IDE itself. But now in VS 2008 it has View Designer window capability with LINQ-to-SQL.

17. Inbuilt C++ SDK

Earlier It was so difficult to download and configure the C++ SDK Libraries and tools for developing windows based applications. Now it is inbuilt with VS 2008 and configurable

18. Multilingual User Interface Architecture - MUI

MUI

MUI is an architecture contains packages from Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office libraries. This supports the user to change the text language display as he wish.

Visual Studio is now in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Japanese, and Korean. Over the next couple of months. Microsoft is reengineering the MUI which supports nine local languages then you can even view Visual studio in other 9 local languages.

19. Microsoft Popfly Support

popfly

Microsoft Popfly explorer is an add-on to VS 2008, by this directly you can deploy or hosting the Silverlight applications and Marshup objects

20. Free Tools and Resources

People may feel that I am a promoter to Visual Studio 2008 as a salesman, but we get plenty of free resources and free tools with Visual Studio 2008.
# Visual Studio 2008 Trial
# 101 LINQ Samples
# Free .NET 3.5 control libraries with free sample programs,
# You can get plenty of free video training tutorials from Microsoft BDLC - Beginner Developer Learning Center,
# C++ games development library,
# Microsoft has provided lot of e-Books,
# P2P library and
# Microsoft is providing Coding4Fun sample program kit.
# Visual Studio Registration Discounts: If you register the Visual Studio you get Free Control Libraries, Books, Images, and Discounts.
# Download Visual Studio 2008 free trial

21. We can use for Commercial

Earlier you were spending lot of money to host your .NET applications for commercial use. Now you no need to worry Now Microsoft is providing you to host your application free on Popfly for web pages and also visual studio express projects

Apple IPAD Vs Chinese IPAD controversy

Apple's own iPhone? Who would feel the need for a device that seemed to be a jack-of-all-trades, but master of none? Why can't Steve Jobs wear anything other than black turtleneck t-shirts?

Apart from the last one, the other questions will probably be answered once Apple actually ships the device, and consumers and developers start fleshing out the ecosystem around the device. However, in one category at least, the iPad does seem to have some clear advantages and great potential—as a gaming device.

The iPhone (and iPod touch) has clearly demonstrated that it can hold its own in the handheld gaming market against Nintendo's DS and Sony's PSP, carving out a niche for itself in the lucrative handheld market. While at the moment, nobody actually purchases the iPod as primarily a gaming device, the fact remains that once they own one, most iPhone / iPod users end up playing games on them. Need proof? Just look at the App Store—the vast majority of apps downloaded are games.

The multi-touch and accelerometer controls have proved to be the 'killer feature' that separates the iPhone from the DS and PSP, enabling thousands of casual games that appeal to a large cross-section of gamers, as opposed to the other two devices which focus more on 'hardcore' gamers and kids. And it's for precisely this reason that the iPad, with its larger screen real estate, stands a chance to upset the applecart.

Developers are excited about the design potential unlocked by the iPad's screen size combined with multitouch, which provides a greater flexibility for input systems when compared to both the DS and the PSP. Although very little is known about the hardware capabilities of the iPad at present, there are two features that could excite game developers even more—the 1GHz A4 processor, and an improved accelerometer that can detect tilting along both X and Y axes. A faster processor always means you can pack more into your game—AI, Physics, Graphics—but until Apple reveals more details about the processor architecture and specifications, it's difficult for developers to know exactly how much of a difference it will make.

The accelerometer (again, no specifications have actually been revealed by Apple) does have the potential to unlock true 3D control, which, in combination with the multitouch, would make for a gaming device that controls unlike any other. This, as Nintendo will tell you, is a potential hook that will sell a ridiculous number of units and destroy the competition.

We could see a larger migration of more hardcore game designs to the iPad platform, in addition to the obvious cavalcade of casual titles that are already on the app store. Strategy titles such as Sid Meier's Civilization and Diablo-like role-playing games would immediately benefit from a multitouch interface. Real-time strategy games and squad-based RPGS are also logical choices to migrate to the iPad, and indeed be enhanced by the touch-based input.

And that's not even accounting for the innovations in gameplay that might spawn entirely new game types for the platform. For instance, simultaneous, synchronous multiplayer games that could have three or four players crowding around a single iPad would be terribly exciting, and we're almost certain to see a slew of such games.

This would put the iPad in serious contention as a device that's looked at seriously by gamers both hardcore and casual. It would feature several key differentiators to create a new category of gaming device—one that offers high quality gaming on the go. That would be an extremely tempting promise for gamers, who might even be willing to pay a higher price for such a device.

A Chinese company is claiming that its iPad knockoff is in fact an original design that has been copied by Apple. The P88 has been on the market in China for six months. It’s easy to recognize: It looks just like a big iPhone.

Xiaolong Wu, the president of the Shenzhen Great Loong Brother company that makes the P88, gave an interview to Spanish national newspaper El Mundo. If the iPad comes to China, he says, “We won’t have any choice but to report them,” because “it will certainly affect our sales.” The charge? Oddly, El Mundo reports the crime as “plagiarism,” although we assume it means IP or copyright infringement.

Wu says that Apple has not only copied the concept of a multitouch tablet, but also the design of the case and screen bezel. And pre-empting our obvious criticism, that the P88 is just a large-scale iPhone or iPod Touch rip-off, Wu says that “they have nothing to do with it, as they have completely different functions.”

As you can see from the picture above, Wu is being rather generous when he describes the P88 and the iPad as “completely identical”. The specs tell a different story. The 10.2-inch screen isn’t multitouch (it uses resistive touch), the P88 uses a hard-drive (250 GB), has an Ethernet port, a 1.3-MP webcam and Intel 945GSE chipset (likely to be paired with an Atom CPU, not listed) with a gig of RAM. It also runs Windows.

The kicker, though, is the battery life, low even for a keyboard-less netbook, which is what this is. Without the power cord you get just 1.5 (claimed) hours.

The whole story is ridiculous, and most likely a cheap play for publicity. Anyone confusing the two products deserves the P88. What is clear is that the Chinese company squeezed a (very bad) netbook into an oversized iPhone-style case and claimed to have some kind of ownership of this design. Good luck, Mr. Wu.

10 Features of IPAD

1. Price It comes down to this. Most sane people will not buy a tablet if they can get a notebook (or an iPod touch!) that does all the same stuff at a lower price.

2. Apps Actually, apps are doomed. HTML5 will see to that, eventually. Until then, Apple’s tablet needs to run all the apps already in the iTunes Store. Even the fart apps.

So, from an HD screen, Internet connectivity, incredible battery life and support for software to more factors, many things are needed to make the iTablet a success. What’s the one killer feature that will guarantee Apple’s tablet huge and sustainable success?

3. Awesome Battery My dream in terms of battery life would be five days between full charges. But, realistically, this being a first-generation device, the battery will probably be weak.

4. Multitasking We need real background processes, Apple. No excuses this time.

5. Touch Media You know what we want here — multimedia creation, editing and consumption, all touch-friendly. The retrofitted iPhone’s iPod app just won’t cut it — what we need is a touch-based iTunes. And a touch-friendly iMovie would be very welcome.

6. Cameras That’s right, cameras is deliberately plural. One on the back and one embedded up-front for video iChat. Anything less than 5 megapixels, by the way, is criminal.

7. Ubiquitous Connectivity Sounds fancy, but it’s just a 3G radio for connecting to the Net. For an added awesome factor, let’s do it WhisperNet style, with no monthly 3G fees. (Never gonna happen, but what a wonderful dream!)

8. eMagazine Reader E-book readers are greyscale and dull. An eMagazine Reader offers colors, animations and adventure. (Plus, you can get automatic content delivery via iTunes subscriptions.) The concept below is by Bonnier R&D.

9. High-Definition Prowess HD is crucial — 720p natively, 1080p via external screen. It has to manage at least three hours of continuous HD playback on a single battery charge.

10. OLED Display I’m sure we won’t get this, and that’s a shame. Sure, we’ll still get HD resolution with an LCD, but the battery will suffer.

Android - open source phone operating system

Open

Android was built from the ground-up to enable developers to create compelling mobile applications that take full advantage of all a handset has to offer. It was built to be truly open. For example, an application can call upon any of the phone's core functionality such as making calls, sending text messages, or using the camera, allowing developers to create richer and more cohesive experiences for users. Android is built on the open Linux Kernel. Furthermore, it utilizes a custom virtual machine that was designed to optimize memory and hardware resources in a mobile environment. Android is open source; it can be liberally extended to incorporate new cutting edge technologies as they emerge. The platform will continue to evolve as the developer community works together to build innovative mobile applications.

All applications are created equal

Android does not differentiate between the phone's core applications and third-party applications. They can all be built to have equal access to a phone's capabilities providing users with a broad spectrum of applications and services. With devices built on the Android Platform, users are able to fully tailor the phone to their interests. They can swap out the phone's homescreen, the style of the dialer, or any of the applications. They can even instruct their phones to use their favorite photo viewing application to handle the viewing of all photos.

Breaking down application boundaries

Android breaks down the barriers to building new and innovative applications. For example, a developer can combine information from the web with data on an individual's mobile phone -- such as the user's contacts, calendar, or geographic location -- to provide a more relevant user experience. With Android, a developer can build an application that enables users to view the location of their friends and be alerted when they are in the vicinity giving them a chance to connect.

Fast & easy application development

Android provides access to a wide range of useful libraries and tools that can be used to build rich applications. For example, Android enables developers to obtain the location of the device, and allows devices to communicate with one another enabling rich peer-to-peer social applications. In addition, Android includes a full set of tools that have been built from the ground up alongside the platform providing developers with high productivity and deep insight into their applications.