The Joel Test: 12 Steps to Better Code - Joel on Software

The Joel Test: 12 Steps to Better Code - Joel on Software: "Have you ever heard of SEMA? It's a fairly esoteric system for measuring how good a software team is. No, wait! Don't follow that link! It will take you about six years just to understand that stuff. So I've come up with my own, highly irresponsible, sloppy test to rate the quality of a software team. The great part about it is that it takes about 3 minutes. With all the time you save, you can go to medical school.

The Joel Test
1. Do you use source control?
2. Can you make a build in one step?
3. Do you make daily builds?
4. Do you have a bug database?
5. Do you fix bugs before writing new code?
6. Do you have an up-to-date schedule?
7. Do you have a spec?
8. Do programmers have quiet working conditions?
9. Do you use the best tools money can buy?
10. Do you have testers?
11. Do new candidates write code during their interview?
12. Do you do hallway usability testing?"

Patrick Labatut's personal page - FAQ

Patrick Labatut's personal page - FAQ: "How do I disable the internal PC speaker under Windows XP ? Go into the 'Device Manager', enable the 'Show hidden devices' option in the 'View' menu. Then open 'Non-Plug and Play devices' and disable the 'Beep' device."

Diceware Passphrase Home Page: "This page offers a better way to create a strong, yet easy to remember passphrase for use with encryption and security programs. Weak passwords and passphrases are one of the most common flaws in computer security. Take a few minutes and learn how to do it right. The information presented here can be used by anyone. No background in cryptography or mathematics is required. Just follow the simple steps below."

Here's the word list, and a PDF version of the word list.

Here's a list of easy-to-type words, i.e. that alternate between left and right keys on the keyboard: http://flamebox.narod.ru/lrwords.txt. It's mirrored here: http://brink.st/config/files/docs/lrwords.txt

Here's a password tester to test the results: http://www.securepassword.info/index.php

PasswordSafe is a good password generator.

Enterprise Library problem solved!

I was unable to create custom handlers in the Enterprise Library. The key is this. Note in particular the code in bold and italic.

The key is the constructor. It requires a signature of (NameValueCollection ignore).

using System;
using System.Collections.Specialized;
using System.IO;
using System.Text;
using System.Diagnostics;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using Microsoft.Practices.EnterpriseLibrary.Common.Configuration;
using Microsoft.Practices.EnterpriseLibrary.ExceptionHandling;
using  Microsoft.Practices.EnterpriseLibrary.ExceptionHandling.Configuration;

namespace CustomExceptionHandling
{
    [Microsoft.Practices.EnterpriseLibrary.Common.Configuration.ConfigurationElementType(
        typeof(Microsoft.Practices.EnterpriseLibrary.ExceptionHandling.Configuration.CustomHandlerData))]
    public class MyCustomExceptionHandler : IExceptionHandler
    {
        public MyCustomExceptionHandler(NameValueCollection ignore) { }
        
        #region IExceptionHandler Members
//...
        #endregion
    }
}

How to: Launch the Debugger Automatically

How to: Launch the Debugger Automatically:

"Sometimes, you may need to debug the startup code for an application that is launched by another process. Examples include services and custom setup actions. In these scenarios, you can have the debugger launch and automatically attach when your application starts.

To setup an application to launch the debugger automatically

1. Start the Registry Editor (regedit).

2. In the Registry Editor, open the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder.

3. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\currentversion\image file execution options.

4. In the Image File Execution Options folder, locate the name of the application you want to debug, such as myapp.exe. If you cannot find the application you want to debug:

   1. Right-click the Image File Execution Options folder, and on the shortcut menu, click New Key.

   2. Right-click the new key, and on the shortcut menu, click Rename.

   3. Edit the key name to the name of your application; myapp.exe, in this example.

5. Right-click the myapp.exe folder, and on the shortcut menu, click New String Value.

6. Right-click the new string value, and on the shortcut menu, click Rename.

7. Change the name to debugger.

8. Right-click the new string value, and on the shortcut menu, click Modify.

   The Edit String dialog box appears.

9. In the Value data box, type vsjitdebugger.exe.

10. Click OK.

11. From the Registry menu, click Exit.

12. The directory containing vsjitdebugger.exe must be in your system path. To add it to the system path, follow these steps:

    1. Open the Control Panel in Classic view, and double-click System.

    2. In System Properties, click the Advanced tab.

    3. On the Advanced tab, click Environment Variables.

    4. In the Environment Variables dialog box, under System variables, select Path, then click the Edit button.

    5. In the Edit System Variable dialog box, add the directory to Variable value. Use a semicolon to separate it from other entries in the list.

    6. Click OK to close the Edit System Variable dialog box.

    7. Click OK to close the Environment Variables dialog box.

    8. Click OK to close the System Properties dialog box.

    Now, use any method to start your application. Visual Studio will start and load the application."

If the Freakonomics guys and Malcolm Gladwell hosted This American Life... - (37signals)

If the Freakonomics guys and Malcolm Gladwell hosted This American Life... - (37signals):

"Radio Lab (iTunes podcast link) is what you’d get if you put Freakonomics, Malcolm Gladwell, and This American Life in a blender.

"Each episode of the folksy science show is “a patchwork of people, sounds, stories and experiences centered around One Big Idea.” The banter between hosts Jad Abumrad & Robert Krulwich can be slightly grating at times, but, overall, they do a great job of boiling down complex subjects and keeping things interesting. The way they use sound is intriguing too."