TFS Build server and running MSTest - directory creation error

When you create a build type for a team project on TFS you can enable testing using MSTest by saying ‘run any tests that are found in a given DLL’. I used this today to create a CI build for a project, I am looking at using Team Build as opposed to CruiseCrontrol as we have done historically. I hit a problem that the tests were running but the build was failing (or in Team build speak - partial succeeding i.e. compiling but not passed testing). On looking in the build log I saw the error was: ...

June 12, 2008 · 1 min · Richard Fennell

Rescheduled XPClub Meeting

This Wednesday, the 11th, is the rescheduled XPClub meeting ‘Exploring Mobile Web Development’ with Chris Mills developer relations manager for Opera This is a free event and open to all, hope to see you there.

June 9, 2008 · 1 min · Richard Fennell

Interesting post on testing

Interesting post from Ben Hall on the role of the tester, something I have posted on in the past. As Ben asks what are other people views?

June 9, 2008 · 1 min · Richard Fennell

Go south young man.......and read a book on a SmartPhone

I have got into reading books off my HTC smart phone using the Microsoft Reader. It means you always have a book with you (as well as a web browser, blog writer, phone etc…..) The problem has been getting books in a suitable format, yes I know that you can buy electronic books but there are so many out of copyright classic’s I have not read yet. You can download many from Project Gutenberg (and convert them to the right format using the add-in for Word) so why buy newer ones? ...

June 9, 2008 · 2 min · Richard Fennell

On the train home

Thanks to everyone who attended my session on DataDude in Edinburgh yesterday. I hope you found it useful. For those based in Yorkshire I will be doing the same session for the local SQL user group on the 16th July. The slides I used yesterday were virtually identical to the ones I used at SQLBits II and can be found on our server. The only major change was a bit about yesterdays announcement of the GDR release that I wrote on the train up after watching the Channel9 video - but Gert’s blog is a better source information for this. ...

June 5, 2008 · 1 min · Richard Fennell

New CTP Release for VS2008 Database Edition

Typical I am giving a session on VS2008 DataDude tomorrow and Microsoft go and release a new version! See Gert Drapers blog for the full details or Channel 9 for a video which I will be watch in the train tomorrow I guess.

June 3, 2008 · 1 min · Richard Fennell

Speaking in Edinburgh this week

I am speaking at the Scottish SQL user group on Wednesday about VS2008 for DB Professionals. Hope to see you there.

June 2, 2008 · 1 min · Richard Fennell

Developer Edition for Sharepoint

There has been a good deal of discussion on Blogs and Forums as to if there is a need for a developer edition of Sharepoint (WSS3.0) so you can develop against it under Vista. Historically your options were: Run W2K3 on your client PC - licensing issues and maybe drivers if using a laptop Do all development in a VPC (or VMware) - is be a bit slow. Now some people argue the separation between client and server this causes is good - and it is a strong argument. However I want to get the best performance out of my development PC, so a WSS3.0 on Vista would be really useful to me. I know it won’t address all my development issues (I will still need a VPC from time to time) but it will do 90% of my day to day work and run at least 50% faster than a VPC. ...

May 30, 2008 · 1 min · Richard Fennell

and another point...

I forgot to say in the last post the thing I noticed most about Spain - the quality of the roads and the courtesy of the drivers. Both excellent. As a cyclist in the UK I am used to pot-holes and being cut up all the time. None of this is Spain, drivers seem happy to wait for cycles and overtake safely giving loads of room. All this on super smooth roads. ...

May 28, 2008 · 1 min · Richard Fennell

An Idle break

I have had a week off on holiday at a triathlon club training camp (some holiday some might say, 26 hours of training sessions in 6 days). We were staying at Idle Breaks just outside Malaga. A location which I cannot recommend highly enough, great location, facilities, food and owners. However, I have to say you do get some strange looks as you get ready for a swim in the Mediterranean. ...

May 26, 2008 · 1 min · Richard Fennell