VB.10: Yield to the pressure and give us enumerators!

Unless you have been under a rock for sometime, you would have heard about the amazingly powerful CCR (Concurrent Coordination Runtime) from the robotics group in Microsoft.

In my case in particular, I could see the CCR making significant performance improvements to my current work project.  But there is a catch.  VB.net (3.5 SP1) does not support the 'Yield' keyword that C# has had since 2.0.

CCR uses some nifty manipulation of the enumerator pattern to make asynchronous code appear to be sequential.  An essential part of this ability comes from the usage of the Yield keyword.  The C# compiler reads the enumerator class and converts it into a State machine.  Long story short - it is quite a clever approach.

VB.net Team, please hear our cry.... Add the Yield command please!

https://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=381572

Patent Trolls

There are all sorts of people on the planet, some are better than others.  Others are Patent Trolls!

What is with these intellectual armed robbers?

Do they really just register any sort of fancy idea, of which they have no intention of actually making anything with.  And simply wait until some poor company (Poor? no actually they hope for rich ones!) to independently come up with the same idea.  AND Actually do something with it.

Simply wait around 5-6 years until other unsuspecting parties are also using 'Your' idea.  and then SUE SUE SUE!

Seriously, your idea?

But do you hate the player? or hate the Game?

I think the patent office needs to review how easily they are giving away the rights to 'idea' that basically are just common sense.

A plea to the companies being unjustly sued: Please fight! Don't settle out of court!  That is what is keeping this cycle turning!

Rare praise for Windows Vista

Can I just say... what is with the constant Vista bashing in the world at large?

I keep on coming across people (Non-IT people mainly) who flat out hate vista.  Most of whom have not even used it or even seen it running.  Is this just a reflection of the numerous articles on the web bagging it?

I have been using Vista Ultimate on my dell laptop since January this year and I have to say I'm very pleased with it.  This machine is my development platform so stability really is my number one priority in it's O/S.  Vista is remarkably stable. 

It seems that Microsoft is caught in an awkward transition from previous security woeful XP into Vista.  People all know that XP has been heavily targeted by virus and had streams of security patches.  And yet they expect that they can just port all of their old programs over onto this new platform?  Windows has had a history of being over backwards in ways that Apple never has had to do in order to accommodate compatibility with ancient product lines.  I think people should have some cost in order to bring a new level of security and stability to their O/S platform. 

In this case that means deciding what is worth more to them: Stability and security? or extensive backwards software compatibility?

Is this the only choice? well no... you can always install a Virtual machine and install your old O/S on top of vista. 

Me personally, I couldn't go back to XP.

Can you remember your last 'blue screen of death?'

I can't say that I have had more than two in the last 8 months.  Now that is a real change from my previous years of experience on the windows platform.