Microsoft is adding new code analysis features to its upcoming Visual Studio 2008 tools suite.

Microsoft is continuing its thrust to help developers write more secure and better quality code. The Redmond, Wash., software company is putting new code analysis features into the next version of its development tools suite, Visual Studio 2008.

In Visual Studio 2005, the company integrated a couple of static analysis tools—FxCop and PREfast into the tools suite under the names Managed Code Analysis and C/C++ Code Analysis, said S. “Soma” Somasegar, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s developer division, in a blog post Oct. 4.

Now for Visual Studio 2008, Microsoft’s code analysis team is adding some new features, including Code Metrics, a new tool window “that allows you to not only get an overall view of the health [code-wise] of your application, but also gives you the ability to dig deep to find those unmaintainable and complex hotspots,” Somasegar said.

For Visual Studio 2008, Code Metrics will ship with five metrics: Cyclomatic Complexity, Depth of Inheritance, Class Coupling, Lines of Code and Maintainability Index, he said.

Other new features include Code Analysis Policy improvements, which provide the ability to ensure that code analysis is run before every check-in. The Microsoft team also made some usability improvements, including better guidance and providing more control over how settings are applied from the policy to projects, Somasegar said.

According to Somasegar’s blog, Visual Studio 2008’s code analysis capabilities will also feature new analysis improvements, such as: support for analyzing anonymous methods and lambda expressions; reduced noise in existing analysis and the ability to skip over tool generated code; new analysis, including additional rules around security, globalization, maintainability and spelling (including custom dictionary support); better support for C++/CLI and the Compact Framework; and performance improvements that cut analysis time over managed code by two times, and use half as much memory than in Visual Studio 2005.

The new tool set also has feature enhanced suppression support, he said.

“Code Analysis supports suppressing an instance of a warning by right clicking on it in the Error List and choosing Suppress Message,” Somasegar said. “This support has been extended for Visual Studio 2008, giving more control over whether a suppression is applied in-source or in a separate project suppression file. The underlying suppression format has also changed to support generic methods, C++ boxed value types and special type modifiers.”

Microsoft has set the official launch for Visual Studio 2008—along with Windows Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008—for Feb. 27, 2008, in Los Angeles. However, the Visual Studio 2008 code is expected to release to manufacturing later this year.

Source : eweek

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Not long ago it seemed that Nintendo had been pushed out of the gaming console market because of the release of the Xbox and Playstation 2. Also with the release of the Xbox 3 and the soon to be released Playstation 3, Nintendo definitely needed to find something that could compete with these. The answer to this was the invention of the Nintendo Wii.

The Nintendo Wii has been developing for quite some time now and was initially known as the Nintendo “Revolution”, but after a while the guys at Nintendo decided to change the name to “Wii”.

The Wii console can be purchase in a verity of colors. It is a sleek rectangular box with a blue, LED illuminated slot receiver. They decided at Nintendo to keep the exterior simple and effective and it is certainly very different from the flashy Xbox 360.

Now let us talk about the actual features that a Wii has to offer you as a gamer.

First off, Nintendo has promised that the Wii will bring you a whole new gaming experience, and part of the implementation of this plan is that a small controller is provided with the Wii. Although it seems to be similar to a TV remote, it in fact contains motion sensors that can be utilized in various game play aspects. There are many games out there which take advantage of this technology such as Red Steel, Call of Duty, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, as well as Nintendo’s own Wii packages known as Wii Sport and Wii Play. This controller provides the player with an effective way to aim and do other in-game tasks.

As for the hardware aspects of the Nintendo Wii, it is equipped with an IBM CPU, ATI graphics card, and 512MB of RAM memory. Plus it has wireless controllers, along with 2 USB ports, and a built in antennae for WiFi, Internet access. Unfortunately the Wii does not support HD output, although it does still have the potential to look good on a HDTV because of its wide screen facility and the 480p progressive scan technology.

The last thing I will mention is that the Wii has an amazing backwards compatibility feature which means that you can play any game that Nintendo has ever produced on this console.

But I suppose one of the biggest benefits where the Nintendo Wii is concerned, is its price. It is very affordable compared to the Xbox 360 or the PS3 when it comes on to the market. You should be able to easily pick up a Nintendo Wii for about $250-$299.

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Korea’s KomTech has unveiled Rogun, a one meter tall humanoid robot that walks around on two feet. It is actually a babysitter and security guard, with the ability to recognize familiar faces. The diminutive robot will wander around, playing with the kids, broadcasting children’s video wirelessly to the net, so you can see what your children are up to while you are at work. The robot also acts as a wireless Internet or video phone terminal, and keeps watch when nobody’s at home, calling your mobile phone, if there is a stranger in the house.
The cost is Approx $5000

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