This looks like a nice release to an already great product.  This new version has full featured VB.NET support so now a whole new group of developers can experience the greatness of ReSharper.  Another great thing is the upgrade price for personal licenses.  I can get the full featured version (both C# and VB.NET support) for $119 or just one version (C# or VB.NET) for only $89.  On the surface, that seems like a bit of cash for an upgrade.  Don't get me wrong, when I first gave it a try I didn't want to part with the money for it.  I wish it was a free upgrade but based on the value it gives me and how much I use it - the upgrade price is more than fair.

I'll definitely be upgrading but I'm going to hold off on the upgrade for now.

• I'm going to let others test out the released version and wait until an update or two have been released.
• My "new gadget" budget is on empty.  I've just purchased a new GPS for Geocaching.

Anywho, if you haven't tried out ReSharper yet (knock, knock, VB guys) give it a 30-day spin and kick the tires a bit.

Giddy Up!

Apparently, without out a much to-do a new version of Textpad was released in March....three months ago.  I only found out because I went looking for an Oracle syntax file.

So far I've only noticed dockable windows for search results and a new file explorer.  There is a cleaner looking UI which is nice as well.  The new install will keep 99% of your previous settings.  If you are like me and use some custom syntax files you'll need to manually move them to the new install directory.

Even better, 5.0 is a free upgrade for those of us who support their favorite small software vendors and purchased a 4.x license.

Giddy Up!

I guess I should've read my ReSharper Tools Blog feed prior to my blog post yesterday.  Apparently some cool stuff went down at DevTeach when Oren Eini did a presentation and was using ReSharper.  Now, the term ReSharper Jedi is getting legs and Oren, Jean-Paul, and ReSharper's product manager Ilya Ryzhenkov are on the council.  WOW!!

I want to learn to use the force but I keep hearing Yoda telling me - "Do or do not, there is no try."

I've seen variations of this posted inside cubes, on bulletin boards, in the break room, etc..  It is just so funny that I can never look at it and not chuckle.

Apparently, there is a whole website dedicated to creating your very own cartoon.

Here is mine:

Here's a little more on how I came up with my version....

1. The customer does the best job of describing what they want and they try to "get technical" or they have to simplify the business so they don't really describe it as well as they could have.
2. The lead hears about the short timeline and thinks of something that could be retrofitted.
3. I didn't really mean to throw us [developers] under the bus but that's really how it is most of the time.  We try to fit in some new bells and whistles for good measure.
4. What the customer wanted - this doesn't mean this is what they needed.

The really sad part is that it's true 9 out of 10 times.  There is such a disconnect between what the customer really wanted, what they needed, and what was delivered.

Giddy Up!