Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with net

Use of The City as a metaphor for the Internet/Web

0bvious — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:19:31 -0800

I am looking for examinations of the Internet and World Wide Web that use the structure and/or history of the city as a metaphor. I'm afraid I have no original example of this phenomenon to kick things off. I have this image in my head of 'the city' that always goes back to Plato and his Republic. Plato's city was a physical, social construction, as well as a philosophical metaphor, at one and the same time. It feels that many have talked about the Internet in similar, overlapping, terms.

(It need not be 'the city as metaphor', rather any social, physical space that humans build and live in will suffice. Also, metonymy rather than metaphor would be great.)

Writings that explore the political history of the city, it's technological expansion, that consider the city as a nexus for theories of human civilisation, of emergence perhaps, of structure, social and political control and, perhaps most importantly, of space vs place - all as a way to think about similar phenomena taking place online. The Internet as emerging network with similarities to the city; the World Wide Web considered as spatio-social metaphor?

etc. etc.

Any ideas?

Dot Net development tools?

Flunkie — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 09:16:59 -0800

Any suggestions for good Dot Net development tools? I'm interested in suggestions for a wide range of tool types, for example (but not limited to) unit testing, code coverage, style enforcement, bug finders, profiling, code/API documentation generation, installer/distributable packagers, continuous integration, build systems, report generators, static code analysis, decompilers, IDE enhancements, etc., etc. Free or cheap is preferred, but not essential.

I'll be doing both backend stuff and GUI stuff, mostly for the desktop environment but probably with a little bit of web server stuff too.

I'll be using Visual Studio 2012 Professional, and targeting version 4.0 of the Framework. Likely almost exclusively using C#, maybe with a little bit of C++ and maybe a tiny sprinkling of ASP (or whatever the modern Dot Net ASP-like thing is).

I am (I believe) a competent programmer with experience in a wide range of languages, development environments, etc., but I'm pretty new to Dot Net. I was expecting to get into it a few years back, and looked into it for a little while, but then moved on to other things before getting very far. So I do know a little about it, but not a lot, and I imagine that what I do know is now out of date. It's now once again looking like I'm going to be getting into it, though.

How do I find web development projects to work on?

MMALR — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 12:51:18 -0800

I was told I can't code anymore, but I love to code. I want to keep up with cutting edge technologies, and while I'm learning -- why not develop projects that people need while getting a part-time income. One problem: Where can I find projects? Right now, I'm currently a project/design lead in the I.T. department of my company. It's a job that is a step below a full-fledged project management professional (PMP). My day-to-day tasks involve analyzing functional requirements, fleshing out the technical how-to, producing design documentation, and handing it off to our development team.

Before I moved up to this level within the company, I was a senior developer with about five years of experience. I was on the cutting edge of technology, heavily involved in molding the architecture of the company.

After the move, it became apparent because it was literally spoken to me that I should not be coding anymore... ever. This came as a shock because I had coded at such a high-level that I was noticed and abruptly promoted to a new position. Fortunately, I've made a smooth transition, and I believe I'm excelling at my current position as well. But I'm worried...

Our company is full of older generation thinking with a sprinkling of a few people who understand that we need to adapt. This is heavily apparent in the high-level, big picture ideas that are produced by our management. Most of it delves far too deeply into the "how-to", and to say that its outdated is an understatement. We aren't cutting edge, and my voice is only one in a crowd of voices simply wanting to get things done versus get things done correctly.

I could go on for hours about that, but that isn't my question. My question relates to the future of my career and acquiring knowledge. I love my job as it is today. I don't want to leave this company, and I truly think that we are heading in the right direction as we have had an influx of younger talent and the older generation is retiring. But I also don't want to sacrifice these years of being told that I shouldn't waste my time on coding. I want to remain a knowledge expert, and I want to ensure that I can find a new job if things go downhill due to poor decisions by management.

So, after my long-winded explanation of the situation... my question is this: What can I do, preferably for some sort of compensation, in the realm of web development that would not only give clients some of my work at a cheap rate, but also allow me to develop with new technologies? Where can I find leads to people who need such work?

I work primarily in .NET, but I've worked in all sorts of modern javascript libraries. I'm definitely wanting to get into developing using MVC frameworks, and I honestly don't want to create something for free for my company if they aren't going to use it. I'd like to create something that somebody actually needs.

What's the best way to find projects to do?

Oh website, why U no work with IE 9.0!?

de void — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 10:26:47 -0800

Why do certain features of a website work with current versions of firefox and earlier versions of Internet Explorer (7.0 and earlier) but not IE 9.0? Details and screenshots and much... I regularly have to use a web site for work (I'm going to be purposely vague at points in this question and redact some information on purpose - the web site is not intended for use by the general public and I don't want to draw attention to it) which is provided by a vendor to allow transactions requests to be entered, edited and otherwise managed.

I'm no web developer, so please forgive any lingo faux pas I may make: I believe the website is programed with Microsoft ASP .NET instead of javascript (aside, is there a way I can tell for sure?).

The website works fine with IE 7.0 and earlier versions and all versions of Firefox that I have tried. However, my employer requires me to use IE 9.0.

When used with IE 9.0 certain scripted menus (by "scripted", I mean that the menus appear directly over where a link is clicked) that have "flyout" menu options (meaning the option appears in a new box next to the menu box) do not work correctly. When selected, the "flyout" options stay on the screen, the original menu disappears and the actual page displayed in the browse does not change.

Example:

After logging into the web site, I've navigated to a list of transactions. The URL for the page at this point looks like:

https://example.com/application_name/Phase1_webclient_4_378_1/search/search.aspx?EQS=Uil3xXI5faRlNn5CfLHo5N[snip of a bunch more "random" characters]

I have a transaction that I wish to edit, so I move the cursor to the specific line for that transaction and click on what looks like a link. The website generates a menu at the link location, I think click on "tasks" and the "edit" option then appears next to the original menu:

screenshot01

I then click on "edit". The original menu disappears and the edit box remains on the screen:

screenshot02

That's not what is supposed to happen. What is supposed to happen (and what does happen in IE 7.0 and Firefox) is that after clicking on edit the web site should then display a new page with just the fields for the selected transaction so that I can edit particular fields. The URL for the page that would appear if "edit" worked correctly would look like:

https://example.com/application_name/Phase1_webclient_4_378_1/tasks/TaskWizard.aspx?EQS=d3A%2bBvW3DKeKopVJQZ6h[snip of a bunch more "random" characters]

However, in IE 9.0 nothing happens, the page doesn't change, the URL doesn't change, only the first menu goes away and the "edit" box is then "stuck" on the screen.

I have tried adding the domain for the website to IE 9.0's "compatibility mode" list, but it doesn't appear to have any effect.

The vendor has not been helpful - they're aware of the problem but apparently have downsized themselves to the point where no one knowledgeable can address it as their web dev types are focused on releasing some other new product.

Is there any setting I can make in IE 9.0 to fix this, or is there some other kind of workaround aside from using a different browser?

It sucks to have an early January Birthday

mightshould — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 16:46:57 -0800

I'm looking for suggestions for an indoor golf practice net and mat (sturdy enough for real balls) for a January birthday. I know nothing about golf. This will be for someone to use indoor in the snowy/cold climates. Price isn't as much of a problem since several people will be chipping in for the purchase. Any comments/ideas are much appreciated.

Can my local utility legally refuse to buy my surplus off-grid generated power?

haikuku — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 11:58:35 -0800

Can my local utility legally refuse to buy my surplus off-grid generated power? We live off grid and often generate much more power than we are able to store. Since we occasionally end up using a propane generator, for those consecutive cloudy days w/ little wind, we thought it would be smart ot get grid tied and use the grid to "store" our surplus energy. Our local co-op utility refused to allow us to net meter. Do we have a legal recourse?

.NET Game Developer Seeks Peers For Learning

DWRoelands — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 07:20:05 -0800

You are a .NET developer who has written turn-based games in .NET and would be willing to discuss architecture concepts with someone who wants to learn from your experience. I am a .NET developer who is up to his eyeballs in writing a turn-based game for .NET and is stumbling over some architecture items. I am writing a turn-based game in VB.NET, and I am struggling a bit with the architecture, specifically related to how and where the main loop that controls the execution of turns should be implemented.

I would like to be able to look at other .NET game projects that are turn-based so I can attempt to learn from the efforts of other developers.

YOU are someone who knows where I can find specific examples of .NET code in turn-based games

OR, you are a .NET developer who has written turn-based games in .NET and would be willing to discuss architecture concepts with someone who wants to learn from your experience.

Thanks!

Share the cell data?

usermac — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 19:29:03 -0800

How best to share my Internet connection from my Nokia E63 S60 to my iPad? I have Walmart Family Mobile which includes very reasonable Internet access rates and want to share it. WFM is rebranded T-Mobile USA. Actually I'd like to buy a pocket modem to share the cell data and use this with another line but hey, they don't offer it.

Would a church be interested in buying the .com & .net versions of their .org domain?

distressingly thick sheets — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:59:41 -0800

I am looking for advice about selling a domain name to a large church organization. I own the .com and .net versions of a word that a state-level church diocese uses as a main site. They have the .org. How would I go about finding out if they'd even be interested in buying them from me? Would they even want the .com and .net if they already have the .org and they're just a church and not some aggressive online space-marketing thing?

I hope I don't sound greedy, and I'm sure they'd love for me to donate both of them but the only reason I'm considering this is because I really need money more than a couple idle domains right now. I'm not domain squatting. It's just a coincidence, and I registered the names long before I knew about the existence of this organization.

Do you think I'd have better luck (and better price) on the open market? Is this a fruitless pursuit because of something I'm overlooking or am unaware of? I know very little about this topic other than skimming some old AskMes just now.

How do billionaires/multi millionaires raise cash for very large purchases like for example a $500 million home?

r2d2 — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:06:39 -0800

How do billionaires/multi millionaires raise cash for very large purchases like for example a $500 million home? I ask since most of their net worth comes from their stocks which I presume they don't liquidate. My guess is they take loans again their stock but paying $400M with interest may not be the most financially prudent thing to do.

Just curious I obviously don't have the millions :)

Millionaires in this community...this question is for you!!

Building reports with Microsoft Visual Web Developer 2010 Express

therubettes — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:07:58 -0800

I have developed a project management C# website using Visual Web Developer 2010 Express and SQL SERVER 2008 Express. I now have urgent need of some reporting functionality, and I am not at all clear about what my options are. My requirements are follows:
6 simple types of basic reports.
Black and white only.
No charts.
Allow users to decide what data goes into the report.
Apart from displaying records, there will be subtotals, totals, groups, headings, dates, etc. etc.
Essentially the basic kinds of reports you would expect from any project management system. For example completed tasks for employee x from date A to date B, grouped by task type, and perhaps including the date and subtotals of the revenue generated etc..

What options are available to someone with these simple requirement which would allow me to quickly and simply produce some fuss-free basic reports. The ability to produce a printable version of a report would be a bonus but is not a requirement. I am not very experienced with this so suggestions which point to a working sample would be most helpful.
I don't know if I am need a set of classes or an add-on or a page which uses data controls in a clever way or something else entirely .

I am under a lot of pressure on this so I appreciate any help. I will be checking in on this question in about 7 hours, in case anyone has any more questions.

Need an ASP .NET 4.0 webhost

signal — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 17:15:45 -0800

I need a reliable host for a ASP .NET framework 4 website. I want to hire a VPS or shared host for a simple ASP .NET Framework 4 website. I'm curently using MochaHost but it both sucks and blows, (have had 3 full days of downtime in the last 2 weeks and the support is basically non-existent.)

What reliable and cheap .NET host would you recommend? It should allow me to connect to a VPN from the host.

How do I find the specific path where a DLL was loaded from?

JPowers — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:13:23 -0800

Programming Filter: How do I find the specific path where a DLL was loaded from? Let's say I have a VB.NET program that has a reference to Library.DLL. When the program runs, I want to show a message box that displays the exact path where the program load the DLL from. Is that possible?

I'm basically trying to build a testing utility that tells me where various libraries are being loaded from.

Java or .Net for a new dev team?

CHABOXERS — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 08:08:05 -0800

I work for an established technical company moving into the web space and we need to decide whether we're going to use Java or .Net for an emerging web platform. Where can I find non-frothing arguments from reputable sources? We hope to build an in-house development team in the next few months. I honestly believe Java is a better fit for what we're trying to do, but our CTO isn't sold. Where can I find arguments from reputable, non-crazy sources to support my positions? Remember that I'm pitching to a CTO, not to developers.

Thanks, Internet!

.NET Courses in New Delhi?

jassi — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 10:35:26 -0800

.NET Courses in New Delhi? Could someone please suggest some good .NET Courses in New Delhi preferably in South Delhi. I want to pick up basic to medium level programming in .NET ASP. I have a programming background mostly in PERL

API to create nice slideshow

JohnGL — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 11:34:53 -0800

I have been searching the Internet like crazy trying to find an API or software development tool that would allow me to create nice slideshows, out of a group of photos, from one of my programs. I have been searching the Internet like crazy trying to find an API or software development tool that would allow me to create nice slideshows, out of a group of photos, from one of my programs. It doesn't need to be as amazing as Animoto however it needs to have some nice transitions or stylize the images in some way. It can't just be image after image (that's easy to do). I've tried services like stupeflix.com, and similar online APIs, however they charge $1.50 to $3.00 per video which is far too expensive. A per video charge is almost completely out of the question unless it's very cheap. It would be great to find something in VB.Net or JAVA however I'll take what I can get. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for considering my question.

What Computer language should I master to reach a 60-80k salary?

wildrain2008 — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 18:56:47 -0800

Most profitable computer language to learn in 2010/11? I'm fairly good in XHTML, have some exposure to CSS and understand basic SQL querying. But what I really want to get into Application and/or Web Application programming.

My goal is to reach a 60-$80k job the quickest way.

From my research I have found that Java, C#.NET and PHP are most thought after.

So my summary question is What computer language is my quickest rout to an $60-$80k salary?

Should I take this course?

jassi — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 07:16:29 -0800

Should I take this course? More detail inside. I want to learn .NET Fundamentals, as I will be travelling from NY back to my delhi office and all work is in .NET
There is a .NET Fundamentals course at NYU SCPS, which seems fairly good but is expensive. I can pay the money, but I am reluctant to put down the money for it, and rather thinking if I should just learn from free tuorials online. My employer will not pay for this.Any inputs please.
Will it be more beneficial for me to take a course, which will put me in a better position and more confident to handle work when in Delhi, or should I simply learn from online?

Looking for a program that will track deposits and expenses

reenum — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:42:07 -0800

Looking for software or an app that will allow me to track expenses via SMS, but that will also allow me to track how much money is left in my account. I've been using Xpenser for the past few days and really like it. However, I would really like to find a solution with the following features:

-Ability to enter in a balance for my account and then have the software deduct my expenses from said balance.

-To be able to record deposits.

-Enter expenses and deposits in via SMS and then have the program send me an SMS indicating how much money I have left.

Does such a thing exist? I am willing to pay, so no need for only free software/app recommendations.

Why does this work in a Windows Forms solution but not a as Class Library?

rickim — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:37:40 -0800

I have a driver written in C++; it's set up as a solution within a VS 2008 project. If I go and create a new "Windows Forms" solution and reference the driver, it works fine (Intellisence works, it compiles etc). But when I try to do the same exact thing with a "Class Library" solution it will not see,link, whatever anything in the driver. I know I'm light on information, but its that simple "Class Libary"->Fail Winforms-> "No Fail"! I can't seem to come up with any good google searches for this either. Please help me hive mind!

Writing website for charity...should I copyright it?

CodeMonkey — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:58:07 -0800

I have been laid off and, along with looking for work, I thought I'd learn some new technology and add to my resume. I am now working on a web site for a charity that uses Bing/Silverlight to find meeting locations. One of my former co-workers said "You had better copyright it" which made me wonder if I needed to and if I do, what kind of license do I give the charity?

Does anyone know when the Australian Net-Filter legislation is to be put to the House of Reps?

tomargue — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 06:31:22 -0800

Does anyone know when the Australian Net-Filter legislation is to be put to the House of Representatives? How long does it takes for them to debate it before they vote? Then when does it go before the senate? And how long does it take for the senate to debate and vote on it?

Beginner resources for ASP.NET and SQL?

Mali — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:21:48 -0800

So the company I've started working for has asked me to step into a website development role, and while I've got some limited tech knowledge, I need to find some resources to start really digging into ASP.NET and SQL. I've been doing web design for quite a few years and have a little experience with ASP.NET and slightly more substantial experience with SQL, but I definitely need to shake the rust off before I step into any sort of full time position. Are there any good books / webinars / courses that I can take that would start from the ground up and get me to a working knowledge of the software? Any suggestions would really help.

ASP .NET based CMS versus Drupal

wcfields — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:14:11 -0800

Trying to make the case against Drupal and find a ASP .NET CMS solution. I'm working on making a case against Drupal to a colleague who is redesigning a static website into something more substantial with a 3rd party design firm. They have really no idea what they are going to do to the site at this point beyond that it must change to something that allows collaboration and workflow (changes & approval) and the design firm is really pushing Drupal since they have a developer on staff.

We had a short meeting in which they more or less threw around buzz words (open source, community) which mean nothing to us since we run our servers on Windows Server 2003, IIS, .NET, and Microsoft SQL. So adding a Linux based server for this individual website is going to clutter things up PLUS we already have our own proprietary contact logging system relational database / newsletter mailer written in ASP .NET written by our inhouse contract developer.

What I know that they will need is hooks into a MS SQL database, ability to have very different sections of the site, forums, social media integration, blogs, built in searching (we already have a Google Mini too), event registration w/ hooks into MS SQL, along with a way to organize many PDFs.

I should also add that we are going to implement Microsoft Sharepoint 2010 later in the year but this site redesign/revamp can't wait for that.

What solutions exist for ASP .NET CMS's? Cost isn't a huge issue but ones that I have been rounding up are Sitefinity , Dotnetnuke, and DotCMS

Net Neutrality for Dummies

jefficator — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:11:03 -0800

I don't understand net neutrality. I don't know what it is and I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about it. Help Pretend I am a sixth grader. Explain this to me and make an appeal for the position I should hold.

Please God no more dissertations. Anything about the internet turns up BOOKS when searched for on the internet.

I'm an idiot. Help me.