Here. ”Microsoft is working on an update to its Information Bridge Framework (IBF) for this spring, a company spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday. What had been referred to as IBF 1.5 by partner sources will actually be a service pack for the integration software. The update, to be delivered via MSDN, will add support for two new host applications, InfoPath and Internet Explorer. The current IBF supports Word 2003, Excel 2003, and Outlook 2003.”

If you’ve got .NET 2.0 and the Nov. ’04 Avalon CTP, click here to play my scaling, vector-based, WinFX version of Solitaire. Features include lovely scaling of the cards as the window resizes, real-time drag ‘n’ drop of the cards, sol-like card stacking, ClickOnce deployment and the source. The performance in this version is much improved because I’m re-using DrawingBrushes and a simplified card back. Enjoy!

If you’ve got .NET 2.0 and the Nov. ’04 Avalon CTP, click here to play my scaling, vector-based, WinFX version of Solitaire. Features include lovely scaling of the cards as the window resizes, real-time drag ‘n’ drop of the cards, sol-like card stacking, ClickOnce deployment and the source. The performance isn’t yet what I’d like it to be because I’m loading the card back resource 52 times, but it’ll get there. Enjoy!

Jim Hubbard gives Thinstall a ringing endorsement:

“This solution will take your executable (.Net, VB or C++) and all of its dependencies and wrap them all into a single executable. The neat thing is that it even includes the portions of the .Net framework needed to run your executable inside the executable it creates. So, there’s no need to distribute the whole .Net framework.”

Has anyone else tried it?

Savas Parastatidis has posted his early work using Avalon 3D to visualize stars in the galaxy. I don’t believe that I’ve ever seen the stars line up like that, but the screen shots are cool anyway. : )

And while we’re on the topic of real-world .NET Smart Client applications, you can’t not take a look at the Washington State University course work resulting in Paint.NET, an all-.NET implementation of a painting program that was initially aimed at merely replacing MS Paint Brush, but has long ago far surpassed it with painting features found only in commercial painting applications.

And, like SharpDevelop, if you like what you see and want to know how a feature was implemented, you have only to download the Paint.NET source code.

Also, don’t forget to check back in mid to late January for Paint.NET 2.1!

APress has made Dissecting a C# Application: Inside SharpDevelop, the book that describes the history and design of SharpDevelop, freely available for download and I’m enjoying it immensely.

I’ve only read the 1st 2 chapters, but the authors have already provided me a nice overview of the major features in SharpDevelop and how they came to be over the history of the project. I’m also very much looking forward to the implementation details later in the book, particularly the add-in model, internationalization, implementing the Windows Forms Designer and, of course, code generation.

For anyone building a real client-side .NET application, this book is bound to give you clues on how to do it better. Recommended.

And as if that weren’t enough, because SharpDevelop is an open source project, if any of the features tickle your fancy, you can download the SourceDevelop code to see how they were implemented.

Here. The one where I describe my recent run-ins with the Oregon traffic police and my availability as the “Bad Boy” in your boy band.