I started reading ASP.Net v 2.0 - The beta verion yesterday, and have started back up in whidbey.  After I started a new web site I had a project with a new default.aspx and a default.aspx.vb codebehind.  Odd, I don't remember selecting a language.  Well after thinking about the new no project model, it made sense as to why I could just specify the lanuage when adding a new file. 

ps. I quickly deleted the default.aspx in favor of its {sexier} version  :)

pps. Picture whidbey doesn't usually come through on this feed, but since I haven't done it in months I wanted to let anyone new know it's there. and hopefully more active.  Also, feel free to submit screenshots

I've spent just a little time with b1, and can already see there is a huge amount of changes and updates.  Just huge.  I think I am going to take a sectioned approach to discovering whidbey, and thus picure whidbey.  Initial thoughts :

General Coding Changes
Windows Forms Designer Changes
ASP.Net Forms Designer Changes
DB Project changes

Any input on the order would be good, and I'm sure ill find more to look at in these trails.

Refactoring from the ide...  Also notice View in diagram.  We'll see that soon.

Here are some shots of the intellisense improvements in whidbey.

namespace scoped

class scoped

Whats the local variable name again?

New mode for vss?  Interesting

Heres the add new project dialog.  New checkbox to add to source control. 

Heres the program menus it installs. I wonder if one of those cmd shells is monad?

After I installed beta1 the first thing I noticed was the sql server 2005 program group.  I poped in, and found 1 icon, Sql Computer Manager.  Although I gone more into it anymore, heres a shot.  I found it interesting to see report server.

[If you dont care about my installation story, the point of the post is the last paragraph]

Let's face it, there's some hype around whidbey.  Unless you live in a van down by the river, you know how this new widget or that new thing will make this 100 year old developer problem just *poof* go away.  Although I don't buy into all of the hype, I am very anxious to start playing with this new set of tools.  I played with the last releases a bit, but no more then I would some fly by night flash game.  But now that beta 1 is here, I think it's time to get my feet wet.

So I start my long journey.  Anxiously awaiting the new release, I get the download started within hours of the release.  Wow, theres lots of stuff here.  I don't want to feel like I missed something, so I just grab it all.  So I set the stop watch and start watching the download meters.  At some point during the night I must have dosed off a missed some of the intense action, but needless to say, by morning it was just about done.  Great,  I got the bits, and lots of them.  D'oh, no image yet. 

Ever install XP on a vpc?  I chose not to do it on the thinkpad since, well, I use it, and did it on my “sandbox” (2.4 celery, 256ram).  I had to set the ram to 128 since, well, this is a sandbox, aka frankenstein box, and only have 256.  Well, a few more exciting hours of progress bar antcipation, XP is all setup. 

So, I go shave now, cause its just been that long since I started the process.  All clean and whatnot, its time to install vs.net.  I mount up the first image, and start it up.  I choose my options (everything but sqlexpress was on by default, I turned on sqlexpress), and started it up.  Guess what comes next?  If you said progress bar anticipation, your correct.  Man this process is slow.

After all that, it's time to copy it to the laptop.  I was hoping it would be a bit smaller, but it's 5.3 gigs, so I plugged in to copy it over.  Another 30 or so minutes of progress bars, and it's time to go.

So now to the point.  People write about whidbey all over.  We have all seen the articles, and they will keep pouring out.  Hey, I may even write one.  But this category is gonna be all about whidbey screenshots.  As I play with whidbey, when I see cool things, I'll snap a shot and post it here.  If you find anything cool, feel free to send it this way and I'll post it up too.