Next Gen Static Analysis of Code

I came across this white paper illustrating the next generation static analysis of code using boolean satisfiability (SAT). This is an interesting read. It tells you how to use SAT in static analysis to improve code quality and security by identifying a greater number of critical defects in the code with lowest rate of false-positive results.

The white paper can be found here.

Capabilities of MS Silverlight!!

Check out the Hardrock memorabilia site, to truly see Silverlight in action.

Uncommon sense

Some good 'gyan' on how to

1. Price software

2. Licence software

3. Manage upgrades

VSTS Tips and Tricks

I came across this wonderful blog post detailing some cool tips and tricks using VSTS like Managed Code Analysis (FXCop), adding Check-in policies, Team System for Architects,Developers and Testers, TFS quick configurations , Setting up a load testing lab etc. All in all it's a nice read up on VSTS. The link to this article can be found here.

Running Queries on Multi-Core Processors

Multi-core processors are here. Once pervasive mainly in servers and desktop PCs, now multi-core processors are being used in mobile phones and PDAs, resulting in great benefits in power consumption. Responding to the increased availability of multi-processor platforms, Parallel Language Integrated Query (PLINQ) offers an easy way to take advantage of parallel hardware, including traditional multi-processor computers and the newer wave of multi-core processors.

PLINQ is a query execution engine that accepts any LINQ-to-Objects or LINQ-to-XML query and automatically utilizes multiple processors or cores for execution when they are available. The change in programming model is tiny, meaning you don't need to be a concurrency guru to use it. In fact, threads and locks won't even come up unless you really want to dive under the hood to understand how it all works. PLINQ is a key component of Parallel FX, the next generation of concurrency support in the Microsoft® .NET Framework.

Using technologies like PLINQ will become increasingly crucial to ensuring the scalability of software on future parallel microprocessor architectures. By utilizing LINQ at choice places throughout your applications today—such as where you have data- or compute-intensive operations that can be expressed as queries—you will ensure that those fragments of your programs continue to perform better when PLINQ becomes available and the machines running your application grow from 2 to 4 to 32 processors and beyond. And even if you only run that code on a single-processor machine, the overhead of PLINQ is typically so small that you won't notice a difference. In addition, the data parallel nature of PLINQ ensures your programs will continue to scale as the size of your data sets increases.

More here