My Articles

This is a listing of articles I've written over the years, with links where available (content goes away sometimes, even on the internet... who knew?):

Programming

MSDN Articles (not in the magazine)

MSDN Magazine Articles

        • { End Bracket }: And Along Came 10…
          Introducing On10.net (http://on10.net), the Channel 9 answer for the technology enthusiast who isn’t necessarily a programmer.
          Duncan Mackenzie - December 2006
        • Visual Basic: Navigate The .NET Framework And Your Projects With The My Namespace
          The My Namespace is best described as a speed-dial for the .NET Framework. It provides an intuitive navigation hierarchy that exposes existing .NET functionality through easily understood root objects. Here Duncan Mackenzie explains it all.
          Duncan Mackenzie - Visual Studio 2005 Guided Tour (special issue in 2006)
        • Advanced Basics: A Match-Making Game in Visual Basic
          My four-year-old son has decided that he wants to be like his dad when he grows up. He is planning to work in my office, and write computer programs just like I do. But there is one problem—he thinks I write games.
          Duncan Mackenzie - October 2005
        • Advanced Basics: Creating A Breadcrumb Control
          Hansel and Gretel had the right idea when they followed the pebbles that glistened there like newly minted coins, showing them the way. " The deeper you get into the forest or into your data, the more likely you are going to need help to find your way back out again.
          Duncan Mackenzie - July 2005
        • Advanced Basics: Remembering User Information in Visual Basic .NET
          Many applications need to store user-specific settings to be persisted between sessions. But how do you go about saving and restoring these settings in your Microsoft® . NET Framework-based application? It's not all that easy to find the correct answer.
          Duncan Mackenzie - April 2005
        • Advanced Basics: Creating a Five-Star Rating Control
          I have to admit it; most of my Windows® Forms controls are an attempt to copy something that already exists. In my October 2004 column I showed you how to create a progress bar that mimicked the one shown during the Windows XP setup routine, and this month I'm at it again.
          Duncan Mackenzie - January 2005
        • Advanced Basics: Digital Grandma
          As a parent of a young child, I take a lot of pictures—many more than anyone would ever be interested in seeing. Well, anyone except my mother. This is her first grandchild and the one or two pictures I send to her each week only brush the surface of her grandmotherly needs.
          Duncan Mackenzie - November 2004
        • Advanced Basics: Building a Progress Bar that Doesn't Progress
          In many situations, accurately estimating the length of a certain process (copying a large file, loading data from a server, retrieving files from the Internet) would be both difficult and inefficient.
          Duncan Mackenzie - October 2004
        • Advanced Basics: Data Binding Radio Buttons to a List
          Duncan Mackenzie - July 2004
        • Visual Basic: Navigate the .NET Framework and Your Projects with "My"
          The next version of Visual Basic, Visual Basic 2005, will include some powerful new features. One of the most interesting is the My language extensions: My.Application, My.Computer, My.Forms, My.Resources, My.Settings, My.User, and My.WebServices. The My language extensions take the idea of helper functions to a whole new level because they include so much functionality out of the box. Called "a speed-dial for the .NET Framework" by the author, the My extensions are a feature you won't want to overlook.
          Duncan Mackenzie - May 2004

Gaming (Xbox 360)