Microsoft launched yesterday Visual Studio Gallery, a site hosting Visual Studio extensions. Currently, there are over 350 such extension, free or per charge. The extension include macros, add-ins, packages, project templates. A good thing is that anybody can contribute with content to this gallery. There are some very good extensions available in the gallery.
You can read more about it on Microsoft VSX Team’s blog or on Somasegar’s blog.
Recently Microsoft launched a program called DreamSpark addressed to students from all over the world (though currently the program is available only in 10 countries) that allows them to used for free software created by Microsoft. This includes:
To take part in the program you must be at least 18 years old and be a student in one of the countries where it is available. You also have to have your student status verified each year. You can read more about the program on its home page. You can also watch a video with Bill Gates announcing the program.
Unfortunately, for Romanian students, the program is not yet available. If you want to read more about reasons and the programs available for Romanians read Todi Pruteanu’s blog.
Last week Microsoft published the 97- 2007 binary file formats for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Drawing. They can be downloaded from here. Joel Spolsky has a very good article on the subject.
A normal programmer would conclude that Office’s binary file formats:
- are deliberately obfuscated
- are the product of a demented Borg mind
- were created by insanely bad programmers
- and are impossible to read or create correctly.
You’d be wrong on all four counts.
I recommend you read Joel’s blog entry before diving into those specifications.
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Marius Bancila |
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