How to enable remote access to IIS Express web sites

When developing web services with windows phone applications and using the emulator, Visual Studio provides a rich and integrated development environment.  However, once you move to a physical device, such as a windows phone 8.1 device, for additional testing, you might run into an issue with the device accessing the web service within the IDE.

While you could configure IIS to expose the site you would not have an integrated debugging environment.  However, IIS Express can be configured to expose the IDE website to remote (external) devices.

1.  Turn off or configure windows firewall to allow access to the selected website project port.  You can locate this in the projects properties under web.

2.  Navigate to the IIS Express applicationhost.config file. (%HOMEPATH%\Documents\IISExpress\config\applicationhost.config)

3. Find the website you working with (search for the configured port) and add the highlighted line changing localhost to the local ip address that the remote device will use to access the web site.

4.  Make sure that you run Visual Studio as an administrator.

Search for the best Developer’s Laptop: Lenovo Yoga2 Pro i7?

I have been searching for the perfect developer laptop.  For the last year I have travelled with a Apple Mac Book Pro Retina i7 and remote into my office workstation while traveling. 

This has worked really well expect when I need location access to resources, don’t have internet (on an airplane) or need to have a touch interface.

These have driven me to searching out a new Windows 8.1 touch device.  I want it to be powerful with a great screen, but light, thin and with great battery life.

I researched a lot of laptops and came up with a couple contenders.

The Lenovo Yoga2 Pro and the Samsung ATVI Book 9 Pro.  I visited a local Best Buy and and really liked the Yoga2.  Thin and light, quad HD screen, powerful (i7, 8GB, 256GB SSD).  Nice screen and great felling keyboard.  However, the layout of the keyboard is odd.

I retuned after thanksgiving to purchase the device after confirming they had one in the store.

I am not a fan of Best Buy.  I arrive and wait 20 minutes to be told they never had one.  This after the sale person ensuring me that the i5 4GB version was what I wanted.  So I ordered the laptop for a Monday delivery. 

$1200 dollars and a couple days later it arrives a day early.  I pick it up and spend the next 24 hours trying the device out with the installed OS.

There is a lot I like about the laptop.  The feel is great, performance good, screen is really nice (for applications that support quad HD  resolution.

However, every 15 minutes the wifi would go out.  This occurred at my office (twin Cicso WAP4400 access points running N, B & G) and at home (Apple time capsule 2011).

I start to research and there is a lot of issues with the laptop and wireless.  However, I figure it might be the drivers and many forums indicate.  I reload windows clean and get the latest recommend drivers both from Lenovo and Intel.

The issue gets a little bit better but after a week of trying to make the solution work I decide to move on. 

If it was not for the WIFI issue I would have loved to have kept the Yoga2 and just returned it to Best Buy.  Customer service is aware of the issue and have had many returns.

The bottom line is stay away from the device until Lenovo confirms that the issue has been resolved.

I purchased from Newegg the replacement Samsung ATVI Book 9 Pro i7 and will provide a detailed review in my next post!

Apple Mac Air 2012 with Verizon (Pantech) UM175 USB

Verizon does not offer a manager application that will run on OS X 10.8 64bit for the Pantech modem.  Here is how you can use the device on Mountain Lion.  Make sure you have the devices phone number before starting;

 

1. Install device

2.  Go to system preferences, network and select device

3.  Phone number = #777

4.  Account number = ##########@vzw3g.com

5.  Password is vzw

6.  Click advanced

7.  Under modem tab select vendor sierra

8.  Model CDMA

9. Check error correction and compression in modem

10. Ignore dial tone when dialing

11. Dialing = Tone

 

Complete!

Who reads my blog?

It is always interesting to see who is reading my blog.  Over the last several months I have been tied up on several projects and have not been able to blog but hope to start back up again soon.

I have a number of helpful posts that are ranked number 1 by Google and below are some of the companies that visit the blog.

Microsoft, JP Morgan Chase, University of CA (Santa Cruz), Intel, Facebook, State of Alaska, Southwest Airlines, Fidelity Investments, Perot Systems, Yahoo, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, State of Florida, Staples, Level 3 Communications, State of North Carolina, General Motors, Genworth Financial, Credit Suisse and Symantec Inc.

Each of this companies visited by site for one or more technical postings.  Of course there is thousands of individuals visiting the site also.

You never know who is paying attention to your postings and its inspiring to see such interest.

Does it take forever for you Visual Studio 2010 Xaml Designer to load?

If opening a xaml file in the designer is painstakingly slow you can dramatically improve the load time by simply turning off “Automatically Populate Toolbox Items”.

Version Control By Example

Eric Sink from Source Gear just published a great book called Version Control by Example you should check out.  I was fortunate enough to have been able to be a reviewer on the book.  To my delight he sent me a signed copy and listed my name as a reviewer.

I was also recently selected by Microsoft Research to participate in a toolbar UI study in which I was able to review new features for toolbar management and UI layout in Visual Studio.  This was a good experience and Microsoft provided me a fee copy of Mac Office 2011 for my participation.

If you have an opportunity to be part of these types of reviews and projects I encourage you to participate!

Be sure to get Eric’s new book at http://www.ericsink.com/vcbe/ or buy here http://www.amazon.com/Version-Control-Example-Eric-Sink/dp/0983507902

Free Microsoft eBook–The Future of Technology

Microsoft is offering a free copy of the new book “The Future of Technology” from Microsoft research.  You can also obtain a copy via Amazon Kindle for $0.99!

If you’re taking a summer vacation and want to get some tech reading in, look no further than The Fourth Paradigm – a brilliant book about the future of technology from Microsoft Research. The Kindle version is available for only 99 cents, which is not so much a bargain as an absolute steal — at that price you really have no excuse not to get it. You’ll arrive back with deeper knowledge of the big transformational trends in computing that lie ahead.

...oh and if the Kindle isn't your thing, the book is available in many other formats

• Full text, low resolution (6 MB)

• Full text, high resolution (93 MB)

• By chapter and essay

Purchase from Amazon.com

• Paperback
• Kindle version

http://blogs.technet.com/b/next/archive/2011/08/11/the-future-of-technology-for-just-0-99.aspx