A Simple Image Viewer

Sometimes you set out to do something really simple and fall at the first hurdle. A colleague wanted to show some jpg images on a website as a slide show. Simple fades, start to finish. Every JavaScript and Flash version of slide shows that I looked at online (and there were many!) were complex, or had caveats about not working in this browser or that browser. I wasted a couple of hours, put the kettle on, made tea and wrote this in Flash 8. Now it does absolutely nothing, which was all I wanted. No borders, no logos, no controls, nothing. The SWF file is less than 1K in size and you can use it to show 3 or 7 or 11 or whatever number of slides. You can set the time each is onscreen and you can make the images loop if you wish. If you are suffering the same, take it! It's yours. Don't credit me, but please feel free to fiddle with it, improve it - whatever...

Programming Windows Presentation Foundation Book

Obviously over the next few months, a whole slew of books are going to appear on WinFX subjects. One that's available now by Chris Sells and Ian Griffiths provides a great start. Available from amazon.com and amazon.co.uk amongst others. I haven't personally read it yet, but internal team members are recommending it.

RoadToWinFX Resource Site

It's really nice to see community sites start to develop, even more so when they're homegrown. RoadToWinFX is a UK site, which although new, already contains a useful set of resources for WinFX. I'm looking forward to seeing how this develops in the months ahead.

Obituary: Ronnie Barker

Whilst I don't want this blog to become an obituary page, I can't let the incredibly sad passing of Ronnie Barker go without a mention. Like so many people of my age, Ronnie Barker was a very real part of my childhood with The Two Ronnies a firm fixture on the TV throughout the 70s and after. I wonder how many people are today feeling that they have lost a favourite uncle without once every having met him. Even though his family will never read this, I pass them my heartfelt condolances and give thanks for literally years and years of pleasure watching his comedy creations. I'll be lighting a metaphorical "four candles"...