Macrocosmic Technologies

The October 2008 release of the TFS power tools is now available. If you’re more advanced that code monkey, you’ll want this. TFS is now integrated with the Windows shell. You can right click a file or directory, get latest, add to source, merge, and everything else you used to need to do through the Visual Studio IDE.

TFPT has also been updated to allow searching of check-ins based on server path, committed date range, committed user, check-in comments and check-in notes. PowerShell is supported as well, for basic operations.

Within the Team Explorer, there’s a new node called “Team Members”. Prepopulated with your project’s team members, you have the ability to view an individual’s check-ins, pending changes, and shelvesets. You can, of course, populate with AD users or TFS groups.

Given all the freely-available web services out there, it’s fairly easy to build a custom search engine. Combining the services of Google, Yahoo, eBay, Amazon, and MSN, you can build a dynamic directory script that is easily monetized and is very search engine friendly. MSN search results, Google and Yahoo keyword suggestions, Google AdSense ads, and eBay and Amazon search results. All of it is combined in a couple of PHP pages that are easily customized and even more easily installed.

Ever have too many ideas and too little time? I’ve been making some money selling discount MSDN information on eBay and through my site, and while it makes money, and even enough to make it worthwhile, I know there’s so much more out there.

I’ve been rattling a few ideas around. I’ve had a subscription-based site that I’ve wanted to build for over four years now. Well, since my “free time” hasn’t allowed me to get further than the data model and a few pieces of application server logic, I’ve bit the bullet and gone out and picked up a script that will do what I need.

Another idea is a USB key that includes versions of applications, such as Firefox, gaim, and others, that won’t require an installation. There’s an outfit out there that does this, but they charge $100 for the 128M version. Clearly, it can be done better and cheaper.