Hello, I'm   Jason

Windows 8 has done a great job with syncing settings across machines. So good in fact that you can even see what you’ve “purchased” from the Windows Store and what you’ve “purchased” that is not installed. I’m using the term “purchased” loosely as this infers that you’ve downloaded and includes free apps.

How many times have you wanted to drop a selection of Microsoft SQL Server tables that have begin with some common characters? I have many times especially when I’m testing certain web applications, such as Orchard CMS, and using different database prefix values to switch between instances. Thanks to Curt Hagenlocher over at a StackOverflow post, I now can.

First of all, thanks to all who are involved with the Microsoft MVP program for acknowledging the technical community. It is much appreciated.

One of the questions I’ve been getting asked lately at user group meetings, advisory board meetings, and lunch discussions about technology is “What startups are using Microsoft technology?” The perception is that building on top of the Microsoft stack costs money, much more than using LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP). Let’s see what Microsoft can offer as of today.

As ASP.NET evolves, using ASP.NET WebForms is still the most popular way to serve up ASP.NET. One of the biggest benefits of ASP.NET WebForms is the fact that we can use re-usable code in several ways including in a compiled server control. What you may not know is that server controls can be quite powerful and can allow referencing JavaScript files. But, if you’re distributing your controls or do not have the means to host your JavaScript files on a content delivery network (CDN), you may want to package the files with your control.

The Windows Store is great. Seriously, it is. There are some minor issues with it that I’d like to see such as a way to track “recommended apps” by either your friends or by Microsoft and a way to sort Games by “Xbox” titles. However, the biggest thing the Windows Store is missing is a way for businesses to handle it.

Remember back in August when Acer’s JT Wang suggested that if Microsoft priced the Surface with Windows RT at $199 that it would negatively impact it’s partners and vendors? So now that the Apple event is over and we heard Apple announce the iPad Mini at $329, here’s where the Microsoft Surface with Windows RT stands in terms of price:

With Windows 8 just 3 days away from being officially released to consumers, manufacturers are pushing machines out to distributors everywhere. Don’t wait in line or miss out on the machine you’re looking for. Pre-order from one of the following websites today:

Verizon and other telecommunication organizations are falling behind. Technology companies such as Apple, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are announcing cutting edge technology every day. When was the last time Verizon announced expanding FiOS coverage?

So Windows 8 has a new custom Start screen that allows live tiles to be displayed and rearranged on a per user basis. They also allow complete customization of the new Start screen. This includes a few backgrounds that are updated based on the color choice the user selects. Each color choice comes with two colors – a default color for the live tile and a background color for the start menu.