VT's Blog

Last Day at Microsoft

Viral Tarpara — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:33:36 GMT

Hello Everyone,

With great reluctance, I am leaving Microsoft and will no longer be maintaining this blog. It been a great ride over the last 4 years, and I will never forget all that this company has done for my personal and professional growth. Although this is goodbye, it is not for good, HR willing :)

I will be actively pursuing degrees in higher education namely around Computer Science, Economics, and Public Policy. I know its a weird mix, but after all that I’ve seen I’m convinced that a bit of CS/Web culture needs to be assimilated into the archaic world of government, economics, and policy debate. I am hopeful my ambitions are not as naive as they sound, but I firmly believe that the next few years will be a huge transformation in the way our lives integrate with society, government, and democracy. I will also be taking a year off to do enterprise architecture work at Dadabhagwan.org, a non-profit spiritual organization that I have been working with since I was 14.

To me, working for Microsoft was a dream come true, a dream I hope to comeback to in the next few years!

I would like to especially thank a few people for their extraordinary commitment to my success and progress:

Anand Iyer – Dude, you’ve always been there when I needed some help and you continue to be an inspiration and a good friend! Good Luck on the WP7 launch this winter!

Chris Henley – I’ve never met a more positive personality inside Microsoft than you. I am the IT Evangelist I am because of your mentorship!

James Senior – Our plans for world domination will have to be postponed. We’ll talk later back at the Dungeon of Doom.

Daniel Sumner – You helped me when I was at my worst, and I am stronger now because of your patience. Thank you!

Paul Murphy– Paul, I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for your help! I always thought I’d follow you to India and then to Redmond, but I guess the UK is where I branch out.

Cheryl & Amee – Thanks for all the hard work you do with the MACH program, it has been a rewarding circle to be a part of.

Lynn – I wouldn’t be the SharePoint evangelist I am without your guidance and writings!

Phil Cross & Olga – Thank you once again for putting your faith in me and letting me be track owner for TechEd, it was an extraordinary experience that I won’t forget!

Orlando – You’ve been an invaluable counselor for me over the years. There is no better way to say it than this, “thank you for all that you do!” J

Will Coleman – Its never a dull moment with you dude! Lot’s of hard work ahead so keep cracking skulls and “stay the course!”

Eileen Brown – For teaching me the invaluable skills of blogging and networking.

Please follow me on twitter: @tarpara

I am in the process of moving this blog to another property. In the mean, time watch my twitter stream.

Why One Mac User Hates Google Docs

Viral Tarpara — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:20:20 GMT

Why I Don't Use Google Docs

By Rob Griffiths, Macworld.com

When you need to collaborate with others on a project that involves word processing, spreadsheets, and/or presentations, Google Docs is an excellent solution: the ability to work with others in real time is something that's hard, if not impossible, to replicate in any desktop program.

But once you get beyond collaboration, there are very few reasons--other than "it's free!"--to use Google's online suite.

What's so bad about Google Docs that I can't recommend it for general use? There are any number of things that make it inferior to just about any OS X-based alternative, but I'll focus on five main problem areas.

PC World article

A Review of Silverlight and Windows Phone 7 from MIX 2010

Viral Tarpara — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:13:48 GMT

Underbelly has a great chronological timeline of the what was announced at MIX regarding Xbox Live, XNA, Windows Phone 7 development, launch partners, and Silverlight 4!

Check it out!

Explaining the Cloud

Viral Tarpara — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:48:27 GMT

I did an academic presentation at Bucks University hosted by the Istitution of Engineering and Technology. The presentation was titled “Explaining the Cloud,” and it discussed at a high-level why the cloud represents a shift in how IT systems and applications will evolve. It also gives a overview for those who haven’t been initiated in the basics cloud computing.

I plan to update and evolve this presentation so bookmark the SlideShare link.

Explaining The Cloud

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Buy Office 2007 Now and Upgrade to 2010 for Free!

Viral Tarpara — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:46:00 GMT

Microsoft has kicked in its technology guarantee for customers who are waiting to upgrade to Office 2010 but haven’t upgraded to Office 2007. The simple thinking is that there is no reason for businesses to delay rolling out and familiarizing themselves with common UI elements like the Ribbon and the Open XML format. Depending on how IT budgets and fiscal years align, customers will be able to leverage either Office 2007 or Office 2010 RC prior to the official release of Office 2010.

Read the Office 2010 Engineering blog for more details!

Microsoft Releases Visual Studio 2010 RC!

Viral Tarpara — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Q: What was announced today?

A: Today, Microsoft announced a Release Candidate (RC) for Visual Studio 2010. The RC is available to MSDN subscribers today and will be available to the public on February 10. Microsoft is encouraging developers to download the RC and provide feedback.

Q: Why did Microsoft release an RC so close to launch of Visual Studio 2010?

A: Microsoft is highly committed to delivering a quality product in time for the Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 launch. We received a lot of positive customer feedback on the new capabilities of Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4. At the same time, we also received feedback around performance issues. Since then, our engineering team has been working to improve performance between Beta 2 and launch so we’re set to deliver a high quality product come April. The RC released today delivers enhanced performance and is an added milestone to garner even more customer feedback before the final build is released.

Q: How does the Release Candidate address customer needs?

A: We heard from customers that performance in Beta 2 wasn’t everything they had hoped it would be. The RC released today delivers enhanced performance and is an added milestone to garner even more customer feedback before the final build is released. Specifically, customers will see performance improvements in loading solutions, typing, building and debugging.

Q: What if you receive negative feedback after customers evaluate the RC? Will the launch get pushed out?

A: We are committed to shipping a high quality product in April, and we want to do what is best for our customers. Significant performance improvements have been made to the RC, and we’re looking forward to customer feedback. From now until launch we will continue to evaluate the product and make sure it is up to developer expectations.

Q: What new features are in this RC?

A: There are no new features in this release. We focused exclusively on performance and there will be no further features added to the product between now and launch.

Q: Is the Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 launch still planned for April 12, 2010?

A: Yes. Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 will launch in cities all over the world on April 12. Major events will be taking place in the UK, China, Malaysia, India, and in the US at DevConnections in Las Vegas.

Q: What is the chance that it’ll slip more?

A: We are very confident in the schedule at this point. However, we are continuing to listen to customer feedback and we’ll ship a great product. Quality is much more important to Microsoft than a date.

Q: What improvements have you made to Visual Studio 2010 RC?

A: The Visual Studio 2010 RC addresses customer feedback that we received after the release of Beta 2. Customers can expect to see performance improvements with loading solutions, typing, building and debugging.

Q: Where can I get more information on the Visual Studio 2010 RC?

A: For additional information, check out today’s blog posts by Soma and Jason Zander. You can also download the RC build here..

Q: Where will the Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 launch take place?

A: Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 will launch in cities all over the world on April 12. Major events will be taking place in the UK, China, Malaysia, India, and in the US at DevConnections in Las Vegas. Learn more by visiting the conference homepage at http://www.devconnections.com.

Q: How can I provide feedback for the Release Candidate?

A: Visit the feedback page and let Microsoft know what you think about the RC!

Weekender: Facebook, Silverlight, CSS, Guy Kawasaki

Viral Tarpara — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:22:52 GMT

CSS Zen Garden Illustrates the Power of CSS

This is a great site that shows real-time CSS design changes by simply clicking on a new theme. What is nice about the site is that it has a lot of content that perfectly shows how content is separated from the layout style. You can also download the files and play with the very well commented CSS so that even if you’re a beginner, you learn a lot!

Explorer Exposed Dissects the World of IE Quirks

If you’re a designer and who is trying to get a grip on a variety of IE related quirks, check this site out. What is really nice is that most of the major ones are covered and illustrated fully with detailed explanations and screenshots of the bug and fix. IE5+ are covered under the guide and is constantly updated for newer versions like IE7 and IE8.

Step-by-Step Guide to a Standards-based Site Using Expression Web 3

As someone who is learning web design, I found this 20 minute tutorial very useful. It really goes to explain some basics of Expression but also the finer details of web designing in general. If you don’t want to create your own assets, the tutorial also makes the ones in the video downloadable buy clicking on “Quick Start Guides” in the navigation.

Facebook Desktop Application Released in Silverlight 4 Beta

We all spend time on it, so why jump through the hoops of a browser? This Silverlight Facebook application adds a modern UI and cool visualizations to better show photos and comments. Many people I know use it as their default method to use the Facebook. To use it, visit the link. You can even right-click and install locally so you have a choice of running in the browser or as an application.

11 Outstanding Online Resources for Web Developers

Mashable compiles a great list of websites dedicated to improving web developer’s “nun-chuck skillz.” Included on this list are famous sites like Ajaxian, O’Reilly, and W3 Schools. Good descriptions and differentiations on about each site are described.

34 Favorite Windows 7 Tips

I could write about two dozen articles on many of the tips in this list, but why bother? Any person who reads this list will go from Windows novice to Windows power-user in minutes!

Add a Custom “Move To” Location to Windows Right-Click Menu

By default, Windows has a “Send To” feature in the context-menu, but this only copies a file. What if you want to move a file? Read about this registry key you can add.

The Art and Science of the Email Signiture

Email signatures are so easy to do well, that it’s really a shame how often they’re done poorly. Many people want their signature to reflect their personality, provide pertinent information and more, but they can easily go overboard. Why are email signatures important? They may be boring and the last item on your list of things to get right, but they affect the tone of every email you write.

Guy Kawasaki Shows Us How To Blog In Style

There’s something about a British accent. Whenever I hear it, I assume the person speaking with it is smart. Call it “accent profiling.” These ten qualities are the equivalents of a British accent when it comes to blog posts.

Microsoft IT Talks about Snow and Unified Communications

Viral Tarpara — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:55:31 GMT

Snow Problem

What a winter! The long range weather forecasters got it wrong, traffic in south eastern England ground to a halt at the first sight of snow – my usual 25 minute journey home turned into a 4 hour drive battling against the elements - but Microsoft was ready!

For several years now Microsoft has been developing secure systems which allow employees and contractors to work remotely, seamlessly and with minimal impact to productivity.

When I first joined Microsoft in 2001 we used Broadband (ADSL) or dial up to connect to the Corporate Network (CorpNet) using a VPN link. Things have developed since then and we now have different ways to connect or access services depending on what we need to be able to do.

OWA – Outlook Web Access allows everyone to connect to the Exchange Servers from any PC to use mail, calendar, contacts, tasks etc. from any internet connected PC using just a web browser and a secure web page. This can be used on any PC by any employee or contractor who has a corporate mail account.
Exchange Anywhere – This used to have the very attractive and compelling name of RPC over HTTP or RPC/HTTPJ. Since the release of Exchange Server 2003 this service has allowed the use of a domain joined work PC connected to the Internet to access the Exchange Server without having to have a VPN link to CorpNet. This again is available to anyone with a corporate mail account.
Remote Access Service (RAS) – This service has been available for many years but users can now connect in two ways:
- Using an internal client called IT Connection Manager. IT Connection Manager sets up a VPN tunnel between the PC and CorpNet over the internet. While logging in (which requires dual factor authentication; in the case of Microsoft we use a Smartcard with a PIN) the system puts the machine into quarantine and performs a security check to ensure that the latest security updates have been installed, and that the corporate standard anti-virus, Microsoft Forefront Endpoint Protection, is active and up to date before completing the connection to CorpNet. This can take a frustratingly long time to complete. It also has the disadvantage that all traffic, including Internet traffic is tunneled through the CorpNet which can affect the quality of audio and video calls.
- A newer VPN client is now being tested internally. This VPN client still uses a Smartcard for dual factor authentication and it also uses elements of NAP (Network Access Protection) so that rather than checking the status of the PC it checks a ‘Health Certificate’ to ensure security compliance, in most cases this is a lot quicker. This tool also has the advantage of tunneling CorpNet traffic over VPN but allowing direct access to Internet Traffic for services which do not need CorpNet access.
Direct Access
- With the advent of Windows 7 we are now trialing Direct Access. With Direct Access users can log onto their PC with their Smartcard and whether they have a connection to the CorpNet or a connection to the Internet their experience is exactly the same. Direct access also uses NAP and separates Corporate and Internet traffic.
- There is also a very small pilot running within Microsoft IT which uses the BitLocker key and the TPM (Trusted Platform Module) chip in the PC to validate the user. This system, which I am testing, means that wherever I am, provided I have an internet connection, I can do exactly the same things that I can do from my desk. Apart from the initial setup I do not even need my Smartcard for access.

So, what has this to do with the weather? Having this technology available has meant that on days when I’m physically unable to get to the office I can still work effectively – snow or no snow! I have Broadband at home and so I simply plug in my PC and collect my mail, get access to all the SharePoint sites for collaboration, get access to the tools that I need to do my job on a day to day basis, make or take telephone calls using Microsoft Communicator (the VoIP client on my PC for OCS Enterprise Voice) as if I were in the office and join audio or video conferences using Microsoft Live Meeting. The only things that I cannot do are anything which needs physical touch on site and enjoy the great coffee from the Spacebar in Building 3! In reflection, the main issue is really the coffee, as our infrastructure is monitored and can be configured by our remote Global Operations Centres in the US and India.

As part of the business continuity planning, Microsoft IT has installed sufficient capacity in North America for all full time employees to be able to work remotely and currently, in EMEA, we are working towards this target.

The snow may have stopped the traffic in the south this year but it certainly did not stop the Reading based Microsoft staff working from home while the office was closed – keeping the business of IT going.

John Owen
IT Manager | Field IT
United Kingdom

John.Owen@Microsoft.com

Microsoft in Education – A Presentation by Steve Beswick

Viral Tarpara — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:41:34 GMT

I managed to finally import, edit, and clean up the video from The SharePoint EDU Conference that took place back in the Summer 2009 in Birmingham. There is a heavy SharePoint focus as you can tell by the name. The content below is one of six videos that were recorded so stay tuned for more if you work in the education sector. If you know someone in education, please forward the links to the content. I should be getting new content upload every day.

Microsoft In Education - Steve Beswick

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PHP SQL Server Driver for All You Communists

Viral Tarpara — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 04:37:00 GMT

I’ve been meeting a lot of open-source devs lately and most tend to be genuinely surprised about the ability to now use SQL Server 2005/2008 with PHP applications. The best PHP devs, especially those who own or run development houses, tend to be a platform neutral bunch even those that work almost exclusively on Linux, Apache, and MySQL. They simply live, eat, and breath PHP and don’t care about the rest of the stack as long as it “just works.”

One of the biggest audiences that PHP devs haven’t been able to break into is the enterprise world. I’m not talking about web companies like Facebook and the like, I’m talking about manufacturing, utilities, communications, transportation, government, etc. By and large, a huge chunk of these industries rely, at least partially, on a big Microsoft technology stack.

Its not only important to make a great web app in these places, but it is just as important that the system cleanly integrates as well. Up until recently, the idea of running a PHP application on Windows just seemed ridiculous for a whole host of reasons, but now Microsoft is committing a lot of time and energy to ensure Windows and MS SQL provide a 1st class experience for the PHP community!

Introducing the SQL Server Driver for PHP

The SQL Server Driver for PHP is a PHP 5 extension that provides data access to SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008. The extension provides a procedural interface for accessing data in all versions (including Express) of SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008. The SQL Server Driver for PHP API includes support for Windows Authentication, transactions, parameter binding, streaming, metadata access, and error handling.

To use the SQL Server Driver for PHP, you must have SQL Server Native Client installed on the same computer on which PHP is running. For more information, see System Requirements (SQL Server Driver for PHP).

What's New in Version 1.1 of the SQL Server Driver for PHP

Support Resources

About Code Examples in the Documentation

Server Driver for PHP)

SQLSRV Constants

Example Application Getting Started
Programming Guide

Full MSDN Reference Documentation on PHP SQL Driver

Of course, if after some really successful projects you find yourself making a ton of money from your clients, I suggest you check out .NET. After all, .NET offers every style of programming you could want:

functional
declarative
concurrent
interpreted
static
dynamic

.NET also supports a huge number of languages under a common language runtime as well as a dynamic language runtime:

C#
VB.NET
ASP.NET
ASP.NET MVC
Iron Ruby
Iron Python
F#

I highly recommend anyone who likes money check it out :)