Want to make a cool reader program like the NY Times Reader? Microsoft has made available a generalized version of it in the form of a starter kit.

We are very excited to take the wraps off of our newest addition to .Net client development – a Starter Kit designed to make it easy to create rich, syndicated multimedia and content experiences which engage the user, from documents and photos to videos and podcasts.

These Syndicated Client Experiences (SCE) applications exploit the push capabilities of RSS in a model where content is synced down to the local computer and each application retains full control over the presentation of the content. Microsoft’s Sync Framework-based Subscription Center takes care of syncing, local storage, subscription management and the safe caching of authentication credentials. These building blocks and services are designed to help application developers focus on what matters to them most: providing an optimal, highly-differentiated content experience on the desktop with very rich content, branding, skinning and custom user interface elements.

I suspect a Playboy Reader will be released soon. Because you know, everyone reads the articles.

Microsoft has finally released some of the source code to the .NET Framework. Although we could use it before by using reflector, now we get some comment goodness plus we can step into the code. The odd thing is that you can't just download the source code, you have to set up VS2008 to step into it then it downloads it on demand from Microsoft.

Here are the parts of the framework they have released:

• .NET Base Class Libraries (including System, System.CodeDom, System.Collections, System.ComponentModel, System.Diagnostics, System.Drawing, System.Globalization, System.IO, System.Net, System.Reflection, System.Runtime, System.Security, System.Text, System.Threading, etc).

• ASP.NET (System.Web, System.Web.Extensions)

• Windows Forms (System.Windows.Forms)

• Windows Presentation Foundation (System.Windows)

• ADO.NET and XML (System.Data and System.Xml)

There's a reason you're supposed to arrive at an airport an hour before your flight. I arrived 35 minutes before my flight, and as they were confirming my information, it kicked the guy off and refused to issue my tickets. Luckily, another flight was found for me, but now I will arrive 3 hours later. I am currently sitting around Charlotte waiting for my next flight. It's a good thing they have free wireless Internet here.

I'll arrive in Philadelphia sometime after midnight. Then, I've got to get my car and drive 40 minutes to my hotel. I have a feeling I'm going to be dead tomorrow. I guess it's nothing a few cups of coffee can't fix... hopefully by my session at 9:30.

This weekend is the Philly Code Camp, and I will be presenting on Continuous Integration. It appears that I will have to endure a 22 degree Fahrenheit temperature differential... at least it will feel like winter for a change.

One thing I found surprising when making plans is that you have to pay to use the Interstate. What is up with that? They built a toll road in South Carolina a few years ago, and virtually no one uses it. Do people really pay to use roads up north? I was tempted to avoid highways just so I wouldn't have to pay.

I've never been to Philadelphia before, so it promises to be an exciting trip! I really won't have time to take it all in, but there has to be something to do to kill the time on Sunday before my flight. I'll try to remember my camera!

If you're registering your .NET assembly for use in COM, there are a couple of traps that you should be aware of.

You create a class library, make your nifty class you want to instantiate from JavaScript, and compile it. Then you open up the bin folder in Visual Studio Command Prompt:

regasm.exe MyControls.dll

But it doesn't seem to do anything.

""RegAsm : warning RA0000 : No registry script will be produced since there are no
 types to register."

There are three things to check if this happens.

1. Make sure your library marked ComVisible. Open up AssemblyInfo.cs, and make sure you have [assembly: ComVisible(True)]. If you only want a specific class to be visible, put a [ComVisible(True)] attribute above the class.
   
2. Make sure your class is public.
   
3. This is the one that seems to catch people off guard. You must have a parameterless constructor for your class. If you have added another constructor, be sure to explicitly declare the parameterless constructor.

After you've checked on those three items, the class should register successfully. Unless you set the ProgId attribute, the class by default will be "Namespace.ClassName."

Unfortunately, this may not be the end of it. If you want to use this within Internet Explorer, particularly if it's a nonvisible control, you may receive a warning about running unsafe ActiveX object. Even after you click the yellow bar at the top and tell it to run, it will fail:

"Automation server can't create object".

Searching around the Internet, I discovered that you need to implement the IObjectSafety interface. But the easiest solution is to give your assembly a strong name.