Mark hits the Mark!

I was planning on giving you a technical rant about Visual Studio, however after an anonymouse comment left on my blog I went surfing and I found a couple of postings by respected Microsoft developers I wanted to share with you. Besides that, I thought this would be nice conclusion to my rants why Visual Studio is wrong from a business perspective.

In Markus Eggerus's blog he discusses the benefits of VS however he couldn't help but a take a well deserved gab (more like an upper cut) at Visual Studio. The following excerpt is from his blog:

".... A premium solution such as the Milos® Solution Platform will automate much of the data access for you, based on information in your data store, and will follow best practices to provide a more flexible system. Whether you choose a third party solution for the data access and business layers, or you intend to roll your own, you should plan on including these layers. The .NET environment is not nearly as flexible as VFP in many areas, and you’ll run into trouble later if you don’t include these layers. ...."

If Microsoft had nailed data access with anyone of their 5 different "failed" data access paradigms why are data technologies like Milos even being mentioned? I tell you why because data access is nothing short of an abortion in Visual Studio and Microsoft is too arrogant to admit they are completely clueless when it comes to data and blinded by their own self righteousness to implement a paradigm that actually works, Visual FoxPro. Given Microsoft owns the VFP source code their logic defies reason.

With regards to cost of ownership below is an except posted by a Visual FoxPro and Visual Studio MVP on his blog:

...Les Pinter has a nice strategy for selling VFP apps.He first shows to his audience, most likely managers and budget-responsible people, the whole myriad of classes and possibilities of VB.Net of C# or whatever they can come up with.He is driving them crazy with all the things you can do in .NET to a point where they ask him for a price to develop that must-have application XYZ.He gives them the price and the time to deploy the app and tells them there is an alternative.... and then says, "nahhh, you probably won't be interested, it will cost you only 25% of the price I just mentioned but it won't be interesting of you". Well, those budget-responsible people ARE interested then, and then he shows them his "special framework, developed in C++, AKA VFP".He drives their minds to a boiling point with another show-off from VFP and compares that with the things he just showed to his audience. And shows that it is indeed, remarkably quicker, and, what's more, cheaper!!

Yes you read it correctly as quoted by a Microsoft Professional Developer, VFP is remarkably quicker and a VFP custom solution is 75% cheaper then a Visual Studio/.BLOAT solution !

In closing here is an link to an older infomation week article ripping Vista apart. The interesting thing is Vista consumes a large portion of the .BLOAT framework. I find it ironic that Microsoft can't even make .BLOAT function as well as XP.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=204203975

Once again I'm right on the mark as usual.

Until next time.

Mark

Visual Studio Cheerleading Squad Exposed

Over the past couple of years I have read countless blogs written by Visual Studio cheerleaders, after awhile a pattern is established that most cheerleaders fall into:

1) The A-Team: For the most part, these people know what they are talking about from a programming standpoint. However, because they are tied financially to Microsoft by being an employee or consultant they are forced to carry the company line and spin the Visual Studio product the best they can.

2) The Hour Billers: This category of cheerleaders is made up of consultants and consulting firms that advocate Visual Studio solutions. It is not wise for them to speak negatively about the development tools they use to construct their solutions. The increased time to build a product amounts to increased revenue since they bill by the hour so they view suck factor as a positive.

3) The Rookies: Developers that have only used Visual Studio and claim what a great tool it is make up this category. Their opinion is null and void given their exposure solely to Visual Studio.

4) India's programming population: Recruited and hired mainly by Soma, Self Proclaimed American Job Exporter. I believe there is a law in India where if you are convicted of speaking negatively about Dell, Microsoft, Soma or Visual Studio your punishment is death by stoning. I further believe honor killing is legal in the defense of the above stated entities.

5) The Radicals: This is the scariest group of them all. These individuals are simply "want-a-bees" that will do or say anything in an effort to make the "A-Team". Microsoft can tell them dog shit tastes good and they will eat it, ask for seconds, lick their fingers clean, and agree it is the best tasting thing they ever ate. Their defense of Microsoft and every Microsoft product can be compared to how islamic extremists defend islam and the koran. Wonder if Bill promised the radicals 75 virgins or, in their case, Bill probably only needed to provide a free copy of Vista Ultimate for their soul. After giving this a second more thought then it deserves, isn't the reality of the situation these people are even more pathetic then that and simply cheerlead for free?

To give you a look at what is coming up on DOT BLOAT. I’m going to start ripping Visual Studio apart from a technical perspective. I will have more material to work with then Bill Gates has dollars.

Have a great weekend
Mark

WTF Moment: Cloud Computing

Has anyone heard of Microsoft's cloud computing initiative? And if so did it set off the same alarms that occurs when a 747 Air Jordian Jet Liner accidently flies into the White House Air Space? If it didn't let me break down for you what is happening here.

Microsoft first killed off Visual Basic which opened the door for them to kill off Visual FoxPro. This was not done because these were bad products (actually both are far better then Visual Studio/.BLOAT) nor because the communities were dying. This was totally a self serving Microsoft base decision .After completing this objective, Microsoft introduces cloud computing which basically means the great folks in Seattle want to house YOUR data for you on their servers.

Now you might be saying, Mark what is so bad about this. Well first off I predict the cost of SQL Server is going to SKY Rocket over the next 5 years to a point it will no longer be economically feasible for you to own the SQL Server software licenses and we will be forced into the cloud programming paradigm. If that does not work, Microsoft will simply stop offering SQL Server licenses exactly like they did with VB and VFP as that precedent has been set. Thereby Microsoft can implement it's subscription based pricing model to access "YOUR" data.

Then Microsoft is going to develop an airtight EULA for CLOUD SQL Server which basically will permit Microsoft to own YOUR data. The power this will give Microsoft is enormous and Microsoft will then have the leverage it needs to compete against Google. For example Microsoft will be able to access this data for targeted browser search engine advertising or mandate this data can only be accessed by Microsoft based browsers.

Microsoft did not become a Monopoly due to their innovation, their development group of programmers are not that good just look at VISTA not even Microsoft's marketing team could save that software disaster. Microsoft does excel however in business as that is what got them to where there are at today and don't be fooled this is strictly a business decision not a programming one.

Unless developer's completely rebuke this idea, which given the level of the cheerleading that is currently occurring, I doubt that will happen. The "CLOUD" that is coming is Microsoft's perfect storm which will unleash yet another Microsoft attempt at a monopoly and raise share holders divdiends in the process.

Till Next Time

.Mark

By The Way... A developer named Mr. Robert Wray has taken the time to post a blog entry about my blog. Which is kind of cool unforunately he took what I had to say out of context and obviously moderating comments. Therefore just to set the record straight below is my comment to Mr. Wray.

Hey Robert,

One question for you have you ever used Visual Basic or Visual FoxPro? My thought is you haven't otherwise you would have been aware VB and ASP can consume VFP middle tier DDL files therefore providing a far more robust N-TIER implementation with complete seperation between the UI, Middle Tier Code and either SQL Server or FoxPro Database files. We can also go the other way create a reusable activex control in VB and consume it in the VFP UI layer.

Something else really cool that VFP has and VS doesn't is a true data centric language with native data access which means it is doesn't suck at building middle tier components that follows N-TEIR standards which not even linq can do right. The only disadvantage is DLL hell syndrome which is more an operating system issue addressed completely with installshield.

The current production release of VS is nowhere near able to pull N-TIER off as cleanly as the above stated implementation maybe when/if MVC is ever released that might be close have to wait and see as currently MVC is in a state of disarray.

Moveover if my assumption is correct how do you know VS is better then VB or VFP? Curious if you read about it on GU'S blog and just following blind faith ?

With all due respect, I alway mention VB with VFP together when talking N-TIER design patterns. The rest of your post about my older is blog is equally inaccurate and probably will make little sense unless you thoroughly understand the C++ or VFP inheritance models therefore you were reduced to grasping at toolbox icons as being my issues therefore missing my entire point. Perhaps in the future do your research before flaming other developers and get your facts straight.

Best Regards,
Mark Gordon

Septic Tank Trucks VS The Benz

I wonder don't most people buy cars that are the most reliable, get the best gas milage and have the most features they need for their dollar if so why doesn't that thought pattern carry over into the development tool arena? To drive the point home: Microsoft gives the development community a septic tank truck (visual studio) full of shit (.net) that stinks, to drive from point a to point b and people are happy they are not walking, having never driven a Benz (vb or vfp). Then ironically these septic tank people (also known as Visual Studio cheerleaders) try to convince their neighbors (people like me that owns a benz), that a benz is really a bad idea and I need to drive a septic tank truck! After all a septic tank truck forces you to manually shift gears, trades in the bose stereo for a shit hauler tank on the back, gets rid of the unneeded leather interior for a vinyl bench seat while slows you down in getting from point a to point b since the shit hauler doesn't have the performance of the Benz. To top it all off, the shit hauler costs more then the Benz to buy and operate. The shit haulers rationalize this decision in some cases by stating: by driving a shit hauler truck we can truely enjoy each mile we spend in the shit hauler since it doesn't go as fast as the Benz (for those of you a bit slow this translates to enjoy every extra line of code we have to write in Visual Studio that we didn't have to write in VB and VFP). Don't they get it the shit hauler only works in the septic tank industry not for driving to chuch with the family on Sunday! Simply because the septic tank truck can get you to church Microsoft says drive it and the cheerleading staff agrees with them of course. That is exactly what is occuring in the VS community and the direction Microsoft is taking with VS and DOT BLOAT.

Visual Studio is not the - end all be all - that the cheerleading squad would like for us to believe. Granted VS is sorta new (better said, Microsoft finally has a release with enough work arounds in place to make it sorta stable enough to use) and excitement exists surrounding the product. However if you look at this from a customer and development standpoint WHO CARES if it is new or not! The important question is where is the benefit in all the shit and is the the right tool for the job.

What my clients want, is to use software to get their work done in the least intrusive manner, most of them are clueless what technology is behind the UI. If you are writing a straight forward desktop application with CRUD operations and reporting why would Visual Studio be the right choice over Visual Basic or Visual FoxPro? My friends Visual Studio isn't the right choice, ANYONE who tells you different is bullshitting you. This notion that visual studio is better for small and medium size businesses, in most cases, amount to nothing more then marketing smoke and mirrors!

Here are the basic facts:

1) Cost Of Ownership: Visual Basic and Visual FoxPro both could be distributed royality free and the hardware necessary to run these applications is less then a Visual Studio/SQL Server solution so a lower cost of ownership exists with a VB/VFP based solution.

2) Data Access: Visual FoxPro can access data natively and was a great choice for developing middle tier components. Because of VFP's robust data centric language, it blows away any Microsoft data access technology out there including LINQ. Visual Studio provide zero benefit and 100% overhead in this category. There is not a single VS developer that can produce a middle tier component in fewer lines of code then you could with VFP. If you think can post the code so I can mock it and prove you wrong.

3) N-TIER Support: Visual Basic and Visual FoxPro when used in conjuction with each other had complete seperation between tiers for maximum code reuse. This is something that Visual Studio still can not do well. Even native VFP could pull this trick off. Webforms with code behind definately is not N-TIER. Linq should be an embarassment to Microsoft in that the data context violates N-TIER standards and a helper object is needed to work around linq's short comings in the middle tier. More over Linq to SQL from a purist standpoint is not N-TIER, basically linq code may reside in a middle tier however Linq is actually generating SQL scripts similar to stored procedures that is being excuted on the SQL Server machine. A puriest would consider Linq to SQL a hybrid-3 tier solution at best with most heavy lifting occuring on the SQL box not the middle N-tier. In VFP the middle tier components, when written correctly, could truely process on middle tier hardware and scaled better then VS/Linq.

4) The Exorcist Factor: In Visual Studio, Microsoft decided to take data and "posses" it, by infecting data with this this notion it can be treated like an object. The outcome looks very similar to Linda Blair in the exorcist after being possessed. The overhead related to the dataset object is enormous and almost laughable when you open a dataset in the object browser and the sql code linq generates is ridiculous. It is no wonder why numerous people and MVPS are reporting LINQ is not consistently returning correct results sets, I personally have not seen this occur. In general Microsoft's data access patterns are flawed and the sooner Microsoft realizes it the better. Microsoft has 6 or so data access technologies and each one contains varying degrees of suck!

As a sidebar: Microsoft here is a secret, VFP treated data like it should be treated as data and something amazing occured that idea worked well. The VFP community didn't need 6 different failed data access paradigms! I will let you in on something else, Microsoft you own the FoxPro source code just duplicate it in VS, that paradigm works well (much of the internals of sql server indexing is based on foxpro's rushmore technology) . You guys, in general, excel at stealing other people ideas, windows is a perfect example then with Vista you went off on your own and got in some trouble. Look you only SUCK at inventing new ideas therefore quit trying to reinvent the wheel when it comes to data and harness your strengths. Afterall that is the same direction you are taking with MVC isn't it? You waited until ruby refined MVC and you are duplicating the concept so I'm lost why are you not following the same paradigm with FoxPro and data access?

5) Learning Curve: Why do people insist on having to learn 70k classes and multiple frameworks when tools like VB and VFP accomplished the same task with 200 or 300 commands and functions. This logic defies reason.

Look, I'll give you the inside scoop, the well known cheerleaders are PAID to hype Visual Studio and/or work for Microsoft, that is their JOB, they are septic tank truck salesman! Their opinions are jaded at best, they are not looking out for your best interest and care even less about your customers. Their only concern is not to bite the hand that feeds them. Their goal is to create an artificial need then lead you to believe Visual Studio fills this need. I'm not knocking GU and the rest of the cheerleading squad for that either, we all need to make a living.

I do have a serious problem with the developers who do not work for or get paid by microsoft and still hype this nonsense. Do these people really enjoy tools that cause you more work and force you to use half implemented unstable frameworks every 6 months to keep up with the learning curve? The question I have is what the hell is wrong with you? Don't you get it, this paradigm is costing you MONEY!

As soon as more developers wake up, quit sucking up to Microsoft, stop listening to these paid spokespeople and get out of the septic tank trucks the better off all developers will be. When is enough going to be enough. Don't we deserve solutions that actually fit our needs instead of following paradigms geared towards shareholder revenues.

Wake up all, stand united with me, park your shit haulers and tell Microsoft we want to drive in a Benz again!

Thats all for now!

.Mark

Visual Studio 'NOT N-TIER READY'

While surfing my usual list of blogs I found an entry that I almost fell out of seat, not because of the content was great but due to the fact an honest Microsoft Manager MAY exist. Milind Lele a VS data manager wrote "... code we generate in Visual Studio 2005 is not N-Tier ready....". Isn't that what I been stating since I started my blog. Perhaps he reads DOTBLOAT? I appreciate Lele's honesty perhaps other Microsoft Managers and VPS should stop the spin and take a lesson from Lele.

Microsoft today was fined 1.3 billion dollars by the EU, this judgement should erase any doubt regarding Microsoft's business practices. Not even Microsoft's dream team of attorneys could save Microsoft from the brunt of the EU fine.

There is nothing wrong with Microsoft being a Monopoly as long as they fulfill their ethical responsibilities, which is exactly the problem with Microsoft. The means they are employing to keep their dominate status is immoral, unethical and in my opinion illegal. Microsoft treatment of the VB and VFP community is a perfect example, they killed these languages so we will use Visual Studio and .BLOAT. Microsoft's actions are like playing Marco Polo with Helen Keller then bragging they won. Isn't it long past due for the US Department of Justice to get involved as well?

.Mark

DOTBLOAT IS BACK!

I guess I upset someone at Microsoft or one of their cheerleaders as my blog was hacked and deleted. So fear not DOTBLOAT is back defending the rights of developers against the Microsoft Monopoly -- joining the protest of the abandonment of Visual Foxpro and Visual Basic Communities by the Microsoft rich and shameless - and lastly speaking up against the detestable act of outsourcing American jobs to India. The links to the Microsoft Execs are listed on this blog, let them know your frustrations with .NET and we wants our RAD development tools back!

In destroying my content they fed my passion.

.Mark

Some interesting blog posts about Microsoft

"Personnel decisions excluded, I'm not sure Microsoft has made a sound business decision related to VFP since they acquired it, unless the decision from day one was simply to kill the market. In that case, my hat is off to Microsoft. They can declare "mission accomplished" in the VFP market place in much the same way George Bush did in Iraq and with equal credibility. In reality, what's done is done and the reason - or lack thereof - behind the decision isn't all that important. I've signed the petition at MasFoxPro.com and think anyone with any interest in VFP should, but I don't expect anything to come of it. I'd love to be wrong. What frosts me the most about the whole thing is the absolute BS we've been fed about VFP not fitting into .NET. I've had several conversations with Microsoft folk about making VFP part of .NET and they would always come back with silly arguments about "how would you compile …" If there were any merit to those arguments then in reality what they were saying is that VFP is more capable than .NET and if so, what kind of a "business decision" is being made here? Maybe I'm just being too harsh and those guys at Microsoft just aren't that sharp after all. Maybe even with all of their vast resources the folks at Microsoft just can't figure this stuff out, yet a tiny little company like eTechnologia.net can.Ok, ranting aside, the truth is it would've been more difficult to make VFP a .NET language back in the 90's because .NET wasn't as capable then and Microsoft was hell bent against dynamic languages. But now? Microsoft is investing in creating versions of Python and Ruby for .NET and of course already has Jscript. If these dynamic languages can be developed for .NET, there's no reason VFP can't be ported to .NET. The new DLR (Dynamic Language Runtime) for .NET should make this relatively easy. The marketplace has made Microsoft take notice of dynamic languages and as a result, a VFP.NET would take considerably less effort than it would've in the 90s.Now, ask yourself this, if Microsoft is making business decisions about VFP, don't you think there should be some logic applied across the board? Look at the VFP, Ruby and Python markets. Which market offers millions of lines of code, thousands of developers, hundreds of large customers and hundreds of vertical market applications? Now ask yourself, where's the business decision here?" - F1 Technologies Web Blog

"If you spend the money to upgrade to VB.NET, well, you just spent a lot of money to stand still. And companies don't like to spend a lot of money to stand still, so while you're spending the money, it probably makes sense to consider the alternatives that you can port to that won't put you at the mercy of a single vendor and won't be as likely to change arbitrarily in the future. So as soon as people with large code bases start hearing that they're going to have to work to port their apps from VB to VB.NET with WinForms, and then they start hearing that WinForms isn't really the future, the future is really this Avalon thing nobody has yet, they start wondering whether it isn't time to find another development platform." - Joel on Software