Are you the only one? Probably not, but I certainly disagree. We've been building WinForm apps where I work for the last six months to solve "real business problems" and couldn't imagine going back to our "old" ways (99.9% web-based solutions). The rich-client environment of WinForm apps lets us do things we simply could not have reasonably done in a web-based app. Our users are happier, our developers are happier and the projects are starting to get done faster and with more features than we could have done before. With the ease of deployment granted to us by the .NET Framework, we don't even think about that aspect when deciding between ASP.NET and WinForms. This doesn't mean we've stopped developing web-based solutions. It just means we no longer shy away from client-side solutions any longer. Whichever makes the most sense for the project, that's the one we use. That freedom of choice came from .NET, as it leveled the pros/cons list for us between the two types of deployments. Ryan LaNeve www.laneve.com[^]

For those who recommended MSDE and used the word "free", you may want to read up: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/howtobuy/msdeuse.asp[^] It's not "free" in most circumstances - you had to have obtained it by purchasing one of a handful of products. If you just download MSDE without owning a license for one of these other packages, you may not redistribute MSDE. There are exceptions, though, so read up at the link above. Ryan LaNeve www.laneve.com[^]

Mute the microphone in the "Play Control" section of your volume settings. Muting in "Play Control" has zero effect on the sound going into your system's inputs (microphone) - it only prevents the sound from being played back through your system's outputs (speakers). The points made by others are still valid. If the person you're talking to is not using headphones, their microphone will likely pick-up your voice coming out of their speakers, thus transmitting it back to your system and coming out of your own speakers (i.e., you'll still hear yourself, though there will be a delay and it should be faint). For the best results, both parties should be using headsets (microphone/headphone combos). Ryan LaNeve www.laneve.com[^]

I did the same exact thing 4 months ago. Well...that and call the insurance company for the rate change. Happy Birthday! Ryan LaNeve www.laneve.com[^]

Erica Wiechers, from various MSDN "shows". Ryan LaNeve www.laneve.com[^]

I switched to www.webburner.com[^]. However, it's only been a month, so I can't really say yet that they are reliable. I certainly have a better feeling about them, though. They have a much better control panel and much better mail service (IMail) with a much better web-front to the mail. Give them a look. Ryan LaNeve www.laneve.com[^]

Stay away! I used these guys for a year, and it was nothing but a hassle. Email worked only 70% of the time. They switched me to a "new server" no less than 4 times, and each time every email account had to be recreated. To top it off, a week after I switched hosts they "accidentally" screwed-up the permissions on my SQL DB. I never would have known had it not been for a user of www.webhost4life.com sending me an email letting me know he was able to get into every table in my database. Buyer beware. Ryan LaNeve www.laneve.com[^]

A freshly installed copy of Windows XP has no JVM loaded. You do remember the (first) Sun v. Microsoft case, yes? Microsoft yanked their JVM from XP before it shipped as part of the settlement. You used to be able to get it from Windows Update, but Sun complained about that, as well. It became unavailable from that site as of 7/10/2002. Now, the only way to get the MS JVM on XP is to install XP SP1. http://www.microsoft.com/java/xp.htm[^] You can, of course, get Sun's JVM from their site. Ryan LaNeve www.laneve.com[^]

After a couple years of MS Source Safe on the job - and having tried various others in my spare time - we recently moved 6 developers over to Team Coherence[^] from QSC. Some points worth mentioning: - the client is very nice, with quite a bit of polish; - integration with VS.NET is solid through support of the SCC API; - support has been astounding thus far (though we haven't really needed "support" - just asking various questions); - performance working remotely over VPN/broad-band has been great (software uses TCP/IP); - they have a "Tracker" add-in for bug/feature tracking (we bought it and love it), as well as a "Builder" add-in for automating build routines (didn't buy this one); - the price is extremely reasonable; (single-developer can get started for only $99) I've been planning to put a review together, as I've been quite impressed with the product and the company as a whole and wanted to do whatever I could to get more people looking at their offerings. Hopefully it'll be ready sometime this week. Ryan LaNeve www.laneve.com

Check out www.ethereal.com[^]. Ryan LaNeve www.laneve.com

In response to the "do people find dual monitor useful", my resounding answer would have to be "Ooooooh yes!". Especially when using VS.Net. My personal preference is nothing but code on the "main" screen along with the toolbox and properties windows un-pinned, and all other windows layed out on the "secondary" screen, such as the solution explorer, server explorer, output window, all debug windows, etc, etc... Even running the primary at 1280x1024 on a 21" CRT, I couldn't imagine having to work with all of those windows on a single screen, not to mention the inevitable email app running, SQL Enterprise Manager and/or Query Analyzer, and half-a-dozen browser windows. If there were one investment I'd tell a fellow coder to make, it would be a second video card (or single, dual-output card) and a second monitor. Ryan LaNeve www.laneve.com