John Dyer announced last night FreeTextBox 3.0 RC.  Although the traditional functionality of the WYSIWYG editor will continue to be free, apparently there are some new features that will require a license.  Pricing details haven't been announced yet. 

I don't disagree with John's position on this.  I think he deserves to be well compensated for all the hard work he has put into this control.  I donated to version 2.0 a while back to show my appreciation for his contributions to the .NET community.  Not to lay a guilt trip on you, but if you use his control, I believe you should donate, too.

EggHeadCafe is offering free icons from Lokas Software. 

Here's a sample:

Thanks go to Jon Galloway for the tip.

Looks like today is the day for posting product update news.  Matt Hawley has released Unleash It 2.3, with an impressive set of new features.  The coolest new feature by far is the support for managed plugins, which can be used to perform custom actions before, during and after your project deployment.  One of the included plugins gives you the ability to retrieve project files from a SourceGear Vault project before deployment. 

Quality merchandise at a reasonable price.

Can't wait to get me grubby paws on the latest FreeTextBox WYSIWYG editor :)  I've been waiting for the image gallery feature for a LONG time.  Version 3.0 release candidate is due out this week!

I mentioned in a previous blog (especially in the comments) how impressed I was with ComponentArt's application framework.  I could see how much easier it would be for them to develop new products using this framework.  With ideas floating around in their product forums, I concluded that a ComponentArt subscription would be a strategic investment for my company.  Now that they have announced three new products and slew of awesome enhancements to existing products, I'm convinced I made the right decision.  I continue to be amazed with their products and their support.  I highly recommend you take a look at their demos and check them out for yourself.

It occurred to me on the way to work this morning that it had been at least a year since I started this Web site.  I had to look up the anniversary date.  Isn't that just like a man? ;) 

On September 16, 2003 I registered ChristianASP.NET and on September 24, 2003 I ordered this dedicated server for the purpose of providing Christian-based Web hosting and resources to the .NET developer community.  I haven't met every goal for this Web site yet.  However, I am still as excited, if not more so, than one year ago about the possibilities and future for this site. 

I would like to sincerely thank all of my "customers" who host their Web sites with me, as well as my handful of frequent visitors, for their encouragement and support.

I would like to start writing articles or perhaps start an open source project, as time permits.  If you have any ideas or suggestions on what I could focus on next to make this site a better resource, please let me know!

God bless,
David

Formerly named "WebDeploy," Matt Hawley's Unleash It is a free VS.NET 2003 add-in and stand-alone utility that makes deploying ASP.NET projects a breeze.  You can choose to deploy files to a folder, use FTP, or create a Zip file.  I've only used the Zip file option so far, so I can't comment on the FTP or folder deployment.  Unleash It uses file masks and excluded folder masks, giving you great control over what files get deployed.  The latest version allows you to create multiple "profiles," giving you the ability to deploy a project to multiple locations at once.  Unleash It also supports pre-deployment and post-deployment commands, letting you run a script, batch file or executable prior to and after deployment.

The UI is very clean and professional.  However, it took me a while to figure out how to configure a profile using the stand-alone interface.  You must go to Files -> Profiles -> Profile Configuration..., and then choose the profile to edit.  In VS.NET 2003, you only have to go to Tools -> Unleash It -> Configure Unleash It.

Once your deployment profile is set, using the add-in could not be any easier.  From within VS.NET, you simply right-click on your Web project and choose Deploy Project.  You have the option to change the destination (directory, FTP, Zip) and the file masks to use.  Next, click Deploy and you're done.

There's some room to improve, but I give it 4.5 stars.  Definitely a keeper.

I have been using ComponentArt's TreeView tree control for about a month, and it blows away every tree control I have used in the past.  Not only is it visually stunning, but the object model is a joy to work with.  It is very easy to customize and control. 

• Cross-browser support -- not just down-level rendering, but true pixel-perfect rendering in all major browsers!
• Load on demand
• Extremely powerful and detailed CSS support
• Client- and server-side events
• Just... plain... slick

I use the control in a skinnable, template-based portal framework where all Server and User controls are loaded dynamically.  Other controls I have used require work-arounds to get images and resources to map correctly.  ComponentArt's TreeView has worked flawlessly.

Documentation is outstanding, and they provide a suite of examples that cover just about everything you can do with the control.  Whenever I had questions, ComponentArt's support forum either had the answer or was very quick to respond to my posts.

ComponentArt's TreeView definitely gets 5 out of 5 stars.  Check out the online demos and be amazed.

I've also been using ComponentArt's Menu control, which is every bit as awesome.  I plan to post a review for it, as well.

Four more invites were added to my account this morning.  Obviously, the three people that read my blog don't need them.  Maybe I should request a blog account on DotNetJunkies?  That would certainly increase my audience.

UPDATE (Feb 22, 2005): I currently have 49 invites, if anyone comes across this blog entry.

My friend Joe Audette has started a very interesting portal project for Mono and MySQL.  It's based initially on IBuySpy, but he has plans for many architecture improvements.  I believe this is going to become a very important project, and he has already made significant progress.  Check it out and spread the word.

http://www.mojoportal.com/

 

I currently have three Gmail invites, if anyone is interested.