I just read that Virtual PC is now a free download.  If you've never used it, Virtual PC allows you to setup and run other operating systems (Windows XP, 2000, 98, DOS, Server 2003, etc.) in a virtual environment on your existing PC.  This is all done with a big file called a virtual disk.  Virtual PC simulates all the hardware, and the guest operating system never knows the difference.  It can even share the host computer's CD-ROM and network connection so that you can install software and get connected to the Internet or local network.  Guest OS's will even show up as additional computers on your local network!  You can start, shutdown, suspend and resume your virtual environments at will.

One of the best features is being able to "undo" changes to your virtual environments.  When this feature is turned on, every change made to the guest OS is saved to a separate change file.  When you "undo" a Virtual PC, all the changes are completely blown away and it is as if those changes never happened at all.  This is ideal for testing application or Web installations, giving demos, or trying beta software, because you can always roll back to the exact same state to repeat your tests or if something goes wrong.  We all know that uninstalling an application doesn't always (and more likely never does) put your file system and registry back the way it was before you installed.

 

I have a few eBible.com beta invitations I can give out.  What's eBible, you ask?  It's a "next-generation" online Bible tool that not only lets you search for Bible passages, but also includes commentaries, dictionaries, and other resources, and allows you to bookmark passages.  There's a lot more to it, including a community aspect, but it'd be easier to see it for yourself than it would be for me to explain it ;)

Like a few others, I eventually ditched ASP.NET 1.1 Web Form projects in in favor of Class Library projects.  For any of you out there converting your 1.1 Class Library projects to ASP.NET 2.0 and want to use the after-market Web Application Project, here's what you need to do.

1. Convert your 1.1 project to 2.0 using the VS 2005 conversion wizard (just open the project in VS 2005)
2. Close VS 2005
3. Edit your .csproj or .vbproj file with a text editor
4. Find the line that reads <ProjectType>Local</ProjectType> and change it to:
   
   [C#]
   
   <ProjectTypeGuids>{349c5851-65df-11da-9384-00065b846f21};{fae04ec0-301f-11d3-bf4b-00c04f79efbc}</ProjectTypeGuids>
   
   [VB.NET]
   
   <ProjectTypeGuids>{349c5851-65df-11da-9384-00065b846f21};{F184B08F-C81C-45F6-A57F-5ABD9991F28F}</ProjectTypeGuids>
   
   

For any of you still developing under VS 2003, check out Fritz Onion's ASP.NET without Web Projects.

UPDATE: Found out that settings for VB.NET projects are different.

UPDATE 2: If you've upgraded a 1.1 project to WAP, you'll probably want to also right-click on the project and choose the "Convert to Web Application" option.  This will split the code-behind files into partial classes and enable designer support.  Thanks for the tip, Scott!

Awesome!  Red Gate has released SQL Prompt, and it's FREE!  Get Intellisense for Query Analyzer, Enterprise Manager, SQL Management Studio, and Visual Studio 2003/2005.  It even supports UltraEdit and EditPlus.

SQL Prompt can also automatically upper-case SQL keywords, and provides a code snippet engine.

Matt Hawley has been working around the clock, it seems, and has publicly released v2.0 of his free ASP.NET server controls.  Controls included:

CalendarPopup	a great calendar tool to allow users to choose a date
CollapsablePanel	a panel that can be collapsed on the client
FaqRepeater	databound FAQ-style listing control
ListTransfer	(re-order listbox or move items from one listbox to another)
MaskedTextBox	add a masked textbox to your forms
MultiTextDropDownList	drop-down list with multiple columns
MultiTextListBox	listbox with multiple columns
NumericBox	add a textbox that only accepts numerical input
TimePicker	add time selections to a form

I believe that each of these controls are cross-browser compatible.  Download the release candidate and check them out!

I'm not a Mac user, but I have to admit these commercials are hilarious.

Go download the Consolas font.  I've been using it for the past couple of days, and it is beautiful ;)  I'm now using it in all my editors, including TextPad and SQL Server Management Studio.

As Scott Hanselman says, make sure you have ClearType enabled and get the ClearType Tuner PowerToy.

I absolutely love Red Gate's SQL tools, and can't say enough good things about them.  I just found out from Steven Smith that Red Gate have purchased Prompt SQL (intellisense for SQL), and there's a beta to be downloaded that supports SQL 2005 Management Studio!  According to the beta support forums, the plan is to sell SQL Prompt for $50/user with multi-user discounts at 5- and 10-user levels.

By the way, Red Gate's Profiler and Load tools are incredible, too.

ArgoSoft have just announced a free e-mail validation Web service, based on their years of experience with their Mail Server product.  Plug it into your ASP.NET app for real-time e-mail address verfication!

I've used ArgoSoft's Mail Server for years and have found it to be a great product at an unbeatable price.  ArgoSoft support has always been top-notch, as well.  Highly recommended.