Ranganathan's Blog

Techie

Thursday, January 19, 2006

SMTP/POP3 free Email component for .NET Framework and .NET Compact Framework

 




Gaurav Khanna has released its project called CSLMail, an SMTP/POP3 email component for .NET Framework and .NET Compact Framework platforms.


CSLMail 2.0 is a free and feature rich .NET based email component, which supports the SMTP and POP3 protocols, completing the need to design a complete email client. Its comes with complete documentation and features include:



  • SMTP

    • Complete SMTP support for sending emails

    • SMTP Authentication supported

    • Attachments supported using BASE64 encoding

    • Return/Delivery Receipts, Email Priority, Plain-Text/Rich-Text emails supported

    • Custom email headers can be inserted

  • POP3

    • Support for automatic email parsing an presenting you with the various email sections

    • Support for getting the partial email content for showing the header information only (TOP command)

    • Allows you to automatically decode and save BASE64 encoded attachments

CSLMail also supports variety of platforms for desktop and compact device development:



  • .NET Framework 2.0

  • .NET Compact Framework 1.0 and 2.0

  • Windows CE 5.0

  • Pocket PC 2003 and SmartPhone 2003

  • Windows Mobile 5.0 based Pocket PC and SmartPhone

The tool is totally free and it's really interesting expecially because it covers all the .NET environments. Now you have the right tool to start building your own email client, expecially for the mobile-side...


SMTP/POP3 free Email component for .NET Framework and .NET Compact Framework

Full access to Linux Ext2 volumes from your Windows Machine

 




The end of the year comes with this wonderful news I was missing...


If you have a machine where Windows and Linux are installed side by side (like my Notebook), how many times you need a file which is stored on an Ext2 Linux volume? I think this can occour a lot if you work also under Linux. Now with the Ext2 Installable File System for Windows (freeware) you can handle all your Ext2 disks as standard Windows disks (and also you will be able to handle floppy disks which have been formatted with an Ext2 file system).



This tool installs a pure kernel mode file system driver Ext2fs.sys, which actually extends the Windows NT/2000/XP operating system to include the Ext2 file system natively.


This is extremely useful and can save lots of time for your every day work. It's time to install a new piece of software on my notebook...


Full access to Linux Ext2 volumes from your Windows Machine


 


via: http://demiliani.com/blog/

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Golden Rules for Career Success by Richard


1. Business is made up of ambiguous victories and nebulous defeats. Claim
them all as victories.

2. Keep track of what you do; someone is sure to ask.

3. be comfortable around senior managers, or learn to fake it.

4. Never bring your boss a problem without some solution.

5. You are getting paid to think, not to whine.

6. Long hours don't mean anything; results count, not effort.

7. Write down ideas; they get lost, like good pens.

8. Always arrive at work 30 minutes before your boss.

9. Help other people network for jobs. You never know when your turn will
come.

10. Don't take days off sick-unless you are.


11. Assume no one can/will keep a secret.


12. Know when you do your best-morning, night, under pressure, relaxed;
schedule and prioritize your work accordingly.


13. Treat everyone who works in the organization with respect and dignity,
whether it be the cleaner or the managing director. Don't ever be
patronizing.


14. Never appear stressed in front of a client, a customer or your boss.
Take a deep breath and ask yourself: In the course of human events, how
important is this?

15. If you get the entrepreneurial urge, visit someone who has his own
business. It may cure you

16. Acknowledging someone else's contribution will repay you doubly.

17. Career planning is an oxymoron. The most exciting opportunities tend to
be unplanned.

18. Always choose to do what you'll remember ten years from now.

9. The size of your office is not as important as the size of your pay
cheque.

20. Understand what finished work looks like and deliver your work only
when it is finished.

21. The person who spends all of his or her time is not hard-working; he or
she is boring.



22. Know how to write business letters-including thank-you notes as well as
proposals.


23. Never confuse a memo with reality. Most memos from the top are
political fantasy.



24. Eliminate guilt. Don't fiddle expenses, taxes or benefits, and don't
cheat colleagues.

25. Reorganizations mean that someone will lose his or her job. Get on the
committee that will make the recommendations.

26. Job security does not exist. Always have an answer to the question,
"What would I do if I lost my job tomorrow?"

27. Go to the company Christmas party. Don't get drunk at the company
Christmas party.

28. Avoid working at weekends. Work longer during the week if you have to.

29. the most successful people in business are interesting.

30. Sometimes you'll be on a winning streak and everything will click; take
maximum advantage. When the opposite is true, hold steady and wait it out.

31. Never in your life say, "It's not my job."

32. be loyal to your career, your interests and yourself.

33. Understand the skills and abilities that set you apart. Use them
whenever you have an opportunity.

34. People remember the end of the project. As they say in boxing, "Always finish stronger than you start" .

Finally...

Your Effort may fail but... Don't fail to make Effort….

Monday, January 16, 2006

7 Tips for becoming a better Software Developer

 


Over the course of my software career I’ve worked hard to make myself a better developer.  These 7 tips have helped me along my way.  What tips would you offer aspiring software developers?


1. Read.  Read.  Read.  Books are a great resource for gaining new knowledge, enhancing existing knowledge, and forcing yourself to grow into new areas.  Although I’ve been lazy with my reading lately I think the books that I’ve read over the course of my career have greatly enhanced my ability to grow professionally.


2. Write lots of code.  If you want to get better at something you need to practice.  This applies to coding just as much as it does to anything else.  As you work through problems you’ll learn new ways of doing things, realize how stupid you were in the past, and you’ll begin to see common problems and scenarios.  Get coding!


3. If someone asks you a question that you don’t know the answer to find the answer.  I’ve always made it a habit to find the answer to questions that colleagues have asked.  If someone is asking you for the answer and you don’t know it there’s a decent chance it is worth knowing.  Do a quick google search, or send yourself an email reminder to find the answer.  Not only will your colleague appreciate you finding out the answer for them but you’ll also have gained some new knowledge that you won’t have to go searching for next time around.


4. Blog it up.  Reading blogs as well as writing blogs can be very helpful to your career.  By reading blogs you’ll keep a good handle on what’s going on in the tech world and be able to identify areas that you may need to increase your knowledge and skills.  By writing a blog you’ll open yourself up to new opportunities.  Obviously you need to be able to make the commitment to writing solid content but if you can make the commitment do it.


5. Remember that your job is to make the users of your software kick ass.  It’s not to write some really snazzy class that uses all the latest language features, its about creating kick ass software. 


6. Learn something new.  Learning is one of the most important aspects to becoming a solid software developer.  There is way too much out there to know it all.  Make it a habit of learning something new.  Whether it’s a new class, a new framework, or a completely new language.  Just remember to continuously learn.


7. Read code.  One of the things that I enjoy is checking out other people’s code.  By examining how someone else solved a problem you often times learn new ways of doing things.  I’ve checked out a lot of code and learned a lot of things from it.  When someone posts a code sample, or open sources a project they’ve been working on crack open the code and take a look, chances are you’ll learn something new.