Monthly Archives: February 2004

DOT NUTS

So I went to Borders and got the VB.NET Deluxe Learning Edition™. I guess I have officially crossed over to the Dark Side™. Here’s how it happened.

As I mentioned a few posts ago, I have begun to do some non-web programming using VB 6. After about 2 weeks using VB 6 I realized that this was some potent shit. VB as a language is basically crap but VB as a platform is 100% geared towards fast & easy.

I made some GUI forms with VB and basically figured it was pointless to ride the learning curve on a dead product, so I decided to go .NET or bust on a new project I’ve got comng up.

VB.NET is a slick package. Within a couple hours I had made a trivial Web service, hooked a trivial ASP.NET page and a trivial GUI to it.

VB.NET allows you to consume a web service by typing a URL. The IDE generates a proxy class which makes the remote methods transparent to the local class. This is extremely nice and would certainly be useful in my current gig.

VB.NET also has the butt-easiest deployment – just publish to a web server via FPSE. It’s a button-push.

I’m still not 100% sold on this just yet. I have to admit that ADO.NET looks like another confounding database API™.

The acid test, for me, will be ASP.NET. Going from no class inheritance, flakiest typing and horrible scoping to what essentially is a “Real” programming language is gonna be interesting.

From my impressions of ASP.NET, it seems like the holy grail of instant webapps might be upon us. Will they be faster to build than with my current toolkit? I seriously doubt it – in the short term.

Also, I have FINALLY given up IE and am now using ForeFox !! IE Sucks!

Stress Much?

So, we made an offer on a house.

Small place on a small lot (750 / 2500sf), but close to a nice little park, in an area slated for major improvements (New elementary school going in by 2006, demolishing several large apartment tracts). Hardwood floors, 1-car garage, very private backyard, super cute and clean throughout.

Had to bump up our price range signifigantly and do some ‘creative’ financing to make it work. The places in a reasonable price range were either trashed, thrashed, or dashed to the ground. This place is move-in ready.

All I can say is that this is definitely the scariest thing I’ve ever done. Sometimes, you gotta just hold your nose and jump in.

This whole thing really forced me to question what I’m working for and why. To take your hard-earned cash and plunk it down on a property – all for the prospect of doubling your rent payment – is a sobering thought.

Looking at your finances on an annualized basis, including all your debt and tax liability, you begin to see why people buy homes. Suffice it to say that as long as you are willing to stay in the same place for 5-7 years, you should – even with the most conservative appreciation rates – come out ahead in the end. Keep em’ crossed, kiddies.