Benefits of using .NET Source code – Why you should enable Visual Studio Reference Source access!

If you are a developer and wondering what this means or if you still haven’t enabled source access, then this is for you!

You should be knowing that as part Open Source initiative you have get access to .Net Source code (yes! that’s right & this is more than an year old news.)

Also there are articles from gurus like ScottGu and Shawn Burke on how to enable this and get the source code to your system so that you can play with it.

I don’t want to talk about that here. But I know many (a lot) of my peers (and maybe you too) have not done this till now. Let me just list down what all one stands to learn and benefit by getting the .NET source code. If you think “Nah, I’m just new to development and the source code may go overboard for me!” then you should read this..

A little intro how this whole thing works. You have two options to get the source code,

1. Configuring Visual Studio Reference Source access so that you get the source code on demand from Microsoft reference source server while working
2. Use this mass downloader tool (also available at CodePlex) to get the complete (almost all) .NET source code for offline access

Finally, the benefits…

1. Debug the .NET Framework source code

You always wanted to know how a control as complex and robust as the GridView is implemented in all its respects. Now you can! Set a breakpoint in your application, load the symbols, and step into the framework and experience the code firsthand along with .net runtime.

2. Build better applications

With the understanding of the underlying code and it’s execution, will enable you to develop modules with more sense that will translate into better applications

3. Do it with style and get to understand best practices

Reading (or debugging) through the .net framework will reveal to you a host of best practices and not-to-dos when developing an application. This will enhance and perfect one’s development skills and practices.

4. Know the reason behind all those backward compatibility features, deprecations and weird method signatures

When I said .Net source code it is the exact (more or less) lines of code written by real people – i.e. you get to see the inline comments and method headers, etc with all the reasons behind the existence (or not that of) a particular method or a line of code.

5. For students: learn through example

Always in engineering studies as a student you get to see mostly theoretical way of very common and crucial modules like memory allocation, garbage collection and other components of compilers and runtime engines. Now, you get to experience it first hand with real code!

I guess this should be really good enough to get things started for you. If all this didn’t convince you still or you feel something very important that I left out, comment back.

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Finally, DreamSpark comes to India! Get All Major Microsoft Software for FREE!

The one thing students want during their life at college would be free software so that they can try, test and develop their skills. Making use of this Microsoft opened up a program called DreamSpark to enable students to get access FREE licensed versions of all major development tools.

Till sometime back India was not listed in the official DreamSpark website (www.dreamspark.com). Recently India got it’s own website at www.dreamsparkindia.com.

Now, all students can rejoice!

What all you get?

As part of this program, students in all the colleges/ universities across India stand to get FREE licensed versions of the following tools – yes, FREE – No Charge!

1. Visual Studio 2005 Pro
2. Visual Studio 2008 Pro
3. SQL Server 2005 Standard
4. Windows Server 2003 Standard
5. Expression Studio
6. XNA Games Studio & XNA Creators Club Online

It works this way…:

1. Students show their college/ university Id card and get verified
2. Walk away with DVD collection of all the cool tools
   Yes It’s that simple!

So, If you are a student, simple go to http://www.dreamsparkindia.com/dreamspark/GetDreamTools.aspx to find out nearest dealers where you can get things done.

Doing it online (in India):

There is also online mode of obtaining software via DreamSpark.com, but requires ISIC (International Student Identity Card)

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Don’t miss to watch Bill Gates’ Speech on 5th November at 2.00 pm (IST)

I noticed the parent DreamSpark.com site also lists SQL Server 2008, WIndows Server 2008, Expression studio 2 whereas these are absent in DreamSparkIndia.com. That means, you’ll have to only download these software by directly going to DreamSpark.com and verifying your student status as mentioned above.

Why not include Windows Vista (say Home Premium) in India when Windows Server is included already? – this will provide a huge boost to the Vista’s image among students once they get their hands on it. I’m guessing this will most probably be packages that were made available in rest of world previously. hmm.

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