Scott Hanselman

Lots of email and comments on the Messenger thing...apparently in my ignorance, I assumed that a jump from 4.7 to 5.0 indicated a product upgrade.  When my Windows Messenger 4.7 told me there was a new version of Messenger available, it was really just asking "Do you want the MSN butterfly to appear in more places on your IM client?" 

Steve Makofsky told me: "The 5.0 version is of MSN Messenger, and the 4.7 version is Windows Messenger. "Windows" messager is what shipped with XP (and is still required for office integration, etc), and the MSN Messenger is for everyone else.. They just released the XP version, which is why it was upgraded. "

Well, I get it NOW, but what the heck to I do with this information? :)  I mean, what happens when they release MSN Word, or MSN Excel?  What's the point of me having two parallel competing (and each fighting to log in automatically) IM clients?  And apparently this one doesn't even integrate with Outlook?  I say again, the devil's in the details MSFT...you have to avoid confusing the customer.  I'm uninstalling MSN Messenger 5.0, but remember that I installed it because Windows Messenger 4.7 ASKED ME TO! 

Now, how do I explain this debacle to my mom, brother, and the 15 other computers that I maintain as neighborhood computer geek?

About Scott

Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.

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Logitech IO Personal Digital Pen...it was the best I could do in my zeal to get a Tablet PC.  I figured, hey, why not spend the $99 bucks (I had a 50% off coupon) and pretend? :)  I've got Wacom Tablets (in additional to Microsoft optical mice and trackballs - I believe STRONGLY in multiple input devices) at home and work that I use for signatures, and graphical detail work. 

Here's another fellow's review of the Logitech IO Digital Pen...I tend to agree with him.  It's a smidge spendy, a little bulky, but it is FANTASTICALLY accurate.  So much so, it's slightly creepy.  It uses a technology from Anoto (How does it work?) that is rockin' sweet.  One of those ideas I should have had.

Anyway, I'm using it to takes notes for Physics and I'm impressed to say the least.  It's clearly an early adopter technology, but with support from paper vendors (for the paper with the special printed dot pattern) like Cambridge and Mead, I wouldn't be surprise if this caught on in the next 2-5 years.  If only Microsoft and all these guys can decide on the XML format for Digital Ink. 

Comparing all the different ideas on how to track the pen, I'm surprised so many companies are trying to triangulate with infrared and such...changing the paper seems IMHO to be the obvious choice.

About Scott

Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.

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MSN Messenger 5.0 leaked?

Did anyone else some how get a copy of MSN Messenger downloaded to them by clicking on an add in MSN Messenger 4.7 early this morning?  It was the standard "A New Version of Messenger is available" and now I've got what appears to be Messenger 5.0.0540 on my box ALONGSIDE my old MSN 4.7 and they seem to be fighting and sometimes run at the SAME TIME.  Thoughts? (screenshot to the right). 

There seems to be some confusion because if you go to http://messenger.msn.com/download/download.asp?client=0 you get 4.7 but if you go here http://messenger.msn.com/download/changeplatform.asp?client=1 you get 5.0.

Note: These msn links will probably have link rot VERY soon...

About Scott

Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.

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NAnt and FxCopCmd. Today I spent some time in between NAnt and FxCop, and by the sheer size of the output log file,... [kilic.net]

Ah...yet another thing I don't have to write today, because someone fabulous has already done it!

About Scott

Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.

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.NET Refactoring Tool Enters Beta. "C# Refactory is a revolutionary new tool which enhances Microsoft's Visual Studio.NET IDE. It performs a number of complex refactorings automatically, allowing you to shape and re-shape your code as needs arise. It also helps you identify code which needs attention by calculating metrics, from 'lines of code' all the way up to 'cyclomatic complexity'. It is fully integrated with the IDE - no external tools means that refactorings are always ready at your fingertips."
[sellsbrothers.com: Windows Developer News]

Fan-freakin-tasic!

About Scott

Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.

About   Newsletter

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