PivotTables Now Available within OfficeWriter 8.4

SoftArtisans has released the newest version of Officewriter. With OfficeWriter 8.4, users can now create, modify, and remove PivotTables within their Excel Workbooks, gaining more control over their data and Office documents.

SoftArtisans announced the addition of PivotTables to their OfficeWriter product today. OfficeWriter 8.4 is now available for download. Included in this new version, is the ability to create, modify, and remove PivotTables within users’ Excel workbooks. With the new PivotTable functionality customers have the ability to add Report Filters to better filter and sort their data, as well as change the data source of a PivotTable (including PivotTables already copied with CopySheet). This provides users with more fine-grained control over their data and reports.

Also included in this product release are new features to their WordTemplate model. Within WordTemplate DOCX files, users now have the option to programmatically set the document properties of their DOCX files and to remove bookmarked content when delivering reports.

OfficeWriter provides customers the ability to programmatically create, read, and manipulate Word and Excel documents in customer server-based applications without Microsoft Office on the server.

In addition to legacy binary file formats XLS and DOC, OfficeWriter supports OOXML files. As a trusted part of enterprise applications, OfficeWriter is easier to use than the OpenXML SDK, and, unlike automating Office on the server, is scalable and optimized for use in ASP.NET. To see the complete list of new features in the current product version, please visit the change log.

Source: PR Web

What Every Developer Needs To Know Now

As developers we live in interesting times. The advent of Windows 8 has changed the landscape for many developers and the move from the desktop to tablets and mobile presents even more challenges. We turned to Dave Wheeler, the keynote speaker at next month's DevWeek for help and advice.

"...developers need to take on board the fact that the computing ecosystem is changing. Windows 8 is a wake up call to developers that change is coming: the exact pace of that change is up for debate."

What are the new and important technologies being introduced or highlighted at this year's DevWeek?
Windows 8 has to be the most important, but as we had a fair idea of what was coming in 2012 it can't really count as new. Even so it will be in the limelight throughout this year's conference. Similarly, we’ve known about HTML 5 and CSS 3 for a while. As a client developer, these are the obvious areas to focus on.
There are some fun novel areas to take a look at, such as functional programming, Roslyn, Rx and SignalR, which it would be easy to overlook. And there are some interesting talks on technologies such as PhoneGap (AKA Apache Cordova).
My tip to anyone attending DevWeek would be to choose at least one talk that’s outside his or her normal area of work: you never know what it might trigger.

How does Windows 8 change the Microsoft programming ecosystem?
Not at all, for the majority of corporate developers.
Clearly, developers that are targeting home users will consider embracing Windows 8 Store Apps. However, I’m forecasting that the vast majority of usage of Windows will continue to come from traditional applications that work across the range of Windows XP, 7 and Windows 8.
Which means that they will be continue to be developed in classic C++ and .NET.
However, developers need to take on board the fact that the computing ecosystem is changing. Windows 8 is a wake up call to developers that change is coming: the exact pace of that change is up for debate.

What are the most important things that developers need to understand about developing for and in the Windows 8 environment?
It’s different, in every way.
Many developers are simply not used to designing applications that work on low-power devices, which are driven through touch, and which run under such stringent platform constraints.
They’re not used to dealing with the Application Lifecycle Model, monetizing applications through advertising or in-app purchases, and which work on the different form-factors.
So it is not just a new API for writing Windows applications: the shift in thinking that is required is as great as that in moving from desktop Windows to iOS.
Of course, the good news is that developers can work with languages and tools that they are familiar with, thus making the transition as painless as possible.

Given the prediction that users will increasingly move from the desktop to mobile devices, how best should .NET programmers protect themselves from the future?
The best solution is to win the lottery! Or become a plumber.
More seriously, though, .NET is still an excellent platform for developing on mobile devices, with support via Mono on Android and iOS/OSX, and with great support on all flavours of Windows. .NET remains an excellent server-side technology with ASP.NET MVC, and WPF is still the best technology for building robust, complex desktop applications.
So there’s absolutely no need to rush off to another technology just yet.
Whilst it is easy to assume that HTML is the “better” technology for working across the different devices, anyone who has tried to build an app that looks good and works well in HTML will realise that it is non-trivial.

"Clearly, there are fad technologies that might be “hot” right now, but the key to being a good developer is having a breadth of skills, and excellence in a few key areas such as OO principles, testing and knowledge of the entire software development lifecycle."

And what technologies are vital to learn to ensure a successful future?
There is no one technology. Developers are still maintaining systems written in C on Windows, so there is scope for a good career across a range of technologies. Clearly, there are fad technologies that might be “hot” right now, but the key to being a good developer is having a breadth of skills, and excellence in a few key areas such as OO principles, testing and knowledge of the entire software development lifecycle.
As much as anything, developers need to ensure that their other skills are in good order: their ability to contribute to teams; their attitude; their business awareness; their professionalism and their willingness to learn.

Finally, can you give us your impressions of DevWeek for those anybody who hasn't attended it
One of the great things about DevWeek is that it encompasses so many different areas of development, design and architecture. When I used to attend as a delegate, and it was much smaller then, I always used to find it a challenge as I wanted to see nearly all the talks! And now its even larger that must be even more of a problem.
What hasn't changed is that it's still a laid back, informal conference where the speakers don’t disappear from sight and  there’s lots of opportunity for an informal chat, preferably over a drink, as well as the many breakout sessions.

Source: I Programmer

commerceserver.net Releases Commerce Server 10

commerceserver.net, an ISV based in Seattle and Ottawa, today announced the release of the latest version of its enterprise eCommerce software, Commerce Server 10. This marks the first independent release of the software previously sold and marketed as Microsoft Commerce Server.

Commerce Server 10 is the first release on the newly published roadmap for the product and lays the foundations for a rapid evolution of the product which will see it grow from a purely on-premise solution, to one which embraces the Cloud and hybrid scenarios over the next few years. It also adds support for the latest Microsoft server platforms Windows Server 2012, SQL Server 2012, Visual Studio 2012 and .NET Framework 4.5.

In addition to the new platform support, this release introduces a new site building framework with a set of open source starter sites for ASP.NET, ASP.NET MVC and of course, SharePoint – all released via CodePlex. This new framework vastly simplifies the building of the presentation tier of eCommerce solutions.

“We are incredibly excited by the release of Commerce Server 10. Not only is it the fastest time-to-market of any Commerce Server release in history, we feel it is by far the most customer-focused and best performing iteration in the product's history. It represents a significant next step on our plans to rapidly evolve Commerce Server into the commerce platform of choice for the .NET ecosystem,” said Ryan Donovan, President and CTO of commerceserver.net.

As part of this announcement, commerceserver.net is proud to introduce a roster of worldwide implementation partners, with more being added each month. “We’re excited that many existing Commerce Server partners are supporting this release but encouraged at the approach from many new partners and customers wanting to work with the platform – it validates both our roadmap and our thinking that there is a vibrant market for a .NET based eCommerce Solution,” said Wayne Smith, Vice President of Product Management.

Source: BusinessWire 

GENIUS INFOTECH LAUNCHES ENHANCED WEBSITE TO PROVIDE 3D ANIMATION SERVICES GLOBALLY

Genius Infotech a leading 3D animation and web development company successfully serving in animation and design industry since last 9 years, announces enhanced website experience at www.geniusinfotech.net. The company thrives to offer best animation development services across the globe and attract more business firms and small businesses.

The newly created website features neat and clean UI and easy navigation to give best user experience. It also includes info graphics and up-to-date information about services to guide the user at next level. The website is designed using WordPress integration and development services by in-house team of the company.

The corporate services offered on website are, 3D animation services, which includes 3d modeling, logo animation, 3d character design, 3d product modeling and more. Exclude 3D Animation. Genius Infotech also offers web development and design services including PHP, ASP.NET, Joomla, Magento, WordPress and other technologies for custom software development.

The In-house resources of the company efficiently completed the task of website launch, and now Genius Infotech is waiting for the user's feedback with hopping current clients and other users who are looking for information of services will find the new corporate website much more useful and easier.

Source: MEDOLIKA

Veracode’s eLearning Program Guides Developers in Creating Secure Applications

Veracode, Inc., the leader in cloud-based application security testing, encourages application developers to take a more proactive role in securing applications as part of a larger call to action to protect companies from vulnerabilities. Each year, companies spend billions of dollars on outsourcing software development, yet very little is spent on security verification, resulting in security breaches caused by software vulnerabilities.

“We developed these eLearning courses to provide developers with the guidelines and best practices that they should take to ensure the security of their customers.”
Veracode also aims to limit the amount of security checks companies have to make when purchasing third-party applications by offering to developers a web-based eLearning training program. The online courses provide developers with certification and CPE credits and teach developers secure coding for ASP.NET, J2EE and C/C++. eLearning also aims to help developers measure and track their development progress and comply with ISO regulations and industry standards such as SANS Application Security Procurement Contract Language.

“The simple fact is that if someone wants your intellectual property, they are going to use the software you bought, built or outsourced to get it,” said Chris Eng, vice president of research, Veracode. “We developed these eLearning courses to provide developers with the guidelines and best practices that they should take to ensure the security of their customers.”

Veracode suggests that by following its eLearning development suggestions, developers will be able to:

1. Protect companies from vulnerabilities. With the vast amount of threats that constantly pressure companies and government, it is important to ensure that the software applications these organizations utilize are completely secure. To certify applications are free of vulnerabilities, several processes must be employed within the Secure Development Lifecycle (SDLC), including testing the application’s security controls at each stage of development. Such tests include static analysis, dynamic analysis or penetration testing.

2. Preserve data, IP and brand reputation. Some of the most critical application security flaws, including Cross Site Scripting (XSS) and broken authentication, allow for easy exploitation where attackers can completely take over the software, steal data, or prevent the software from working at all. In order to prevent these flaws, security practices must be integrated within the SDLC, and security of internally developed applications must be verified before they are deployed. Additionally, staying on top of patches and software updates can help bring attention to previously undiscovered flaws.

3. Perform business as usual. During the SDLC, developers must model an application, scan the code, check the quality and ensure that it meets regulations, on top of building a unique and useful application. Automated secure development testing tools help developers adhere to these development steps, while finding and fixing security issues at the same time. Veracode offers these services as well as secure development training so that developers can gain further education and insight into security issues they may have created.

Veracode wants all developers to keep these guidelines in mind when creating applications, as they allow them to detect flaws, test the security features of the applications, and ensure the customer’s data is protected above all else.

Source: BusinessWire

Microsoft releases SkyDrive developer tools including Windows Phone 8, .NET SDKs

Microsoft has a bunch of new developer tools related to its SkyDrive file-sharing and cloud storage service, including new software development kits for .NET and Windows Phone 8.

The new SDKs for the .NET software framework for Windows and the recently released Windows Phone 8 mobile operating system are available for download at Microsoft's own developer portal or via NuGet for Visual Studio projects, the company said in a blog post announcing their availability.
The .NET SDK comes in both a client and server version, providing a .NET library for client desktop apps as well as for ASP.NET applications, Microsoft said, adding that "[w]ith this release you can now create applications that target traditional desktop scenarios and as well as server side scenarios."
Along with the Windows Phone 8 SDK, the devkit for .NET allows developers to build SkyDrive functionality into their apps and programs. For example, with the client version of the .NET SDK, developers can now "create WPF, Windows Form or console applications that let your users use their SkyDrive data," the software giant said.

With the server version of the SDK, .NET developers are now able to build ASP.NET websites and Web server components "that talk to SkyDrive," Microsoft said, while also making it "easier for you to incorporate Microsoft account into your identity system or even just use Microsoft account as your primary identity system."
Microsoft noted that there are already "a ton of Windows Phone applications that ... leverage SkyDrive in their applications." The new SDK basically adds support for the latest version of the OS to the mix but also builds on several new features in Windows Phone 8, the first such release by Microsoft to share the kernel of the flagship Windows operating system for desktops, laptops, and tablets.
One advantage of that shared foundation is that developers can now "easily move [their] code between [their] Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 application" via the new Task async pattern and dynamic keyword protocols.
Microsoft also drew attention to several representative SkyDrive tie-ins developed by its ecosystem, including IFTTT ("if this, then that"), the cross-platform "Recipe" tool that allows users to connect their channels across different social media services; the electronic signature service DocuSign; and SoundGecko, a text-to-audio transcribing service that uses SkyDrive to offer users anywhere access to files.

Source: ITProPortal

WURFL Cloud Client Available on Windows Azure

ScientiaMobile, Inc., a US company offering the popular WURFL framework commercially, has today announced the availability of the WURFL Cloud Service on the Windows Azure Marketplace for ASP.NET developers. Companies that need to tailor their content to mobile devices can rely on state-of-the-art Device Detection from a company with 12 years experience in this field.

“A conspicuous amount of our infrastructure is running on the Microsoft Azure Cloud. It is fast and reliable. Organizations loyal to the Microsoft platform will be pleased to know that the WURFL cloud latency will be even lower for Azure-hosted applications.” - said Steve Kamerman, COO at ScientiaMobile.

“For us, the Azure Cloud is just one side of the Azure story. The other side is the Windows Azure Marketplace. It is a great place to publish, advertise and sell software components for the benefit of the community of ASP.NET developers,” said Krishna Guda, ScientiaMobile’s CEO. - “Being part of Azure obviously represents an opportunity for ScientiaMobile to extend the reach of our technology and having a clear path to developers in the Microsoft galaxy. For this reason, I asked my team to double down on the Azure integration in order to establish our well-deserved position on the portal as the first framework for mobile device detection. That objective is accomplished and we are very satisfied.”

“Microsoft has been aware of WURFL for a long time. Microsoft developers have adopted WURFL for many years simply because of word of mouth. Seeing WURFL being powered by the Azure Cloud and offered as part of the Azure Marketplace is the natural evolution of a developer library that has conquered its credibility the hard way throughout the years. ScientiaMobile’s choice of adopting both the Azure Marketplace and the Azure Cloud leaves us very pleased” - said Luca Venturelli, Server & Tools Business Group Lead at Microsoft.

Developers can sign up to the WURFL Cloud Service on the Microsoft Azure Marketplace.

Source: equities